FREDERICK MUNSCHAUER, MD: I think it certainly is. Multiple sclerosis can affect an individual in so many ways. It can slow down your thinking, it can blur your vision, it can make you feel just a little bit dizzy, lightheaded. It can be a painful disease. You can have numbness and tingling and burning, and yet look beautiful, just like you. I think that when we deal with these symptoms, it's very important to have somebody with MS when they're not feeling well express it, because they need to get the people who live with them and work with them aware that they're not having a very good day. It's also very important that they tell their doctor, because there's very good therapy to treat a lot of these symptoms.
DAVID R. MARKS, MD: It must be very frustrating when you're not walking on crutches, but you're tired and you don't feel very well.
GINA GUNKEL: Right, and especially when you can't see I think it's very difficult, because you try to express to people, "Oh, I have this big blind spot in front of my eye," and they don't really understand. "But you look so well. What's the problem?" "Oh, I can't walk around the mall a few times. I'm too tired." "But you look so well." It really is a problem. I don't know what's easier, to have the outward --
DAVID R. MARKS, MD: Is this a chronic condition? I mean, do you feel tired all the time?
GINA GUNKEL: No, no. It varies. It varies from time to time, but the thing is that usually there's always something that's going on that's brewing, and nobody can tell. It's not even that no one can tell, it's just you have to constantly remind your family and friends, "That might be pushing it over the line. I really need to take it easy." "Why?"
DAVID R. MARKS, MD: Do you find a lot of lack of understanding?
GINA GUNKEL: I think that's because you don't have a symbol that you're using or that people can visually see. I think it's more difficult that you just have to be more repetitive about -- you have to be a little bit selfish for yourself and say, "I need to take it easy."
