The 411 For The Newly Diagnosed.
Hearing that you have Multiple Sclerosis can be a traumatic event. When you Google Multiple Sclerosis you can easily become overwhelmed by the amount of information you will find and you can quickly find yourself falling down the rabbit hole. The bottom line will be:
YOU ARE NOT ALONE….. that there are many people diagnosed with MS…you have lots of company, recent estimates are a million people here in the US, and 2.5 million people globally who share your diagnosis. These numbers are really guesstimates in my opinion, as I believe many folks are not diagnosed per say, as MS can be illusive to diagnose…..it is a moving target of sorts, as symptoms relapse and remit over long periods of time.
There are more than a dozen FDA approved DISEASE MODIFYING THERAPIES, (DMT’s) available that have been developed to slow the progression of the disease, and that initiation of one of these drugs quickly after you are diagnosed is urged.
You will learn that there is a much greater prevalence of the disease in WOMEN, about three times more women than men are diagnosed with MS, and that MS acts differently in women and men, pointing to hormonal influences on disease activity.
Most folks are diagnosed between the ages of 20 to 50
Multiple Sclerosis affects each of us differently. Depending on the number of injuries, plaques or sclerosis and the location of these injuries within the Central Nervous System will impact your disease process.
It is like being thrown into the deep end of the ocean when you are diagnosed, and it is emotionally overwhelming all at the same time. Please remember that Dr. Google is not always your friend, and be weary of the many snake charmers who claim that they have a Cure, because we simply do not have a cure and claims of a cure are nonsense.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE: THERE IS SUPPORT!
The following is a list of organizations and websites that I have found helpful throughout the years. You can access support groups and persons through many of the following.
The National MS Society: https://secure.nationalmssociety.org
Multiple Sclerosis Association of America: https://mymsaa.org
Multiple Sclerosis Foundation: https:// msfocus.org
Above MS: https://www.abovems.com
On You Tube and Facebook: follow Aaron Boster, MD, https://bosterms.com
MS Australia: https://msaustralia.org
Overcoming MS: https:// overcomingms.org
The MS Gym: https://www.themsgym.com