@petal87 i am currently in limbo having had a suspected first attack and an mri showing brain and spine lesions ...i think i will be diagnosed at next scan. Just wondered was lemtrada the first treatment offered as i thought you had to try others first? Also how long did you take off work? Do you have spine and brain lesions when you had first attack?

@petal87 I've only had one clear episode and received R1 lem last August. Ive summarised my story below. Late February 2016 the toes on my left foot went numb. I thought my toes had become too cold wearing ballet pumps on a train platform - but thought it odd they stayed numb after I was in the warm - so I then blamed it on new high heels which pinched. Two days later I noticed my perineum felt numb - and put this down to an ill adjusted seat in spin. My boyfriend thought I'd pinched a sciatic nerve and so rather than going to the gym I googled stretches. Dr Google kindly suspected something called Caude Equine - a reasonably terrifying medical emergency where your spinal column pinches and destroys the spinal chord. I told Dr Google he was an idiot and went to Body Pump and curling (where I spent much of the time falling on my arse on the ice). The next day the toes on my right foot went numb and I went to the Drs who sent me to A&E for an MRI to rule out Caude Equina. I was told that my spinal column was good and strong - but that I had two t2 hyperintensities suggestive of demylination". One week, a referral to a private neuro and a full CNS MRI and I was told I "very probably had MS" - which was confirmed a week later on further referral to an MS specialist. By this stage the numbness in my perenium had gone. The numbness in my toes cleared up within a month after a week of steroid tablets. To say the diagnosis came out of the blue was a massive understatement. I felt so fit and well. Even when my numb toes were at their worst they were never painful and I was still able to go on 20+mile hikes without a second thought. In the lead up to the diagnosis I did all the mental plea bargaining, hoping and praying that it was just a B12 deficiency or similar imaginable. When the diagnosis landed I felt like the bottom of my world fell out. And then I found this site, read David's Campath journey and @tracyd's more recent experiences and set my resolve for battle. I was transferred onto the NHS for treatment and had a second MRI to confirm the "active" RRMS diagnosis. It turns out that my default mode when under stress is "project manager" - possibly something drummed into me after years as a corporate lawyer. I read everything (sensible) that I could and attended every neuro and MS meeting with a crib sheet of questions and dropped my team follow up emails after each appointment detailing responsibility for agreed actions and timeframes. My neuro told my boyfriend I was frighteningly efficient. I decided this was a compliment! In terms of lifestyle choices, I've not changed much. I take vitamin D (don't we all?), omega 3, Iron and B12. I've tweaked my diet to include more of the good and less of the bad (so you are more likely to get a BBQ sardine than a sausage at my house this summer - but treats are still allowed) - and I'm experimenting with cutting out gluten (as I think I have a sluggish gut post lem)). I exercised a lot before diagnosis but I've slightly tweaked this to include more cardio and core strength (and boxing!!! - cardio, cognitive reflex and anger management!!). I'm ironically stronger, fitter and faster than pre-diagnosis. Every PB feels like a punch in the face to my MS. I'm more conscious of sleeping properly (but still find myself up past bedtime on the odd Netflix binge). I still drink more than I should (but am a complete larry light weight post lem - sniff of a wine gum and I'm on the floor which is very disappointing!) I've told work about what is going on but not had to ask for any adjustments. My boss, team that report to me and my clients have all been excellent. It is nice not to have to come up with a cover story for why I wear a medical aid bracelet or have a monthly trip to Kings College for my bloods (or why I needed time off for treatment). One concession I have made very recently is to turn down the opportunity to do a work sponsored two year MBA. I decided this wasn't a commitment to be taken lightly - and I didn't want to spread myself too thin whilst I'm going through R2. This is not something I would have turned down before - but I think was the right decision on this occasion and have been told by work it wasn't a one time offer which is nice I'm getting married in May 18 (hooray!!) - and i'm hoping I'll be well and recovered from R2 by then and able to get he jabs etc I need for honeymoon (hopefully Namibia) at that stage We are house hunting for our "forever" home - and are not looking at bungalows. For now we want our dream house - and I'm optimistic we'll be able to live there a long while. If mobility becomes an issue we'll cross that bridge (possibly on a scooter) when we come to it. We still have no idea whether we want children. Given I'm 37 and he's 46 we should probably make our minds up soon. This indecision has nothing to do with MS - but at least Lem clears the way for me to conceive once treated. I've had no further MS relapses post the numb toes. When I am tired or unwell (or my period is due) I get odd rumblings - numb toes for a few hours or a feel as though I have an elastic band around my arm. Some times I particularly enthusiastic exercise class came make my toes go numb for 20 mins or so. But that is it (for which I am very grateful) So I think of my MS as a shadow that is always with me - and there is not a day I do not think about it - but at the moment the sun is high in the sky and it casts no real shadow on my life. I'm wary of the day that the sun may start to set - but am hopeful that Lem and lifestyle adjustments mean that is a long time off (and that that the clever scientists will have come out with a silver bullet by then). Apologies - I've rambled on for an age. Today is one of those days MS is more on my mind - it was on the BBC this morning, and I have an appointment with my nurse this week to set R2 (and a scan next month to re-baseline me ahead of then and see what silent damage has occurred over the last year) - so I'm clearly still trying to make sense of it too - but think I am in a pretty good place. Very happy to chat if it helps. K x