Every day I see posts about folks in the US not getting what they need because of insurance issues, Medicaid cuts, etc. I myself lost my NYS healthcare because of federal budget cuts. It boggles my mind that the National MS Society does not advocate for universal healthcare. Can anyone explain why? How can we influence them to support this kind of legislation, like Medicare for All? I think this is one of the single most important issues facing those of us with MS and I am enraged that they don’t understand that.

Where are my Kesimpta twins at?

What’s your ritual for infusion/injection day and the following day(s) after?

My husband always brings me home 2 gatorades and some flowers a day before my injection date.

I make sure to eat a lot of protein and good foods and hydrate. I make it my lazy day so no plans, comfy clothes, and just rest. Despite my injections being easy. I deserve to feel fully rested and relaxed! Especially with a 2 year old.

Day following i’ll drink my second gatorade but it’s always been a hit or miss whether I feel out of it or normal. Usually some light movement or yoga.

Anyone else do something special or have a ritual?

Mine was being constipated two days in a row. I thought it was from the KFC that I ate during the 2024 Super Bowl.

It turned out that sitting on the toilet too long, that Monday, that I'd never feel my toes again!

Now, I can't feel much from the waist on down!

Not so much rant or vent but it's not General either, so I figure I'd use this area.

are you guys writing down a synopsis of what happens in your day to day life?

I do.

Not so much for me, but for therapy visitation. What to say the next time I see him. Do you guys do that as well?

Hello my fellow MSers.

I'm a 35m in the U.S was diagnosed back in June of this year. I've been struggling for years. Since diagnosis I had my most disabling relapse ever. Very little activity makes me hot very quickly and the right half of my body basically ceases to function. I start buzzing and tingling and my back and legs muscles spasm it's awful.

This sucks because my career is an active one, I'm a building and operations engineer. Basically a handyman with fancy licenses and I fix everything HVAC, plumbing, paint, drywall, electrical. Etc. I'm a jack of many trades and a master of none. I'm also ADHD as hell and it worked great for me while my body worked great for me but now I can't do it anymore. I just can't. I feel like I'm doing more damage to myself when I push through it and my recovery time has reached several days now instead of a few minutes or hours.

Are there ways to get help changing careers? I'm kind of stuck financially, Single father with sole custody. I'm getting laid off at the end of this month as well. So I'm getting kind of desperate.

I did ptns for my bladder. I have both retention and overactive bladder. Unfortunately it didn’t work. I am thinking about trying the sacral nerve stimulator. My neurologist said she didn’t think those worked very well for ms patients. I was so bummed the ptns didn’t work. Anyone do a a sacral stimulator and have good luck after ptns failed?

Hello, I was recently diagnosed with MS. My doctor wants to start me on briumvi, but he said my IGG levels are low (450). He is worried about starting a DMT because it lowers IGG further, but also I don’t want to get stuck with a less optimal treatment. Has anyone else faced this before starting a DMT?

Husbands work is switching from BCBS Alabama to Anthem BCBS.

We live in Illinois and through my husbands work have had BSBC Alabama for the last 20 years. We just received notice that the company is switching to Anthem BCBS. I have MS and have never experienced an insurance switch like this.

What should I expect during this change? Should I be worried? Does anyone have any experience on a switch like this or dealing the Anthem BCBS?

On a separate note should I look into insurance with my own work? Would MS be considered preexisting condition? Who do I talk to find that out and if it would be covered?

I hate insurance

Hi everyone!

I’m a student physical therapist assistant (PTA) currently completing my final semester, and I’m working on a presentation about neurological disorders.

Rather than just researching a condition in a textbook, I’d love the opportunity to speak with someone who has lived with a neurological diagnosis.

I’m hoping to find someone comfortable sharing their story, especially what life was like before their diagnosis, how their condition has affected them physically and personally, and what their journey has looked like since.

The interview would be informal and could be conducted remotely, through messages, email, or a phone/video call: whatever is most comfortable for you.

A few things I’m looking for:

• Someone diagnosed with a neurological condition who is willing to share their experience.
• Someone comfortable discussing how their diagnosis has affected their daily life, mobility, independence, and overall quality of life.
• Ideally, someone willing to share a few photographs and sign a photo release allowing me to use them in my classroom presentation.

The presentation is strictly for educational purposes, and I would be happy to explain beforehand exactly how any information or photographs would be used.

I’m especially interested in hearing about your personal experiences with rehabilitation, physical therapy, and the challenges or successes you’ve encountered along the way.

