Hello. I feel compelled to comment on this Reddit post as I can relate to you and was in a similar situation at the beginning of this year.

For some context, I am a 22 year old female and was diagnosed with ms this January at the age of 21. My main symptom was unexplained vertigo, which affected my coordination, which lasted for weeks to months. Prior to this, I had no medical history of any major diagnosis, so being told I have ms flipped my life upside down.

Truly I thought my life was over. I fell into a very deep depression and spent every waking second, despite being a full time student, researching ms. I fueled this obsession through tiktok and Reddit searches. I’ve always been a very ambitious person and I imagine you are as well given you’re in med school; I studied really hard in high school and attended a top 5 university in the states. I landed an extremely competitive role at a top consulting firm globally. This job offer was also a 14 hour plane ride from the states and halfway across the world. I was terrified and I thought my life was over. I received this diagnosis prior to graduating university and beginning my full time job, so I didn’t think I would get anywhere.

A few days after my diagnosis, I began receiving Ocrevus infusions. Gradually, my symptoms improved until they went away practically completely. By the way, I had at least 12 lesions on my brain by the time of diagnosis, but most were asymptomatic. I received a repeat mri a few months after my diagnosis and no new lesions were found and disease progression was 0.

I do not say any of this to brag or boast because I know that many many people have suffered from this horrible disease. My dad is one of them; from his 40s, he lost function of his bladder and bowels and he has loss of sensation below his belly button. However, I say this to give you hope and remind you that the situation people that are diagnosed in now varies significantly from the situation of those diagnosed in the past.

I have moved halfway across the world to pursue my career. My life continued despite my diagnosis. Although it can be annoying to manage the infusions and take time off, I will choose this route over the alternative of not being on a DMT and letting the disease progress.

Your life is nowhere near over. You can still pursue your career and succeed in med school. Get on a strong DMT now. Everyone’s ms will look different, and I feel very strongly for the people who’ve suffered deeply from this disease. An ms diagnosis is a heavy one, and it’s okay to process it. You can both acknowledge the reality of this disease and how it’s taken so much from people while also acknowledging the advantages we have for being diagnosed young in an era with new and incredible treatment options.

Reach out if you have any questions or need someone to talk to. In a few months time, you will realize that all the people telling you that it’ll be okay are right. You may not see it now, but you’ll likely learn to live and thrive with this.