Multiple Sclerosis Current Topics in Multiple Sclerosis

The Long Ride: One Woman Cycles Her Way Through MS

Two years ago, in early October, Veronica McTiernan lay in a Manhattan hospital bed watching cyclists roll by as part of the 2004 MS Bike Tour. At that point, she figured her biking days were over.

But today, almost two years after she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), Ronnie (as her friends call her) is training for her second year of participation in this annual fundraising event.

Multiple sclerosis is a degenerative disorder caused when the body's immune system attacks the protective covering on the nerves, called myelin. This harms the ability of these nerves to effectively communicate with the brain. The most common symptoms of MS include fatigue, weakness, difficulty walking, balance problems, stiffness and bladder and bowel problems. There are currently over 350,000 Americans living with this disease.

The Journey to Diagnosis
Ronnie was an avid cyclist for over 20 years, but suffered cartilage damage in her knee and had to have surgery to repair it. After several rehabilitation sessions, she tried to get on the bike again, but found her knee weak.

"I had no power to go up hills," she said. "And I kept thinking, it's the knee."

At first, Ronnie went back to her surgeon over and over again, who told her there was nothing wrong with her knee. Her problems with cycling continued, so Ronnie took the initiative to see a series of five neurologists, none of whom could figure out what was wrong.

"A couple of them maybe mumbled something saying 'maybe MS,'" she said, "But they wouldn't do anything about it.".

It wasn't until Ronnie saw an MS specialist did she get the answers she needed. She and her doctor created a thorough list of her symptoms and the short list of diseases that could be causing them: lupus, Lyme disease and of course, MS, among a few others.

Various screening exams were done, and slowly the two ruled out all the other causes, until MS was the only thing left.

It had been ten years since the problems began, so when Ronnie finally found out what was causing her weakness and leg pain, she was almost exuberant. "I put two thumbs up in the air," she said, "It definitely was a relief to have the name of something."

Getting Back on the Bike
Immediately, Ronnie's doctor checked her into the hospital for steroid treatment, a common form of therapy for MS patients. Most would have been alarmed by the doctor's immediate call to action, but Ronnie was just satisfied that she could get better.

"He told me, 'We can reverse some of this,' she said, "And that was fine by me."

So, Ronnie was checked into the hospital, and during her stay, the MS Bike Tour zipped past her window. "I just kind of looked at them," she said, "I guess at that point I had distanced myself from biking, saying, 'Well, I'm not really a biker anymore. I can't do that.'"

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