@Noah 

Last reply

Noah

When To Tell Friends?

Hi everyone, I was diagnosed with MS in October after a couple months of uncertainty. I was just wondering how you decided who to tell about your MS. I have been having trouble with this lately. My Immediate family knows, and I did tell my close friends about the symptoms I was experiencing before my diagnosis, but then I told them I did not want to dwell on the issue. My close friends still don't know I was officially diagnosed with MS, but at the same time I don't want to tell them because I fear they will look at me different and treat me differently. I also don't want to lie to them or feel like I am keeping something from them. Any advice would be appreciated.
@Stumbler

Hi @noah and welcome. This is very much a case of Pandora's Box, once it's opened, it's open and can't be shut. The following may help your thinking on this :- http://support.mstrust.org.uk/file/telling-people.pdf

@mmhhpp

I personally told my firends when i no longer could disguise it...... they are educated people so i could not lie to them. But I have not said it in the school were my children go to. They know i have trouble but they don't know what. Better like that for few reasons, i hate the idea of children saying to my children horror histories, kids don't know what they are talking about some times, i did not want them to be bullied.....also i did not want the idea of people looking at me with pitty , or patronising, they have no clue what ms is and better if they don't get involved. Honestly nothing has changed i feel happier that way. People try to help they are nice but as i said better if they dont know it is ms, the best thing the can do is treating me like normal. But i must say that life was pretty tough before telling my friends! Pretending things were fine was a killer, now everything is so much relaxed, it took me 2 years to accept it and now i feel even cool when i drive my scooter or I am in a wheelchair. It is a very personal decision i think. You will know better than enybody when it is the right time. Take care x