MS-related breathing issues keep me from getting to the bottom of things

I was supposed to have my first colonoscopy this week. I’m at that age when it’s recommended that you have one regularly, so it wasn’t like I didn’t know it was coming.

Prepared doesn’t mean excited, though, so I can’t say that I was too upset when it was canceled. What concerns me is why it was canceled.

I definitely wasn’t excited about having to drink massive amounts of a laxative solution the day before. I have it on good authority that this process isn’t pleasant for anyone, but my limited mobility due to multiple sclerosis (MS) had me especially dreading the prospect. The fact that I require the complete assistance of my wife to transfer onto the toilet made my anxiety even worse. It might have been my colon getting cleansed, but it would have been a team effort, and no one on the team was looking forward to it.

I wasn’t that worried about the preparation in the hospital, either. I would have to be transferred from my wheelchair to the exam table, but that’s nothing new and would have been relatively straightforward.

My recovery wasn’t going to be a major concern, either, and neither was the actual procedure, because I would be anesthetized for the entire thing.

But that’s where my medical team drew the line. No one wanted to put me to sleep.

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High risks and low risks

I’ve written about my struggles with sleep apnea. I would venture to say that it’s improved with a BiPAP machine, but it is still far from being resolved. The most concerning part remains that, due to the interference of MS with the breathing centers of my brain stem, I simply lose respiratory drive while I’m asleep.

The other issue is the steadily worsening lung function that led to my hospitalization with pneumonia last year. I have been seeing a pulmonologist, and a battery of tests showed a markedly decreased ability to both inhale and exhale. There isn’t a disease process or any sort of structural defect to blame it on, either. Instead, my reduced volume, use of accessory muscles, and greater effort at breathing are all due to muscle weakness.

That weakness is possibly just a severe symptom of my MS, but there may be another contributing factor: the muscle relaxers I take to control my spasticity. To be on the safe side, we reduced the dosage on my intrathecal baclofen pump and will repeat the lung function tests in a few weeks. If there’s improvement, we may experiment with reducing and adjusting the dose to achieve the best effect on my spasticity with the least effect on my breathing.

I planned to write about the importance of routine colon health checks and the difficulties MS imposes on them, but apparently, MS can pose difficulties I didn’t foresee. I’ll still get a screening, just through a much less invasive route. As the gastroenterologist put it, I have no family history of bowel disease and qualify as low risk. Since the risks of anesthesia are higher for me, they outweigh the possible benefits.

Today is the last day of Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, and it seems fitting that I end this by noting that I had every intention of giving a full report of my colonoscopy as a patient with advanced MS. Instead, I encourage everyone, and especially those with this disease, to look after every aspect of their health — and to always consider the risk-benefit ratio and plan accordingly.

Note: Multiple Sclerosis News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Multiple Sclerosis News Today or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to multiple sclerosis.