So You Have Just Been Diagnosed With MS

This top part was written my me (Marshal, the webmaster who has MS).

You May have MS but MS Does Not Have You!

Courage + Belief = Life

So you have just been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (also known as MS or the MonSter).  DON'T  QUIT it is not a death sentence if you take care of yourself.  I have had it for 30 years and I am still alive.  Don't let anyone say it is your fault-it is not!  You tell them to read up about MS and don't be talking about something they are unknowledgeable about something a family member or friend has. Yes they will say "But you look so good". Well, ask them to beam into your body and you beam in there's and then they will feel the pain you do. We understand it is pain full--BUT YOU STILL LOOK GOOD.

Here is an explanation of the problem of MS.  There is this stuff called the  myelin sheath, like the rubber on an electrical cord, and your nerve cells also called neurons, is like the electrical cord itself.  Your body has attacked the myelin and has made scars on the place it has attacked, usually the brain or the spinal cord.  It is like taking a pair of pliers to that electrical cord and crimping it.  You are not going to get a good signal to the TV or what ever that cord is connected to.  Well the spine and brain are connect all of your body together.  You now are getting symptoms of MS. There are a lot of them and you might get some on one attack, also known as an exacerbation or relapses, but not on a different attack.  Don't worry you will learn all about this if you read reputable sources and listen to your doctor and ask questions.  The only bad or dumb question is the one which was not asked!

I want you to look at the Who Gets MS? page and see how people around the world and United States are affected with MS and why they think so.

Do Not Give Up.  There is help out there.  The internet is a good form of information but go to reputable sources.  Some of those can be found on this site under MS Resources. Do not trust everything out there. Do your research and ask your medical team.

If you take care of your yourself and get a medical team who is knowledgeable about MS and you like them.

I found no single source of information that I wanted to know when I started on this voyage of discovery that is why there are so many websites under MS Resources.  There are websites out there for exact information.  Use them as resources.  Your medical staff is who you need to discuss items found on the web. Look at MS Resources and there are a lot of websites.  On some of those sites you can chat with people who have MS.  Plus, I am always available to talk to, e-mail me. 

DO NOT GET DEPRESSED! The medical and researchers are making so much progress.  I was diagnosed with Transverse Myelitis, an inflammation of the spinal cord.  When the Doctors told my mother, in 1978, that I might have MS that is when they did not have MRI's (she did not tell me anything about that).  In 1994 I was officially diagnosed with MS.  I wonder how many times, between '78 and '94, I took off work because I felt bad and it was really an exacerbation? 

READ YOUR BODY. You will learn more about how your body feels more than you thought you know now.  With me, it got to a point I would go in to my doctors office, tell her my symptoms and tell her I thought I needed to go on steroids and she would agree.  Some times she would suggest I go on steroids and I would say "No" (I did and do not like taking medicine).  I would call her back a few days to a week later and say "You were right, I need steroids".  Later, while she was still my dr., I would just call and tell her my symptoms and say "Steroids-three days" and she would agree.  You to will learn what your body needs medically.

GO ON WITH YOU LIFE.  You do not know when an exacerbation will occur so just go on with your life.  Your body will tell you.  Do what you were doing before the diagnosis. 

KNOW WHAT CAN CAUSE AN EXACERBATION. Stress can cause an exacerbation.  You will have changes in you life and body.  Some of those changes in your body you will not understand.  You will have relapses and remissions. Read about the Causes and Symptoms, The Types and Stages of MS, and read Living with MS - You Can..., well go through these sections and definitely go to the Videos about Multiple Sclerosis and watch them, they might help out (I think they did).  I think MS-101 is a very good and informative video in layman's terms.

Good luck in your travel in a new life experience.  We are here to help whether it is this site or any other and there are forums out there to talk to people who also have the MonSter. Remember, you have MS but MS does not have you!  Go on with your life.

Take the following tests to see what you feel.  I am not a doctor.  These are just tests which...well read what is on their page.

The following has a source: www.neurologychannel.com

The hallmark of multiple sclerosis is unpredictable periods of exacerbation, remission, and progression. Initial symptoms of MS may be brief and mild. The first serious attack usually lasts weeks or months and occurs between the ages of 20 and 40.

The most common early symptoms include sensory abnormalities (e.g., tingling, numbness, itching, tightness, burning, shooting pain in the back and limbs [Lhermitte's sign]) difficulty walking, eye pain, and vision loss.

Symptoms of the disease vary, depending on where the damage occurs, and range from minor physical annoyances to major disabilities. Common symptoms include the following:

Muscle weakness can involve the extremities (arms and legs) on one side of the body (Hemiparesis), both legs (Paraparesis), or all four extremities (quadriparesis). Muscles in the affected area may tighten (spasticity) and contract spontaneously (spasm or clonus).

Many people with MS experience fatigue and need to rest and sleep during the day in order to continue their activities. The degree of fatigue may not be related to the severity of other symptoms.

An increase in body temperature (e.g., caused by hot weather, hot bath and showers, or fever) can worsen symptoms or produce new ones. This occurs because elevated body temperature slows nerve impulse conduction, especially in demyelinated nerves