Nadine Dondelinger’s multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis in 2021 began with an unsettling discovery: she could no longer feel touch on her stomach. “I moved my hand across my skin and felt nothing”, she told our colleagues from RTL Télé in an interview marking World MS Day (30 May).
What started as an emergency room visit revealed a condition she now believes had been developing for a decade, evidenced by persistent tingling in her fingers that remains today.
The diagnosis initially brought fears of rapid physical decline – particularly the prospect of using a wheelchair within a year. To confront these anxieties, Dondelinger immersed herself in medical literature. “I learned MS doesn’t follow a single path”, she said, noting how the disease’s variability became her source of hope. This perspective also eased her family’s concerns, though daily challenges persist. While she maintains her full-time office job, fatigue robs her of energy for hobbies after work.
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For Dondelinger, multiple sclerosis manifests through three primary challenges: debilitating fatigue, balance disorders, and mobility difficulties. While she retains the ability to climb stairs, the effort leaves her exhausted. Descending requires intense concentration to prevent falls, always necessitating a handhold for stability.
Temperature sensitivity further restricts her daily life. Summer heat forces her to remain indoors, ruling out holidays in warm climates. She also recalls a particularly distressing early symptom – a phantom corset sensation that constricted her breathing without physical cause. This symptom eventually subsided.
Since diagnosis, Dondelinger’s treatment regimen has included intravenous cortisone therapy and biweekly physiotherapy sessions to manage her condition.
Scientists identify MS as likely autoimmune, where the body attacks its own central nervous system. Yet why certain individuals develop the condition – despite known triggers like genetics, environmental factors, and viral infections –remains unclear.
While comprehensive data remains limited, medical professionals report increasing MS diagnoses. Dr Cescutti, a neurologist at the Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg (CHL), estimates the condition affects 1-2 per 1,000 residents. Like many autoimmune disorders, MS shows a gender disparity: women are three times more likely to develop the disease, though men tend to experience more severe cases statistically.
Contrary to common fears, Dr Cescutti emphasises that most MS patients never require wheelchairs. The disease often manifests as an “invisible disability”, with symptoms that are not outwardly apparent.
While no cure exists, modern treatments can significantly slow progression. With optimal therapy, medical professionals aim to prevent new disease episodes entirely.
