Is there anyone with MS close to my age? (20)

I have been diagnosed with MS VERY recently (18 days ago) I just finished my taper of pred. which was terrible. I felt as I was taking 50 pills a day. I am so new to this disease. I have no bad health history besides I smoke and I am not skinny. i'm not fat (I am swollen because of these steriods though, I am not happy but i will get to those in just a second) i am just a little bit bigger. I have no one in my family with MS and honestly the only time I have ever even heard of it was from watching Montel Williams YEARS ago. This is all so new to me, although I wish I would have went to the doctor on the first sign of it (blurred vision.) I would like to meet people that also have MS on here to see how they deal with their life everyday and see how MS has changed them or hasn't changed them. Like I said, I am 20, I turn 21 in May i would like to drink on my birthday. I want to know so much about MS and I know only VERY TERRIBLE storys and they always end with "but they were old and they died." I don't like hearing that. Its not very uplifting. I do have a question too, I was on steriods in the hospital for 5 days IV... Then they had me taper down 20 mgs for 17 days today was my first pill free day (except for vitamins) I didn't want to take pain meds because I really dont want to get addicted. My question is my face, feet and ankles have swollen up pretty bad, my feet have gone down alot and my ankles but i feel like my face is still HUGE. How long does it take for this to go down? I really hate MS, but i think i'd rather be stumbly wobbly and see double than have a huge face. and i think that back pain is the worst part and I have anxiety attacks like crazy lately.. any ideas when my face will start going back to normal though?

Hi there Kaitlin,
My name's Diana and I'm 19. I was diagnosed at 17 a week or two before I showed up for my first day of college. I have never done the meds that you have, I'm taking daily Copaxone for mine but I completely understand the deep desire for life to just GET BACK TO NORMAL. yes?
I can't answer your questions about the drugs, I believe that's one for your doctor (who i highly recommend getting in contact with; feeling comfortable asking my doctor questions is something I'm still working on but is really important). However, I can sympathize with the anxiety attacks. I had a pretty serious panic attack (which can be related to my medication but either way...) my first semester at school as a freshman and I was terrified. I felt so alone, and I really had not idea what to do but I leaned on my family and my close friends, I started keeping a journal and I researched researched researched my condition. Some of what I found what sad, and some scary, but the point for me was that I understood as much as I could about what was going on with me. It seemed unfair at the time that someone as young as I would have to start worrying about health (it seems so many kids can just forget about health until later on) I found SO many statistics that showed there was a large probability we can live a very normal and long life and that finding out younger means we can start getting MS under control sooner.
Since then I am telling the truth when I say that life for me has settled mostly back into its daily routine. Back to normal, knowing a little bit more about myself, but still living out a normal college experience (parties on the weekends included, you soon-to-be-21-year-old you!)
Keep us posted on your recovery. I'm rooting for you! And keep up your spirits, MS does not always have to be as drastic a change in your life as it sometimes initially appears.
Good luck
diana

gretchen--
ugh i know i need to quit but lately the stress im going through i think that that would be just another drastic change and i dont want too just yet. but i will eventually. i know its terrible for me. i appriciate you replying to my post. I read what you said to my parents (i still live at home) and they are so excited that i have reached out to people with ms. ohhh and i did join msworld, thank to you!!! and the people ive met on there are amazinggggggggg!!!! i cant stress that enough and there are soo many younger people.. last night i met a girl with ms who was only 15! poor girl, she has a lot to learn like i do! thanks again.!!!