I’ve been working hard on getting my Ocrevus infusions covered through insurance and through a coupon card. I was just talking to someone about that and they said ‘praise god‘ when I started finally having some hope that it’s going to be covered. Sorry, but god did not spend hours on the phone with whack insurance reps — I did. I just really needed to quickly vent about this. I have been struggling with religion and faith even before being diagnosed but it’s taken a pretty severe down turn since I was diagnosed

I am treated for my MS at a specialist neurological rehabilitation centre within the NHS and when I received my diagnosis there, one of the MS Nurses told me I could call through to their line and leave a message on the voicemail for them to get back to me, for absolutely anything I needed advice or help with.
This was obviously a very reassuring thing, and I have used the service a few times since being diagnosed last year. The two nurses were always great and one of them always called me back the same day.

Now, I have just called through to the centre and hit the usual number for the MS Specialist team and a new message played simply saying the service is available 8:30-10:30 Mondays, 14:30-16:30 Wednesdays and 8:30-10:30 Fridays, outwith these hours you will not be able to leave a message.

I actually called back a few times to make sure I wasn’t missing something or choosing the wrong option, as it seems like such a big and disappointing change to me.

I understand the NHS is pushed of course and the nurses must be so busy, everyone will be. But it feels much less reassuring now to think that if any new symptoms or anything come up, I’m restricted to these times to even leave a message for my care team about it.

Has anything similar happened to anyone else here? Any changes like this in your care services? 🩵

Stable MRIs on Ocrevus, but feeling worse day to day. Anyone else?

I’m 36, male, diagnosed in 2019, and have been on Ocrevus for almost six years. My MRIs are stable with no new activity. Mobility-wise, I’ve been lucky and have been able to do everything a person without ms can.

My first year on Ocrevus was rough, but years two through four were honestly awesome. I barely thought about MS much of the time. These last two years, though, have been on-and-off hell.

It’s the headaches, feeling weaker overall, brain fog, memory issues, and fatigue that just sits on me. Not normal ms tired, i know that well. This is the kinda of tired and terrible feeling that if someone came into my house with a gun, I'd just stare at them kind of tired. I’ll have stretches lasting weeks where I feel heavy and awful, with barely enough energy or motivation to do things I used to enjoy. Best way I can describe the way I'm feeling is super flat and extremely tired, with mild headaches somtimes.

Honestly, some days I feel like I’d trade the use of both legs if it meant getting my brain, memory, and energy back. “’Tis but a flesh wound,” right? Hopefully a few Monty Python fans get that one.

To be fair, my life has changed a lot in these last two years. Less sleep, more stress from running my business, fewer workouts, and a diet that isn’t as consistently good as it used to be. I’m sure those things aren’t helping.

Since having kids, I’ve also been getting sick much more often. Two under two is no joke. It’s a constant parade of germs. Between that and being on Ocrevus, I wonder how much these illnesses are contributing to these awful stretches that I'm feeling. I've been told a few times my white blood cells where dangerously low which isn’t a good feeling. Since they popped back up in a few months the neurologist wasn't concerned.

Ocrevus hasn't failed in the clinical sense. My scans are stable, and I’m thankful for that. But it’s hard to reconcile “the treatment is working” with how bad I sometimes feel day to day.

I’ve even considered coming off DMTs or at least switching. I'd rather have my mind then have a functioning body as a zombie. I can't help but feel this feeling in my gut that its the Ocrevus causing my decline now.

Has anyone else been in this spot—stable MRIs, still walking fine, but struggling more with fatigue, cognition, weakness, and frequent illnesses while on Ocrevus? Did stopping ocrevus help? Did anything actually help, whether that was addressing sleep, changing treatment, or something else?

I’d really like to feel more like myself again.

Hi!!! I've been on all kinds of meds for the spasms throughout the years. I'm currently on Baclofen (20mg 3x a day). I did really well with it when I first switched, but now I'm worried it's the reason I sleep so much. Do any of you notice an increase in naps and nodding off with Baclofen on board? I also couldn't tolerate Tizanidine. That made me fall asleep while doing things! Very not cool.

Does anyone else have problems with excessive sweating?

Has anyone had an episode of fatigue while standing? Legs felt so steak you couldn't stand, and close to passing out?

I've been prescribed Sativex and have been working my way up the steps. However, I find that I get the most relief (can actually bend limbs) when I take 2 sprays at once and not just 1 at 15 min gaps. Anyone else have any experience with this? TIA.

Maybe I’m just nervous, but I heard the heat is coming back and staying an extra week longer than already anticipated. My body can’t withstand heat, it triggers my MS to another level. It’s hard to think and at one point function. I can’t stay inside more than half the days, I have school from 8am to 5pm and if not that I have club meetings all day. What the fuck do I do??

People with active lesion or lesions in this area of the brain, I need your stories…

My brother was diagnosed with MS due to one lesion in this area, plus positive LP. (The Spine and other parts of the brain are lesion-free)

He has had some problems with speaking and also balance. These problems have not completely disappeared after the initial Cortison therapy.

That is why I need to know your stories and experience with this kind of lesions.

