Hi all!
My name is Paulina and I was diagnosed with RRMS in August, after having a relapse resulting in a 7 day hospital stay, 2 weeks after my 40th birthday hah…
I had various episodes/symptoms since 2019 (that I can think of) such as double vision, dropped foot, occasional weird fatigue and tingling/numbness in my left leg. Long story short, after 2 MRI scans and having lumbar puncture which was ‘positive’, in 2023 I was put on PIFU (patient initiated follow up) with a question mark over MS, but not diagnosed. Until this year. 
Shame only now, as all was pointing towards MS before and I didn’t realise how serious it was.
Anyway, my new neurologist and MS Team are great and I will start my DMT (Mavenclad) in December (just need to do covid jab and I’ll be ready). Any advice on what to do/not do when starting DMT is appreciated. I can’t wait to start but also anxious. I work full time, thankfully I was allowed to work from home but on the ‘bad days’ (like today) I feel bad for feeling ‘useless’ at work or telling my boss I can’t do it. I try to stay active such as pilates, I love cycling and still able to if I have energy, I drink lots of water, take vitamin D, I don’t really drink alcoholand try to eat healthier than before. Yet I still get fatigue, tension headaches and feel muscles are muchvweaker than they were. Anything else you’d advise I do? Oh and I was given amitriptyline to help with headaches but not sure it’s working other than helping me sleep.
Thank you for ‘listening’ 
Paulina
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Hi and welcome @mozajka some people take magnesium too. I’ve never tried it but, I do take the vitamin D3 and I also take vitamin K2. I can empathise with the delay in diagnosis. My ms was misdiagnosed for years too. I had lost the vision in my eye when I woke up one day. To cut a long story short my GP told me that I had hay fever! Another Dr told me that it was a bleed into the back of my eye that’s typically associated with boxing injuries! The only boxing I care to know about is the day after Christmas day! I now know that these episodes were optic neuritis. Since lost my vision two more times. I might add that I’ve never suffered with hay fever in my life, nor have I ever boxed. Can’t advise you anything regarding DMD’s as I’ve no experience of them. Wishing you all the best on your ms journey.
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Hi Paulina,
Welcome to the forum 
I’m pretty new here too. It sounds like there was quite a delay in your diagnosis.
I don’t have any advice as I don’t know much myself yet, but it seems like you are doing lots of good things to keep yourself healthy and you are going to be starting treatment soon, so that’s really positive.
There is another part of the forum which focuses on symptoms and treatments so you might get some useful information or advice there.
wishing you well
Alison
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Ps try not to beat yourself up for your bad days in relation to work. You are doing your best and that’s all anyone can ask. It’s important to look after yourself x
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Hi Paulina,
Just looking at your current issues - tension headaches, for example - I wonder if there are issues here apart from the MS itself. Do you think some of this might be the stress of the diagnosis, coping with all these appointments, still trying to do your job…?
I’m not sure that’s much help, even if it’s true. But the medical stuff should calm down once you’re launched onto your DMT. Do you have any holiday time booked coming up, just to give yourself a chance to take a step back?
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Hello thank you… Yes, that’s a possibility as these only started in July and thoight it might have been a side effect of a round of steroids I was given end of June because of my latest relapse. They disappeared and now back again. I’ve just been prescribed amitriptyline and it has helped me sleep better at least. I took holidays in October as I want to stay local now for when i start dmt soon, but i am sure I will book some time off again in a few weeks. 
As you say, it is a lot to take in and sometimes it feels like running on fumes, especially by Fridays, after a full week in front of a laptop.. still need to decide on how to adjust my work hours (if at all, as it might not be feasible).
Thank you I willvbe checking other topics too. Lots of helpful posts
Hello and thank you I will look into K2 as well as Magnesium, why not. Sorry to hear you had to go through so much and experienced optic neuritis, sounds painful. 
Thanks @mozajka. I have never actually had any pain when I’ve had the bouts of optic neuritis. The only “pain” was not being able to drive! Apart from that I just couldn’t see. It is my biggest dread though. Having optic neuritis again and my sight not returning I know that plenty of people are blind but, after having sight all this time I wouldn’t want to lose it now.. not forever.
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Agree totally with this. Getting on a highly effective treatment really can be a game changer. There’s a real chance that you will in time be over the horrid shock of dx and being under the cosh of very active RRMS, the treatment will be doing its job and life will feel much calmer and nicer than it does now.
That’s not to say that you might not want to think about working patters etc in the future. It’s more that it might not all feel as urgent as it does now. If you can, please do consider sharing with your employer and tell them how they can best support you through what is a particularly tough time at the moment.
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Thank you @alison100 fingers crossed.
I told my employer pretty much straight away. I guess they noticed when I didnt turn up to work but ended up in hospital for a week, then off sick for extra 6 weeks hah…For a few weeks after hospital I was unable to walk in straight line so I would not be able to get to office. (Okish now!) So far they’ve been great though. My immediate manager and higher boss are very supportive, hr too. They let me wfh (office job) instead of commuting to Central London and ‘left me in peace’ to do what I can. I am a worrier so always worry if I do enough, and then whether I will be able to work full time when I am on treatment, as I’m not sure yet how it affects me. Guess time will tell. My MS Nurses said they can also support/send letters for employer so fingers crossed it will work out. 
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