Life Lesson 118: Attending a BSU Football Game (with MS)

Written by: Heidi J Sweson 

 A Single Mom living with Multiple Sclerosis

www.facebook.com/heidiswenson

There is nothing like watching a good football game and the icing on the cake is watching your own infamous college football team win on their home turf.  Combine that with great friends, tailgating, good food and drinks and you have one of the best days of the year.  Now add Multiple Sclerosis to the equation and depending on the circumstances, you may have a recipe for disaster.  I love football, especially college football, so when one of my best friends offered me a ticket I couldn’t have been more excited.  These days getting a ticket to a home Boise State football game isn’t so easy, especially if you don’t have deep pockets.  So no matter what condition I woke up in that day, I was prepared to have a good time, regardless!

We spent the week looking forward to the game, called our friends to see who else would be attending, arranged a carpool (now days parking is almost impossible anywhere near the stadium) and then planned to make it an all day event.  We clad ourselves in BSU attire and were proud to see all the vehicles with Boise State flags flying from their car windows as we drove downtown to have lunch before tailgating.  From there we headed (via complimentary shuttles thanks to BSU) towards the stadium to join the masses of diehard fans who had set up their tents in style, adorned with big screen TV’s, BBQ’s, tables, chairs, you name and they had it.  These are experienced tailgaters!
Unfortunately the day of the game, Boise hit an all time record high on September 24^th of 98 degrees and none us were prepared (at least the other girls had tank tops underneath) but not me!  I was in jeans, a BSU T-shirt, and a sweatshirt tied around my waist, prepared for a cool fall evening.  From the minute we were dropped off, I began to sweat, and it continued to pour down my face, back, stomach, and the rings under my armpits continued to swell as the day wore on.  Gross!  The first thing we did was look for the usual tailgaters we knew who would provide us with shade and ice. Mission Unaccomplished.  Secondly, we searched for and found our own bit of shade and nestled in.  While cowering under a tree I got a text from an old friend who said they were in an RV several blocks over.  We decided it was worth the walk.

Ten minutes later we were welcomed aboard, not sure how much cooler the temperature was inside but at least we were out of the sun.  We were told it was cooler in back of the RV, so I B-lined it back there and hit the deck (in other words I did what my dog does and I laid out on the floor where it’s the coolest because duh- heat rises ;).  We weren’t in there for more than 15 minutes when the generator went out, no joke.  They teased us for being a curse and told us all to jump ship.  I didn’t even have the energy to get up at this point, let alone go back out on the jet black asphalt and pull out my guns to take back over some shade again (not my real guns, my biceps).  I was a wreck at this point.  I told my friends that the only way they could drag me out of that microwave oven was for us to go inside either an air conditioned restaurant or bar.

So they dragged my heavy, sweat soaked body over to a local place which was nearby and soon we were all happy.  I found a place to sit and other than the restroom, I didn’t move.  Speaking of restrooms, who designs them anyways?  Certainly not a woman, because without fail there is always no less than 10 women in line and the men never have to wait.  I call BS!  As the time came for the game to start I was thinking in the back of my mind I’d rather stay in the AC versus sit in the ridiculously hot stands.  However it was a privilege to be in the stands so off we went.  I was two breaths away from passing out from heat stroke while standing in the never ending line to get in.  (Thank goodness I have a sneaky friend.)  Once I was inside, we found our seats in the end zone, in the much appreciated shade, and I made myself as comfortable as possible.  Stadium seating however, is not the least bit comfortable.

The game was a blast, and there is nothing like watching football live with all the other excited fans in face paint cheering at the top of their lungs.  I learned quickly that in the end zone they have you stand up for just about every play to show you are the ultimate supporters.  Right away I started to feel it.  Unfortunately with my poor eyesight I could only see the plays that were on our end of the field.  The screen was too far for me to see as well so a lot of the game was a blur.  I coveted a couch and flat screen TV numerous times.  By half time I was a mess.  I left the stadium (my only shot at using a bathroom) and was able to exercise my back and legs as I headed back over to our favorite spot.  I relished in the AC, comfortable seats, and a TV where I could actually see the whole game.  I had a very hard time making my way back to the stadium. 

A little while after halftime, very slowly but surely, I walked back over and enjoyed the last part of the game.  It was a sure win by then and every time we stood up and back down by then was just sheer pain.  My back was seizing and although it was a good game I couldn’t wait for it to be over.  We shuffled out of the stadium, waited in another seemingly endless line for a shuttle to transport us back downtown to our car.  As we were walking we heard a one man band playing music and talking so we decided to stop for a short time and enjoy the cool night air.  The musician/comedian put on quite a show and totally reminded me of Zack Galifianakis.  I laughed until I forgot all about my aching back and joints.   

