Jen, I don't have an official confirmed diagnosis of MS. I've been given a number of different labels over the years and none of them fit very well, so technically you could say that even after 24 years, I still don't have a confirmed diagnosis. For a long time the diagnosis was Guillaine-Barré Syndrome overlapping with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, but the specialist who gave me this label is now retired and isn't around for other doctors to argue with. My current neurologist won't confirm MS but says it's his working hypothesis, the best fit.
The first signs for me were weakness in my right arm, nerve pain and pressure pain, 'brain fog' and with each attack, more of my body was affected. As I said, it's now been almost 24 years since the first onset, which for me followed an allergic reaction to immunisation for tetanus.
It's forced me to change direction in life, to slow down, and to learn to listen to my body. A big drawback is a tendency to become too self-absorbed, so that is something I guard against. Originally I tried to rest more until I began to recover; but then recovery didn't happen in full, so instead I've learnt to get back into life as much as I can so while I'm waiting to improve I'm at least still involved in things as much as possible.
Marg