I was wondering how many of you have a history of MS in the family? I have RRMS and my mum had PPMS. I was told before my diagnosis not to worry it won’t be MS because mum has it uuurrmmmm you lied Mr Dr ha
I am always being told that it isn’t hereditary and both my sisters are fine I have two teenage daughters and have recently found out that hubby has close relatives with MS also, poor sods great gene pool ha ha:)
I have read a lot on the subject so just want to know about any one with close relatives who also has MS
Ummm…yes and no. Family history, yes; close relative, no.
Prior to diagnosis, I had no idea anyone in the family had ever had MS (if I had, I might have suspected a lot sooner).
After diagnosis, I learnt one of my father’s aunts had it - i.e. my grandmother’s sister. So not close, but I don’t think it’s blind chance, either.
About 1 in 5 MSers has another case in the family (which means the majority, 4 in 5, don’t).
Hello there,my mother is half Oirish has Lupus,was diagnosed 20 years ago but has been in total remission for 8 years.As the crowning glory we’ve both got red hair.
Hi there, I have RRMS and my mum has SPMS. My mum had her first symtoms at the age of 34. I was diagnosed this year at the age of 37 but also had my first symptoms at the age of 34. I do worry about my two girls and give them vitamin D supplements every few days, as my tablets are 10ug, so quite strong. My aunty (mum’s sister) has rheumatoid arthritis and my dad has coeliac disease (gluten allergy), so lots of autoimmune disease genes in our family. Think I have read that vitamin D has a role to play in the development of the immune system (but don’t quote me on this). Think I read something once in MS Matters. I also take other supplements but at the moment only give my children the vitamin D. Don’t want to overload them at such a young age (7 and 8). Just try to make sure they have a half decent diet.
I was dxed 5 years ago and they have said its likely my Mum has it too. She had optic nuritis years ago, and stills uffers with pain in her eye when she is unwell or run down. She also gets random pain etc… my neuro said he wouldnt scan her as shes gone this many years without knowing that it wouldnt make any difference.
The thing about it being on death certs is a funny one. Mom was in a care home and there was an investigation into her sudden death (not on our request as we knew it was what she had wanted for years)
I can’t remember the ins and outs but they didn’t want to do a post mortem; they where saying however that they couldn’t put ms as a cause of death as it couldn’t directly be responsible and she had no illness prior to death.
Eventually we were given the neccesary paperwork and when we went to register her death the registrar said MS was an acceptable reason for cause of death and didn’t query it at all.
We have lil old me with ms and my mums brother. Same side of the family with the ginger gene. But my mums mum had 10 kids and my dads mum had 11, all maried with 2 kids or more and various gran kids. Only two of us with ms.
Oh yes, my mother, sister, aunt, niece all had a diagnosis of MS and several others back in history with a diagnosis of creeping paralysis (which is an old term for MS). Then there is me (now SPMS) plus my son and daughter who both have symptoms and arenundergoing investigations so effectively in Limboland (I think they both have it). Then I also have a great niece in the same situation as my children. I agreed to being in a clinical trial that collected blood for gene analysis so hopfully am doing something to help.
and my mum says that her mother went through a period in her 40’s when she was very unwell and had to use a wheelchair for a while. Not sure what that was about… but maybe one of those clinically isolated episodes… who knows…
Interesting what you say about your grandmother! Mine (the one whose sister definitely had MS) seems to have been admitted to a sanatorium for some reason, as a young woman, but nobody knows why. Possibilities that occurred to me were: “unwanted pregnancy” or “tuberculosis”. I think stigma would have attached to either, at the time, so the person likely wouldn’t have discussed it.
But since being diagnosed myself, I’ve wondered whether she had MS, or an MS-like attack. Although she lived to a ripe old age, and wasn’t disabled in any obvious way, I never really think of her as having enjoyed good health, either. I’m not sure what was up with her. I wish she or my dad were still around to ask.
