Real Talk MS: The First 100 Days Following an MS Diagnosis

Real Talk MS, a podcast produced in partnership with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, recently interviewed Nancy Sicotte, MD, chair of the Department of Neurology and director of Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology at Cedars-Sinai, about navigating the immediate aftermath following an MS diagnosis.

Sicotte told host Jon Strum that advances in diagnostic guidelines, technology and treatment are enabling clinicians to diagnose MS earlier and offer patients greater reassurance and optimism.

Early diagnosis can help “stop MS in its tracks really before it even gets started,” she said.

Sicotte emphasized that exercise, restorative sleep, a healthy diet, social connection and stress management play an important role alongside medication in managing MS.

“This kind of lifestyle change can really give patients something that they can anchor on, and something they can do, so not feeling powerless,” she told Strum. “And it’s really important because it does make a difference in the long term.”

She said she encourages patients to prioritize self-compassion and patience rather than focusing on specific milestones in the months immediately following diagnosis.

“I always tell patients, first and foremost, just take a deep breath and let yourself have time to come to grips with the diagnosis,” Sicotte told Strum. “And I always have found, a year later, it’s much, much better. People feel totally different than they did.”

Sicotte also addressed common misconceptions about MS, including assumptions that the disease inevitably leads to wheelchair use or prevents women from starting families.

Many people diagnosed with MS can look forward to living “a full, rich life and do all the things that they want to do, that they dreamt of doing before they had the diagnosis,” she said.

Listen to the complete episode from Real Talk MS.