@lcody 

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lcody

First doctor's visit

Hello MS Warriors, I am a mother of my recently MS diagnosed 16-year old daughter. She will be having her first doctor's appointment on the 18th of December. I am still learning about this condition. What are some important questions to ask? What should we expect? I believe they will be starting her on medications. Any advice and support is helpful. Thank you.
@Criscross21

I would ask your doctor to explain what part of MS has caused physical damage or lesions and ask him to show you on the MRI where the diagnostic lesions are located. Ask whether an MRI is showing a recent attack or possible damage that has been there for a while. Discuss what it means to have Relapsing Remitting MS. Ask whether it is possible to not have any defined relapses for months or for years (yes it is!). Ask whether symptoms exhibited are consistent with the location of lesions. Ask them to outline the various types of medication available, and list them by strength. Ask to explain how Ocrevus clears and resets the immune system and what are the risks with that. Ask how often they want to see your daughter and how often to anticipate MRIs. Ask which medication balances the appropriate level of risk/reward/prevention. And ask whether (if she wants it) there is a counselor who your child could see to periodically talk through how this is affecting her. (She also may want to seek out people her age on Shift MS to chat).

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@lcody

Very thorough response which I really appreciate. Since my daughter's diagnosis, everything has been a blur. Thank you for all these clarifying questions. I really appreciate this community for guidance. I know my daughter would benefit from connecting with other teens. @NClaw

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