1 How did I get here?

My journey to diagnosis is a slightly unusual one.  Most of those with MS are diagnosed in their twenties or thirties, so I don’t fit the most common profile.  I am also informed (by my neurologist) that my MS presentation is unusual.  Because of this, my early symptoms were attributed to my age, the menopause or my existing thyroid condition and it took 7 years to reach a diagnosis.  One GP even suggested my symptoms were “all in your head”! During that time, I had several brain and spine MRI scans and eventually a lumbar puncture.  To date I have 3 large spinal cord lesions and numerous white spots in my brain and my recent brain MRI scan showed ongoing disease activity.  My neurologist has gone from  “don’t worry, go and get on with your life, you may not have any further relapses”  to  “I think you’ll have another relapse and I think it will be soon”.   All a bit scary! But it’s not all bad news … One of the positives about being diagnosed with a life changing illness is that it forces you to reevaluate your life and to work out what is important and what isn’t.  Some of the minor day to day niggles of life now seem irrelevant.  I am blessed with my wonderful children, fantastic family, fabulous friends, amazing work colleagues and a job I love. I know I am lucky.