The Untold Stories: Men Living With Multiple Sclerosis
This article presents findings from a Masters of Health Science dissertation about men with multiple sclerosis (MS). The study used a constructivist paradigm that acknowledged the diverse ways men with MS viewed the part illness played in their lives and that allowed for multiple interpretations of specific issues arising for men. The article describes how the men integrated their illness into their lives. Those findings that relate to the identified themes that helped or hindered the men in living with chronicity are discussed. Their significance is evaluated in terms of how gendered meaning is gained in the experience of living with chronic illness. It is important for the men living with MS to give voice to their illness experiences, and for those who provide health and disability support services to understand how gendered meaning is gained and mastery achieved. Few illness models explain gender differences, and few are illness specific.