Multiple Sclerosis Patients?

Does Multiple Sclerosis affect your ability to be rational in relationships? We went from meeting, to close fiends, to sexual exploration, to separation, back to friends, living in the same bed (no sex), to wanting to have nothing to do with each other. I don't believe that the disease can cause this. She had bouts of pain that were intense to the point of shutting me out completely. I care for her, don't love her, but this is wierd.

Having MS myself and many cognitive problems, I would have to say yes,of course. And depression is another serious side effect of MS and can manipulate a person's personality especially in a relationship. However, sometimes we are quick to blame MS (myself included) when it could be a normal reaction. This is why MS is such a frustrating and difficult disease. With that being said..

You state that you care for her but don't love her. Maybe she knows this and this is how she is reacting. Just a thought...

Absolutely! This is common among MS patients. She may even be having symptoms interfering with normal sexual feelings, or she could be having oversensitivity, where it almost hurts to be touched. These sorts of feelings and reactions are hard to talk about, because you want to seem normal, and she doesn't want to hurt you or make you think that it's your fault. So it's easier to shut you out instead. It's also emotionally nerve-racking because of the seemingly random nature of when and how it affects her. The physical changes can cause secondary emotional changes which, while not directly caused by the disease, are still caused by MS's effect on the body.

What you can do to help this situation is reassure her that you'll move at her pace, and only when she feels she's ready and able. If she feels rushed, she'll just shut you out again. Let her know you'll be there for her when she's ready to talk or to move forward (assuming that's what you want, of course).

HTH

Multiple sclerosis impairs cognition in approximately 50% of the people who have it. But that impairment would affect everything not just relationships. The impairment would come and go if the patient had relapsing remitting MS and be a constant if it were progressive MS. Multiple sclerosis can inflict all sorts of hell on the people who suffer it. Could you think clearly if you were being tortured? People tend to think of multiple sclerosis as a physical disease but that is only half of it. Depression, memory impairment, cognitive difficulties, lack of motivation, and exhaustion are very often but not always part of the disease.