Just been diagnosed with MS. Already HIV +ve and feeling a bit overwhelmed! Has anyone else experienced this situation, had treatment etc as I sure as hell could do with some help here! I already counsel people with my existing condition and am pretty much ok with it (apart from the stigma that still prevails), but this just feels like a fairly hard extra kick in the teeth! Anyone? Thanks
Wow, that’s one hell of a kick in the teeth 
There are plenty of people with MS who have other serious conditions too, but I don’t know anyone with HIV too. I can’t imagine it’s terribly common
As far as dealing with MS goes, you’ve come to a great place, but I am rather stuck as to how to advise you about how the two conditions could possibly interact in terms of treatment and I would guess that the others on the forum will be similarly stuck. That sort of thing is going to be best left for a really good MS specialist I think.
If we just focus on MS, then I can tell you with hand on heart that, for the vast majority of us, it is absolutely NOT the end of the world. Yes, MS makes life difficult at times and we certainly wouldn’t ever choose to have it, but life can still be long, happy and fulfilling. I appreciate that this might sound like a platitude, but it is completely true - hopefully you’ll come to see it too, but for now, just take it one day at a time. It gets easier. Promise.
Karen x
Hi, I’m so sorry to hear of your dx. I can’t answer any questions relating to the diagnosis being linked but I just wanted to reassure you that you come to accept ms and learn to cope around it. In your work councilling patients with HIV you must hear yourself say exactly that. I’m sorry that stigma is still attached to a label, I lost a friend at uni in the late 80 s and had hoped that things had moved on. Best of luck to you, I found time was the thing I needed most with regards to acceptance of ms. That and a voodoo doll of my mother-in-law to help me cope with all her stupid statements!! Chis x
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Why oh why does society have this; as you say stigma towards HIV in this day is beyond me!
I’m trying t think back many years ago and there was some link; although tenuous between MS and HIV. HTLV 3 is known to be the AIDS virus and HTLV 1 causes neurological problems. So the protagonists towards MS being a virus thought this was the link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_T-lymphotropic_virus said it was tenuous.
They say MS is an autoimmune disease but there is no categorical proof.
Good luck.
George
I know how you feel, but you are not alone, if i can be of any support , please just ask.
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