@Aaron_Holden 

Last reply

Aaron_Holden

Recent diagnosis

Hello everyone. I just wanted to say hello and maybe get any useful info from anyone who may have had similar experiences. Firstly I want to point out that I am not suffering badly and am well aware that I am more fortunate than many so really don't want any sympathy, just thought my story might be of interest and some might be able to relate to. I am 43; a father, a professional and generally have been healthy throughout my life. I had always just thought I was incredibly clumsy and found it almost funny that I frequently stumbled and couldn't tie my shoelaces without nearly falling flat on my face. Then earlier this year I woke up with pretty severe double vision. Again, MS was the furthest thing from my mind, I thought I had maybe had too much screen time. Covid19 has left me working from home since march so I had been working long days. After seeing an opthalmologist with no diagnosis I had an MRI scan and was eventually advised I might have MS but to wait for an appointment with a neurologist. Again, Covid19 played a part in my story and due to the NHS being so busy I heard nothing. After 8 weeks with no contact, I decided to take advantage of my private healthcare plan and was able to see a neurologist privately and received my official diagnosis within a week. Interestingly, an MRI scan I had in 2011 prior to some mastoid surgery also showed lesions but they were missed. Suddenly many things make sense; my clumsiness, numbness on the left side of my body (always thought this was sciatica or similar), poor hand/eye coordination (sometimes), insomnia. I guess I have endless questions but the obvious ones are things like... Is it likely to get much worse? Do I talk to my employer? Will medication help with symptoms? If you have made it to the end of my long post, thank you for taking the time to read it. I really look forward to reading anyone else's stories and any advice, tips or experiences you lovely people may have. Thank you. Aaron
@DesN

@aaron_holden i found it interesting to read your post... my experience has been similar to yours. Lots of weird bits and pieces until diagnosis when it started to make sense! Cant really offer you any advise on if and when it gets worse as everyones journey if different however my advise would be to def talk to your employer.I did when diagnosed after a week in hospital and they were very understanding.. I work for a large organisation and had an assessment with occ health which was useful. My employer is bound to allow time off for appointments etc and allow me to work from home when necesary. Only down side is when your boss looks at you and says 'but you look fine' 😂😂😂 not sure if this is helpful but good luck for the future

@Aaron_Holden

Thanks @desn that's really helpful. I have told my boss but not HR yet, he gave me the same advice. And yeah, I know I look fine, turns out I've probably been this way for years. Like I said in my original post, I'm a fortunate one and some people aren't so lucky. Thanks again for reading my post and taking the time to answer.