Hi Praise,

I essentially diagnosed myself with MS ten years before the docs did. There are reasons for waiting for all the symptoms and test results to show, but I was deliberately lied to by one doctor and vaguely put off by others. Thank goodness most docs these days don't do that. There are all kinds of insurance problems that you need to be aware of as soon as possible.

I'll send the URL for a website that has abstracts when I get home tonight. I think the name is Medline, and you have to register for it, but it's free. I found that to be about the best you can do on the web. Most journals don't put the full article on the web, but if you can find an abstract you're interested in, you can then go to a med school library and copy the article. I was a trained chemist and knew how to use ChemAbstracts and go through the Science Citation Index for some pretty good sleuthing. At one time, I found a way to "go in the back door" to a web site for a medical library in Utah, but that door has since been closed. I think you can get full articles from lesser known medical journals, but not the biggies.

Fifteen years ago I managed to go to a medical school library and spend time reading. Most doctors don't recommend that, but I found it to be the most comforting thing I could do, and it gave me a tremendous since of relief. If you need to check out books, you can often get a friend who is enrolled in a nearby college, and use their ID to check out books.

I'll send more specific info privately. I've found that certain organizations for specific diseases often have the latest research news and links for more information. There are also some pretty good watch dog groups that certify the various websites to make sure you're not getting bad information. (I think about 70% of the medical info you get off the web is "suspect."

The MS Society has a slogan that "Knowledge is Power," and I firmly belive it!

Talk to you later, Mary

PS It's better to contact me through the Mudcat personal messages. I've neglected my emails lately because my son sent me the LOVE BUG!