Thank you so much for considering it! I would be incredibly grateful for the opportunity to learn from someone beyond the classroom. Please feel free to comment or send me a private message if you’re interested! ❤️

My psychologist told me a while ago that he had looked at my MRI scans and noticed two lesions in my frontal lobe, which he said could potentially affect emotions and emotional regulation. Apparently, some people may become more indifferent, while others may become more prone to overthinking.
I’m currently seeing a psychologist who has recommended antidepressants, but I’m hesitant to take them because I’m generally a happy, energetic person. My main struggle is health anxiety, overthinking, and constant rumination.
I find it difficult to truly relax and enjoy being happy because there’s always a part of me that’s afraid something bad is going to happen. I think a lot of this stems from my childhood, growing up with a depressed mother who struggled with alcohol. I feel like I’ve developed a habit of constantly anticipating the worst, even when things are going well.
For those of you who also struggle with overthinking, anxiety, and rumination, have you managed to overcome it on your own, without medication? What has helped you the most?
And for those living with MS, do you feel that MS has contributed to increased anxiety or made your overthinking worse?
I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences. ❤️

Hello lovely MSers! ❤️

I haven’t been around here much lately. I’ve been taking a bit of time out to get my head around this whole MS diagnosis thing, and just trying to process everything that’s changed. I think sometimes you need to step back for a while.

But I wanted to share my experience of applying for a Disabled Persons Freedom Pass, particularly the face-to-face assessment, because when I was searching Reddit, I couldn’t find much about what the assessment itself was actually like. Hopefully this might help someone who’s going through the process and feeling as anxious as I was.

First, a bit about the eligibility criteria
Although we tend to refer to it as a TfL Freedom Pass, the Disabled Persons Freedom Pass is administered through London Councils, with individual boroughs responsible for assessing applications.

The main statutory eligibility categories are:
Blind or partially sighted.
Profoundly or severely deaf.
Without speech.
A disability or injury that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to walk.
No arms, or long-term loss of the use of both arms.
A qualifying learning disability.
A medical condition that would mean you would be refused a driving licence on grounds of physical fitness.
There are also provisions for discretionary passes in exceptional circumstances, depending on the borough.

The official criteria are here if you want to have a read: https://www.freedompass.org/apply-pass/disabled-persons-freedom-pass/am-i-eligible

The application
The online application itself was fairly straightforward. A few boxes to tick and questions about how your disability affects your mobility, including how far you can walk, whether you need to stop and rest, how long it takes you to recover, and other things such as breathing.
Honestly, some of those questions were almost impossible to answer accurately. How far can I walk? Well, it depends! What sort of day am I having? How heavy are my legs? Am I having problems with my balance? How much energy have I already used up?
MS doesn’t exactly lend itself to neat little boxes and straightforward answers, does it?!
I submitted a supporting letter from my MS nurse, explaining how MS affects my mobility.

The waiting and the anxiety 😩
I was then told I needed a face-to-face assessment because there wasn’t enough evidence to make a decision either way.
The communication around this was, frankly, really poor. The email gave very little information about what would happen, what the mobility assessment involved, what I would be asked, or who would be carrying it out.
Would it be an occupational therapist? A physiotherapist? What exactly would they expect me to do?
I couldn’t find the answers, and the lack of information made an already difficult situation so much worse. The whole process left me feeling as though I had to prove how disabled I was.
I appreciate that they have criteria to follow and need evidence to make a decision. I understand that. But a little more information, a bit of reassurance and some empathy in the communication would make such a difference.
I was already dealing with a relatively new MS diagnosis, trying to come to terms with it and learning to understand my body all over again. Having to prepare for an assessment where I would need to explain my limitations to a complete stranger was incredibly daunting.
My anxiety got to the point where I genuinely considered cancelling because I thought, is this really worth all the hassle?
Thankfully, I asked my lovely friend Debbie to come with me for moral support. ❤️

Preparing for the assessment
I contacted my MS nurse again and asked for an updated supporting letter. I also kept a mobility diary for roughly two weeks.
It wasn’t every single day because I don’t leave the house every day, but whenever I went out, I recorded:
The distance I walked, using Google Maps to estimate it.
Roughly how long it took me.
What symptoms I experienced, including heavy legs, pain, fatigue, spasms and problems with balance.
Whether I needed to stop and rest.
How I felt afterwards and how the journey affected me.
Some of my journeys were surprisingly short, but the impact was significant. A distance that Google Maps suggested should take a few minutes could take me considerably longer, followed by needing to sit down and rest.

