After peoples thoughts please.The other night my son was out in town with his girlriend when suddenly his legs gave way and he fell to the ground he then said he had pins and needles in his legs and he couldnt feel his legs as they went numb,a stranger called an ambulance and then rang my wife.I spoke to my sister and she asked what did the hospital say which they had put it down to stress of college my sister then says what a load of rubbish its Ms take him to a doctor for a 2nd opinion i said they wnt do any tests for Ms because of 1 insident i mentioned this to my wife and she said āi didnt think of thatā bearing in mind that i have Ms my dad had it and so did his mum.My question is what is the chances of a 4th generation having Ms and if i took him to his doctors would it be taken seriously or am i just being paranoid.
Take him to the doctor! The worst that can happen is you get nowhere - but sounds like youāve got reasonable grounds to at least be concerned so unless the hospital have a better idea, worth getting checked out.
I got diagnosed after one (admittedly ongoing) incident so no harm asking for an opinion at least. Better than worrying and not dong anythingā¦
AngelaGreen thanks for replying your right better to be safe than sorry.just dnt think i could put him through all the test especially a LP
If you can afford it ask to get referred to a private neurologist. They will do the necessary then probably put your son on the NHS books going forward. So annoying not knowing and GPs nowadays tend to put all these symptoms down the stress.
How old is he? Iām guessing if heās old enough to be out on his own with a girlfriend, heās old enough to make the decision himself if he wants further investigation or not. Me, I would encourage him to get checked out, but not force the issue.
I was dx after one incident too, very similar to what you describe above, but looking back there were other un-connected symptoms which had been wrongly dx and treated as a TIA.
With your family history Iām surprised the hospital came up with āstressā. What tests did they do?
I was just about to say the same thingā¦ with that many generations and history, it pays to get it checked out! My legs also choose when theyāre going to work, and occasionally when theyāre notā¦ after a couple of falls and crawling home on my knees because I couldnāt get up again one hot day, I bit the bullet and bought a walking stick, the sort that folds up and fits in a handbag. Not nice for a young chap to have to go through but better you know about it before it causes more damageā¦ and nobody can make him have any treatments he doesnāt wantā¦
Daz they can still test for MS without doing a lumbar puncture - Iāve never had one (my choice, I refused it), both neurologists that I have seen said it wasnāt necessary as itās usually done as just another piece of the jigsaw but not conclusive on its own anyway.
Also, it needs to be recorded properly because if he has another ādoā in the future that could then count as his second in time and space and will mean he gets a second line DMT more quickly. If he doesnāt see a doctor it will be just an anecdote.
Thanks everyoneā¦my son is 17 i was diagnosed at 19 after my parents being told from me being really young from age 9 as i was having symptoms then was told i couldnt have it as it wasnt hereditaryā¦he went hospital with his girlfriend as far as we understand they took bloods and an exray my son didnt think to mention MS
they would probably test for MS with the family history if he decides to have further testing done, a LP is not always required, I never had one, but they test to rule out everything so even if it is not MS, getting the tests done might mean he finds out the cause was something else or nothing at all.
hi
i just had one incident which led to my diagnosis just on the strength of one MRI and Lumbar Puncture.
my neuro listened to every word i said and never brushed anything aside.
looking back there had been signs for over 30 years but i was too busy being immature to do anything about it.
encourage him to see a doctor, say itās for your own peace of mind.
carole x
On numerous occasions hes said to me ādad you know like you and grandad have ms does it mean i willā what do you say to that
My daughter has asked me the same question. I say - āIt means youāve got a slightly increased risk, but it doesnāt mean much. Try not to worry, itāll happen if it happens but keep taking your vitamins and with a bit of luck it probably wonāt.ā That always seems to satisfy her, but then she is only 12.
Angelagreen i might mention it to my ms nurse next time i see her,i see her every 3 months, see what she says and take it from there
What does he want to do? You do not say how old your son is, but, if heās an adult, it is his decision to make. Even if he isnāt technically an adult yet, his views on the matter must surely carry a lot of weight. And if he just wants to let it go, who can say he is wrong?
It is natural that you will be concerned about what has happened to him, particularly bearing in mind your family history. But the ābetter safe than sorryā thing can cut both ways: starting a hullaballoo about whether a young person has MS is by no means a risk-free option: Iām not talking about lumbar punctures, Iām talking about a person at the start of his adult life being lumbered with a shadow of fear that might never leave him, even if he never shows another unexplained neurological symptom in his whole long life. Iām not saying it is automatically the wrong thing to set hares running: Iām just saying that it isnāt always automatically the right thing either.
I am sorry that you have this new worry to deal with.
Alison
Hi Alison my son is 17 ive not spoke to him about it or brought the ms thing up yet
Iāve always understood that MS itself isnāt hereditary, you inherit a genetic tendency to problems with the autoimmune system. (My mum has benign MS, my dad had rheumatoid arthritis, I have RRMS.) Having said that, it does sound as if MS runs in the family for Daz. I would encourage the son to get it checked out. At the very least the incident should go on his medical records.
Your family GP will know how MS has affected your family. So I see no harm in your son seeing him or her, to let it be known about the incident.
If the GP thinks a referral to neurology is appropriate, then go with that.
Pollsx
Boudica i will take him to the doctors and see what she says and will also mention it to my ms nurse
Alison what a truly sensible and inspiring post.
I would leave it alone personally, it could well have been stress and anxiety. My daughter would get drop attacks in the middle of the street, and they turned out to be a form of vertigo nothing to do with MS, but was triggered after she had bad pneumonia.
Why start worrying him at 17 if its MS it will eventually show itself. For now if he is ok, leave it alone i say. Once you say it then he will be OBSESSED with itā¦and it will ruin his life.
So i would stay quiet for now and just keep an eye on him.