All I can say is that's a real bummer to develop MS at 58 vs most cases arise at 15 to 50. I have a neighbor who has had MS since about age 24; she's now 72 and seems to be getting along pretty well. She has been a partner in a small business for around 35-40 yrs and more recently, it appears she has a new BF this year. :) So, she seems to be hanging in there. She was a member of the first U of VA women's swimming team in 1968-70 so, like yourself, she was no couch potato in the years right before her diagnosis. I've read though that women are about 3 times more likely to get it than men.

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

Sorry to read this too! I deal every day with MS, albeit, as my wife's primary caregiver. Hers started over twenty years ago with similar symptoms and now she is chair and bed bound. I'd recommend you put your athletic ambitions on hold until you get a treatment plan started and symptoms under control. I've read the new MS medicines are excellent at preventing scarring/damaging of the nerves. Unfortunately they weren't available back when my wife needed them and there is no cure for the damage her nerves have endured from MS. F#ck MS and Cancer!

If not already done, reach out the National MS Society. First, they usually have lots of information and are a good resource, both online and possible call center professionals.

https://www.nationalmssociety.org/Resources-Support

Second, see if you can connect or be directed to the staff involved in their endurance events, such as the MS150 or possibly any of their teams to see if they can make a connection for you. You might be able to find something through their MS Navigators, but you also may need to connect with your local Chapter.

Your idea of reaching out is excellent and hopefully some connections will be made on the forum you can take offline.

For Private Messages, go to where is has the little drop down arrow by where is says Welcome States at the top and you will see it.

Best wishes.

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I miss you "Sports Night"

Very sorry to hear about your life change. Unfortunately I have little to offer other than empathy from having been sucker-punched by auto-immune disorders a decade ago which are now getting sorted. Best wishes for your journey.

Not to make light of the gravitas surrounding your situation, but if you’re interested, there is/was a Spanish movie on Netflix called ‘100 Meters,’ based on the true story of an middle-aged man who was diagnosed with late adult onset MS and his journey as a triathlete. It’s subtitled.

Hey there.. I'm 37 and was diagnosed when I was 30. Full transparency - I'm not super interested in lots of back and forth offline but wanted to share some of my experience. I just know that I won't be a very reliable correspondent but drop me your email in a private message if you'd like - I'm happy to help if I can.

The diagnosis is in some ways jarring at first. I knew nothing about MS before so naturally went online and gravitated towards the worst stories. I'm not sure what your neurologist told you but mine (in Canada) basically said there's no cure and there's not much you can do about it other than take your meds. I thought that was BS so I read up a lot.

There's two books that really changed my outlook on the disease:

- Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis: The Evidence-Based 7 Step Recovery Program
- Eat to Live (this one is more general and it's written as a weight loss book but the content is very good.. I very strictly followed this when I first started, now I still do but not as strictly)

And just so I'm not accused of pushing the vegan agenda I also really liked: The Wahls Protocol: How I Beat Progressive MS Using Paleo Principles and Functional Medicine

I also went for a second opinion at the Cleveland Clinic which was amazing.

Focus on what you can control, don't stress when your body doesn't the way it should... I sometimes lose eye sight to some degree in my left eye, I drop stuff sometimes, spasms in my limbs, I have bouts of fatigue from time to time, lose my balance from time to time etc. but stressing about it just makes it worse. For me the worst part has been dealing with side effects of medication.. I started with Tecfidera and then moved over to Mavenclad. Last summer I got shingles that turned to viral meningitis which sucked.

Everyone's progression is different, but for what it's worth, my first MRI had 11 lesions (none in my spine which is fortunate)... I had MRIs every 6 months and now I'm on an annual cadence... I think I've had two very small new ones show up since the first one and many that have either shrunk or don't show up anymore. I've had flare up of symptoms but no major MS recurrence. The first three months after my diagnosis sucked.. then I totally changed my diet and started exercising which were game changers. I went from hovering above and below 250 lbs to 175-ish in 6 months and I've stayed there since (I'm 6'5")

I didn't do tris or run before (played competitive hockey until I was 18) so I can't compare performance before and after. But for running, which is what I do most consistently, I'm still getting faster. Ran a 1:47 half marathon about a year after diagnosis and I recently ran a 1:21 low half. Heat sucks for people with MS so I do my runs early mornings. And professionally, I work in private equity so tons of travel, long hours, etc. MS hasn't impacted me professionally other than needing to take a day off here and there when fatigue is bad (maybe 2-3 days per year).

I kind of rambled on here but just wanted to share a bit of my experience in case it helps. The frustrating thing with MS is that it can be sort of random and everyone's experience is different. Focus on what you can control, find coping mechanisms that work for you, and let those around you help you when you need it.

Do you know Susan Simmons?

I don't have MS myself bur D'Wife & I know a few people who do [a couple people who are fighting with it, plus we lost a friend to MS a few years ago]

There's an MS ride here we [try to] do every year - we ride on Saturday, then volunteer at a rest stop near us on Sunday

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

Thanks to those who posted comments! A lot of good information and tips were provided, and I will take all into consideration and research.