What exactly is multiple sclerosis?

MS symptoms result from damage to myelin - the protective coating surrounding all the nerve fibres in the brain, eye and spinal cord.

Myelin works like insulating cable, helping conduct messages quickly and efficiently between the brain and the rest of the body. When it is damaged, messages are slower, distorted, or do not get through at all.

MS is not easy to diagnose and there is no single conclusive test, but MRI scans tend to be the most successful source of diagnosis.

n MS is not hereditary but can occur in more than one member of a family.

Countries with temperate climates have a higher incidence of MS cases, and the condition is more common in areas in northern latitudes, such as Scotland.

MS is the most common neurological disorder among adults and affects 85,000 people in the UK, with people usually being diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40.

It is more common in women than in men - the ratio is 3:2.

n People very rarely die as a direct result of the disease and it can affect people in many different ways.

Symptoms include blurred vision, pain at the back of the eye, ringing in the ears, numbness of legs, feet, arms or hands, loss of balance, depression, mood swings, a difficulty to concentrate, anxiety, fatigue and speech problems.

TEN years ago Christa Rowberry was an active, fit young mother of a one-year-old daughter and loved her job as a horse-riding instructor.

But her life was to change beyond recognition when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1994.

For Christa, now 41, of Madresfield Road, Madresfield, near Malvern, watching her illness gradually deteriorate her health to the point that she is now wheelchair-bound, has been extremely frustrating and upsetting.

"I first started to notice something was wrong when I started experiencing tingling in my legs, an overwhelming tiredness, and my leg kept giving way," she explained.

"I had the symptoms for about two years before I was diagnosed with MS.

"To be honest, it was a relief to have a diagnosis. It was such a concern not knowing what was wrong with me.

"All sorts of things ran through my head, I didn't know whether I had something which could kill me the next week, or the next day even, and I had a child to think of.

"When I found out what I had, it wasn't exactly what I wanted to hear but at least I knew what I was dealing with and could get on with my life.

"My health gradually started to get worse but then about four years ago it started to deteriorate rapidly and I found I could no longer drive.

"The worst thing was that I couldn't go horse riding anymore, whereas before I would ride for at least four hours a day.

"Now I always have to be in a wheelchair because I cannot physically stand unaided."

For Christa, one of the most difficult consequences of her condition is the effect it has had on her daughter Kerry, now 11.

"Kerry has been fantastic, but

it has been quite painful watching her mature so quickly because of it.

"In a way I'm lucky she has grown up with me having the condition and it's all she's ever known.

"I think it would have been awful if she was just thrown in at the deep end, but she's coped really well. She's wonderful."

Another problem she faces is not knowing how badly the illness will grip her body from one day to the next.

"Sometimes I am so exhausted I can't do anything meaningful for days," she said.

"I have had to learn to listen to my body and learn what activities I can stretch to doing."

But she is determined not to let the condition take over her life and does as much as her body lets her do for herself.

Christa added: "I could just give up and feel really sorry for myself, but what's the point?

"I have a daughter to think of and I am not going to let this illness get the better of me."

Christa has found solace and support in the form of Jean Thorman, a welfare worker for the Worcestershire Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Jean, 65, of Upper Howsell Road, Malvern, who has suffered with MS for almost 40 years, became involved with the society around four years ago, after her husband died.

"MS has radically affected my life," said Jean. "I had to give up my job as a nurse, which I loved, and I get tired very easily.

"I don't like driving more than a 15 to 20-mile radius trip and I have had to give up hobbies which I loved such as playing tennis."

Jean admits that she is lucky that her health remains quite intact in comparison to Christa.

"The thing is, to anyone who doesn't know me, looking at me you would have no idea that I am ill," she said.

"If I go to the supermarket and there's a long queue to pay, for me standing for long periods can be more difficult than walking.

"I feel that I should ask to go to the front of the queue, but I don't want to have to explain my condition, I don't want people's sympathy and I am too stubborn to ask anyway, even if I was on the brink of collapse!"

Being a welfare worker who visits many MS sufferers' homes in Worcestershire, Jean is all too aware of the lack of funding and treatment for the condition in the county.

So she has welcomed new National Institution for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines for the NHS on the management of the disease.

"The new guidelines are the most far-reaching step ever taken towards better management of MS," she said.

"They promote good practice and bring together evidence and guidance for care and treatment."

But she said more needs to be done and extra cash is desperately needed to help people with MS in Worcestershire.

Residents living in Madresfield have generously raised more than £6,000 to buy Christa a state-of-the-art wheelchair - something she could not have afforded herself or would have been allocated on the National Health Service.

Anyone who would like to make a donation should call the society's treasurer Neil Bowen on 01905 830109.

Have you suffered from an unusual illness? Or have you recovered from a debilitating condition you thought would wreck your life? Health reporter Emma Cullwick would like to hear your story. Call her on 01905 742254 or email her at: ec@thisisworcester.co.uk