Hi there - I’ve never posted in a forum before but wanted to join and introduce myself. I was formally diagnosed in Feb 2023 with Relapsing Remitting MS and was started on drug therapy (Vumerity) in April. I’m in my early 50s so not the normal demographic and wonder how long I’ve actually be experiencing MS symptoms, which I’ve put down to menopause and Covid over the last few years. I had Covid 3 times and felt dreadful each time taking weeks to get back feeling normal again. Very recently I’ve had another relapse which affected my left eye and eyesight. I found it extremely painful and quite a scary time. Thankfully it’s calmed down again now but has left me feeling vulnerable. Yesterday I had to see my GP for the DVLA assessment and am worried my latest eyesight issues will impact my driving licence. Got quite emotional about it and I think it’s starting to hit home exactly what might be in store over the coming years. It feels good to connect with a community that will understand.
Hey I’m sorry to hear this and welcome on the forum. This is my first post after signing up a decade ago! I’m 36 years old and was diagnosed with Relapsing Remitting MS in my mid-twenties. I had optic neuritis as the first signs. My vision was very tunnel and blurred in mainly my right eye. I didn’t inform DVLA and I waited to recover before I was comfortable and safe to drive again. My vision was restored in few weeks time and I never had to bother with any assessments in the end. Should you decide to go ahead with the assessments then I wish you all the best - Good luck. K
Hi Rach, like you but a male , I was diagnosed in my early-mid 50s. My first real symptom was optic neuritis which in my case wasn’t painful but I lost pretty much all sight ( and colour vision)in my right eye. The sight returned over a month or so. That was 16-17 years ago so I can’t remember exactly how long it took. If it provides you with any reassurance then after diagnosis and starting treatment on Avonex i kind of forgot I had MS for around 5-7 years until my right leg started having problems and I couldn’t walk for more than about an hour . That is now down to 15 minutes or so and i walk with a bit of a limp , also I do experience ‘MS Fatigue’ from time to time and I find warm temperatures really draining (unless there is a cool breeze I avoid the sun ). I suppose that what I’m saying is that MS is terrible but not necessarily going to have an immediate major impact on your life .
I tend to plan for the worse and hope for the best