How to stay positive? Having a very tough time

Short version: Problems for years, had two known demylelination incidents and awaiting an official diagnosis.

The problems that I’m having are getting me down and I’m really worried about the future.

I have lots of physical issues but the thing I’m most concerned about is the noticable change in memory and cognitive ability.

I’ve always challenged myself to learn new things, for work and hobbies. I can’t seem to do that effectively now, I can talk about things that I know but putting concepts together or learning new things seems to have become much more difficult.

It’s so bad that I just don’t feel that I’m myself and worry that my hopes for the future (in terms of career goals) will have to be scaled back hugely. I work in a very technical area that changes all of the time, I’ve tried recently to catch up with learning and it just isn’t happening. I can’t even write a report or do work that’s using existing knowledge if separate concepts need to be brought together.

If this is the way things are going to be then I feel that a huge part of my identity has been taken from me. Are there any tips that people have?

Thanks

Hey

Hi gheek I know exactly what you mean. I identified these problems early on after my dx 12 years ago. At the time I had just changed career so had a whole new learning path in front of me. My new job meant I would still need my old skills as well as learning new ones. There didn’t seem to be enough room in my brain to do this. I decided to park my old knowledge in my work PC on a notepad and physically try to forget they were in my head. This created space to learn new skills. When I needed the old things I could go back to my PC and get them. Another thing that worked for me was to give my team some of my knowledge and delegate some of the tasks I had to do so I could have time to learn new things. I don’t know if this would fit into your role but I still helps me to this day. There is only so much room in my head. All the best Neil

Hi gheek,

I know exactly what you are going through with a thousand questions running around in your mind and not getting answers.

You really need to talk to someone I suggest giving the ms society helpline a call on 0800 800 8000 the number is a freecall number and you will find they are very helpfull.

Hope you can find the answers you need to stay positive soon.

Robert.

Hi gheek,

I know exactly what you are going through with a thousand questions running around in your mind and not getting answers.

You really need to talk to someone I suggest giving the ms society helpline a call on 0800 800 8000 the number is a freecall number and you will find they are very helpfull.

Hope you can find the answers you need to stay positive soon.

Robert.

I can completely relate to all of that.

Cognitive and memory stuff is really tricky. It is a heck of a job to tease out what is mental and emotional distress and anxiety at the rotten situation (which can get better) and what is acute disease activity (which can get better also) and what is cold, hard permanent deficit (which can’t). Personally, I have always tried to assume that it is either the first or the second until I’m out of options and have to accept that it is the third. I’m not going to lie - quite often it is the third, and I am not any happier about that than you are.

I did wince when you talked about career goals, and the horrible feeling of knowing that your brain just isn’t getting traction the way it used to. It is such familiar territory, but I’m afraid that I have no answers. It is indeed the case that you might have to rethink some things. That is tough, but it can be done, and life goes on, even if you have had to reframe things a bit.

Good luck with it all.

Alison