Try not to underestimate the strength of peer to peer contacts...

Having a great and positive support system is essential & beneficial for many reasons. Support can come from family, true friends, support groups, mental health professionals, and believe it or not, animals can be of support as well.  If you choose, the support can come from one, more than one, or all of the above.  Anything that will help with the emotions experienced such as: sadness, anger, anxiety, depression, or any other emotions, feelings, and thoughts experienced or experiencing.  Having a support system will assist in not only recovery but not becoming withdrawn and secluded.

There are support groups for almost anything that can be thought of.  An individual needs to find the one(s) he or she is most comfortable with.  The members of the group(s) might turn into friends and can offer new, insightful, and helpful information that the individual did not know about.  Information about the topic and information about other things,such as: employment and leisure time activities. These groups can be online, in person, or both.  Because they are going through or have gone through what you are going through, they know EXACTLY what is being experienced and understand completely...

Things that make you go hmm...

It is interesting and sort of funny when I tell people that I have multiple sclerosis.  That statement is usually immediately followed by "You don't look disabled or like you have MS."  It used to upset me but after a while, I got accustomed to hearing it.  I curbed the anger with realizing that not to many people know what Multiple Sclerosis is, how it affects its inhabitants, inside and out; how I found out, what were the indicators that prompted me to get checked by the doctor, tests I had to take, etc.  Multiple sclerosis not only effects us physically.  MS also effects us emotionally, mentally, and socially.

Truthfully, they are caught off guard when I and ask "what does a person with MS look like? Or what does someone with a disability generally look like?"  That usually leaves them tongue tied or at a loss for words since many disabilities can be or begin as hidden.  I then go into how MS specifically effects me, and generally effects a person, and the common symptoms that are shared.  MS is as different as fingerprints and affects each of us MSers differently but we do share some commonalities. Not all MSers experience all of the symptoms listed below but the experience of one or more is expected:

·                 Slurred speech/mumbling

·                 Tremors

·                 Bladder & bowel dysfunction

·                 Difficulties swallowing

·                 Hearing loss

·                 Insomnia

·                 Foot drop

·                 Muscle tension/tightness

·                 Muscle spasms

·                 Dizziness / Vertigo

·                 Muscle weakness

·                 Difficulties walking

·                 Headaches

·                 Numbness

·                 Fatigue

·                 Loss of balance

·                 Loss of coordination

·                 Pain

·                 Sexual dysfunction

·                 Spasticity

·                 Cognitive problems

·                 Memory loss

·                 Temperature (Heat/cold) intolerance

·                 Tingling

·                 Vision disturbances

·                 Involuntary eye movement

·                 Falling down

·                 Paralysis

·                 Anxiety

·                 Seizures

·                 Depression

·                 Exhaustion and breathing problems

 I ask you... Do you know what MS is? What someone with a disability looks like?  What someone with MS looks like?  What is it to you?  MS not only effects the individual who was diagnosed.  It not only effects the individual with the diagnosis but also their families since they witness firsthand, what the MS patient deals with on a continuous basis. Maybe even effects some friendships.

It is not always days full of minor or major difficulties. There are also days of accomplishment and prosperity. The prosperity and accomplishment comes more often after focusing on what CAN be done instead of focusing on what cannot be done.