somtimes i read about others' symptoms and i feel guilty for not suffering as they do, too...

but, you have been dx'd (i have not and i am suffering daily)...

i think it's good to be grateful for what you have as well as seeking other info.... i am one of the unlucky ones told "possible ms" while i watch my quality of life disintegrate. yet i still do not suffer as others do.

thank you for posting. i think some are fortunate enough to lead "normal" lives (i have read their posts), while others of us do have to face inconquerable odds.

i wish you well on your journey and hopefully your relatively good health keeps!

cheers

I had onset ON flare, then confirmation ON flare 3 months later. This was 2001 just before I turned 21. Not another flare for 8-1/2 years in 2009-very minor episode. Very little lesion action in-between. Some yearly mri's showed no activity at all.

Don't ever feel guilty about your course. When you tell healthy people that you have ms, do you think they they feel guilty because they don't?? NO. Neither should you for being stable. Like you said, on a dime. Someone could be saving it up for a giant plummet.

As far as the mri's go: Yes there may be stuff going on that you're unaware of. But Doc's can't do anything except change your meds if seem to not be working. Or they may 'roid you if you're having a relapse. Other than that they are helpless to just watch it burn...and point it out to you...

But more than that: this forum is for people with ms, NOT for people with a qualifying amount of disability from it. If that were the case, they would have to sectionalize it......Maybe by the EDSS scale? Lol! Let's see-> (MS- 0-3....3-6....6-9...)?? 10 unfortunately wouldn't be chatting. Of course during a relapse, someone may have to leave one, then rejoin if they make it back....Please-It's your forum too, bird!

Take care..

Sure, I feel pretty normal most of the time then My nerves act up really bad and I get a flair of optic neuritis or I get the no feeling in the legs or my latest my tongue decides not to work cause the nerves are flairing and I slurr like I am drunk. But my doc puts me on a quick dose of steroids and I usually return to normal for a while and then it will smack me again later. I just feel fortunate to have normal for awhile cause it can be abnormal really quick.

PS-There is nothing I can't do now that I could do before dx. Except, of course, not have ms. Actually, I do most things better... 8^) I have no delusions what I'm up against, I may write about how I'm half-dead tomorrow.

It's sounds rude but true, but "Support Groups" in general, be it live, net, whatever; are pretty skewed numbers-wise. Most people "bad-off" enough to need them, are the ones joining them. Those who don't need/want support don't go looking for it. It doesn't apply only to ms. Don't mean to subjectify anyone here. ;)

I too have few visible symptoms. My worst is walking, and people have commented when they notice my limp, I just tell them I have dropped foot syndrome (which is a dx I received before the right neuro put all the symptoms together).

However (and I'll post this regularly), I started taking Ampyra last May, didn't see much results, then in November I started taking 500 mg magnesium. Within three days I noticed a marked improvement.

I don't like the dx, but I'm happy to have one so I can finally be treated for symptoms that I've had for six years prior to dx.

My life was good before my dx, in fact it was great. I had just went back to school to get my BS to become a RN, despite the fact that I was having MS symptoms I was determined not to be stopped this time, and at the same time my MS decided it would no longer be ignored and I lost the vision in my right eye and had to quit school again, but I was determined more than ever to go back to school after my relapse, but MS had to raise its ugly head again 6 months later and my vision went out again for like 3 weeks, and again 6 months later in my left eye and I knew then my life would not be normal no matter how much I wanted it to. It sounds to me like u caught yours before it was too late so u will hopefully have a normal life for a long time to come but so many of us lead normal lives with ms and don't know we have it and by the time its bad enough to get dx the normal part is over. Please take good care of yourself u have been blessed.

Thank-You all so very much for your respones to my wondering : ) It means alot that ya'll took the time!! Stay well praying always!!

I have few visible symptoms as well, I have drop foot and some people comment on it and I just ignore their remarks about my limping.

Sometimes I think of other MS people with worse symptoms than me and feel empathy for them because my MS is treating me pretty well right now.

Matz, Thank-you for your reply..and it was not boring at all. Very helpful actually, and I thank-you for that!! You talked about the heat....that is the one thing i have to be very careful of..i don't like heat to start with and the MS just amplifies it. So I do my very best to stay cool! Well to keep from rambling I'll stop now...lol lol!! Take Care!!!

After being diagnoised with RRMS in April 07 I was in shock! I couldn't believe it was happening to me. I had a friend tell me once that there will come a day when you don't think about it all the time. She was right about that. I know I have this disease but I try not to dwell on it. Just like everyone else...I have good days and bad days. We are all in this together! So glad we can support each other :)
{{{{{Hugs and love to each and everyone}}}}}

If I had been diagnosed properly at 26(first onset) instead of 42(past the point of a save), I may have been able to live my whole life quite normal...as it was I pushed my self out not knowing I was going to hit a wall someday. I kept very active and worked very hard physically. I basically had not even heard of MS until the day I was diagnosed. Doc didn't tell me what it was I still had to go to the library to read about what it was. Before the time I was diagnosed I had thought to myself and commented to others I thought I might have spine cancer. It's good that you are on top of things, I wish you the best.

I come from a town where the ms rate is 8x normal per ca pita: something like 1/135 versus 1/750 us, 1/3200 worldwide. I've truly seen a wide spectrum of severity. Word of mouth contributes a lot in a town less than 45,000 people, with a small-town feel. People talk and you talk to people. They don't feel awkward saying they have it, when you tell them you have it too. It makes for conversation, and comparisons. And knowledge and often friendship. It is good to walk by or talk to someone who is "staying up". It's also good to know that you can help someone through, and they'd do the same for you.THAT is what forums like this are for!! 8^) Hey neighbor!! Good to see you're good!!