Just been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, anyone have any experience with it?

[NO iD=A-Ok]

It would probably be helpful for you to sign up for the newsletter from the MS Society (MSSociety.org)

My family has quite a bit of bad experience with MS, but like a lot of other posters have said, there seem to have been some breakthroughs in treatment recently.

Maybe I'll catch some of you folks at one of the DC area MS Walks...

Best of luck to you, Tom.

[Mad Mike]

No advice. Just my best wishes. And remember, you *are* part of the family here.

[skins4eva]

Tom--my best wishes to you. I know you'll be strong and fight through this. You have our unwavering support.

[gbear]

www.patientslikeme.com is awesome for finding information on perspective treatments.

Of the front line drugs, the oral pills are more effective than the old shots at preventing relapses which is the measure most use for delaying symptoms (not a huge fan of the measure, but it's easily measurable). Tysabri is the most effective, but due to costs and small danger of brain infection, it is not a front line med. I have had 68 infusions, and it has restored me to back running half a marathon in December (if all goes well).

I've had MS for 7 years now. My blog listed in my sig is a link to my story of MS and fostering medically fragile kids. It has a lot of my thoughts on medications and measuring progression.

Quick question, have you been diagnosed with MS or "Probable MS." If probable look at getting long term care insurance before you are diagnosed with "MS" because the diagnosis will make you impossible to insure for it. Males tend to have faster symptom progression the first 5 years, so if after a few years you aren't headed for the health toilet, you can decide whether or not to drop it. Note, I have heard both sides as to whether the "probable" will let you get the insurance. I was given the advice too late to matter.

Good luck. Sorry I would write more, but I am late to pick up kids at Taekwondo. Let me know if there is anything else with which I can help.

[Chump Bailey]

If probable look at getting long term care insurance before you are diagnosed with "MS" because the diagnosis will make you impossible to insure for it.

Great advice...

[TD_washingtonredskins]

Tom, hang in there and stay strong. I'm sure you'll fight through this. Keep us updated and know many of us are thinking about you and praying for you.

[skinscountry]

Tom my thoughts and prayers are with you. You have always been a class act on this board and as a Redskins fan I have always loved reading your posts here on the board. Stay strong and take care.

[Renegade7]

That sucks, Tom, and my mom and my aunt both have that. Both handled it very differently, with my mom really watches what she eats and makes it a mission to constantly be doing something, like walking or swimming. One thing she does battle with is the fact that making herself healthy can act as sort of a catch-22: the stronger your immune system is, the more damage it can do to your nervous system (so talk to your doctor about that). A huge thing is watching how you deal with stress, because that was usually the trigger for any of my mom's exacerbations (especially the one's that put her in the hospital). There's no cure for MS, but you can stay at a low level for a long time if you stay on top of it.

[MikeInJc aka M.I.A.]

Tom, I'm so sorry to hear. I do not have any experience with MS, but I wish you the best in your fight against this disease. I was diagnosed with Sarcoidosis about 4 years ago, and while it might not be as devastating to go through as MS, I was able to pull through and send it into remission. I'll pray for you Tom!

[GoSkinsGo]

Tom, can't offer any advice but only best wishes.

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

Darn Tom. That wasn't what I expected to read when I signed on tonight.

So sorry to read you've been diagnosed with MS. Stay strong brother. Don't blame yourself. Take on board all the medical advice you'll now get from your own doctor, as well as any other well established source material you can garner. And above all, stay positive. Easier said than done, but your willpower will go along way toward how you cope on the long road ahead.

Keep strong and positive man. God willing, with determination and the advancements in treatment you'll manage this to a significant degree.

FWIW, your currently in my prayers.

Hail.

[TheDane]

Best wishes, Brother Tom. You can fight this and you can win. You'll be in my thoughts.

[Wrong Direction]

Aside from the obvious advice to get the best medical treatment, getting in shape and maintaining a healthy diet can make a ton of difference. The treatments for MS have improved greatly, but please don't discount what you can do for yourself. This becomes more and more important as you age, and could extend your quality of life by many years.

[Redskinzfan30]

My dad has had MS since 1988. It has completely debilitated him and he has to have every thing done for him from scratching his face or wiping his nose to help bathing or lifting him into and out of bed and even feeding him. We went to Raleigh NC in 2010 to see a specialist and I believe the type of MS that my dad has is Relapsing Remitting which is the type of MS that most drugs aren't for. My best advice would be to find out the type of MS that you have and proceed from there. I have a lot of experience from taking care of my dad so if you have any questions about this please ask. I'm sorry you have been diagnosed with this.

[KAOSkins]

My dad has had MS since 1988. It has completely debilitated him and he has to have every thing done for him from scratching his face or wiping his nose to help bathing or lifting him into and out of bed and even feeding him. We went to Raleigh NC in 2010 to see a specialist and I believe the type of MS that my dad has is Relapsing Remitting which is the type of MS that most drugs aren't for. My best advice would be to find out the type of MS that you have and proceed from there. I have a lot of experience from taking care of my dad so if you have any questions about this please ask. I'm sorry you have been diagnosed with this.

It sounds more like your dad has primary or secondary progressive which are very hard to treat. Relapsing remitting is the most common and most treatable.