Hi! I was a little unsure about posting, but I am hoping you could give me some advise or maybe share your story. I was diagnosed on Wednesday with MS and I took it well as I expected it, I was told after my MRI Scan that I most likely had MS but that a Lumber Punture would confirm this. On Sunday night I went out a dog walk and took one of my usual staggers, I have just excepted that this is something I now do but the one on Sunday night made me angry. On Wednesday the neurologist said that going by my symptoms he expects that I have Relaps & Remission MS but the MS neurologist will tell me more about the different types of MS and which one I most likely have, but I could be waiting upto 12 weeks to meet with the MS specialists. ( I am not great at waiting) The part that made me angry was that from what the neurologist said and what I have read with Relaps & Remission MS you have periods where your symptoms are bad and then you could go for months with no symptoms. I haven’t had a period that I am 100% fine since my dizzy spells and ballance issues started in October. I had pins and needles on my feet last July but my GP put this down to walking too much. I know now that this was my first relaps then as far as I know I had nothing until October, it wasn’t until one of my dizzy spells made me have a bad fall on a road, in which I broke my nose and put my teeth through my lip. (worse of all I had to miss meeting Westlife and getting an album signed) this made me get my eyes checked and my optition sent a letter to my GP to get me sent for a MRI scan, but since this fall I am afraid to go out by myself and hold onto walls, furniture, trees, people etc when I can, or if I stagger I put my arms out so I look like I am flying. (gets me a few crazy lady looks but saves my nose meeting the pavement again) As the months went by I was slowly getting worse then in March I started being sick and was unable to go in the car or turn around in my sleep without being sick. This lasted until early May so in comparison I am better but I can’t go a day without staggering, (rant alert!) I can’t wear heels, play round and round in circles with my niece or take her up the big shoot or watch fast moving things. (films etc) I am now getting wee things like random spots, needing more sleep (usualy 10 hours a night) and tender patches on my skin and I don’t know if it is ralted to MS or not. Sorry this is so long but I am just wondering is you have any advice on how to cope until I meet with the MS nurse and how you coped? Also how to do you work round your symptoms? Thanks,
Charlene
The RR of RRMS can be a bit misleading because it does tend to make things sound like it’s all or nothing with clearly defined good and bad times. The truth is that nothing in MS is so simple and just as some relapses can last a very long time, remissions can be far from perfect, with permanent residual symptoms 
You’ve experienced one short relapse that went into excellent remission, it sounds like this one is a long one that may leave residual dizziness. Please note the word ‘may’ because it could still improve plus there are things you can do for it. First thing is to chase your nurse for meds. You can also speak to your GP. Stemetil can help vertigo but there are bound to be alternatives too. You should also ask for a referral to neurophysio - they can show you exercises that can help vertigo. The other thing you could consider is using a stick or pole. I think a pole might suit you best as it would be more help if you’re walking your dog off road. They also don’t look like a mobility aid so much. A pole (or stick) would mean that you don’t have to do the flying pose (I do this too!) and make it safer for. The other things you mention do sound quite MS-like, but your family is right in a way - it’s important not to assume it but to get new things checked out by your GP. For example, fatigue is the single most common symptom of MS, but you should probably get your bloods checked for any deficiencies that might be causing it. Couple of things that you might not have been told yet: you need to tell the DVLA about your diagnosis and you should check any policies you have that might have a critical health clause (eg your mortgage or insurance policies) - MS is a payable condition. I hope the vertigo/dizziness starts to improve very soon. Karen x