Hi Looweeze, I'm sorry to hear you're feeling so low. I was diagnosed in June so I'm dealing with a new diagnosis too. Have you started a DMT? It's hard to know how the disease will progress for any of us, but treatments have improved so much even in the last 10 years so we can remain hopeful for better treatments in the 10-15year period you mentioned. It's hard to deal with the grief of losing the life we thought we might have without MS. You've had a shock to the system and if you've had a lot of new symptoms and information in the past few months it can feel scary not knowing what the future holds. Just know that there are thousands of people in the same boat with you and we are always here to talk. I'm glad you spoke to a counsellor, it can bring up a lot of feelings and thoughts but expressing them is healthy. It's ok to be sad, and angry, and scared, and everything in between. I always find I feel my worst at night when I'm trying to sleep and my brain goes into overdrive. But I've used my illness to push myself to do things I've always wanted to do and make my life happier. It has made me appreciate what I can do rather than focusing on what I can't. I'm 30 now and my mum died when she was 30 (not MS) so I'm determined to do things I love. We can't know what lies in the future, all we can do is live life to the fullest whatever way we can and adapt when we need to. I hope you start to feel better about things soon, but allow yourself time to feel what you need to feel. Talk to people, ask questions, and don't believe in all the negativity. There are people around the world doing amazing things in spite of (or because of) their MS x

Hello @looweeze, yes, the irony is that embarking on counselling ought to carry a health warning! The fact that people start therapy when they’re already vulnerable makes it really tough to face. Anyways, you’ve done the right thing. The toughest thing is facing that the fact that you may not get your old life back exactly. BUT, you can focus now on what you want your new life to look like. I will be honest, although I resent being lumbered with this monster, the changes I’ve made since diagnosis last year have made my quality of life arguably better. I value time more. I love my home more. I lost tons of weight. I eat really healthily. I’m more able to distance myself from negative people. I don’t get wrapped up in worrying about insignificant things. Try to focus on how you want your life to look, and then focus on taking smaller steps to get there. Please remember that you’re not alone. We are all here for you, as and when you need solace and ‘company’. Stay strong, lots of love x