b'Life with MSAAggiinnggWWeellllwwiitthhMMSSBy Cathy ChesterThe best tunes are played on the oldestMy MS journey began when I was in my 20s. ddles. - Ralph Waldo EmersonI continued to live my life pretty much as The trajectory of my life changed the day Iplanned with a new marriage and, four years was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a diseaselater,gloriousmotherhood.Iimmediately I never heard of or wanted. This unwelcomebegan advocating for others by writing letters guest disrupted my otherwise blessed life,to the editor, leading support groups, and leavingmefrightenedandanxious.Withvolunteering for MS-related fundraisers. My nowhere to turn in those pre-Internet days, itgoal was to help patients feel less afraid and would be seven years before an FDA-approvedmore informed about their recent diagnosis.medication would provide any sort of hopeI knew from the start Id never allow MS to for my future. be the sum total of who I was, and worked Who could I talk to about living with thisto maintain a positive attitude despite the disease? Where could I turn for answers tounpredictability of the disease. Visualizing my nagging questions? I felt as if I were in athe glass as half-full wasnt always easy, but it dark abyss with no way out.certainly paid off. Its likely that your diagnosis looked differentNow in my 60s, I often reflect on the thanmine.Today,doctorsimmediatelyimportant lessons Ive learned over the years, advise newly diagnosed patients to start on aones that served me well. Id like to share disease-modifying medication. Theyre alsosome of them with you: more open to discussing complementaryExercise within your abilities: Physical medicine, something not widely acceptedactivity becomes more and more important as decades ago. With a growing number of FDA- we get older. Exercising within your abilities approved medications, an Internet to rely on,for as little as 10 minutes a day, several times and the strong support of the MS community,a week, is superb. My routine changed over times have thankfully changed for the better.the years as my abilities changed. Be exible, I wish disease-modifying medications weredo something you enjoy, but keep moving. around for me to prevent any damage that(Pleasespeakwithyourphysicianbefore might have occurred in the seven-year gapstartinganyexerciseprogram.)Staying between my diagnosis and the rst MS-approvedactive helps to: drug.Maintain muscle strength and improve msfocusmagazine.org 34'