Arm weakness father with ms, should i get tested

Hello there,

I was just wondering if I could ask you wonderful lot about my possible MS symptoms.

Just before I start I just wanted to let you know a little bakground on me first if thats ok.

Well I am a 29 year old mother of 2 wonderful boys, my father has ms so maybe my concerns stem from that but i will let you all be the deciding judge on that one.

So for the last few days I have noticed in my right hand that i can’t quite manage to hold a fork properly, i know that sounds strange but that is the only way that i can describe it, it almost twists in my hand. Yesterday the sensation was the same in my right hand. I have never ever had upper body strength to the point that I struggle to do one press up, but the last few days even more so than usual, also my arms just feel weak and a little sore when I for example stir to the dinner for too long in the pan, it almost feels like my muscles have done a work out!

My memory is totally terrible, to the point that I was trying to describe a film to the mother in law today that i watched 2 nights ago and i could not for the life of me remember the story line, I had to stop talking all together and really picture it to remember.

For the last few months my 10 month old boy hasn’t been sleeping well so 2 to 3 times a night i am up and down so I was thinking tiredness but I am sleeping during the day so I can’t imagine it to be that.

Well to cut long stories short I want to go to the doctors but i’m afraid firstly incase he just shrugs it off as nothing and thinks that im being silly, and secondly because im petrified of getting ms.

Can anybody please share some light on my situation please.

Warm regards

Gemma xx

Just to let you know that i am a worrier so please be kind! xx

Just to let you know that i am a worrier so please be kind! xx

I guess there is no way that anyone on here could tell you whether this is likely to be MS or not. Like so many of us here, you have symptoms that could possibly be ms related, but could also be related to a lot of other things. But I do think you should see your doctor - your GP might spot something straight away that you’d never even thought of (maybe trapped nerve in arm etc), or they might organise further investigations. Either way, it is definitely a good idea to go and let them know you are having a few problems.

I can completely understand why, having MS in your family, you would be ‘petrified’ of developing the condition yourself - I imagine a lot of people would be. I did read that if you have a first degree relative with MS you have an increased risk of developing the condition yourself. BUT -the info I received from the MS Trust said this risk is still quite low - only around 1 in 40 (my maths is crap, but I think this is somewhere between a 3% and 5% risk factor)

That is not to say I think you are being silly, and nor would any doctor - if you have symptoms you think might be linked, go and see the doctor. They will honestly not tell you you are being daft!