It's All in the Name
I'm always looking for positive things about multiple sclerosis. Here's another one: the name. Sounds like a trivial thing - and, maybe I'm reaching a little - but here goes...
There is something cool about having a name that so perfectly describes the disease. Multiple sclerosis means 'many scars' - which is exactly what is happening. The immune system mistakenly attacks the myelin sheath surrounding the nerves, thus resulting in plaques, or scars. Multiple sclerosis is a perfect name.
Then, there's the nickname: MS. Having a nickname is always nice. This one is mysterious. A lot of people probably confuse it with some other diseases (e.g., muscular dystrophy). I guarantee you that when you reveal to most people you have MS, they have no clue what you're talking about. Upon leaving the conversation with you, they run to the closest internet connection to find out exactly what this 'MS' is all about. You're an enigma - a mysterious one with a mysterious disease....pretty cool.
Finally, whether you call it multiple sclerosis or MS, it's still way better than the names of some other diseases. Just off the top of my head, gonorrhea would be one of them. That's one disease I wouldn't be revealing to anyone. OK, maybe not just because of the name - but it certainly doesn't help.
So be proud of your MS label - it could be worse...