Attendance Record for this MS forum!

[Lulu54]

Hello all,
We have had such an influx of new members recently, which is great.  And then we have a lot of members who seem to have been here from the beginning of this forum.  Of course there are the  rest of us who fill in the middle.

I'm interested in learning how long you have been using MedHelp's MS forum and what you think is the main reason you visit here regularly.

If you remember, it might also be interesting to learn how you found this site among all of them out there on the web.  

Please select one of these choices and then add your comments in a separate post.    Thanks, Lu

I have been a community member of MedHelp's MS forum for:

[doublevision1]

There you are!  As I said above, you're one of the first people here to help me out.  I've always appreciated that.  Nice to see you are still here from time to time.  Hope you are doing OK these days.

[gooddays]

Have been since December 07.

Do not post much, but always read it.  I read to keep updated on how everyone is doing.

I was searching my symptoms and found it, but I had been dxd before finding the forum  

Zulma

[doublevision1]

I've been here since January 2008, about 3 months after my dx.  I stumbled across the forum when I was looking for an expert neurology website to answer my questions about the severe diplopia I was experiencing.  When I posted here, I thought I was posing my question to a neurologist; the responses I got were from binkswife and Zulma (gooddays) who told me about their similar experiences with diplopia.  I had never participated in an online forum but immediately was hooked.  I had so many questions after recently being diagnosed, and realized there were so many people here who could help because of their personal experience and knowledge of MS.  The good people of this forum have helped me in so many ways, in the early days following my dx and continuing so even today, as I face a possible change in my dx.   I’ll always be grateful for the support I have received here.

[shoshin]

I joined in November 2007 after I was dx'd. Between when the neuro started talking about MS (Sept.) and dx, I spent a lot of time looking for info on the web and lurked on this forum as well as some others. Anyway, I waited until I was dx'd to join I guess because I wanted to be sure.

I guess I keep coming back to the forum for the new information I get, for the things I learn from other people's experiences and for the supportive and understanding community of other people who understand where I'm coming from.

About whether the forum has staying power, I suspect most of the people who stick with it after dx have ongoing problems. If you got dx'd, started on DMDs, and the MS wasn't really interfering with your life, you probably wouldn't need this forum so much.

sho

[Sunnytoday]

I've been here since April, 2008.

At first, I came becuase I thougtht i was going crazy... I found this forum by googling tingling due to heat intolerance.

I stayed becuase people actually took the time to msg. me and leave me notes and let me know i mattered, and to leave more than just advice on medical questions, but to ask how i was personally doing. Then I decided to try to welcome others so that they would also stay too, I want to give back to the forum.

And as life went up and down this year i knew that i could yell for help and someone would try to pick up the pieces, here it is more than just a place to come and ask a question once a year and leave, it is a place where you are known and loved.  :)

~Sunnytoday~

[ChunkyMonkeysMommy]

I found and joined this forum in January, when it was confirmed that I was in another relapse. I think I was just googling copaxone and it led me to a post here. Since then, I've learned so much and it has helped me to feel like I'M NOT CRAZY. Being able to read posts from others and say to yourself "ME TOO!!" is really comforting. It helps to know that what I'm experiencing is part of the disease and I can have a better idea of what to expect.

P.S. You've all been great and although I don't always get to respond to everything that I may like to (due to the little monkey in my profile picture, lol) I thank you all for giving me a place to retreat to and feel somewhat normal. :)