Recently Diagnosed with MS
Hey all, just wanted to let the community know that I am joining your ranks for better or for worse!
I was diagnosed about 3 weeks ago, after MRI/Spinal tap and associated symptoms. I had another MRI done to determine if there were any active lesions (as the first MRI was w/o contrast and the follow up was ages longer then it should have been.) I do have an active lesion, and just finished the 5 days of 1000mg steroid infusion (which was terrible), now doing the 6 weeks of tapering off with oral steroids. The worst part of my MS started Nov 2021, when the "brain fog" hit, and continually got worse, it would come and go but progressively got worse. This was detrimental for me as I work in the "world" of cyber and IT, but just kept forgetting things and had so much trouble coming up with solutions. (other symptoms that happened before the brain fog, that I know now to be MS related, on and off burning sensation in my ear/ear canal, barber's head syndrome (tingling sensation when you put your jaw on your sternum), numbness and tingling in my hand/feet, exhaustion more quickly in the gym, and every one calling you a hypochondriac.) Sorry if that went long, just wanted to throw something up here to get the communication going! I'm about to start Vumerity, but waiting to see how much insurance will cover.
Hi
. Welcome to the community! I am sorry you had to join our ranks, but glad you found us. You will find lots of wonderfully supportive people here. I hope the steroids helped bring your symptoms under control without many side effects and that Vumerity is effective for you. MS medications can be super expensive, even with insurance, but most drug companies have financial assistance programs with generous income guidelines that can make them much more affordable. Are things better at work now? Thinking of you and wishing you the best. - Lori (Team Member) 
, I just want to piggyback on what Lori wrote. I am glad you found us, but I wish you didn't have a need for this community.
I hope Vumerity is a good fit for you (and that your insurance covers the full cost of the treatment)!
Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, concerns, or just need a supportive place to vent.
Best, Erin, MultipleSclerosis.net Team Member.Thank you Lori, and Erin for the welcome and hospitality. But I do have potential bad news for my situation, during the course of the 1000mg infusion of methyl prednisone I started noticing diabetic symptoms (frequent urination, numbness in my toes, blurry vision), and now that I'm on the 60mg of oral prednisone, I'm having what seems like massive sugar spikes after eating/taking prednisone (and I'm not diabetic/nor is it in the family). I go tomorrow to the doctor to talk about it, I just hope it's salvageable with exercise, and good nutritional choices. I went from a "healthy young man (31)" to I don't know what tomorrow will bring me. Thank you all for your help!
, ugh! I'm so sorry you are dealing with that complication! How very frustrating that must be. I hope your doctor was able to offer you some feasible solutions and I, too, hope you are able to manage this new challenge through diet and exercise.
Best, Erin, MultipleSclerosis.net Team Member.I wish you didn't have this other complication to deal with,
. Was the steroid Solumedrol? If so, that is known for causing blood sugar spikes, but your doctor should be able to help you deal with them, especially since you are now in the tapering stage. Here is an article from one of our advocates about handling Solumedrol infusions that might interest you: https://multiplesclerosis.net/living-with-ms/tips-for-an-easier-round-of-solumedrol. I hope your visit with the doctor goes well today. Keep us posted if you don't mind. - Lori (Team Member)
