What's your MS story?

I have had MS for 40+ years. I have been blessed with 2marriages and one daughter. My career as a nurse spanned over 35 years before I went on disability. I got to be a semiprofessional clown for 3 years. I am presently 70 years old. Can not drive and have help during the week. I still walk with a walker and do my own ADLs. MS ran in my family. Both my Mom and sister died with MS. Again I am blessed.

I have PPMS and now in a wheelchair and in a care Facility. I have put up with mess since September 1999

I have lived with MS unknowingly for 24 years before an official diagnosis. Overall life with MS a fun 36 years and currently with PPMS.

Before being diagnosed with MS, I was mostly focused on work and on being successful. It did not matter how much time, focus, or energy it took. My goal was being the best I could be.

MS has refocused my vision of life. I wake each day to enjoy the simple things in life I had previously missed along the way.

A morning sunrise or sunset, for example, is filled with vibrant and ever-changing colors. Seasonal variations from spring to summer, fall, and then winter change the landscape and have their unique beauty.

I spend my time visiting new places and standing silently to take in people, architecture, sounds, and the simple progression of life.

Staying positive is not always easy, but I have found that taking an internal inventory of what is good in life forces me to focus on the good: family, good friends, a place to live, food on the table, helping others, and waking up every day.

Wishing you all the very best

I was diagnosed about 8 years ago. I have RRMS. And it is mild for the most part. I've had vision issues, numbness, tingling, coordination issues but most consistent is fatigue and cognitive issues. The fatigue has changed my life. I don't want to make plans, I don't like to go out because I hit a wall and pay for it the next few days. The pandemic hasn't effected me at all because I'm just fine in my house and nothing has changed (except commuting to work). But what has been scaring me the most is brain fog, finding words, presenting to colleagues, memory loss and lack of focus. I try so hard and I know it effects my work and that scares me to death. I am not the person I was and my self confidence has taken a huge hit. I am an anxious person innately so these issues only add to my anxiety.

I am not married and was unable to have kids but looking back I would never have been able to manage on my own. This is the most upsetting because all I ever wanted was to be a mother and wife.

And this is "mild"!