MS Active Source
positive living with MS
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What will happen to me
One of the most difficult things to cope with for people with MS is the uncertainty of what will happen to them in the years to come. MS is a very unpredictable condition and different for everyone. You might find you learn how to deal with the symptoms of MS early on. But the thing that can be more frustrating is not knowing when they are going to happen again.
One thing that is known is that MS is not life threatening. Life expectancy for people with MS is only slightly lower than that of the general population (ref nd5). For most people MS progresses gradually over many years so you have time to adjust to the changes that are happening to you. You will have periods in your life when you may forget you have MS because you have no symptoms at all. At other times your symptoms may be so mild that they do not interfere with your life. But eventually most people’s MS will progress and leave some long lasting disability. However, this can be many years after diagnosis, and early treatment may delay this even longer.
There are three main types of MS: (ref nd5)
Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS) is the most common type MS (ref nd1). It means you have attacks when you get symptoms, followed by times when your symptoms disappear or aren’t as bad (remissions).
Secondary Progressive MS (SPMS) means that your symptoms may become steadily worse. You don’t get remissions, but your symptoms tend to be present all the time. Most people who start with relapsing-remitting MS will get secondary progressive MS after some time. But it doesn’t happen to everyone (ref nd1).
Primary Progressive MS (PPMS) means that from the start your symptoms get steadily worse (ref nd1).
Did you know?
MS affects about three times as many women as men.
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Page last updated: 29 Jun 2009
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