Pull up your big girl panties!
Let me count… Roughly speaking, I was diagnosed with MS about 5000 days ago. That’s one fair bit of experience under my hood, right? But… When talking to people, new or otherwise, it can be difficult telling them you’re living with an incurable neurodegenerative illness. Sometimes it feels like being in an uninterrupted car crash, minus the brakes, seatbelt or the steering wheel, especially when they add their own preconceived ideas about MS based on hearsay or pop-culture folly. Even if you’ve been living with MS for a decade or for just one day, you’re occasionally hitting walls of guessing, worries, disbelief and/or anger at each turn. You’re in denial. (they’re probably as well at first) You’re angry. (there’s a fair chance they are trying to remain cool under pressure when you…
Early signs of MS
While discovered 150 years ago, the cause of MS remains unknown. What we do know is that nerve damage is caused by inflammation, but the cause of the inflammation is still unknown. This means that there is no cure yet. Because of the different types of MS and the plethora of possible symptoms, 50+ symptoms can be linked to MS. Many people can, therefore, go undiagnosed for any length of time. You may have a single symptom, and then go months or years without any others. A problem can also happen just one time, go away, and never return. For some people, the symptoms become worse within weeks or months. Some symptoms of multiple sclerosis are mild and cause inconvenience; others may be severe and debilitating.