It was the perfect end to the perfect day (on the pain scale it rated a slightly lower than perfect).  Once we were home, kids dozed off in bed, sleep wasn’t hard to find.  However, getting out of bed the next day was much harder than expected.  In fact, it has been four days now and the pain in my back has only gotten worse every day.  Whether I’m sitting, standing or attempting to walk like a feebled old woman, I can’t get comfortable.  I strained my eyes trying to watch the game and the heat didn’t help, so I’ve also seen a temporary worsening in my vision as well in my good eye.  

My point in telling you all of this isn’t to complain.  It’s to tell you that given the chance to do it all over again, I’d still say “Yes!” when she offered me the ticket and I absolutely wouldn’t have missed the game for the world.  Just because I have MS doesn’t mean I have to stop living.  I’m going to have setbacks, some minor and some not so minor.  But in the end, I’m going to take advantage of every opportunity and live life to the fullest while I still can.  I have enjoyed a lot more in life by saying yes than saying no.  So the next time an opportunity comes your way, just say YES!

Multiple sclerosis: Origin of abnormal cells found

UC DAVIS (US) — Researchers have discovered the source of cells involved in a phenomenon seen in the brains and spinal cords of people with multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease.

Known as reactive astrogliosis, the condition is characterized by a large number of enlarged star-shaped cells. In multiple sclerosis, these abnormal cells are found in plaques that damage the myelin sheath that surrounds neurons, impairing their signaling function.
The new study offers the first firm evidence to date that, at least in the case of multiple sclerosis, the cells are descendant from normal astrocytes.

“This may not hold true for all diseases, but, in the case of MS, we have a very robust model,” says David Pleasure, professor of neurology at the University of California, Davis.
The findings, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, used genetic fate-mapping techniques in a mouse model to show that reactive astroglial cells in the MS model were derived from normal astrocytes that had increased in size and number.

The findings are significant because the neurological diseases and injuries in which the phenomenon occurs are also ones for which there are no effective cures.
Knowing the origin of the cells, scientists can now compare normal astrocytes with the ones associated with disease and try to figure out what has gone awry.

In multiple sclerosis, these abnormal cells are found in and around plaques in the brain and spinal cord, where there is evidence of damage to myelin sheaths and axons. In patients with Alzheimer’s disease or after recurrent head trauma, these abnormal cells are scattered throughout the brain.
“Some say these cells are ‘bad guys’ that contribute to the pathology of diseases. Some say they are ‘good guys’ trying to support the neurons under adverse conditions.”

The current study does not settle that controversy, but it is an important step in that direction and in the search for cures, Pleasure adds.

MS is an autoimmune disease in which a person’s own disease-fighting mechanisms attack neurons in the central nervous system, destroying the myelin and, to some degree, the axon—the long, slender projection of the nerve cell. The disease is characterized initially by episodes of reversible neurologic deficits. In most patients, these episodes are followed by progressive neurologic deterioration over time. The cause of the disease is unknown.

Normal astrocytes, collectively called astroglia, are the “helper cells” of the central nervous system, offering biochemical support and providing nutrients to neurons found in the brain and spinal cord. Until now, scientists did not know whether the cells found in demyelinating plaques came from other neurological cell types, as at least one study had suggested, or from normal astrocytes.

Fuzheng Guo, the study’s first author and a postdoctoral fellow in Pleasure’s lab, led the team that conducted the experiments for the current study. The team used genetically engineered mice whose astrocytes express enhanced yellow fluorescent protein when injected with tamoxifen, a synthetic form of the hormone estrogen.

Researchers injected these two- to five-month-old mice with tamoxifen and, 30 to 40 days later, injected them with a protein that causes experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, a widely used model for MS. Control mice received sham injections. At regular intervals, the team scored the severity of the multiple sclerosis-like symptoms, such as limping.

The idea was to determine what happened to the normal astrocytes—as well as any cells that might descend from them via cell division—as the animals developed the disease.

At the end of the experiment, the team counted and measured astroglial cells in both diseased and control mice. They found, in the gray matter of the brain and spinal cord, only an increase in cell size. In the white matter, they found both an increase in size and number of astrocytes.

The team also conducted similar experiments tracking the fate of other neurological cell types, including oligodendrocyte progentior cells (which give rise to oligodendrocytes that insulate axons) and ependymal cells (which line the cerebral ventricles).

According to Pleasure, the current study will help to guide the search for a cure for MS and other diseases involving demyelination. His lab and others are now repeating these experiments using models of other diseases. They also are taking a closer look at the potential role of astrocytes in those diseases.

“Now, we can, among other things, carefully compare normal and reactive astrocytes to understand what specific changes are happening and then get an idea if those changes are likely to be detrimental or supportive to neurons.”

The research was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Shriners Hospitals for Children, and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
More news from UC Davis: www.news.ucdavis.edu/

@heidijswenson @mydisability @hope4disabiliti @chadbordes