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Relapse-Free on Ocrelizumab, George McKinty Confronts Lasting MS Symptoms and Turns to Private Bladder Botox

Six-monthly ocrelizumab has kept him relapse-free since 2021.

Overview

  • George McKinty, 30, was confirmed to have relapsing‑remitting multiple sclerosis after an October 2021 MRI showed brain and spinal lesions and a March 2022 lumbar puncture completed the diagnosis.
  • He began intravenous ocrelizumab soon after diagnosis and reports no relapses since 2021, with the MS Trust citing around a 70% reduction in relapses for this therapy.
  • Persistent damage leaves him with double vision that impairs depth perception and limits sport, alongside mobility issues he addresses through physiotherapy and regular exercise.
  • Bladder dysfunction disrupts sleep with nocturia four to five times nightly and requires self‑catheterisation, and he plans to pay privately for Botox after NHS delays.
  • He describes a reduced social life and a loss of identity, and the charity Overcoming MS says evidence‑based lifestyle measures can improve quality of life but are too often overlooked.