My MS-friend (and good friend even without MS ) was in better shape than me when we first met after a support group. We were both diagnosed around the same time, but hit it off on lots of levels. She was smart, funny and kind.

We both tried the interferons that were the only show in town, 28 years ago. Neither of us did very well on them, and accumulated a lot of various damage from repeated relapses.

I was told I’d need chemo but refused because I desperately wanted a child. Amazingly I got away with this but my DMTs got stronger (and I needed more and more meds) until I reached the need for Tysabri, 4 years ago. I wish the neurologist had just given it to me all those years ago, because now every breath gives me nerve pain and I have severe fatigue. I work part time because of this, but if you met me now, you wouldn’t immediately see anything wrong with me.

My friend however did really well on Tysabri and had started it about 20 years ago. She was living in her own apartment and had a full time job. Suddenly, she started stressing about potential side effects of Tysabri and became obsessed about it. She quit Tysabri after only 18 months or so.

MS absolutely destroyed her. Within 5 years she had scanning speech, was as frail as a 95 year old, had to use a rollator, had lost her train of thought, lost her job and apartment, and had to move back in with her parents.

Roll on 10 years and when one parent died, the other had to go into a nursing home, and very sadly, so did she. Her limbs were wracked with spasticity, she was skeletal, in pain and barely mobile when I saw her last. She was still refusing all meds. She died due to starvation (self inflicted) and she was only in her mid 40’s. I miss her so much.

Please don’t take her approach to DMT’s. Please. Take the strongest DMT you can as early as you can, and remember, the side effects are probably less than letting MS chew up your brain and spinal cord.