Hi. It was confirmed last week that I have MS. I knew it was and was being treated for the early stages. Although I knew it was, it was still a shock.
I am waiting to be prescribed Clamazipan and something to help with the fatigue. Fatigue is awful and can’t do anything but lay there. Spasms are more frequent and mainly effect my right side from arm to leg. Walking is a struggle and frustrating. Sound drunk sometimes because of slurred speech.
As a person who loves to walk, take photographs and travel, my world has been turned upside down.
Hopefully the medication will help.
Further appointments to come with assigned nurse, neurophysiology and physio.
Watched the documentary about Selma Blair. I could relate to so much of what she is going through but I’m not as bad as her. Worth watching.
I am sorry about your dx. It’s not easy, getting one’s head around a life-changing dx like MS.
The best thing you can do is to get yourself on as effective a DMD as you can as soon as you can. That’s the way to stay as well and able as you can be for as long as possible. That and all the boring-but-important stuff about good nutrition, exercise, fresh air, stress management etc. I have heard exercise described as a DMD in its own right, and that resonates with my own experience. Avoiding MS damage is the only show in town: once the damage is done, it’s done, and there’s no getting the toothpaste back in the tube. That’s why DMDs are so important, but I’m sure you are already familiar with all that.
For what it’s worth, I was on Avonex for 10 years and have been on Tysabri for 10+ years. My walking holiday days are over, alas (damage done before I got on Tysabri) but a decent couple of miles in the beech woods on a beautiful day like today is still within range, even if it does involve two hiking poles. I don’t know whether that sounds like good news to you or horrifyingly bad news, but my point is that there are things you can do to give you the best chance of enjoying proper long walks for many more years than I managed. DMDs have come on leaps and bounds since my dx in 1999.