As a nurse practitioner (NP) in the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Center at BMC, Kerin Flanagan spends a lot of time talking with patients. Some are just being diagnosed with MS, and some have had the condition for years. But wherever patients are on their journey, Kerin meets them with compassion and respect, offering the support and tools they need to understand and live with this complex condition.
How do you talk about multiple sclerosis (MS) with new patients?
A lot of our patients are scared at first, so I always tell them right away that MS is a treatable condition. This is not the MS of 30 years ago where you automatically end up in a wheelchair — the medications we have now can prevent disability from occurring. And I reassure patients that people with MS can still have babies and breastfeed. I say all this in the first visit, so if they end up being diagnosed with MS it’s hopefully not as scary.
How is MS diagnosed?
I tell patients that we have to test for a lot of other things first, because MS is a diagnosis based on ruling out everything else. So, we need to test for infections, inflammatory illnesses, and autoimmune conditions. We also do a complete neurological exam. Because MS can affect the whole body, I ask a lot of questions about any symptoms they might have had and forgotten about, even from childhood.
How do you work with patients on treatment?
Right now, there are more than 20 MS drugs available — 30 years ago there was only one. So, patients have a lot of options, but it can be overwhelming. We have injectables, oral medications, and infusions. I talk with each patient about which medications are available to them and discuss the risks and possible side effects. We go over everything, and then I give them time to think about which treatment might work best for them based on their lifestyle. And once they start on medication, we check in often to make sure everything is going well. I work really closely with the rest of our team to make sure patients get everything they need. MS isn’t an easy condition, but I’m always here to answer questions and offer support, and I think that’s reassuring to patients.