Any other children of MS suffers out there?

[LimeSlice]

Just wondering if there are any other children of MS patients on the boards?
I know we have at least one MS sufferer...

My father has been battling this hideous disease for 26 years (diagnosed) now, and we are in the very final stages now. He has a very aggressive progressive relapsing MS, and at the age of 61 he is now all but permanently bed-ridden, often incoherent, unable to complete even the most basic of motor functions and the neurological effects have become evident in even the briefest of interactions. He is in a nursing home, where he has been for several years now after becoming too high-needs for the MS respite home in Williamstown.

Looking I think for a bot of support, shared experience... I am noticing that a lot of my issues from childhood/adolescence are coming to the forefront now that he is effectively dying. He has suffered several heart attacks in the last few years, infections and we are all now just waiting to see what it is that finally claims his broken life.
The effect of the MS on our everyday lives, his marriage, and family relationships has been devastating for years, largely due to his own mental approach - or lack thereof - to his disease. He is estranged from both my brother and sister, has been repeatedly abusive to his mother and sister, and after he didn't come to my wedding, I have only seen him a few times in the last couple of years (being on the other side of the country hasn't helped this, but I have not made too many other attempts to contact him as his demeanour is more often than not aggressive and mean, and his recollections of events is so warped it is beyond help).

Charlotte has met him once, and he adored her - I could see how happy he was just by her pressence despite not being physically able to hold her etc, and she loved him too - helped I am sure by the bucket of lollies and chocolates he allowed her free reign of! lol

I am travelling to Melbourne in a few weeks to see him, Charlotte has been asking to see him, and for him to meet Marley. And I am finding I am not handling the emotional issues very well at all. With everything else going on, this is all just a bit too much, despite having been preparing myself for this since I was 12 years old, I feel vulnerable and ill-prepared to deal with what I am going to find when I see him.

So... hoping there are people out there who understand this, have BTDT and can offer some advice or support... something....reassurance?

[Bumperstump Cummerbund]

My Mum has MS, she was diagnosed when I was about 11. I'm afraid I don't know too much about the bad stages though - hers is being well managed with the Interferon. She's actually better now than she was before she was diagnosed!

The summer before she was diagnosed was awful though. For several weeks she lost all feeling down her left side, she couldn't hold anything or do anything, and the worst part was, she wouldn't let us help her. We even had a family holiday booked to Albany that she insisted on going to - it was while we were down there that the Doc rang with the results of her MRI. Once she went on the meds, she stopped having the awful flareups. She does have them now, they last 3 or 4 days at a time, but they're rare.

This may sounds selfish, but I guess it's probably a concern of yours as well.....I'm scared I have it as well. A lot of the things Mum has trouble with during a flareup are the same for me - not being able to speak properly, not remembering simple words. It scares the heck outta me.

Even if I don't know exactly what you're going through at the moment, I'm here if you need me

[HotI]

My brother has MS, but so far symptoms have been largely controlled by meds. He just has to deal with side effects of the meds