My MS story

Hi, my name is Mattie, I live in the North Ga Mountains.

Married with 2 grown daughters and 3 g/sons and 1 g/daughter. I am 54 yrs. old. Also, I have a Yorkie named Sassy, she is my best friend !

I am SPMS diagnosed in 2002. But like most of us have had MS much longer. My 1st exacerbation was in 1983, I had sudden numbness on my whole right side and lost my Peripheral vision (that never completely returned) and through the years have lost a lot of my central vision. I was originally diagnosed with a stroke or Vascular Migraine. As the years passed I continued to have more and more symptoms show their ugly heads!

So, fast forward, in 2001 I had an MRI that showed the MS lesions. I finally had an answer to everything. My symtoms are, chronic fatigue, cognitive impairment, optic neuritis, weakness, spasms, ataxia, Chronic Pain, neurogenic bladder etc... So many things to remember and list.

Honestly I have been living in a stage of denial for years, thinking that if I had this and that test it would show something else, something that could be cured.

I know this is long but I truly have not found an MS group support that I have been really been comfortable with, until I found this one.

Hoping to make friends and be supportive and get support as well.

Thank you, Mattie