[Aarcyn]

I do not know when my first lesion(s) began to appear. I basically ignored them thinking that it was just due to being flat footed as a child. I had to wear really ugly shoes but in my 20's, I wore high heels and short skirts!

It started in my early 40's but again, I ignored it and was not diagnosed until it progressed from just numb and cold in my feet to numbness creeping up to my abdomen.

Dispensing with all the MRI details, I will never forget the day when I was called into the PCP office and told I had MS. I did not even know what that meant. There was not even a neurologist to be able to see (note: I have GOOD insurance, or that is what I thought) for 3 months. PCP told me not to go to the internet, lots of false information.

Like I was going to not head straight to my computer!!! First thing I read said "no cure and hopeless." No wonder the PCP told me not to look.

I sent an e-mail to one of my brothers, a neurologist in San Francisco, to tell him my dx. He called immediately telling me to go to the ER. A neurologist is required to be in the hospital.

I did not want to go, the PCP had let me go home and going to the ER would be extreme. DB insisted on calling PCP and called me to say go to ER. I did.

After lots of tests and steroids, MS dx confirmed. Dx'ed as RR for first year to see if there is a remission of sx. There was no remission of sx ever, even before dx.

So, a year later with the location of lesions plus no remissions and age of sx's, PPMS dx.

I go to Mayo right now, as long as insurance will pay for the doctors there. Everyone is very agreeable and I have tried a bunch of medicines. I get whatever I want but there are no trials going on right now with Mayo.

This is the short version of my PPMS!! No remissions, just increasing paralysis but slow. Pain factor is about the same.

Mentally a bit slower but not much to be a concern. Not everything is about MS.

[kicker]

Aarcyn is as mentally alert as I'd like, she usually beats me in Trivia.

Of course I read every thing I could on Internet. Much of it really scared me as I waited for things (haven't had yet) to happen. Devastating I was told, really played with my head. One day at a time was advice I liked.