Multiple sclerosis can be a devastating diagnosis. Although MS is chronic and there is no cure. It is not a fatal disease and your symptoms can be controlled and managed and you can live a long life.
No Multiple Sclerosis case is identical.
People experience different symptoms and different levels of severity, but what’s happening physiologically is the same. The coating on your nerves is called myelin. It forms a sheath around the nerve to protect it and allow signals to pass through uninterrupted. When you have MS, your body attacks the myelin, making little holes in the sheath. However, this prevents signals from traveling down the nerves smoothly. And delivering information to your muscles and nervous system accurately and on time.
As the nerves weaken, you may experience these common symptoms:
1. Tingling and numbness:
You can feel this sensation in your limbs and face. You may also experience muscle weakness and muscle spasms.
2. Blurred or double vision:
This is often how MS is diagnosed. Mainly because many doctors mistake vision problems for a stroke. Moreover, order an MRI, which may reveal the brain lesions characteristic of MS.
3. Loss of balance and fatigue:
Because the nerves in the spinal cord are affected, you may experience a loss of balance. And with your nerves under attack from constant inflammation, fatigue is common.
4. Lhermitte’s sign:
This refers to an electrical sensation, very common in MS patients. It runs down the back when an MS patient bends his or her neck toward the chest. A lesion in the cervical spine, or neck, causes the sensation.
There are ways to manage your symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis.
Many MS patients take steroids to manage their symptoms. And try to avoid getting overheated whether from sun exposure, hot baths, or exercise. A recent National Institutes of Health study suggests that vitamin D may have a protective effect against MS. And all new MS patients should be tested for vitamin D deficiency.
