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definite dx of rr ms at 57 yrs old. having symptoms for years, but always dx as something else. finally saw a neuro at teaching hospital in philly and he confirmed what my gp and priest suspected. wanted dx but hate this one. yes, have hot/cold flashes where i feel drenched. femopause long over, so not from that. also get crippling lower back aches sometimes from slightest activity. seems to be getting worse w/cooler weather. on copaxone & zocor & cymbalta. also have pernicious anemia. guess my question is does it ever stop? i mean, what else can go wrong? lately all i want/can do is sleep or just lay around. want to laugh at my falling over, but instead it gets me angry. friends tell me my forgetting is from getting older. i say it's ms causing the confusion because it began so suddenly. help!!! does it ever get any better? linda

Hi from another Linda. Yes, I beleive things can get better. We take one day at a time. I'm not dx and been going through this for 2 1/2 years. Have a slow progression of what ever but all the symptoms of ms. Neuro does not have enough info to say positively ms. Has not ruled out other things either and sees me every 6 months. Not on any meds but do watch what I eat, we have an organic farm we sell from, take vit. c, salmon oil and foods to help with what might help heal this. For example nuts and seeds, tumeric for inflamation, do theraputic yoga and gentle storkes swimming once a week each and walk short distances as I can. Also trying to ride a stationary bike once in awhile. That has not happened often yet. Cannot ride a bike now because of balance problems. OK if going straight for awhile but when I turn fall over. Working on our farm is a help but not doing as much as I use to. My husband does more now but is retiring from teaching next June so will see how we do with the farm after he retires. We hope to travel to visit our boys and want to be able to do comfortably. I'll have to see how I do when the time comes. Still will do though. We live this life once and the best we can, enjoy All worth living. Linda

Hi Linda, I am a 54 year old dx'd by MRI in the spring of 2004, and by my Neuro the next fall. It is harder for them to dx us mature women because of our age. You know we're all hypochondriacs, eh? Lol! I go hot and then really cold too. I do believe that I am in the throws of menopause and that is probably why it happens. It seems to me though, that the hot flash happens only when I have a stressful thought, or pain. My arm has a pain that just won't go away although it does seem to be waning some after 6 months. The sweat produced by the heat is what turns the freeze on after the heat subsides. Other than that I am mostly cold all the time and I kind of feel like that's my own body's way of keeping the fatigue at bay. Menopause is wierd and varies from woman to woman, just like the symptoms of MS do. Just hang in there. That part of our lives is actually normal, I think:)