Seek emergency care if you experience symptoms such as significant pain, vision loss, or greatly reduced mobility. If you think you feel an MS flare-up beginning, take care to monitor your symptoms closely over the first 24 hours, if the symptoms are those you have experienced before.
Most multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms don't require a trip to the emergency room, but it's not always clear where those diagnosed with the disease should turn to when they need care quickly.
When MS Requires an ER Visit. While an individual with known MS may already be in treatment, sudden onset of a symptom such as blindness or serious mobility issues can trigger an ER visit.
A neurologist -- a doctor who specializes in treating the disease -- should be able to help. They'll ask how you're feeling and help you figure out if your symptoms mean you have MS or another problem.
Health care utilization is high in the MS population, with up to 25.8% of the MS population being hospitalized annually, exceeding the rate of hospitalizations in the general population [4].
MS is diagnosed by your neurologist. They will use a specific checklist to diagnose MS, known as the McDonald criteria. They'll carry out a number of tests to run through the criteria, which could include blood tests and MRI.
To be a true exacerbation, the attack must last at least 24 hours and be separated from the previous attack by at least 30 days. Most MS exacerbations last from a few days to several weeks or even months. For more information about MS, visit our MS FAQs page.
Increased fatigue. Tingling or numbness anywhere on the body. Brain fog, or difficulty thinking. Muscle spasms.
Most symptoms develop abruptly, within hours or days. These attacks or relapses of MS typically reach their peak within a few days at most and then resolve slowly over the next several days or weeks so that a typical relapse will be symptomatic for about eight weeks from onset to recovery.
Numbness of the face, body, or extremities (arms and legs) is often the first symptom experienced by those eventually diagnosed as having MS.
One of the more obvious first signs of MS is a problem with vision, known as optic neuritis. This is often because it's a more concrete symptom as opposed to vaguer neurological symptoms like numbness and tingling.
Those symptoms include loss of vision in an eye, loss of power in an arm or leg or a rising sense of numbness in the legs. Other common symptoms associated with MS include spasms, fatigue, depression, incontinence issues, sexual dysfunction, and walking difficulties.
Seek emergency care if you experience symptoms such as significant pain, vision loss, or greatly reduced mobility. If you think you feel an MS flare-up beginning, take care to monitor your symptoms closely over the first 24 hours, if the symptoms are those you have experienced before.
MRI scan. An MRI scan is a painless scan that uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves to produce detailed images of the inside of the body. It can show whether there's any damage or scarring of the myelin sheath (the layer surrounding your nerves) in your brain and spinal cord.
Many members of the MS community suggested that patients try to stay present as much as possible. Ways to avoid worrying include staying busy with work, watching movies, gardening, and spending time (even virtually) with friends, children or grandchildren. “Do not get ahead of yourself!” “Stay in the moment.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a condition that affects the brain and/or spinal cord. It can cause symptoms like problems with vision, arm or leg movement, sensation or balance. It's a lifelong condition that can sometimes cause serious disability.
They recognize that a brace or cane allows them to walk with confidence; a wheelchair or scooter provides safety, speed, and saves energy for more important things. A rehab professional with ms experience can help people improve their gait and manage fatigue, weakness, and balance problems.
While there is no definitive blood test for MS, blood tests can rule out other conditions that cause symptoms similar to those of MS, including lupus erythematosis, Sjogren's, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, some infections, and rare hereditary diseases.
With relapsing-remitting MS, flare-ups can bring new symptoms or make ones you already have worse. They come on suddenly over 24 hours and usually get better slowly over weeks or months. These happen because part of your central nervous system gets inflamed.
MS can be present even with a normal MRI and spinal fluid test although it's uncommon to have a completely normal MRI. Sometimes the MRI of the brain may be normal, but the MRI of the spinal cord may be abnormal and consistent with MS, so this also needs to be considered.
Magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, is a wonderful tool to help diagnose and follow people with MS. MRI is safe and relatively non-invasive yet can provide very detailed images of the brain and spinal cord that can reveal MS lesions (also known as demyelination, spots, or plaques) and changes in MS activity over time.
Nail problems are common, and they are not usually serious. If a person has multiple sclerosis (MS), nail problems can cause pain or discomfort. While nail issues are not directly related to the disease, determining the cause may help prevent a person with MS from experiencing further discomfort.