Ive never researched MS until now as I preferred to be in denial about how bad it could end up. Now reading some of your posts on here - am I right to think the symptoms can vary quite a lot? Some people seem to have it incredibly bad… but this doesnt seem connected to the amount of time/progression that a person has it? So my question is does it get this bad for everyone??
Also what are the facts about this possibly being heredatory/skipping a generation?
Hi Mexi,
It’s an incredibly varied disease, and no, it’s not necessarily time-related. It’s a progressive illness (confusingly, even the relapsing remitting variety is progressive), which, in general, means people will get worse the longer they’ve had it. But rate and extent of the deterioration is hugely variable. There’s nothing about it that’s the same for everyone - except, perhaps, the uncertainty of not knowing how bad it might get, or how soon. We all have to live with that.
It is definitely NOT hereditary, and/or hereditary with skipping generations. Where there’s a grain of truth, though, is that it does tend to cluster slightly in families. This is subtly different from heredity, because although blood relatives of an affected person are slightly more at risk than the general population, there is no “MS gene” that can be passed on. The true causes of MS are not yet understood, but it is accepted it must be due to a complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors. That means people (blood relatives) who share a lot of the same genes might have a stronger predisposition towards MS, but does NOT mean they will all get it. Genes are only part of the story. You might have genes linked with a higher risk of MS, you might not. But there is no one gene or set of genes that can predict who will get it. Even if you have several genes that have been associated with higher risk, it does not mean it is your destiny to get it. Most people with the “risky” genes still won’t.
Hope this helps,
Tina
Hi Mexi I’ve just been diagnosed - after a fall I couldn’t walk properly. I’m not on medication at the moment as I’m just waiting to be transferred to neurologist’s NHS practice. I’m a little confused too at symptoms because my ‘dirty’ scan showed 10-15 lesions and I don’t know when I was relapsing or what my relapsing symptoms are. I do not suffer from fatigue. I’m 47 and I feel ok. I go to gym, I snowboard (usually on my bum) , so don’t know when I was relapsing. Like you Mexi I’m reading other experiences and now I’m thinking maybe I should be worried?? But I’m not as I think worse things can happen in life - just got to be positive. It seems each MS sufferer will have different experiences so yours will be different to mine, and others on MS forum. Not sure about hereditary - my brother has had an autoimmune disease, Lupus, since he was 16, now 32 - he’s done all kinds of things (not all good) since diagnoses and he’s still alive and living with Lupus ok.