I have been reading the posts, and it looks like there are a lot of new people...me being one of them. I am "pending" my dx of MS, they are ruling all other things out via blood test and nerve conduction, but in my heart I know I have MS. I have a pacemaker so I can't have an MRI, so we have to do this all clinically. My right leg has not worked right or felt right for over a month, the awkward sensations are now in my right arm and cheek. Bladder problems too...just like most everyone else. It is hard to see our bodies change so quickly, wondering if what we are left with is permanent. June 21st, I completed Ironman Coeur d'Alene, and now I can't do 1/3 of what I could back then. I am/was in training for the Chicago marathon....on my best day, I can run 12 miles, but it is with a lot of pain and difficulty from my muscles not working right. My marathon is in 3 weeks, and I will be lucky if I can walk/run it let alone race it. I know we all come from different backgrounds, and some might say, "well at least you can still exercise". Yes, I can, on some days, but I still grieve the drastic change in what I could do and what my limits are now. It is sad no matter what. I am just hoping I can get my dx soon, and start treatments that might improve my situation. Are most deficits permanent?