“It Can Be Very Isolating”: What It’s Really Like Living With MS

In August 2021, Dead to Me actor Christina Applegate announced on social media that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a condition that affects the brain and spinal cord, destroying myelin, which acts as a protective coating for the nerves.

It’s the same condition her fellow actor Selma Blair was diagnosed with three years earlier. Both women have spoken publicly about living with MS, but there is still a lack of awareness and understanding around the condition, in part due to the fact that symptoms can vary widely. 

“One of the biggest misconceptions about MS is that it affects everyone in the same way,” says Dr. Sarah Rawlings, executive director of research and external affairs at the MS Society. “For instance, some people may assume that everyone with MS uses a wheelchair, or has mobility issues. But the reality is that MS is different and unpredictable for everyone. Also, a lot of symptoms are invisible. There’s a misconception that someone has to look a certain way to be disabled.” 

What makes MS so unpredictable is that it affects the central nervous system, which links to everything that your body does. As such, symptoms can range from blurred vision to spasms. What’s more, these symptoms can come and go, or even change over time. “MS is painful, relentless and exhausting,” says Rawlings. “It can make it harder to do everyday things like walk, talk, eat and think.”

While it doesn’t discriminate according to background, age, gender, or ethnicity, most people with the condition tend to get diagnosed in their 30s or 40s, and, according to Rawlings, the condition affects twice as many women as men. Here in the UK, over 130,000 people are currently living with MS, and it affects 2.8 million people worldwide.

Sadly, once diagnosed, MS stays with you for life, but there are lots of options when it comes to treating and manage the condition. Below, Vogue speaks to four women about the realities of living with MS, and how they manage their symptoms.

Roxy Murray, 34, UK