How can I support a loved one with multiple sclerosis?
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Joined in 2020
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@Kmd1513 Hello Kmd1513, thank you for opening this discussion. I'm sorry to hear your mom is having a hard time with her diagnosis. It can be scary to be diagnosed with a chronic condition like MS and it may feel like the way forward is full of challenges and incertitudes. As a family member and/or caregiver, it can also be difficult to find the right way to support your loved one and be there for them in the way they need.
Let me tag some other members who can maybe share some advice with you. 
Hi everyone, how are you doing? What do you think about this? How can a loved one or caregiver best support someone living with MS? Is there anything you wish your close ones had said or done that would have been helpful to you?
@kevinmike @Ivory08 @Chynared @Eeyore @purplemoonshine⁷5 @AutumnRose @TerriY @Spooka @dolce23
And for those of you who are relatives or caregivers, what do you do support your loved one living with MS through their diagnosis and life afterwards? Do you have any advice to share with Kmd1513?
@Max630 @Vannessa17 @CindyRoberts @Jazminej @NaeNae85 @Harding @Tbarnes53 @CatherineParker
Feel free to share here, we're all here to help one another!
Take care,
Courtney
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Courtney_J, Community Manager, Carenity US
Joined in 2018
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@Kmd1513 Hey, I'm sorry about your mom, but I understand how she's probably feeling. I've been there. I didn't want to/couldn't accept my diagnosis at first too. Give her time to process, she probably just needs a second to take it all in. I don't know if there's anything specific you can say to make it all better, but just let her know that you're here for her. For me, just knowing that my kids, especially my youngest daughter (who I live with) were here for me to listen or just spend time with me did me a world of good. MS can be really isolating so just knowing that she's not alone may help. Take care of yourself too! Make sure you talk to your friends and family about it too, it can be hard on family too! 
Hi @Kmd1513. I am not exactly sure what your mom is going through but, like her, I was just recently diagnosed this year (April) and have had a pretty hard time accepting it. I am positive that at any other time, accepting a chronic illness diagnosis would be extremely hard. On top of that, we are also dealing with a world that is coping with a global pandemic. For me, and this may or may not be true for your mom, nothing is "normal" in my world right now because of Covid-19. Working from home, business closings, social distancing, etc., etc. So when people ask me how I am doing with my diagnosis, the best thing I can come up with is "Nothing feels normal so I am not really sure." Maybe if only that aspect of my life had changed, I would be better able to deal with the diagnosis and see how it fits into my "normal" reality but that isn't the case. A lot of things are upside down so it's just a lot of chaos that makes acceptance really hard and really confusing right now. Honestly, I am not sure how far into my acceptance journey I am...
However, I will say that I have a very close friend who has been amazing and has helped me more than she will ever know (probably because she has had to deal with some pretty tough stuff too). She told me to call whenever I wanted to talk - there was never a bad time, to never feel like I had to sugarcoat the bad stuff, and that grief is an individual journey and there is no "right" way to do it. [I think eventually we (people with MS) have to grieve the life we lose or the life we thought we would have.]
Those are just a few of my thoughts since I am kind of at the same stage as your mom (newly diagnosed this year). I hope this might help a bit! 
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Candace
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Hi everyone,
Have you seen this discussion?
Can you share any advice with @MoNTee and others? How can MoNTee be there for his fiancee and cope with her mood swings?
@Phelloo22 @sando0826 @vaiano0427 @SARAHGARNER @JulieM8200 @Saul900 @LizzieS @Gigi123 @Vacation1 @Panda2334 @txwendy @Steph_14 @hjusttt.333 @pahm0816 @kinglouie @Twesley @KVera718 @Aliciaburatti
Feel free to share here!
Take care,
Courtney
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Courtney_J, Community Manager, Carenity US
Kmd1513
Kmd1513
Last activity on 11/21/2020 at 7:02 PM
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1 comment posted | 1 in the Living with Multiple Sclerosis group
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My mom is 46 and was recently diagnosed with relapsing remitting MS in Jan. She has not accepted that fact that she has it. Is there anything I can do/ say to make her feel more comfortable and confident with this? She’ll get a sharp pain in the mid abdomen to back, legs pain, tiredness and recently her leg gave out on her.