010 Diagnosis Holly Ford Pt1 - a podcast by Bron Webster - diagnosed 1996, mum with MS, expert MS patient and still mob

Holly is a young person with Primary Progressive MS. Her diagnosis story is one of frustration.

She was aged 24 at her eventual diagnosis but she had to go to her Doctor 3 times and kept being told ‘there’s nothing wrong with you’. Using some great advice from her Personal Trainer, Holly was eventually sent by her Doctor to hospital. Several MRI scans later, one using contrast dye, the diagnosis became clearer. 

“If it was a female consultant it might have been a bit different”

We talk about Holly learning how to self-catheterise and also clear out her bowels - because with Multiple Sclerosis these things are common, but not easily spoken about.

“I look at the smaller picture … I look at each day rather than getting through a month”

“If I went to part-time, that’s me letting the MS win”  

Initially, she was diagnosed with demyelination and was told that because of the ‘single’ event it could not be classed as ‘multiple sclerosis’. This changed after further scans.

The MS Society asked Holly to help in the Parliamentary campaign to gain approval for Ocrevus (the only Disease Modifying drug presently available for Primary Progressive MS.

 

 

Copyright Bron Webster 2020

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