Do you, or anyone you know well, have Multiple sclerosis – information please?
I’m curious to know what symptoms lead to a MS diagnosis. Was it something where there were a lot of unresolved symptoms and then finally the diagnosis that linked them all together?
Also, what types of tests/procedures did your doctor have done to confirm the diagnosis?
I ask because I was at my doctor today and in the middle of his 5000 questions he brought up MS. I was surprised and he started asking more questions and talking about tests being scheduled so I didn’t ask the questions I should have. I’m trying to research it now. There seem to be so many symptoms I’m just trying to find out from others how they found out they had it.
Hi
I am a 51 yr old with MS.I have had it for many years .
My first attack was vertigo. One morning I woke up , the bed was spinning I couldn’t stand up and was sick to my stomach. I was home alone and had to lay in my vomit because i couldn’t lift my head.My Dr actually rolled her eyes at me and told me it was the flu and I would get over it. For a solid year I had a variety of wild symptoms. If i looked up or something would move quickly across my line of sight or a fluorescent light would flicker, I would simply fall over! it was really bizarre. After a couple of Dr Visits and again being told that I had had the flu and my electrolytes were out of whack and I would just have to get over it, I stopped going to the Dr. Eventually the symptoms did go away and I pretty much forgot about it for several years
The second attack started with extreme fatigue..I was so exhausted i could barely function ! At the time we were building our house and spending long hours every night , weekend and vacation on it so I ignored it for a couple more years.
Then the numbness started..that was pretty hard to ignore. It started in my neck and base of my scull and spread from there..eventually 99% of my body was numb or tingling.
I found a new Dr who listened to me and referred me to a Neurologist and an MRI was scheduled ASAP. The lesions were very clear and I was diagnosed within a few days.
I understand about being overwhelmed and not asking questions.I sat stunned and couldnt think of anything to ask..Why don’t you get a notebook and maybe track your symptoms and jot down questions when they pop into your mind that way you will be prepared for your next Dr visit.
Just know that MS is not the end of the world..Yes it is a royal pain in the butt now and then,but the majority of us lead very normal lives.
Good Luck and hang in there !
I had a spinal tap & a brain scan. Initially my symptoms were a staggering walk, bumping into walls, numbness in my feet, no control of bodily functions and double vision. Soon after I would fall down alot….when I gort out of bed and attempting to go down the stairs, all while holding a newborn. As time went on my symptoms now are falling down, I can’t stand or walk for more than a second or two. I used to love (and took for granted) my ability to walk, dance or run. It’s been 33 years now that I’ve had this and it’s crimped my style quite a bit but I really have time to smell the coffee & roses now.
I have had MS for twenty years, but it took me ten years to get a diagnosis. I knew that something was wrong but my doctors kept telling me that it was all my head. It wasn’t until I went blind in my left eye and could barely walk or talk that an MRI was ordered. However I had been reporting my symptoms all along. After I did significant research and had decided that I had MS, the MRI showed the lesions that are indicative of MS.
A few facts here. The symptoms of MS mimic 25-30 other diseases and conditions. As a consequence, it takes a neurologist who specializes in MS to make a qualified diagnosis. The symptoms of MS are almost endless. This is because MS involves the nervous system which in turn effects just about everything we do. MS is not a fatal disease. Most of us who have it live a normal life and an almost normal life span.
Most neurologists (but not all) diagnose MS on the basis of seeing two or more flare-ups of MS and an MRI in which the tell-tale lesions indicative of MS show up. Some order a lumbar puncture (which I would not allow mine to do) and an evoked potentials test. And many times neurologists will do many other tests for other diseases to rule them out. This is because there is no definitive test for MS. The best the medical community has is the MRI of the brain and spinal cord.
Good luck to you, dear. The National MS Society has an excellent site here on the web at NMSS.ORG. They have the most up to date info and most exhaustive info on MS. To boot they are great people. Do not hesitate to phone and talk to them.
You are welcome to email me.
I was diagnosed with MS when I was 11 years old in 2006.
My symptoms were numbness and tingling in my legs and loss of balance. Although those were my symptoms there are many other such as vision problems.
I had an MRI and a lumbar puncture from what I can remember.
The doctors always say that MS is a very difficult disease to diagnose.
I had been having problems with depression, fatigue, balance, falling, etc. for some time. I was diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism, which I thought explained everything.
BUT I started to have very blurry vision in one eye, and saw the eye doctor. He ran tests (eye tests) and when he realized he could not treat me for the problem he sent me to my doctor.
I had optic neuritis, which is a common symptom. I still have it actually. BUT anyway, my doctor had me get an MRI and then see a neurologist.
The Nureo went over my MRI with me, then had me get a spinal tap, to rule out any other illness and check on my immune system. Then, finally, I had my diagnoses.
I had an episode where I couldn’t see out of one eye. I saw a couple of eye specialists before being referred to a neuro-ophthalmologist, who sent me for an MRI. This showed some minor lesions and as it was the first time anything like that had happened (& it cleared up in 2 weeks), he said it wasn’t worth pursuing at that time. A couple of years later my entire left side was numb; luckily my GP asked enough questions to refer me to a neurologist. Another MRI was enough to confirm the diagnosis (there had been significant change since the previous one); a lumbar puncture would have ultimately confirmed it but I accepted the diagnosis. That was 10 years ago & I have only had 2 major episodes (haven’t been completely ‘normal’ though – my hands and feet (occasionally my legs & arms as well) always feel ‘tingly’).
Everyone’s different, it seems!