Question:
Should I start therapy before or after surgery

I was recently diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. I have not started therapy yet. I am in the middle of doing my requirements for the surgery, ie: psych. eval, cardiologist, and abdominal ultrasound. I don't have a surgery date yet. I am just wondering if starting therapy before the surgery is going to cause me to have a longer recovery period due to the fact that therapy suppresses your immune system. When I do start therapy, I will be going on Copaxone. I know the doctor has the ultimate answer, but just wondering if anybody else went through this.    — Demetra (posted on July 1, 2003)

July 2, 2003
I would be very careful around this issue and discuss it in length with your MS specialist. My mother has MS and any traumatic event causes her to have exacerbations. Another question to ask would be whether you would be able to take something like interferon shots after surgery, as this is often prescribed for MS patients. Just be careful and best of luck to you!
   — MissKimberly