As the person with MS, you will get to know more about your condition than anybody else. You understand how individual symptoms affect you, both mentally and physically, and you're best placed to monitor any changes in your condition. Use your personal knowledge to avoid triggers that can make your symptoms worse. Remember that getting the right information about MS is vital and will mean that you'l;l be in a better position to make informed decisions for yourself. the more you know, the more you can help the professionals you deal with to help you.

Your local GP is your first point of contact. GPs aren't MS specialists - many will only ever see one or two MS patients in their careers, so don't expect them to understand the intricacies of the condition. Your GP can supply repeat prescriptions for drugs and should be able to help you deal with some of the symptoms, referring you on to more specialist help when you need it. They can also liaise with your neurologist or MS nurse. A GP will hold all your medical records, so will know about your entire medical history. It's important to try and find an understanding GP who is open-minded and willing to learn from your personal experience and knowledge of the condition.

The neurologist is key in diagnosing, treating and prescribing appropriate treatment for people with MS and they are now playing a more active role in the longer-term management of MS, too. Your neurologist should liaise with your GP and other specialists. Unfortunately, there is a shortage of neurologists in the UK, so you might not get to see yours as often as you wish.

A point of contact for people with MS and their families, MS nurses tend to work closely with neurologists and have an in-depth knowledge of the condition. If you have any questions about your symptoms or MS in general, the MS nurse should be able to fill you in. Some run educational courses for people who are newly diagnosed with MS and their partners. More MS nurses are being appointed every year in the NHS and they can become the key to co-ordinating the kind of care you need. Your GP or neurologist should be able to tell you if there is an MS nurse in your area.

In MS, there needs to be a co-ordinated programme to tackle and try to improve the range of MS symptoms, making the best use of specialists in different fields or disciplines. The term 'multidisciplinary team' is one you can use to describe the different specialists who have expertise in certain areas that might be relevant to you. All ought to work as a team, too, arriving at a programme that's tailored to you.

As well as your neurologist and MS nurse, your multidisciplinary team could be made up of the following people who you might wish or need to see at some point in the future:

	A physiotherapist, for advice and treatment of mobility and other physical problems
	An occupational therapist, to help you deal with fatigue and provide practical solutions for any problems that affect your daily life at work and home
	A social worker, for information and help with such things as applying for benefits and housing
	A counsellor, to help you and the people close to you to deal with the impact of MS on your life and relationships

Your GP and MS nurse should be able to refer you to any of the above, or to other experts such as continence advisors, dieticians and specialists in pain management.