When the Diagnosis Is Multiple Sclerosis

Kym Orsetti Furney was a 34-year-old physician enjoying her exciting career and life with her husband and young daughter when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. At first terrified, Furney has rebounded from the shock of diagnosis and—empowered by information, treatment, and support—continues her work as a doctor, teacher, wife, and parent despite the challenges of MS.

Here she offers help and hope to other people coping with a new diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Her valuable insights into this incurable and unpredictable disease help readers understand the physical, emotional, and practical aspects of MS. Reflecting on her own experience after diagnosis, she discusses the many challenges patients face—from depression and overcoming the fear of injection medications, to how and when to tell others that you have MS, to the disease’s impact on career and family.

Readers will find in Furney an informed and reassuring partner, a physician who understands the facts while embracing the conviction that people with MS can enjoy a full and rewarding life. In an appendix, she discusses scientific aspects of the disease as well as the side effects of common medications taken by people with MS.

This medically up-to-date and compassionate book offers guidance not only to patients and their families but also to healthcare professionals, psychologists, psychiatrists, and physical and occupational therapists.