My name is Amanda, and I am a 26 year old Single Mother to three boys: Nate 7, Tyler 5 and Isaac 3. I live in Anchorage AK and was DX'd with MS in September 04, had the MRI the day before my 23rd Birthday and got the news Sept 13th, the day after my birthday. I had just had my youngest son, and was devestated and in denial and then I was DX'd with PPMS in March of 07 and finally, due to a burning pain and cramping in my legs from nerve damage was put on Morphine for the pain and so far it has helped. I go to the AK Native hospital up here where Natives dont get MS for some genetic reason so the Dr.s got excited until I told them that I was lower 48 Indian, Blackfeet from Montana and Ojibway from Belcourt, North Dakota, and the down side to that is that they don't see many if more than 3 cases of MS so they are very unfarmilliar with the illness so treatmentis very hard to get. In the beginning they didn't know what was wrong with me so they gave me Vicodan and Percocet and Valium so that, in the words of one E.R nurse I "Wont care that you cant feel your arms and legs" and then was taken off the Vic's and Perc's cuz it they couldnt figure out the problem I am a 23yo single mom who is just a pain pill junkie and was deemed ineligible, then was finally taken seriously by my Fam Practice new Dr and was put on Ultram, and then a low 15mg dose of Morphine E.R twice a day and one 15mg instant release Morphine for breakthru pain. I was finally sent to a urologist for chronic Bladder infections and told that I have 65% of my kidney function left due to untreated "Classic MS Bladder symmptoms" and I got mad and have been spreading the word. In an IHS hospital we get free meds, and Betaseron alone is $1700 a month so DXing is long and pain management is hard to come by because of it since free pain meds equals high paranoia and suspicion on the Dr.'s part.