Are MS symptoms what you are experiencing?

All the MS symptoms you'll read about on this website make up the roller coaster you might be getting a free ride on if your diagnosis of MS is correct.

You must understand that multiple sclerosis (MS) follows a varied and unpredictable course. As a matter of fact, there are few diseases with more potential symptoms than multiple sclerosis (MS).

It is important to understand that when it comes to MS symptoms, even though a wide range can occur, you may experience only some of them and never have others. Some may occur only once, resolve, and never return. To make it more interesting (for a lack of a better word) there are no multiple sclerosis warning signs.

The beginning of multiple sclerosis (MS) can be dramatic or so mild that you don't even notice any symptoms until much later in the course of the disease.

If you think you might have Multiple Sclerosis (MS), my first recommendation would be for you to visit a Neurologist. Meanwhile, you can CLICK HERE to run an MS SYMPTOMS CHECK.

In my case, I went to bed one night feeling fine, woke up feeling OK and later that morning, out of the blue, I started to talk like I was drunk or something, my whole right side felt very weak all of the sudden and I became very, very tired.

If you want to find out about my beginnings with MS and how it all started you can click here to read About Me and MS

Today I can tell you without any doubt that MS symptoms are totally unpredictable, showing up without any warning and without any obvious reason.

Maybe the only hint of what's coming is that most attacks are preceded by common triggers such as:

1. Stress, for example, can trigger an attack on must multiple sclerosis (MS) patients.

Infections such as the common cold, influenza - you might be asking yourself if the H1N1 vaccination is safe if you have multiple sclerosis (MS)?. Click here to read a specialist opinion

Infections like gastroenteritis increase the risk of relapses and higher than usual ambient temperatures can exacerbate existing symptoms.

On the other hand, in the case of women, pregnancy can affect the propensity to relapses, offering protection during the last trimester, but during the first few months after delivery the risk of relapses appears to increase. Click here and read Good News for Women with MS Contemplating Pregnancy

We know that overall, pregnancy does not seem to influence long-term disability.

You are probably asking yourself, what causes MS symptoms?

Demyelination or deterioration of the myelin that surrounds the nerve fibers is the answer. It can occur in any part of the brain or the spinal cord.

The MS symptoms that folks like you and me experience depend on the affected area.

For example, demyelination of the nerves that carry messages to the muscles in the legs causes problems with walking and movement (motor symptoms) and demyelination of the optic nerve causes all sort of visual disturbances like double vision, low vision and all sort of vision problems.

That explains what's behind the different vision problems. you can experience with multiple sclerosis (MS). Understanding the problems that most of us – some experts say up to 95% – have with fatigue is much difficult.

The thing is that it is an invisible symptom, not like a limp or an involuntary muscle contraction.

Fatigue is what many of us know as one of those “Ghost” MS symptoms.

It is difficult to get sympathy or understanding for this type of problem, even though fatigue can be the most debilitating part of having multiple sclerosis (MS).

Being a very common complaint in multiple sclerosis (MS), the main characteristics of MS fatigue include:

1. Muscle weakness

2. Coordination problems
3. Ataxia
4. Transient deafness
5. Changes in taste or smell and
6. Numbness of the arms and legs

In a nut shell, if you have multiple sclerosis (MS) you can suffer almost any neurological symptom, including:

1. Changes in sensation
2. Muscle weakness and
3. Muscle spasms.

You can also suffer serious movement, coordination and balance problems.

There can be problems with:

1. Speech or swallowing

2. Visual problems like (nystagmus, optic neuritis, or diplopia)

3. Acute or chronic pain such a one called the MS “Hug”
4. Bladder and bowel problems.

Also you might experience various degrees of cognitive impairment and symptoms of depression"_blank" >depression or unstable mood. All are common MS symptoms.

Many MS patients are temperature sensitive. In hotter weather or during a period of raised body temperature the symptoms worsen. Most frequently, vision is affected and muscle weakness occurs.

About two-thirds of MS patients experience pain at one point or another during the course of the disease and 40% are never pain free. Multiple sclerosis (MS) causes many pain syndromes: some are acute, while others are chronic. Some worsen with age and disease progression.

Some of the MS symptoms with pain are:

• Trigeminal (facial) pain

• Powerful spasms
• Cramps
• Optic neuritis pain
• Pressure pain
• Stiffened joints
• A variety of sensations including feelings of itching, burning, and shooting pain.

Last, but not least, you should add to the list: Those terrible headaches.

Sometimes I have them for days but usually a couple of 200 mg. ibuprofen’s will do the job. If need it, I’ll take additional ibuprofen pills every 4 to 6 hours.

Other times you can feel a tingling or electric-like sensation down your back and legs when bending the neck forward or backward. The symptom is not specific to multiple sclerosis (MS) but happen more frequently in multiple sclerosis (MS) than in any other condition.

This condition is known as the Lhermitte's sign, sometimes called the Barber Chair phenomenon.

At the top of the list of MS symptoms you see that around 90% of us with Multiple sclerosis (MS) have urinary problems like constantly leaking urine, an inability to urinate or incontinence. This typically occurs before major physical disability is obvious.

Bladder problems are due to plaques in the spinal cord. If demyelination occurs in both controlling pathways, the bladder would not be able to store urine nor empty it properly.

Constipation affects about 40% of us with multiple sclerosis (MS). Bowel incontinence and urgency of defecation can also occur in about half of the patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Amongst the MS symptoms, you have to include spasticity which occurs in up to 90% of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and it can be painful and distressing. Spasticity is characterized by weakness, loss of dexterity, and the lack of ability to control specific movements. It is usually more severe in the legs and torso.

Sexual dysfunction is also common in multiple sclerosis (MS). If MS damages the nerve pathways from the brain to the sexual organs via the spinal cord, sexual response can be directly affected.

The good news here is that there are treatments and strategies available to deal with this problem. People with multiple sclerosis (MS) often neglect to deal with this side of the illness, so don’t hesitate to talk to your physician about it if you think you need help.

With so many symptoms and problems that make daily life with multiple sclerosis (MS) a real challenge I firmly believe that the most important thing to remember is that you have MS but MS doesn’t have you!

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