Age At First Symptoms/age At Diagnosis? Posted: 06-21-04 11:53am
My understanding was always that ms
usually hits by the time you are 30, so as
I got older, I thought I was okay. I have
just turned 41, and never had any
symptoms. I recently experienced optic
neuritis. I have no other symptoms, and
the doctors are saying that it could be
random -- if I have any other symptoms,
they will do mris, etc. My father had ms,
and his symptoms started in his mid-20s,
and he was diagnosed about 10 years later
-- I think it was more difficult 30 years
ago. My neighbour had her first symptoms
when she was 17, but I don't know how long
until she was diagnosed.
I am just wondering at what age people got
their first ms symptons, and then at what
age they were actually diagnosed?
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litekpr2
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Years Between Symptoms And Diagnosis? Posted: 06-29-04 00:10am
Ms is such a variable illness that there
is no standardized reply to your question.
I was not diagnosed with ms until I was
41 myself. Thinking back, I remember one
incident of symptoms which "could" have
been a symptom of ms but could also have
been a symptom of half a dozen other
things. Usually if the symptoms come
before a diagnosis, they are attributed to
other common problems. The only symptom
in my past that I can think of that
"might" have been due to ms was a severe
episode of vertigo; I had to lay flat on
the bed as every time I even barely moved,
it felt as though my mattress was tipping
and I would fall off.
I got someone to take me to the er (such
was my insurance at the time) where they
merely diagnosed me with an inner-ear
virus which of course could cause the same
vertigo problems. I didn't give them a
second thought once the initial episode
cleared up. The symptoms that my doctor
did give a second thought to was an
episode of total numbness in the entire
right half of my face, including scalp,
eyeball, skin, inside mouth and down the
throat, ear... Everything on the right
side. This was probably at least 10
years since the vertigo incident, if not
more.
I think the general line of thinking now
is that a diagnosis will most likely come
between the ages of 20 and 40, but that is
by no means hard and fast. I've read
where teenagers have had symptoms, and
then people over 40 (like myself) are
diagnosed for the first time, too.
I've read where optic neuritis is very
often the first symptom presented in a
case of ms. I have never had it (and i'm
so thankful) although during one of my few
exacerbations, I had to endure double
vision. I believe the disease was much
ignored even as recently as 15 years ago
because the medical technology just did
not exist to confirm or rule out ms. It
seems to me that the mri is the most used
test to make a diagnosis from, and yet
mris were not invented yet 15 years ago.
I do know that the earlier you are
diagnosed and go into active treatment,
the less permanent disability you are
likely to have. I am surprised that your
doctor is not taking your situation more
seriously, given your presenting symptom
of optic neuritis plus your family
history.
|
Mehra66
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Posted: 07-02-04 00:25am
I was 17 when I first started noticing I
wasn't normal. I had frequent fainting
spells, but I wrote it off as just low
blood sugar or something.
After I turned 21 is when I got hit hard.
I thought I was going blind in my left
eye. It kept getting darker and darker
untill I could not see. So I went to the
eye doctor and he suspected m.S., so he
reffered me to a doctor who reffered me to
a neurologist. I had an mri done and they
found I already had three good sized
lesions. But it wasn't until I had a
spinal tap done that they confirmed I had
m.S.
So I was diagnosed at age 21. That was
only two years ago, but at least I know
what is wrong with me now.
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