I have MS it does not have me.

[MRPMSer]

My name is Mike, you can call me Michael, Mikey, Miguel, Miguelito. The name is very common.
I have MS. I was diagnosed in 2002. I ran the Big Sur Marathon the same year. I use to love running, I use to love, making love. I use to love excersise. I am not in a wheel chair, I don't even use a cane although my wife thinks I should get one, and at times I feel I would look less drunk, unstable and unbalanced. I work part time, because an 8 hour day job in retail would destroy me. I need a stay at home job where I can just sit and drink ice water, but that is yet to happen. I spent 22 years in the military and despite what I was told when I went through my transistion assistance program, promising 100 percent, am only at 30 percent service connected disability. Nobody I have talked to believes how bad this has affected my life, they only belive what they see. MS is a hidden animal. Not presenting itself in the doctors office, not when you need it to be seen, but when your mowing your lawn and crawl on the grass to get back to the patio. Hoping that no one sees you. Pride is a terrible thing. Yes I am a strong soul, I use to run distance, I did that to conquer my vices. Mostly smoking and drinking as a young military man. I switched gears, and I began to excersise and hard. I ran 5Ks 10Ks, half marathon, and then eventually a full marathon. I fell, tripped, tore up my knees on the road a few time before. The doctor told me to get an MRI he looked at my service record of vision, urinary problems, injury realated to falliing and told me he thinks I have MS. He was right. I have been dealing with this since 2002. I have been fighting the VA and SSA but they are not hearing me. My name is Mike, I am 49 years old, happily married for 28 years and retired with MS who continues to seek compensation.

[lyndacarol]

Welcome to ThisIsMS, Mike. With your 22 years of military service, you may find the "Veterans and MS" forum here interesting and useful:

http://www.thisisms.com/forum/veterans-and-ms-f51/