I felt the same way as you when I attended my first MS group meeting back in 1991. It was terribly frightening for me.

I found that most people who attend those meetings, at least in my location, are shut in. Many use this as their only "social" of the week as they were all quite disabled.

There are 4 mothers on my daughter's baseball team with MS, and the only reason I know is because I am the most disabled so they talk to me. I suspect plenty of our neighbors and co-workers have it, and we are none the wiser. Those aren't the one's we will run into in the meetings though usually.

I stopped going, until the MS became a full-time job for me. When I was on more of an even playing field (or at least clearly headed that way), that's when I was able to attend again.

Just don't go.

Cherie