17 with ms
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17 with ms
This is my first post on this site, which I'm very happy to have found. Especially this part of the forum, while I've searched around the web for quite a bit to find something for people who are considerd young being diagnosed with ms.
I recived my diagnosis exactly 3 weeks ago today. It came as a total shock. I've always been healthy and active, and I thought that nothing would stop that for a very long time. Oh how wrong I was. Being diagnosed with a serious chronical disease wasn't exactly a part of my plan this year. Especially since I'm only 17.
I don't think I realized that I was sick until yesterday, when I saw pictures from the MRI. I was all of a sudden able to see the ugly spots in my brain myself, which brought the whole thing to a whole new level for me. Suddenly it shook me; I have to reconcider all my ambitious life plans. I might not be able to walk in 15 years. Yesterday was the first time I cried since I was diagnosed.
Coming back to school after summer made it even more surreal. Everything is the same. Everything but me. I feel broken inside. Lost and counfused, with no idea what will happen in the future. It worries the hell out of me, I'm so scared that I won't be able to do the things I want, get the career that I for many years have fought for in school. I'm absolutely terrified, and it feels so unfare. I haven't even lived a small part of the life as a grown up that I so have longed for.
You have to pardon my dramatic twist on everything at the moment, but I have had a bit of a emotional breakdown these past two days, and I just had to get it all out of my system. I try to be so strong in front of everyone, letting them belive that my ms doesn't even touch me in the back, but really that's not the case. So I had to find a place to ventilate, and I hope that this site will fill that function.
If you're in a similar position as myself, preferably around the same age, you're very welcome to answer or to write me in private. At the moment, I feel like I need all the support I can get. Hope to get an answer soon!
Best regards,
- lyndacarol
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Re: 17 with ms
We are here to listen… to rantings, to questions, to everything.
All the best to you.
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Re: 17 with ms
Ps. Pardon my lacking knowledges in the English language, It's not my first language. Please let me know if anything is hard to understand!
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Re: 17 with ms
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Re: 17 with ms
Re: 17 with ms

Feared the worst being diagnosed so young and with such severe episodes. But....my good news is that the worst imaginable was not my future. I am now 35 yrs old. I have not had any additional episodes and I live an active and enjoyable life. I do have symptoms of ms sometimes worse than others and some permanent nerve damage but my life is not centered on my disabilities or this disease.
I encourage you to pursue your dreams and stay positive about your health as much as possible. I strive always to stay low stress, get plenty of rest, really watch my diet and exercise regularly. I do not take any medication for ms although I did take avonex for several years early after my diagnosis.
Just wanted to let you know that you are not alone and that much concerning your future quality of life is still in your hands. I dont know much about your story but you are welcome to ask me any questions and I will answer as honestly and thoroughly as I can

Hope this post is encouragement for you and wish you nothing but the best in future as it is obvious from your post that you are more than capable to overcome the mental and physical challenges ms will bring you!
- Flashover81
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Re: 17 with ms
We talk about it every now and then but don't want him to be worried and have it be a burden to him and stress him out. Live your life to the fullest and never stop living your dreams. I am hopeful that good things are on the way for pwms. I find myself getting emotional while writing because I know what you are going through. But stay positive and LIVE YOUR LIFE to the fullest.
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Re: 17 with ms
Don't ever change your goals and plans in life until it truly makes you...if it ever does. Catching it so early is a huge plus. With proper diet, exercise, nutrition and medication you can fight it off for a very long time. Plus the cure is out there somewhere and you are so young that you can always seek solace in that idea.
Once you come out of your slump try to grasp how incredible life really is, and how much you need to fight back against this to keep it that way. This is why we are here, to beat this disease.. by not letting it beat is.
I have been diagnosed for a week, but as I said I denied it for so long before taking an mri. I knew what was happening though. I am older than you, I will be 25 in a few days and technically in my second episode now. I had a single optic neuritis issue at 19 years old. I had many symptoms recently but it was all very mild and easy to deal with. All my symptoms were annoyances more than anything else. If I didn't know what ms was I probably wouldn't even thought twice about most of the issues. I easily could have never seen a doctor for anything. It is very good that they caught it in the early stages of it for you and all of us in this section.
Always stay positive and strong. Always fight back. You don't know what path it will take or when, so you cant live in fear of what you don't know. Make the proper adjustments to fight back and live your life to the fullest. We will see a cure..... or a drastic incredible treatment in our life time.
Re: 17 with ms
I am just curious to know what your symptoms were that led you to understand that you have MS, besides the lesions on your MRI. I have those too
