Welcome to Neurotalk. I'm glad you found this site - it's a mental lifesaver! You can also get some reassurance that you are not alone in this - all of us here have been at the point in the road you are now.

I've been dx since 2005 but I'm sure I had MS for years before that - just didn't know it. Looking back I can see times I thought I had a pinched nerve (causing numbness & tingling) or ear infection (causing dizziness).

MS is not a death sentence....far from it. There are disease modifying drugs (DMD's) that you can take that were not available several years ago.

Don't let anyone tell you that just because you were dx later in life that it HAS to be aggressive and progressive. That simply isn't true. I was dx at 45. I've had symptoms that have been severe and lasted months - like the flare I'm in now - it's been going on since October 2007 but it's getting better....however slowly it is getting better.

Just try to relax - the more anxious you get the worse things will seem. I know it's hard to do with the dx coming out of the blue. Having the rug ripped out from underneath you is not fun but this is manageable. Talk to your doctor, hear him or her out and make your own decisions based on what's best for you.

Hope to see you here on the board often - let us know how you're doing.