Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Support Group
This community is a place where members can discuss current events and weigh in on what's going on in the world.
It started about 3 weeks ago, I didn't feel very good. Missed a couple days of work, then decided to call my GP. I described my symptoms, she said I had Vertigo and I went on my way. A couple days later my eyes didn't "feel" right so I made another appointment. This is 11 days after my first day of not feeling good. She was concerned and sent me to a neurologist that day. My neurologist set me up with an MRI that night and called me the next day with the results of "It looks like you have MS" . She said there were lesions found on my brain and there is an inflamation. A couple days later I started a 3 day IV treatment. I am actually doing my last day of it today....I have a visual test (I don't remember what the medical term is for it) on Sept. 7th. I hope this can confirm her original diagnosis because I am deathly scared to have a spinal tap done. I have been out of work for 3 weeks now and am scared of what my future holds.
I was perfectly healthy 3 weeks ago, well atleast I thought I was.
Any advice, words of encouragement...anything at all is greatly appreciated.
I was perfectly healthy 3 weeks ago, well atleast I thought I was.
Any advice, words of encouragement...anything at all is greatly appreciated.
If I were you I would find a good book on MS. It is a crazy disease. You may feel better soon and not have any problems for years. Or unfortunately it may get worse. I'm sure you have many questions about this and this is a great site to post them.
Your symptoms sound like mine when I finally went to my GP and found out.
Read all you can about this. I hope it is something else and they can take care of it, if not we are here for ya. Good luck. Hope you feel better
1. Use disease-modifying therapy.
2. Manage your relapses. Relapses (called attacks, flares, or exacerbations) can be treated with steroids if necessary. Be aware of the dangers of using these drugs. They are effective in reducing the inflammation and bringing the relapse to an end more quickly. When you have a relapse, you and your doctor will decide whether the symptoms are interfering enough with your everyday activities to warrant treatment.
3. Manage your symptoms. Successful symptom management relies on effective teamwork - with you being a key player on your team. Your job is to report symptoms promptly, follow through with the treatment plan, and provide feedback on what treatments do and don't work for you. And, remember, as your symptoms change, so will the strategies you use to manage them.
4. Work with the rehabilitation team. Like the mechanics that keep your car finely tuned and road-ready, the rehab team helps you get in gear. Physical and occupational therapists can help you do what you want to do, comfortably and safely, and prevent yucky complications. They're eperts when it comes to finding the right tools to solve problems with walking, seeing, holding on to stuff, or anything else you're having trouble with.
5. Promote your overall health and wellness. Feeling your best involves more than just managing your MS. So, it's important that you not focus on your MS to the exclusion of your general health. Unfortunately, being dxed with MS doesn't protect you from health problems that plages all mortals. This means that you have to get the proper nutrition, exercise and preventive healthcare and you have to manage the stresses of your everyday life.
6. Most importantly, seek out emotional support. Living with MS isn't a piece of cake. Even for those whose symptoms remain mild and manageable, the unpredictabililty alone is enough to stress people out. I suggest the book, MS for Dummies. it is a very good basic starter book for patients who have just been dxed. The fact is, that adjusting to this intrusion in your life, and your family's life, is an ongoing process that begins with your first symptoms and continues through all the changes that MS can bring.
Fortunately, you don't have to cope with this alone. The National MS Society and other organizations, and those close to you, can help. When bad things happen to you, it's natural to want to know why. It's natural to wonder if something you did, or didn't do, causes you to get MS. The fact of the matter is you will be wondering for the rest of your life what is going to happen to your MS. The trick seems to lie in finding a balance between taking each day as it comes and taking steps to protect your quality of life regardless of what the future brings. MS is not a death sentence.
People diagnosed with MS may do a surprising number of things during their first moments of shock - quit jobs, leave relationships, take to their beds, etc. Consider yourself forewarned: you need to give yourself time to explore the disease and live with its ups and downs before deciding to change your life. You may be surprised to discover that you really don't have to change much at all.
Most of all, remember that there are many people here at DS that can help you. Feel free to ask questions or rant about your disease here. There is a great wealth of emotional support to be had at this site. These people will become lifetime friends if you allow it.
Good luck, I will be thinking of you. Lynne
The steroid treatments seem to make me feel better that day but once the next morning hits I feel worst...has anyone else experienced that?