Confirmed

Got a confirmed diagnosis yesterday am a little shell shocked to. Say the least but at least I now know what’s happening to me but I’m finding it hard to explain it all to my partner I at least have some knowledge she has none even tho she was with me when I got the news I think she is more in denille than I am I’m just worried about how this affects me at work what happens now and where do I go from here lots of questions I know I should have asked yesterday but diddnt quite know at the time what I wanted to ask. Just wanted to prove I could handle it. Any advice?

Hi I only got dx in June 2012 so I am sure you will get replies with more useful tips than I can give but wanted to say, well hi! I just wanted to say you are the same person today that you were before your dx. The future is maybe now not feeling as certain as it was before but no one can really say what the future holds…that’s what makes it the future I guess. Don’t give up on any dreams just try to adapt or approach things from a different angle WHEN the need arises. This is a great site for asking any of those unanswered questions and everyone is really friendly…not to mention great sense of humour to keep you smiling. Mish x

I doubt that there is single person with MS who left the consultant’s office having asked everything they wanted to after being told they had MS - so don’t beat yourself up - it is absolutely 100% normal!

The very best thing you can do right now is take it one day at a time. Dealing with a diagnosis is hard, for the patient and their family and friends, and there are no shortcuts :frowning:

My top tip is to talk. Don’t bottle things up; let your partner talk too; share.

My next tip, when you are ready, is to read about MS. There are some excellent publications on this website and on the MS Trust website that you can download or order for free. MS is not as scary as some TV programmes and films make out; most of us live relatively normal lives. Yes, it’s hard sometimes, but life goes on and it really can still be good. When you start reading, you’ll find that the booklets cover a massive range and severity of symptoms. (This does NOT mean that you will get them all or that they will all be severe - this simply does not happen!) The thing is that MS is massively variable and the booklets have to cover everything. Unfortunately, because of this variability, there is no way of knowing what the future holds - this uncertainty is arguably one of the hardest things to adjust to mentally, but as Mish already said, even without MS, the future is uncertain. One thing to hold onto is that there are an awful lot of people out there already dealing with MS and doing fine. There are loads of meds, aids, therapies and treatments, etc to help us cope and we do that rather well. You can too :slight_smile:

For now though, just talk, get and give plenty of hugs. It will be OK.

Karen x

PS I forgot to add in the “housekeeping” stuff: no massive rush, but you need to tell the DVLA about your diagnosis and you should check any policies, your mortgage, etc for a critical health clause (MS is a payable condition).

Give yourself time… it takes a while to get used to… and you’ve had some great advice above. Sometimes partners and family take a while to get their heads round it as well. Take it one day at a time.

Pat x

I was dx in april. Been in denial till about xmas. There is no right way to take the news. Get yourself a diary to write down all the questions when they pop into your head. We all leave the neuro thinking i should have asked this or that. rizzo’s post is spot on. Take it all one day at a time.

Thanks everyone I I tend to carry on my life as normal and take each day as it comes its the legs thing that gets me down most I would love one full nights sleep lol actually so would my other half