When should I worry I have MS?

People should consider the diagnosis of MS if they have one or more of these symptoms: vision loss in one or both eyes. acute paralysis in the legs or along one side of the body. acute numbness and tingling in a limb.

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What is the number 1 symptom of MS?

Numbness of the face, body, or extremities (arms and legs) is often the first symptom experienced by those eventually diagnosed as having MS.

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How do you know MS is progressing?

It's also common early on in the disease to experience long intervals between relapses. Later, as MS progresses, people may have difficulty with tremors, coordination, and walking. They may find that their relapses become more frequent, and that they are less able to recover from them.

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What does early stage MS look like?

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.

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How long can you have MS Before you know it?

Canadian research shows people with MS are more likely than the general population to visit a doctor or hospital in the years leading up to an MS diagnosis.

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I am worried the strange symptoms I have might be MS

18 related questions found

How do you know if you caught MS early?

MS is best detected by a neurological examination and painless imaging studies of the brain and spinal cord using magnetic resonance testing (MRI). An ophthalmologist also can use a test called an optical coherence tomography (OCT) to determine if the optic nerve has been affected by MS.

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Does MS show up in blood work?

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.

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Where does MS usually start?

Here's where MS (typically) starts

Optic neuritis, or inflammation of the optic nerve, is usually the most common, Shoemaker says. You may experience eye pain, blurred vision and headache. It often occurs on one side and can eventually lead to partial or total vision loss.

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How does MS usually begin?

Muscle spasms: They usually affect your leg muscles. They're an early symptom for almost half the people with MS. They also affect people with progressive MS. You might feel mild stiffness or strong, painful spasms.

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What does MS Walk look like?

Steppage gait (also known as neuropathic gait) is characterized by drop foot — an MS symptom in which the front part of the foot drops and does not lift up correctly with the rest of the leg while walking. In a person with drop foot, the toes point downward and may drag or scrape on the ground while walking.

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How long does it take for MS to disable you?

About 15% of patients will never necessitate assistance with ambulation, while 5-10% will do so within 5 years, and another 10% will do so in 15 years. Average patient will take about 28 years from the point of diagnosis to necessitate assistance while walking, and will be about 60 years of age.

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Is MS always terminal?

MS itself is rarely fatal, but complications may arise from severe MS, such as chest or bladder infections, or swallowing difficulties. The average life expectancy for people with MS is around 5 to 10 years lower than average, and this gap appears to be getting smaller all the time.

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What happens if you don't treat MS?

With MS, when you don't stay with your treatment, there's the chance that the disease will continue unchecked. That means your immune system can go on causing inflammation and damage in your central nervous system. And “time is brain”: If there's damage, it can be permanent -- you may not get that function back.

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What does MS feel like in your head?

People may experience blurred vision, double vision, eye pain or loss of color vision. Difficulty articulating words or swallowing and slurred speech may occur if there's damage to the area that controls the mouth and throat.

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How can I test myself for MS?

Some of the most common signs of MS are:
  1. numbness, pain, or tingling.
  2. vision issues such as blurred vision, trouble seeing, or floaters.
  3. weakness.
  4. issues with walking or balance.
  5. bladder or bowel incontinence.
  6. unexplained sexual dysfunction.
  7. mood changes.
  8. brain fog.

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Does early MS show up on MRI?

MRI scans are an important way to help health care providers figure out if a person has MS or not, but MRI scans cannot diagnose MS by themselves. While it is true that almost all people with MS will have lesions on MRI, not all people with MRI lesions have MS.

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Can you suddenly get multiple sclerosis?

Symptoms can appear suddenly and then vanish for years after the first episode, or in some cases never reappear. The symptoms of MS vary greatly and can range from mild to severe. Most people suffer minor effects.

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Can you suddenly develop MS?

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. Resolution is often complete.

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Do I have MS checklist?

Vision problems, like blurred or double vision. Dizziness and a lack of coordination. Trouble walking, feeling unsteady, a loss of balance.

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What diseases are similar to MS?

Conditions That Can Seem Like MS
  • Epstein-Barr Virus.
  • Vitamin B12 Deficiency.
  • Diabetes.
  • Nerve Damage.
  • Eye Problems.
  • Stroke.
  • Lupus and Other Autoimmune Diseases.
  • Parkinson's Disease.

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Can an eye test detect MS?

Diagnosis and early intervention

As optic neuritis is the presenting sign of MS in up to 30 percent of patients, the eye exam can lead to the initial systemic diagnosis.

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What are four common diagnostic tests for MS?

The 4 common diagnostic tools used to prove or disprove MS – multiple sclerosis by clinical neurologists are:
  • A comprehensive patient medical history and neurological exam.
  • Magnetic resonance imaging of the neuroaxis.
  • Evoked Potentials testing.
  • Analysis of the spinal fluid.

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What age is Late onset MS?

MS is usually diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 49 years, though in rare cases MS is observed in childhood and adolescence before the age of 18 years, or at the age of 50 years and later (3). When the onset of the disease occurs at 50 years or older it is conventionally defined as late onset MS (LOMS).

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Can you drive with MS?

One of the first questions many people have when they're diagnosed with MS is: “Will I still be able to drive?” The good news is that most people with MS continue to drive as normal.

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Can MS affect your teeth?

MS patients are all at higher risk for dental issues because of the complications of MS. The disease itself affects the teeth and gums on a biochemical level. The medicine that is used to treat MS can also lead to problems.

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