"The best piece of advice that I've received to manage my MS is to take care of myself."
Kelly — MS LifeLines® Field Nurse
Kelly speaks from both professional and personal experience. She's not only been in nursing for 8 years (in a range of specialties including oncology, neonatal intensive care, and pain management), but her stepfather has MS.
"The greatest reward of working as an MS LifeLines Field Nurse has been the amount of quality time I get to spend with the patients. When I chose to become a nurse, I wanted to make a difference in people's lives, and being an MS LifeLines Field Nurse has allowed me to do this."
"I recently had an experience with a patient who was so afraid of injecting herself with a needle that she was shaking and crying while she held the syringe," says Kelly. "With patience and a lot of encouragement, she was able to inject. As soon as the needle went in, her face lit up. She couldn't believe she did it. She exuded confidence after her accomplishment."
The two most common questions Kelly says she's addressed with relapsing MS patients have been about dealing with side effects of Rebif® (interferon beta-1a) therapy and managing symptoms of MS. Kelly helps her patients with strategies for both.
When asked for the most helpful advice Kelly would give to a relapsing MS patient considering Rebif therapy, she had this to say, "Starting an effective therapy early on after diagnosis is the best chance at fighting this disease. Hang in there...it may be a bumpy road in the beginning, but it will all be worth it in the end because it will help you take control of your relapsing MS."
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