My biggest tip: if you have an MS nurse, ask them for a supporting letter that explains how MS affects YOUR mobility.
A diagnosis on its own doesn’t necessarily explain the practical impact of the condition. Ask them to cover things such as:
Fatigue and heavy legs, even after relatively short distances.
Balance problems, unsteadiness and falls risk.
Pain, spasms and difficulty lifting your feet.
The need to rest and how long recovery takes.
How symptoms fluctuate, making your mobility unpredictable.
The knock-on effects later in the day or even the following day.
We all know that a good day doesn’t mean the problems have disappeared, and a bad day can’t always be predicted in advance. I think it’s really important that this is understood.

Take any mobility aids you use, too. I took my walking stick. I don’t use it every day, but if I’m going out for the day or know I’ll have a fair bit of walking to do, I usually take it. It helps enormously with my balance and stamina and gives me a bit more confidence.

The actual face-to-face assessment
And here’s where things got much better!
The assessor was an occupational therapy assistant, and she was absolutely lovely. She reassured me almost straight away and was empathetic, kind and understanding.
I explained how vulnerable I felt. This diagnosis is still relatively new, and I’m still coming to terms with the changes in my body and accepting what I can and can’t do anymore. Sitting opposite a stranger and talking about all of that, when you’re still processing it yourself, is quite a thing.
She completely understood.

We went through questions similar to those on the original application. I gave her my mobility diary and updated MS nurse letter, and she scanned the documents into my assessment.
She also asked what having a Freedom Pass would mean to me.
For me, it’s about maintaining my independence. Before my relapse and diagnosis, I was a great walker and a speed walker! I’d happily walk places rather than catch a bus or train. That’s changed considerably.

Now, I need to think about how much energy it will take just to get somewhere. If I’m going to work or travelling to meet friends, I don’t want to have used up half my energy getting there before I’ve even arrived!
It’s not simply about convenience. It’s about being able to save my limited energy for the things I actually want and need to do, rather than exhausting myself just getting from A to B.
Where I live, we also have very limited step-free rail access. Sometimes I have to travel into central London and then back out again just to avoid a huge number of stairs and steps. That adds time, distance and cost to an already exhausting journey.

And then came the mobility assessment itself.
We went outside the building and walked a very short distance before returning to the office.
That particular day, my legs were extremely heavy and not behaving themselves at all. My knee also gave way.

I remember thinking, well, if my knee’s going to give way, at least it’s picked a useful moment! 😂

She didn’t ask me to walk very far at all. We came back inside and finished the assessment.
I had been so worried about this part, imagining all sorts of things, but it was genuinely manageable. I can’t promise everyone will have exactly the same experience, of course, but I wanted to explain what mine involved.

So, what’s the outcome?
I’ve had confirmation today that I’ve been awarded my Freedom Pass! ❤️
I’m relieved that it’s over, incredibly grateful that I’ve been successful, and also feeling a little strange about the whole thing.

I’m not sure how I’ll feel the first few times I actually use it. There’s something quite confronting about having to acknowledge that the things I used to do without a second thought now take so much more out of me.
I’m still learning to accept that this is where my body is right now. I suppose getting the pass is another little reminder of that.

But I’m also trying to see it for what it is: a way to help me maintain my independence, conserve my energy and keep doing the things that matter to me.
And that’s a good thing.

My takeaways if you’re applying:
❤️ Ask your MS nurse for a supporting letter explaining the actual impact on your mobility.
❤️ Keep a mobility diary, even if it’s only for a week or two. Record distances, timings, symptoms, rests and recovery.
❤️ Take any walking aids you use, even if you don’t use them every day.
❤️ If you can, take someone with you for support. I’m so glad Debbie came with me.
❤️ Be honest about your difficulties, including the variability of MS. You don’t need to minimise things because you’re having a better day, or feel you have to perform being disabled.
❤️ And please don’t assume that being asked to attend an assessment means you’ve done something wrong. In my case, they needed more evidence to make a decision.

One final caveat: this was my experience with a London Council and the London Freedom Pass process. Other London boroughs may handle things differently, and the process will be different outside London.

I hope this helps someone who’s sitting there worrying about an assessment, as I was. The uncertainty and the poor communication made the lead-up much harder than the assessment itself.

If you’re going through this at the moment, sending you a big hug. It’s hard enough navigating a new diagnosis without having to navigate systems like this, too.

