@Phillip_Dark 

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Phillip_Dark

Recent Diagnosis - DMTs

Hello, so this week I have my second opinion from a consultant and been diagnosed with RRMS. I am 29 and currently have symptoms of pins and needles in both legs and random spasticity that come and goes in my calfs, feet and around my waste line. At the beginning of this relapse I had the occasional struggle to find words, dizziness and miss placing my feet. During a 5 day course of steroids I went down hill and got to the point where I was fighting to walk with the accompaniment of bladder issues. The other 2 relapses they are counting were visual and lasted a week in late 2016(nystagmus) and a few days early this year(slow vision in one eye). My Neuro is recommending either Ocrevus or Lemtrada. I am having a really tough time making this decision. I have lead a relatively stressful life up to now being self employed since 2009, although sometimes I feel like I'm programmed to stress/worry. It's great that something that appears as successful as Lemtrada is available to me but the odds on the side affects are massively putting me off, leading me down the path of denial. I was setting myself up to be offered injections or tablets if I was lucky. I am not a gambling man and this is a gamble all ways round it seems and worries me further that I am a smoker with the classic cough and occasional chest pains that I will be more susceptible to things going wrong if I have treatment. Appreciate any opinions and advise Thanks Phil
@Highlander

Hi @phillip_dark Welcome to the club. If you look under your post you'll see a list of some answers to your questions just click on the box it'll open up previous posts that other's have asked similar questions. I'm sure the more enlightened members will be along to say hi shortly. Coming from a similar back ground as to work one thing I'll advise is avoid stress it really don't help it makes things worse. Keep smiling.

@Stumbler

@phillip_dark , Disease Modifying Therapies (DMTs) are powerful medicines, which are needed for a medical condition that can have a powerful impact. You can check what others have been saying by selecting the Lemtrada or Ocrevus links, which have been automatically added to the bottom of your post above. A rule-of-thumb with MS is to lead a healthy lifestyle, with a healthy, balanced diet. Now your love affair with both tobacco and stress are extremely counter to this advice. There's no arguments regarding tobacco, but there are different types of stress. Some forms of stress enliven us, but other release bad chemicals in our brain that are detrimental to our Central Nervous System (CNS). It is this latter form of stress which we need to avoid. I'm not going to tell you what to do, I'll leave you to make your own judgements about tobacco and stress. :wink: