I am wondering how much MS will limit my future

[skinnyscarecrow]

I'm in my early 20s and I'm afraid I won't be able to do what I want to do. (whatever that may be). I am afraid for my future and I no longer have peace of mind. I want to be as smart as possible but I hear that MS makes your memory terrible and not good at retaining new information. This can be bad for my job, where I am supposed to learn new technology's constantly. Any input on your experience with cognitive symptoms...

[ElliotB]

There is no way of knowing for sure. MS affects everyone differently. While it is true that many with MS have memory issues, my memory has actually improved tremendously (I have had a reasonably poor memory throughout my life). Certain types of memory issues, such as brain fog come and go. Memory can change over time with anyone, with or without MS. Are you having any issues now?

[Bender]

Whatever is going to happen, you should push on life as hard as you can now. the more ground you can gain before your problems catch up with you the better. If you get to the point where you're a manager/director etc... and have control over your schedule before you start getting troublesome problems you can probably control your life enough to manage. It's a Big IF on IF your are going to have troublesome problems, for a lot of people with current management MS is not disabling so much as extremely inconvenient, and no matter how good you are doing until they understand MS better there's no way to know if there's troubles hanging over your head.

Like I said, push as hard as you can now while you're still younger, really it's good advice for anybody but more important for people with MS. I spent YEARS partying before I knew I had MS and only really got serious a couple years before I started having energy level issues, and I wish I'd spent some of those years I spent partying spending that energy on my career now that I'm screwed on traditional jobs.

disclaimer: all advice within is tinted by my own regrets, take with salt. Most importantly remember that MS is manageable for most people and if you are not having serious problems now you may never. take a load off your worries, but fucking don't wait to prepare for them.

disclamer 2: this advice is based on treating my fatigue as a cognitive issue, which is mostly seems to be. There's no way to know how much your memory will be effected, if your memory is good now there's no specific reason to think it will get worse (it seems to be all about where you get your specific lesions) My memory has been effected according to testing, but I'm still as clever as ever, and I find that in game contexts (dealing with rules D&D,book keeping etc...) my specific memory is good (so I'm still good at adapting to new programs, I can remember the details of player characters in the games I run better than their names, I can remember the details of any budgeting I've ever done with pretty much perfect clarity etc...) but I personally have a great deal of trouble with names.

finally as I said before if your memory is good now, there's no reason to think it will not continue to be good.


final edit: I'm a ramblin man

[Fayruz]

I think all of us are worried about our future in some kind of way (what if I don't finish school, what if I don't get the job, what if...), I was worried about the future before I was diagnosed but the worries were a bit different...now that I have MS I am mostly worried about that - when I'm worried. But I have learnt to dismiss this thoughts because if you start to think about all that you may just as well sit down and wait for life to ends...nobody knows what the future will bring..I mean, we worry about MS but there are so many other things that could happen - you can get hit by a bus for instance. ;) So the point of all this writing is that I have learned not to obsess about the future - with or without MS and for a control freak that's quite an achievement.

[annbbe]

Hi, it is exteremly hard to say what future would give you. Nobody, even 100% healthy can't say what future gives you. Well, when I got ms, i was 19. My whole adult life I am ill. This is the life. Maybe harder sometimes, but you never know if it is really bad for you. Seriously, nowadays medicine goes ahead quickly, and I hope we are really close to invent a real curing drug. Take care and don't be afraid!

[Jimpsull]

Don't lose heart. I was diagnosed in grad school in 2003 and it hasn't interfered with my career as an engineer. Read up on the research of dr Roy swank and then get on his diet.

The MS drugs reduce relapses but aren't proven to reduce disease progression. The swank diet showed the ability to prevent progression during a 34 year study. Most of those that stayed on the diet were still walking after 34 years. Those that didn't were bedridden or dead. Seafood and vegetables are more expensive than Big Macs, but they're a lot cheaper (and more effective) than avonex.

[aplkwst1]

There are Doctors with MS, don't let it slow down your dreams. Since my diagnosis I actually think I have become a better person overall and take things much more seriously. The knowledge that you have the diagnosis may help you shape the type of employer you choose as well as the partner for life. Your young and have the ability to do whatever your heart desires. I understand the dark cloud, but just figure each and every day you will wake up and make the best of whatever comes your way. Also, you may be able to make enough money to get some type of passive income such as rental properties, etc.... Dream Big! President Kennedy had Addison Disease and he ran the country.

[aplkwst1]

Oh also just thought about another. Neil Cavuto of Fox News is the VP of the network and he has MS....