How Bad is it Living with MS?

[missalyss4]

I'm currently in limbo with a neurological disorder and MS had come up. Is it possible to live a near normal life or is just a constant struggle to get up everyday. Some people say that the medication and my age 24 will make it as if I don't even have MS while others say there would be no way I continue my job as a zookeeper.
Any thoughts?

[Justsayyes]

Wish there was an easy answer for you. It certainly is possible to live a near normal life, and it is also possible to have difficulty getting up and going everyday. Impossible to predict how things will go. We do have many more options for treatment now and coming in the near future, so I like to stay optimistic.

Hope you get some good support here, I think you will!

[aitch10]

Wish there was an easy answer for you. It certainly is possible to live a near normal life, and it is also possible to have difficulty getting up and going everyday. Impossible to predict how things will go. We do have many more options for treatment now and coming in the near future, so I like to stay optimistic.

Hope you get some good support here, I think you will!

This. It's different for all of us and we respond to our travails differently.

I agree that it is possible to live a "near" normal life. I do

[Tawanda]

M.S. is often mentioned as a possibility, and until an MRI with spots is shown to you, I wouldn't even go there. Get an MRI.

[freeinhou]

There's quite a few of us that live a "near" normal life. I was dx'ed over 25 years ago. I'm at work right now...

Tom

[JerryD]

Since you haven't been dx'd yet, I hope you don't get the MS dx. I would ask your PCP for all of the blood tests and the other non-invasive diagnostics. Also, if you need to work on your weight and diet, that could be causing many health problems. Good luck

[Tia1]

I don't have an answer. I intend to live my life as normally as I can for as long as I can, making whatever adjustments I need to make as they come.

There are many here that have had MS for ten, twenty years, raising families, working, loving and being loved. MS, can't take away everything unless we let it.

Only you will know if you need to make an adjustment to your career, you know the details and challenges of your job. You alone also know how hard you are willing to work to be a part of something so awesome and when and if it is no longer safe.

Your job rocks, except for poopie duty.

[cosake]

I also hope that you do not get the MS diagnosis. If you do, realize that MS is unique to each of us, and unpredictable. For me, once I got past the diagnosis, I learned everything I could about it and got on with my life. I realized that I couldn't sit around waiting for the next symptom, flare, etc. to happen.

I live my life as normally as possible, but with some adjustments. I have cut back on volunteering commitments and I let myself have more time to relax. In the summer, I try to avoid the outdoors, particularly at the hottest times of day. We use the AC more often. My teenagers help me with the grocery shopping because that is one of the most fatiguing things for me.

On the positive side, I have tried some new things and we have visited some places that we had always talked about. Basically, I'm getting myself out and doing things that we kept putting off, because I know that if I keep putting them off, I may not be able to do them in the future.

Don't give up on a career as a zookeeper !!

[cranberrysauce]

I'm 30 and a marine biologist and I'm still working. I was diagnosed at 26.

My life has changed but most people don't know I have MS when they look at me. I still push through to do everything I did before MS. I'm more tired but I LOVE my work so it motivates me.

For example, I get numbness in my legs. It was my first symptom and it happens when I'm hot. Before MS, if I was having a conversation with someone I would usually just stand. Now, I usually say "hey, do you want to sit down for a minute". I use strategies like this to cool off and manage my symptoms.

I think, when you're young, your body has the ability to deal with many symptoms better. I've really focused on getting as healthy as I can be. Being in shape, eating well, etc. because I truly believe these things can help make symptoms more manageable.

I may or may not be able to spend the rest of my life going out on boats for a couple weeks at a time. But, I try not to think about that. I try to be very proactive with my health. If I have a symptom that is impacting my quality of life, I seek the advice of my doctor and am willing to try drugs, therapy, lifestyle changes to improve. Its more to shoulder than your typical 20-something, but it hasn't kept me from having a really fun, fulfilling life since my diagnosis.

I try to keep everything in perspective. My best friend got thyroid cancer at 23. Things could be better or they could be worse. But, perfect health doesn't ensure a perfect life. I know plenty of people much healthier than myself who aren't content and happy with their lives for a variety of reasons.

I hope you get answers soon. If it is MS, this is a wonderful place for answers and support.

[TLC_31]

A couple people have written that they hope you don’t get an MS diagnosis. I disagree with that mindset. In my case nine years ago, I was relieved to get the diagnosis, because only then did I know what I was up against, and I could fight it with a DMD. Limboland isn’t any fun, nor are some of the other diseases that mimic MS.

Certainly I had some fears for the long term, but those have not come to pass. It is possible to live a near normal life. The course of your disease could certainly be worse, and it doesn’t hurt to prepare for that, but no one has any business saying you won’t be able to keep your job. I still work full time. My work is probably less taxing than that of a zookeeper, but then I’ve also run four half marathons in the last two years, with more on the schedule. Attack your MS or whatever it may be that ails you, and you will certainly have much to look forward to for a long time.

[fishead]

M.S. is often mentioned as a possibility, and until an MRI with spots is shown to you, I wouldn't even go there. Get an MRI.

There are many things that "mimic" MS. Please keep pushing your doctor to run all of those tests. MS is typically diagnosed by elimination of other possibilities. I DO agree with Tawanda.... GET AN MRI

[BigA]

A man at my gym woke up one morning unable to walk. When I saw him, he was walking with a cane and had an appointment with a neurologist.

I saw him months later, walking with some trouble but better. He had been to a neurologist and had spinal lesions, but the doctor could not diagnose him. He seemed pleased not to be diagnosed with MS.

As far as I was concerned, not having those two letters attached to his life did him no good. He still had some condition that was making his life difficult. Whether he had MS or BS didn't matter as far as I can see - the level and progression of disability is what matters.

So not to make you worry, but whatever you've got - if it's a neurological condition that can or can't be named, what matters is how serious and how fast.

The answer to your question is that you can live a full life and be a zookeeper with MS. But it can also take that away. It all depends on the disease. You can... make sure your vitamin D is high, exercise and clean up your life. It all helps. Also, since you are a zookeeper and you might one day not be - enjoy the hell out of it and don't take a second of life for granted. If it turns out to be nothing, you've still got a great gift.

[kellygrn]

Life - one day at a time

Whether you have MS or not, living a one day at a time life makes everything a lot easier to take.

I have had MS since 1960 & I do all I can each & every day. Some days I can get up, dress my self & get on with life. Other days, I need help.

Just live an easy life style.

KK

[Jules A]

There's quite a few of us that live a "near" normal life. I was dx'ed over 25 years ago. I'm at work right now...

Tom

Tom while I hold you up as a role model for what I can only pray will be my course with MS I really don't think there are that many of us in the same position.

[Karenkay]

My goodness! It is incredible what some people will say, my advice is don't give up on your life just yet. lol

I was diagnosed at the age of 29, 24 yrs ago. After the initial symptoms settled down our lives went on just like before. It has only been in the last 5 years that things have gotten more difficult. I'm using a cane now and a scooter instead of long distance walking and shopping.

I know someone 5 yrs younger than me that is dying of cancer. MS is not a life sentence.