And thank you to everyone here who shares their experiences. Sometimes just knowing you’re not the only one trying to figure all of this out makes such a difference. 🧡

I’m twenty, I just got into a new romantic relationship, and the excitement and extreme positive emotions seem to be affecting my MS symptoms in a way similar to how stress does. The most notable symptoms are a slight vision blur, majorly increased tremors, and tingling in my hands and feet that comes and goes. These are all what I would expect out of being very stressed, but it’s definitely not from stress. I can only think to tie it to my new relationship because the symptom onset corresponded so closely.

I’ve looked for anything about positive emotions acting like negative ones on MS, but have had no luck. Does anyone else experience this? Does anyone know of any research done on a similar topic?

I’ve been severely depressed ever since my diagnosis. Sometimes I feel like I’ll never be happy again. I feel so upset about all the changes I’ve had to make. Trying to advocate for myself to get treatment is exhausting. I started a new job and hate it. I feel so upset I can’t work outside anymore. I feel so lonely and don’t have anyone to talk to about how I’m feeling. I know I probably need to go back to therapy but my insurance sucks right now. I’m tired of being so miserable and feel like it won’t get better.

Hi everyone. So I've been having pack pain for a little while now and it comes and goes. It's all down my back and shoulders. The pain seems to be getting worse with time, and it's making it difficult to sleep or do anything. I spoke to my ms nurse and she said it isn't ms and to speak to my gp. I was referred for physical therapy and I've been doing the exercises, or have been trying to but the pain is severe, but it's not helping. They refuse to send me for a scan, because "it's just back pain". I'm not sure what to do 😕 could this be ms or could it be something else? Thanks.

Has anyone experienced nighttime confusion and/or wandering?

I often find my partner gets up to go to the bathroom but ends up wandering (mainly upstairs rooms) and says the strangest things when asked what he’s doing.

Interested if this has happened anyone else.

Hi, my dad (late 50's) was recently diagnosed with MS and possibly Marburg MS?

Back in march he got his first MRI after having headaches and vision problems (which have progressively gotten worse) they said it was likely caused by a stroke, then in June he got another MRI, they now said it was a brain tumor. He got another scan in September to which he got the diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis. However on his paperwork it says "Marburg acute multiple sclerosis" from my research Marburg would be treated more as an emergency that someone would be immediately hospitalized for? If anyone has anymore information on Marburg from their own personal experiences, or any idea why that would be on his paperwork, I would love to hear.

I just finished my second and last loading dose of Ocrevus. Now everything is...quiet.

The pre/post diagnosis period has been a whirlwind: MRIs, blood tests, lumbar puncture, countless phone calls with nurses, neurologist & providers, steroids, vaccines and infusions.

Through all of it my mental health has been pretty great tbh, grab-the-bull-by-the-horns confident. I was almost excited to do my research, book my appointment, take charge of my health plan. Now I'm home after my second loading dose, it's dawned on me that I have nothing left to do but wait it out and hope everything works as it should.

I feel like I have no control anymore. Is it just me?

Does it get easier? After a few good yearly MRIs do you start to kind of just forget about the potential bad?

INFO: my symptoms are mild (fatigue and some intermittent mild pins in needles in hands & feet), lots of legions 50+ total in brain and spinal cord. F31

Newly diagnosed MS person, but not new to fatigue. I'm at a conference, which usually kicks my ass fatigue wise. I pushed myself too hard today by not taking a break at lunch and ended up falling asleep during a close colleague's talk. I'm sure he noticed because it was a smallish room.

Now that I know this is an MS thing, I'm wondering if I should just be honest and apologize/explain why I crashed? Or should I just pretend like nothing happened?

He is my peer (not senior staff) and a really chill guy, I'm sure he'd understand. I just feel frustrated that I can't fully participate at a conference because of my fatigue

Has anyone experienced fatigue shortly before starting the second year of Mavenclad? I start round two Dec 4th and this week I’m having serious fatigue. This would happen near the end of six months when I was on Briumvi and Ocrevus but I wasn’t expecting it with Mavenclad. I’ve been doing really well with more energy and a lot less fatigue until now. Am I crazy?

Actually, I’m very curious to see how I’ll feel in the weeks after the injection.

My sleep is currently disrupted and my fatigue is completely out of control. I’m expecting some changes because my german neurologist told me I would feel “better.” I don't know exactly what she meant by that, but she guaranteed I would feel better than before.

Maybe she was able to estimate how effective the therapy would be based on my MRI, my lesion count, and her clinical experience.

On Reddit, and ESPECIALLY ON FACEBOOK ❗️❗️, you mostly read about severe cases of ms, where people say the therapy doesn't change anything other than preventing new lesions. That’s why I’m running a poll to hear from those for whom that wasn't the case.