Hi MSbelle,


I'm so sorry you've been hit with this diagnosis. I hope that the MS stays in the background for you for a very long time. For many it doesn't rear its ugly head for many years, or when it does it doesn't cause too much damage.

They don't know a lot about the connection between pregnancy and MS but they're pretty sure there is one. There's a considerable amount of research showing that being pregnant causes the MS to calm down--but that post-partum there can be a setback.

I prowl around among the studies being done but I'm no authority!

Jane's advice about how to deal with conspicuous problems you're having is good, I think. I find that "I have a bad back" or "My back is acting up" gets me past a lot of comments. If you don't seem upset about the problem, others will relax too. They're usually just concerned about you.

I saw a couple of urologists years ago but didn't find them very helpful. Like you, I've tried several bladder meds--Ditropan, Detrol, Ornade, Vesicare--but gave up on all of them, mainly because the mouth dryness they caused wasn't worth the benefit I was getting from them.

The "benefit" was having to get up only twice a night instead of 3 or 4 times. Not a huge improvement.