So...

My mom was recently diagnosed with late onset progressive Multiple Sclerosis (MS). I have no idea if that's the correct name but that's what it is. It's a diagnosis she ultimately knew was coming but it wasn't until recently that her doctor confirmed she's suffering from MS.

MS is not considered to be hereditary (thank goodness) but "the risk of acquiring MS is higher in relatives of a person with the disease than in the general population, especially in the case of siblings, parents, and children." Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_sclerosis

Yikes. Along with family history, the other major risk factors are age and gender. Per Mayo Clinic:

Age. Multiple sclerosis can occur at any age, but most commonly affects people who are ages 20 to 40.

Gender. Women are about twice as likely as men to develop multiple sclerosis.

Check and check. Double yikes.

Can I be honest? All of this scares me. A lot. It's not easy to watch my mom's condition deteriorate so quickly. But then to also think I (or my brothers) could have the same fate is incomprehensible.

I've been doing a lot of research on MS recently. Mainly I wanted to know what the warning signs are. If I ever have any of them, I am high tailing it a doctor STAT.

I don't want to live my life like I already have MS but I have to live like it's an option.

I have to be more aware of what's going on with my body.

I have to be more aware of how I take care of myself.

It's scary and kind of daunting to think about having to be "on alert". But I just continue to keep up on the latest research and make changes as needed to hopefully, lower my risk.