Yes, that is true. They will request information from your doctor. If your doctor has stated that you can not work, then you are at an advantage. You may want to give your doc a heads up that you have applied for SSDI. There are several factors that SSDI looks at and one of them being your age. You are very young so that will be an issue. The other is that you can not do
"sedentary work". You may get a call from the SSDI office to set you up with an appointment with "their" doctor. Don't be afraid of that. Just be sure to follow through with what they want.

I filled out all the paperwork at home and sent it in to my local SSDI dept. Then when they received it, they called me to give me some information on what to expect if I were accepted or declined. You may get this phone call too.

In the mean time, I would check with your state to see if there is any immediate help you can get with your medical bills. I imagine this would be through Medicaid. It doesn't hurt to ask, and many states have short term help available.

Some time in the future you may feel better and want to return to work. SSDI has a program that allows you to go back to work for a trial period to see how it goes. I received disability at age 52 and I am bored staying at home!

I had this thought today. I have sort of a slumped back. not real bad, but its noticable. they didn't do an mri on my spine, do you think they should even after dx'ing me with MS?

MS demyelination can cause debilitating fatigue, which
can cause you weakness and to slump.

Having an MRI after you've been DX, is a little redundant,
unless they suspect something else.

Yea I understand. I am suppose to be getting my first treatment Friday of Rebif.

What should I expect for side effects for my first dose?

Common side affects of Rebif:
http://multiple-sclerosis.emedtv.com...e-effects.html

Sounds like it is pretty well tolerated. I hate the shots....been doing them for 11 years and I have just gotten the okay from my doctor to try the new MS pill: BG12

You may want to start searching the internet for disease modifying drugs used in MS so that you have an understanding of how they work and the effectiveness of each.

So sorry about the slumping. I began watching my feet a lot after MS and I always look like I'm humped over a bit. Sometimes my body feels like it is too difficult to stand up straight! When you can....pay attention and watch your posture. Good posture is good for your over-all health and there have been many studies to prove it.
Get yourself some good B12 vitamin supplements and see if that helps perk you up a bit. You can't OD on it so its okay to try!

To help with bills, you can also call the hospital financial department. Any time you have a bill with them you can apply for financial aid. I got 75% of my bill wrote off. It all depends on your income and the bills you have to pay, so you will probably get even more of a discount. But most doctor's offices don't have this option available.

I have double vision, constantly. I don't notice it being worse when riding in a vehicle in general. I do notice that being in a vehicle at night is worse, while it's raining is just as bad as night time, and while it's raining at night is the absolute worst!

I was 23 when I was diagnosed. I know it's scary. But you did find a great place for support. The people here are amazing.

I'm sorry for all you've been going through.

Since this started about three months ago, there is a chance that this is a relapse and it might get a bit better, especially after you start the Rebif.

When I was first diagnosed, my doctor told me that Rebif was very powerful and if I started to have severe symptoms, such as those affecting vision, they would use that. I took it for about five months and the shots were the easiest of any I took to date.

They might add an antidepressant at some point because MS can have depression as a symptom and interferons can have that as a side effect as well.

It sounds like your doctor is doing all of the right things so far. If you were having mobility problems that might make them want to look at the spine.

God bless you, I hope you'll feel better soon. This is a good place for support.

Hi All,
I am new to the forum, and at present am looking for some input. But that will be another post. I was reading and felt compelled to offer an option to Luke.

Luke if your doctor is going to put you on Rebif, there is a site- mslifelines. If you are not insured, they offer financial assistance programs. My son's friend also has MS and through the lifeline program, he only pays $50.00 a month for his care. They have several programs. I hope this info may be helpful to you.

thoughts are with you
RennyB

Welcome to NT! You have gotten some great advice so far and I don't have much to add, but wanted to welcome you. I know this must be hard on you and scary as well. Hang in there! We are all here to help you through this.

Thank you all for the support. I know about MSLifeLines, was introduced to them officially this week by phone call. My Rebif is paid for since I don't have any income or insurance so that is a blessing. I just started back taking Topamax 25mg for my depression per my doctor. I'm waiting for my nurse as I write this to take my first dose of Rebif, I think the first dose is 8.8 and will gradually increase.

Even though I have been diagnosed with MS, and I might have asked this before, but I've thought about it again per someone's comment, but should I have an MRI done on my spine?