NORTH PLATTE, Neb.—Rob Wheeler of North Platte is no stranger to challenging physical symptoms.
He had polio as an infant and now has a condition called post-polio syndrome. So when he began noticing other physical symptoms in the late 1980s, everyone just assumed it was the post-polio syndrome.
It wasn’t until 1994 when the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis was finally made.
“That’s fairly typical,” Wheeler said of the several years between first noticing symptoms and then the diagnosis. The MS was difficult to diagnose because of the similarity of the symptoms of post-polio and MS,” he said.
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society says MS is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system.
Wheeler, now 59, said it was actually a relief when the MS was diagnosed.
“I got a diagnosis and knew it was something—that I wasn’t crazy.”
The diagnosis can be devastating to the patient, Wheeler said, and he had early moments of a little weepiness.
An attorney, Wheeler continued his practice until two years ago when he had to take disability.
In the meantime, Wheeler’s wife, Dawn, who had been his legal secretary for nine years, began taking college courses to earn her degree in elementary education. They knew the time was coming when he would have to give up his practice and she would need to find another career.
She is now completing three years at McDonald Elementary, where she teaches third grade.
“Because Rob doesn’t go to work, it is easier for me to go to work,” she said of the help he gives her at home.
Wheeler also helps at school.
“I take a reading section and listen to the kids read. One of the challenges is finding something I can do that’s worthwhile,” Wheeler said.
“You don’t lose your intelligence,” he said, “you lose processing speed.”
Rob Wheeler would maybe take the daily shots that help some with MS keep the disease at a steady level. Unfortunately, he said, that’s not an option for him as his insurance copay of $300 a month puts the shots out of his reach financially.
Perhaps one of the most important things to help manage MS, he said, is keeping a positive attitude.
“That, along with just accepting what is,” Wheeler said.
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On the Net:
National Multiple Sclerosis Society:
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Information from: The North Platte Telegraph,