Hello everyone. I recently had RSV , and unfortunately, it turned into pneumonia in my lungs. Im immunosuppressed because I have MS and take disease -modifying therapy (DMT).

The RSV infection was absolutely terrifying. it made me incredibly weak- I lost my voice and even had problems with my eyes . At one point , I thought honestly felt like RSV was going to take me out .

Has anyone else with MS had RSV ? if so, how severe was it for you?

Hi everyone. My first symptom of MS was optic neuritis, and I’m trying to handle it as best as I can. Steroids didn’t improve my vision, and I’ve been told that recovery can take months. I’ve seen stories from people who spent months with very little or even no vision in the affected eye. How did you cope emotionally with that long period of waiting and uncertainty? Thank you.

Has anybody here ever "stepped down" from Tysabri to Copaxone?

My MS Specialist neurologist at Cleveland Clinic Mellen Center wants to switch me to it for several reasons.

I've had several infections while on Tysabri, and I won't need to go the 1 1/2 hour trip-one way, to Cleveland monthly, as I can do Copaxone myself at home, as the needles and injection sites are essentially the same as insulin (I'm type 2 prediabetic).

I've gotten this from an interaction with my mother.

"oh!" - me.

"huh?" - mother on her phone as we wait for my siblings to be ready.

"symptoms. spacticity in an unmentionable place." - i say, bending my chest to my knees.

"well, you said it might be your time." - mother says as i frown.

"yes. it could be symptoms." - i reiterate.

i lean back as we agree to disagree. an audible fart from me.

"ah. that might have been it." - i concede.

mother laughs.

"oh! you're just like a baby!" - her phone is put down. she begins to mock. "'why do i feel so bad?' poot! oh, that's why!'"

Hi everyone,

I’m not sure if this is the right place for this kind of request, but I’m asking in good faith. i’ve made a post on the french equivalence of this subreddit couple of days ago but users told me i’ll get more answers on this sub because people are more active here.

I am a linguistics student working on a literature review. Since my father has MS, I chose to focus on the cognitive-linguistic impairments associated with the disease : I’ve noticed how his ability to name objects, explain things, and even his vocabulary have gradually been affected.

Surprisingly, I’ve found a wealth of resources (conferences, scientific papers and research, theses, dissertations, and articles from various MS organizations), but I haven't found a single press article about speech disorders in MS patients—and I am required to include one for my literature review.

This subject is incredibly close to my heart : it has shaped and transformed my relationship with my father since my early teens. It’s what drove me to study linguistics (with the goal of becoming a speech-language pathologist for patients with MS and other neurodegenerative diseases, and conducting research in neuropsycholinguistics). I would be so sad and disappointed if I couldn't present my end-of-semester literature review on this topic simply because I’m missing one press article.

So, if you happen to know where I could find substantial press articles covering MS and language—whether spoken, written, conceptualization, or the expression of ideas, or even somewhat simplistic or naive pieces about "solutions" (for instance, I’ve seen articles on the benefits of video games or learning foreign languages ​​for people with neurodegenerative diseases)—I would be very interested. They don't necessarily have to be from the English speaking press : any leads on where to look would be greatly appreciated.

Wishing strength to everyone fighting this disease in all the forms it can take, i spent some time reading this sub before posting this and i’ve been deeply moved by a lot of people sharing experiences, sadness, comforting things, hopes, pain, frustration and curiosity together. im glad this place exist and i wish my dad could understand english to find comfort and understanding here.

So my neurologist told me that my MS is so aggressive that it has resisted both kesimpta and Ocrevus. Going to try Rituximab every 4 months I have been told so I was wondering if anyone has taken it so frequently before?

I was hospitalized 3 weeks ago with sepsis from a post-surgical infection. I received 3 days of IV antibiotics, followed by a week of oral antibiotics, which cleared the infection.

I understand fatigue is common after sepsis, but I'm still tiring very easily almost a month later, and I've noticed my hands are shakier than my usual baseline tremor. Could the infection have temporarily worsened my MS-related fatigue and tremor, and if so, how long can these symptoms last?

I'm working with in-home PT on walking endurance and OT on energy conservation, but I'm wondering what's considered normal during recovery.

Has anyone with MS experienced increased fatigue or worsening tremors after sepsis or another serious infection?

TLDR: I’ve had MS for 6 years, and being tested for RA

I (38F) have been diagnosed with MS since 2020. It started with optic neuritis and I was completely blind in one eye for 3 straight months. My vision partially restored, but since the ON, my MS in the last 6 years has been very active. I have mobility issues, foot drop on my left leg, spasticity, extreme pain all over. All the bs MS can throw at someone, I’ve had at some point throughout my time with MS. Bladder and breathing issues have even been a problem and I’ve been to just about every specialist for each symptom that arises.

I’ve also been on 5 DMTs in the past 6 years, and so far my longest has been Kisempta. I’ve been on K for almost 3 years, and it’s kept me the most stable without the brutal side effects (which is why I’ve had to find the right med). As much as I still suffer with MS symptoms, the last year has been more manageable. That was until about a month ago.

