If you are unable to work because of Multiple Sclerosis you may be able to make a TPD claim for a lump sum from the Total & Permanent Disablement insurance contained within your superannuation fund. There is no necessity for you to have been involved in an accident or to have suffered a work related injury to make a TPD claim. If you suffer from total and permanent disability, you may be able to make a TPD claim in addition to receiving your super early as a result of your condition. Our solicitors can advise you in detail as to the requirements of a successful submission, they will prepare all relevant paperwork and will obtain full supporting documentation. Our lawyers will give you advice on the likely success of your claim to a super fund, without further obligation. It costs nothing to use our advice service.

Our TPD claim solicitors use a risk free no win no fee arrangement.

We have offices situated in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Darwin.

Multiple Sclerosis - TPD

Multiple sclerosis is a disease of the nervous system. It is an autoimmune system that affects both the brain and the spinal cord. The disorder affects many more women than men and it is usually diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40 but can be found at any age. The antibodies attack the myelin sheath of the nerves, which is the protective coating that surrounds nerve cells and makes nerve cells work better. Without the myelin sheath, the nerves function more slowly than they normally would.

The nerve damage is the result of inflammation of the myelin sheath from the body fighting off its own tissue (the myelin sheath). Inflammation can occur in the brain, the spinal cord and the optic nerve. The autoimmune portion of the disease can be genetic or can be related to getting a virus. Both risk factors may be taking place at the same time. There may be an environmental component to the disease because there are geographic variations in who gets the disease.

Symptoms of MS can vary, depending on what nerve is affected. You can get episodes that last for many days, weeks or even months. The episodes flare and are found between episodes of little or no symptoms. Things that trigger an episode include sun exposure, hot baths and stress. The disease can be relapsing/remitting or can be a steady decline over time without remission periods.

Symptoms can include a loss of balance, numbness of a body area, muscle spasms, problems walking or moving the extremities, a tremor of an arm or leg, weakness in an arm or leg, bowel or bladder problems such as problems urinating or constipation and stool leakage. You can have difficulty with having to urinate all the time and having a strong urge to urinate. Leakage of urine is also a problem. The eyes are commonly affected with eye pain, double vision, vision loss in one eye or rapid eye movements.

There can be facial pain or spasms of the facial muscles or a tingling and crawling sensation of the legs. Decreased attention span and memory loss mean the brain is affected. You can have problem solving difficulties, difficulty reasoning, depression, hearing loss and dizziness. Sexual symptoms are also common. You can have difficulty with speaking and trouble swallowing or chewing your food. Many people with MS have extreme fatigue that affects them increasingly as the day goes on.

Symptoms of MS can mimic other neurological conditions so the diagnosis of MS must be carefully made. There is no great test for MS so other diseases need to be ruled out in order to be sure that the disease is from MS. You need at least two attacks of MS with a remission to diagnose MS clinically. If differing parts of the nervous system are involved at the same time, the condition can be MS. A complete neurological examination needs to be undertaken, including looking for abnormal reflexes, identifying the areas where there is difficulty moving a body part or where numbness is occurring, or seeing what other nervous system functions have become diminished. An eye examination can show reduced pupillary response, decreased acuity, changes in visual fields or eye movements, problems with the inside of the eye at the level of the optic nerve and rapid eye movements.

Doctors can do a lumbar puncture to see if there is CSF oligoclonal banding; an MRI exam of the brain and spine can diagnose MS; nerve function studies can show up as abnormal in cases of MS.

There is no obvious cure yet for multiple sclerosis. You can slow the progression of the disease using interferons taken on a regular basis. These include Betaseron, Avonex and Rebif. Methotrexate and Cytoxan can be used if the interferon therapy doesn’t seem to work. All block the function of the immune system and decrease the likelihood of relapses. If the attack happens, then large amounts of steroids are used to block the immune system function. Antispasmodics like Baclofen are used to control muscle spasms and benzodiazepines can be used for the same reason. Amantadine seems to help the fatigue of the disease and antidepressants can help the mood disorder.

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