Bob,

As background to understand my past, imagine what you are experiencing happeneing when you are 18 years old, subjecy to analysis by DoD physicians who do not yet know much about MS, only to be rapidly diagnosed by a private specialist. That is how it happened for me. Without the private specialist I would still be in limbo.

Here is what I suggest that you do:
(1) Find an MS-Specialist in your area who has proven to be valuable with other patients. Pay for the exams out of your own pocket.

(2) When you get the results, give them to your DoD physican.

The one drawback is that you may be forced into an MOS that you do not like, or be asked to retire. If you have been in long enough and you have a clean DD-214, then retirement will prove to be great.

Another drawback, unless you take care of this before you have the private analysis, is the cost of life insurance (to protect your family). Add a little more to your policy or get a new one (Term life is best, avoid at all costs any other type being offered. Shoot for a 30yr level term policy.) Now this is not to scare you into thinking that MS is terminal, because it is not. it is not like cancer, ALS or anything of that sort, but insurance copanies still do not reailize that fact and thus charge a ton if you provide them test results that could justify large premiums. So take care of this before your private specialist evaluation.

It takes a while to accept the fact that you have MS for most people, but just realize that it is nothing more than a personal daily challenge that folks without MS will never understand. Overcome the obstacles created by MS in a slow and methodical fashion.

My time with the DoD has taught me enough to be cutious about what I say and to whom I say it. After 27 years with MS things are still working, as they will for you.

The key is to accept that it is just another thing that you have to deal with in life, and as a soldier, I can assure you that you have had to deal with worse and you survived. As an FSO assigned to work with the Corps that is one critical lesson that I learned. We just overcome and press onword, as will you.

The great news is that nobody is shooting at you and you are not living in the dust bowl (I remind myself of that all of the time, even when things are going well with MS).

Hang tough, you will do fine.

-Vic