Need guidance....anyone with firsthand MS experience??

[quentina]

My husband's leg starting hurting on black Friday. He works retail so, he worked a 16 hour day on a marble floor. Both of us assumed he was sore from the long hours.

Leg gets worse (sensation of heaviness) and it starts to drag.

Goes to the Dr on Wednesday, they order blood work for Lyme and some other things and also an MRI. Had the MRI on Friday and Saturday we were summoned to the DR, first thing in the morning.

It seems that the sheeth that covers the spinal cord is comprimised and this is classic MS symptom. He needs to go for another MRI tomorrow and we have a referral to the neurologist.

So, I am stressed, shaken, depressed....you name it.

I do know that many people have it and you would never know (they have high function).

So...anyone with first hand knowledge. I need advice, guidance etc.

Thanks!

 

[clovergirl5]

Im sorry I don't have any advice for you... I just wanted to give you a hug and well wishes for your dh

 

[WDWBarb]

I don't have firsthand experience, but my Mom has MS. She was diagnosed around age 50 and finds it manageable. Of course, she has good days and bad days (so very typical of MS), but it's not been the terrible sentence she first assumed it would be.

Hugs to you and your DH.

 

[Gagirl69]

I was diagnosed with MS 2 years ago. I had left sided numbness and weakness. I was actually walking with a limp. They ran all the tests...MRI head&Spine, spinal tap and blood work. I had the same feelings you are having. It's perfectly normal. Don't go online reading about it. They always have a looooong list of symptoms that your hubby may never have.
Take it from someone who has been there. It will get better. Flares can last from a couple of days to a couple of months. I have been on Rebif and Betaseron. I am currently on Copaxone. It's wonderful. I have NO side effects from it. If you have any questions, please feel free to pm me. Just let your hubby know you are there for him. Ya'll will get through this together.

 

[LuvOrlando]

So sorry you and your DH are going through this Can I ask your DH's age?

 

[OhhBother]

My DH was diagnosed with MS in 2004 at 32. Since that initial incident, he's not had any significant problems -- some fatigue occasionally, rare balance difficulties. He takes Avonex injections once a week and has had no issues.

I agree with the previous poster -- there's stuff on the Internet that will scare you to death. Try to avoid reading it. You have to remember that MS drugs have only been around since the early 1990s. Many of the people dealing with the most severe issues today didn't have access to treatment for years.

My best wishes go out to you and your husband. It's a frightening diagnosis, but the thing I always remember is MS is something you can live with. For the many weeks my husband was sick without a diagnosis, we were terrified it was something terminal.

His disease hasn't slowed him down at all. He works full time, runs around Disney World without issue, etc. etc. I'm grateful every day for his good health.

 

[pigletgirl]

My mom has it. She has right sided weakness.

The initial diagnosis is really scary, but as I've seen she hasn't been physically compramised at all. She does get tired more easily, so we have to plan our days accordingly if we're doing alot.

GL to you and your husband! You'll get through this!

 

[quentina]

So sorry you and your DH are going through this Can I ask your DH's age?

Turned 40 in July.

 

[yoopermom]

We have a good friend, a nurse, who was diagnosed with it in her mid 30s. With medication and "listening to her body" she has continued to work at her job, and, despite the ocassional flare, really does well. Like everyone else says, don't believe all you read on the internet!!


Terri

 

[manning]

Do you watch Cavuto on Fox? He has it.

 

[disykat]

My doctor has it. It was very reassuring to me to find that out. I never knew until I was being tested for it last year. (We think mine was just an inner ear virus that lasted about a year, because symptoms have all gone away and tests didn't show lesions etc.)