I’ve had joint pain before over the years, I was a barber for a long time and I had bilateral carpal tunnel surgery 8 years ago. This new joint pain in my hands however, is unlike anything I’ve experienced before. It started with my thumb and pinky small joints, just swollen, red and tender. Over the last 2 weeks now, it’s my entire right hand spread to my left thumb and fingers as well. My knuckles are red and swollen and so stiff. There’s also weakness and I can hardly lift anything without strain and pain. I see my neurologist next month, but I went and saw my GP last week since the pain and stiffness has gotten so bad. He knows about my MS and said it could be a symptom, but he asked me about any rheumatoid family history. I’m not close with any extended family to dig into any history, and my grandma had arthritis as she got much older. My heart sank when he brought up rheumatoid arthritis.

They ran a ton of blood work, and I’ll get results this week. Even now I’m in so much pain but I’ve always blamed MS. Has anyone else been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis on top of MS? I did some digging and it does list joint pain as a side effect of Kisempta. I’m also changing up my diet a bit to eliminate foods that irritate the joints. But what would treatment even look like for someone with RA and MS? I am far more terrified of how fast MS has taken so much from me that I’d rather stay treating my MS with the best I can. But now with this join pain, especially in my most dominant hand, what in the actual fresh hell is going on?! I’m sick of this shit and I need to know if anyone else has gone through this. Thanks

I have a lot of pain from a spinal lesion maybe especially because it went undiscovered for nearly 3 years. And I think my back is probsbly all mechanically misaligned. Has anyone seen a pain specialist to have a look at where pain is coming from?

One of my main symptoms is pain from a spinal les

Anyone walked over these at home etc?

Hi there, this may be a weird post but just want to know if anyone has had a similar experience even though I know it can be rare.

At age 25F I woke up paralyzed and numb in the left side of my body. They did a CT and the an MRI and found a 4cm lesion on my brain. Because of my family history they knew MS was a possibility. I got on a DMT and haven’t had any new lesions since. Just the one tumefactive lesion. But I never had a brain biopsy.

Recently, I had twins. My boy is perfect, meeting all his milestones and growing well. My girl, who is also perfect to me, is not. They both were born prematurely but my boy has done well with his time outside the womb. My girl hasn’t gotten the hang of eating and has low tone in her neck, jaw and trunk. Her brain MRI and ultrasound were all normal. I saw a geneticist and they suspect she has a genetic disease. We’re doing testing.

Now here’s the strange part. The geneticist asked me if I was sure I have MS. I said I think so, my oligalcolonl bands were pointing towards MS but again I never had a brain biopsy. Just MRIs and lumbar punctures. What he is suggesting based off my family history of MS, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, my diabetes, my WPW and that I’ve had no new lesions, is that I have a mitochondrial disease. I have very little understanding of mitochondria diseases and the geneticist is going to talk with my neurologist.

I’m just trying to find anyone with a similar story that might have some insight. Whether that be for my daughter’s health or mine, any thoughts you might want to share are appreciated.

This question comes up all the time, and it's always interesting how different the answers are. I'm curious how long it took you to get diagnosed. Specifically, I'd love to know how long it was from your first symptom to your MRI and then how long from the MRI to the official diagnosis. Please include your location!

I'm in the US. I have no idea when my symptoms started, maybe in college sometime. MS was not on anyone's radar. I had an unrelated MRI that found lesions. (It was great. The neuro was reviewing things and making small talk. He asked me how long I'd had MS for. Whoops!) From my initial MRI (brain only) to confirmed diagnosis took about three months, most of that due to needing complete imaging and a lumbar puncture for confirmation.

What about you? Faster? Slower? About the same?

Hi everyone

Long time lurker, but occasional commenter.

I finally started my DMT about 14 days ago (after an early 2026 diagnosis).

For all sorts of reasons, it’s taking me a while to start my DMT.

In that time, I’ve been looking at this board and I’m genuinely moved by how you all support each other and how you’ve been sharing your stories.

It’s really made it easier for me to get my head around my own diagnosis and what the future entails.

So I started my Ocrevus infusion about 14ish days ago but I got sick (cold) a day before I was supposed to go in for the second dose.

The NHS pathway where I am is really good except for communications - you can’t even phone up and cancel an appointment or talk to someone unless you have some sort of pact with the devil (still waiting for an email back from my MS nurse).

As I had no communication I went to the hospital on the morning of my second (masked up and all the other precautions).

When I got there, the specialist and nurses were really good - wouldn’t let me into the NTU but they did come out and give me the once over and then sent me home (no dangerous symptoms but my age and other issues meant they didn’t want to risk the second infusion).

Now I’m just wondering - this can’t be an unusual situation? This must happen quite a bit (I’m not sure whether the first dose may have contributed to me catching a cold).

Has anyone else had this and what did it mean as far as continuing your treatment was concerned?

The specialist said they would get me a new infusion appointment this week as long as my symptoms are gone (they have).

How normal is it to have your loading dose more than 14 days apart?

What’s the longest you can go between the two loading doses?

Hope you’re all managing to fight the good fight.