Does MS mean i'll be in a wheelchair?? - Brain Tumors Message Board

ellekay · 09-05-2008, 04:57 AM

I hope someone out there can help.

I recently became much more aware of my symptoms when i realised that ive been getting pins and needles for yrs and yrs, numbness and more recently twitches in all my muscles. Ive also been experiencing eye pain, and blurred vision, muscle weakness and CONSTANT urinary tract infections which are killing me. I am seeing a specialist in November and unfortunity there is no earlier appt.
After reading about MS, it seems i have all the symptoms that come with it, but my question to all the sufferes out there is...

how horrible of a disease is it? and more importantly, does it cause perminant paralasis?

I am 28 yrs old and im begginning to feel a little anxious.
Should i get an appt with my doc ASAP before my symptoms worsen?

Please help me i feel so alone and scared.

Elle

Snoopy61 · 09-05-2008, 05:36 AM

Elle, I have had MS diagnosed for 22 years and I am not in a wheelchair. Not everyone with this disease will end up in a wheelchair - that is a myth.

Waiting to see a neuro until Nov. will not make a difference. Many with MS have had this disease years before it was ever diagnosed. For myself, I have had symptoms since before my teens. I was diagnosed ar 25.

This disease can range from being an inconvience to very debilitating to everything in between. Multiple Sclerosis is a very individualied disease.

Try to relax and wait for your appointment in Nov. As it is, testing can take quite some time and MS is not always diagnosed. There are numerous conditions that can cause the symptoms your having.

Delilah008 · 09-05-2008, 05:45 AM

MS certainly isn't a happy diagnosis but it isn't a wheelchair sentence either. The disease progresses so differently from person to person that it would be impossible to predict whether you (or anyone else) will ever have severe permanent disability issues over the course of their lifetime.

A lot of the prognosis doctors make is based on the kind of MS one have. Relapsing-remitting is the most common diagnosis and indicates that there is relief in symptoms and a return (for the most part) to the same abilities as were present prior to the exacerbation.

Many people on this board have been living with MS for decades and are still able to move about just fine in their daily lives.

Seeing a neuro any sooner will not really make a difference. MS symptoms progress in their own time. Unless you're currently in an exacerbation (sudden, severe worsening of symptoms), there's really nothing a neuro can do. Even the treatment for exacerbations (usually steroids) is not a guarantee that they will go away any faster.

Telling you to relax makes sense, but I know how devastating it can be waiting to find out about something like this. Deal with each day as it comes, live life, and wait for the appointment as just another thing that needs to be done. Can't live our lives waiting around for the worst to happen, can we?

Bearygood · 09-05-2008, 05:59 AM

Hi, Elle. It absolutely is scary to hear the words "Multiple Sclerosis". Many of us were in the same boat! But as you learn more about it, it will become less scary. The great majority of MSers are still ambulatory after many years of diagnosis and many who are not still lead very productive and full lives.

As Snoopy said, although this is not the case for everyone, many have symptoms for a long time before they are diagnosed. I just want to add something about your eye. There are a few eye conditions associated with MS, one very closely. While you can wait to see a neurologist, you should NOT wait to see an ophthalmologist. This is regardless of whether it's one of these eye conditions or not or how you answer the questions below. Bottom line is, don't mess around with your vision. Make an appointment with an eye doctor (an MD, not an optician) now.

- Is it one eye or both?
- Where is the pain?
- Is it worse with movement?
- If you pick up something brightly colored and look at it out of one eye at a time do you see a difference?

duttin · 09-05-2008, 08:42 AM

You Ha Ve Gotten Wonderful Advice Here.

Please Get The Eyes Checked, Visual Distortions, Blurred Vision, Eye Pain Should Never Be Over Looked Nor Ever Ignored.

This Is One Appointment That Should Have Been Made Immediatly At The On Set Of Symptoms.this Is Honesty The First Starting Point.

Please, Please Make That Eye Appointment.

Also With The Increase Of Noticable Symptoms, Your Family Doctor Can Start Getting Test Ordered, The Mri's With And Without Contrast Will Aide In A Neurologist Reveiwing Them.

A Emg/ncs Is A Big Test Used To Help Identify The Source Of The Numbness And Tingling.

These Test Are Standard And Can Be Done Before Seeing A Neuro.

Ms Has Many Mimicers And Many Drs Will Try To Rule Them Out First.

I Was First Dx'd With Ms In 1998 After A Tramatic Back Surgery,i Was 32 And Disregarded The Dx,as Being Young And After A Surgery Of This Nature I Went On Doing Well Contributing Symptoms To The Surgery And Being A Mother Of 4 Active Children, I Was Relatively Symptom Free For The Most Part Until September Of 2004 And Then Again I Basically Thought The Back Was Flairing Up,after Many Test And So Forth I Was Rediagnosed In January Of 2007.

This An Individualized Disease And Effects Each Of Us Differently,i Have Recently Been Diagnosed With A Spinal Nerve Disease Relating To The Past Surgeries And Between The 2 They Play There Havoc.

I Have A Wheel Chair,very Reluctant To Get It,but Its Here If I Do Indeed Need It.

But Its A Combination Of Both Diseases And Between The Both ,my Abilities Of Walking Distances Has Been Limited,but When I Do Need It,it's Here.

The Words Ms Are Very Scary And Many When They First Hear These Words They Do The Web Searching And Much Information In Cyber Space Is And Can Be Misleading.

Try To Relax And Realize That If This Is Indeed Ms,it's Livable And This Is A Fantastic Group Here To Help You Through The Process.

The Testing Can Be An Emotional Rollercoaster,we Are Here To Help You Through It All.