If You Know More About MS than Your Neuro…

UPDATED 9/16/19
When you first get diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (or at least when the doc seriously suspects it), there are a number of different coping mechanisms. You might try to see just how many tears you can cry before your eyeballs dehydrate and start to deflate. You might watch a marathon of Friends to cheer yourself up, and since there are 236 episodes in the series, you can delay coping with your new reality by watching 118 hours of the popular TV sitcom. You might contemplate death by chocolate … or ice cream … or toffee squares, only to discover that you only get fat, an unpleasant bloated feeling, and a bit of gas. (BTW, overeating, especially if your comfort food of choice is Activia yogurt, is not recommended.)

Buuut, since you found this post, odds are high that you have immersed yourself in Internet research on the disease, and you now think you know more about MS and its treatments than your run-of-the-mill neurologist—the one who doesn't specialize solely in MS. Oh, and if he or she is a specialist, you still probably think you know more, because, duh, you just read it. ON THE INTERNET. How can they NOT KNOW about those MS diets that reverse the disease, how disease modifying therapies are MORE DANGEROUS THAN THE DISEASE, or how [plug in cure du jour] CURES MS? And since you also now are armed with armfuls of anecdotal evidence on the disease, you have PROOF.

If that’s you, take a breath, back away from the computer slowly, and start getting back to living your life. Seriously. It's not healthy. And to paraphrase Obi Wan, These are not the answers you are looking for. You don’t need to spend 8 hours a day (or more) trying to predict your unpredictable future. Been there, done that. So get out and have some fun! Don’t worry; I’ll keep you updated on any excitement that comes along. You've got a big, fat, rich life to live, and spending it all on your phone or computer isn't helping.