Hello all my name is Roger and im just joining this site to ask a few questions and possibly to have someone to relay my concerns to before i make an appt with doc to find out whats wrong.
Both my father and grandfather have had MS and sadly both are no longer with me but all my life i have had concerns with myself getting MS at some point or other in the future and lately i have begun to experience some symptoms which i hope some of you can help me shed some light on.
I have found myself dropping a few things over the past wee while and in the last week have smashed a plate and dropped a kettle full of water, im aware we can all drop things from time to time but this just isnt like me as i seemed to lose grip on the kettle and it just went out of my hand(wasnt hot luckily) the other things im worried about are short term memory loss, if for ex my wife asks me to do something i forget immediately what she told me or if its to get a few things from the shop i have to ask over and over and more worryingly if radio is on in car i have to turn it down to pay attention as i forget that easily, im also finding it hard to find the right words sometimes when talking to somebody and just recently find it hard to assist my own 7 yr old with homework somedays even with something as simple as adding a sum(i havent told anyone any of this so far though)
Are these symtoms and signs of MS that i should get checked out and if my doc doesnt feel the need to what then or if i get checked and theres no ‘current’ signs of anything at the time of seeing a neuro what then?
Hi, I’m no expert having only just joined the site myself, but your symptoms are so much like mine it’s not even vaguely funny. The memory loss is crazy mad - I can be watching a programme and it goes to an ad break and I haven’t the faintest idea what I’m watching. . . . I read a text, then I’ve forgot it. . . . . I open a new page on the pc and by the time the page is open I’ve forgotten what I was gonna do. . . . I have intense pain behind my left eye - with some blurring… I had a MRI scan on Sat, so just waiting for the results. ( I hope I don’t offend when I say that I found reading your post helpful - it’s kinda good to know I’m not the only one )
Well my memory loss isnt as severe as that yet but i do have to concentrate alot more when having a conversation, sometimes when the tv is on and im concentrating on it i havent a clue what someone else says unless they get my full attention.
I can see how your family history would worry you, but the genetic element to MS is fairly small and so your chances of having MS are only increased by a small amount and it is still much more likely to be something other than MS that is causing your problems. You really should get it checked out anyway. A good first step is to see your GP and to get a full battery of blood tests (including vitamin B12, a deficiency of which can cause MS-like symptoms). Then take it from there.
There’s always a chance that your father and grandfather were misdiagnosed, so don’t rush to see an MS specialist - take it one step at a time and go where the evidence takes you.
Hopefully it will just be a matter of some vitamin supplements to see you right.
Thank you for your reply and im 100% certain my father was diagnosed as having MS as i noticed all of these symptoms in him and thats why i am worried, he first got dx’d when he was in his mid to late 30’s around the time i was born or shortly after it and as i am approachin that age im beginning to think its now my turn, its rather hard to think its not genetic related when my father and his father had the very same thing.
Im still hoping its just a minor blip on the radar and ill be alright in the end but i just dont know, im scared to mention these things to my wife incase she thinks im over exagerating things though and more importantly im scared to go see a doc about it just yet incase theres nothing found on scans etc, its happened recently with pains in my knees and wrists which they can see nothing wrong but i still have the pains some days more than others. So you can see why im reluctant to do so.
There’s really little point in not finding out what’s going on. If it’s MS, then there are all sorts of new drugs since your dad’s day that might help you. You would also have access to lots of types of support to keep you fit and active for much longer than going it alone. Even if it’s not MS, there are plenty of treatable conditions that can cause serious damage if left unchecked. A perfect example of this is vitamin B12 deficiency. If untreated, it can cause extensive and permanent neurological damage which is quite easily confused with MS - but it can be stopped in its tracks by taking supplements!
If you woke up in an empty room with only one exit, but there was a sign on the door saying “Ferocious monster behind this door”, would you stay in the room and die there or would you face the monster? How bad would you have to get from lack of food and water before you opened the door?
At what point are you more likely to be able to fight the monster and win?
How would you feel if you waited until you were almost dead before you risked it to find that the monster was only two inches tall?
I completely understand why you are scared, but please tell someone how you feel. It’s the first step in finding out what is going on and hopefully fixing it.
Thanks for your reply, as for the occasional blurry vision(wasnt worrying too much about that) i went in to see my optician today and asked him to check it to see what was wrong and he said it was dry eye and gave me some drops, if that doesnt help it may be another reason but he seen nothing else untoward in behind though which was a good sign on that front.
Ill see if i keep getting my memory blocks etc in the next week or so and if its still as bad then ill go and get it checked out. Oh btw who organises an MRI should one be needed a doc or neuro?