Multiple Sclerosis and Your Relationships

Friends and family are an important part of everyone’s life — but when you’re living with a chronic condition, it may not be easy to talk to them about your health. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is different for every person who copes with it. There are no exact timelines telling you when you may experience symptoms or how severe they’ll be at any given moment, but having a strong support system in place will help you better manage whatever comes your way. However, before you can build your support network, you’ll need to make a few important decisions, starting with whom you think should know about your condition.

MS and the People in Your Life

Your first instinct may be to tell everyone you know that you’ve been diagnosed with MS, or you may have just the opposite reaction and want to hide your MS from the world. Give yourself time to process your thoughts and emotions. Think about each person in your life and if there will be a benefit in sharing your diagnosis with them. People who are around you often are likely to recognize when your symptoms begin to appear. If these are people you trust, you may be able to count on them for support when you need it. Keep in mind that some people may be unsure of how to act around you if they don’t understand multiple sclerosis. Be prepared to answer questions and even educate them about MS.

Be cautious about giving too much information to people who might spread gossip to those you don’t want informed. Think it through before confiding in friends who are also co-workers, especially if you don’t want your personal medical information to get back to your employer before you’re ready to disclose the knowledge yourself. Even a savvy boss may not have all of the facts about MS and may make decisions about your job performance based on your diagnosis, rather than your abilities.

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