THE SYMPTOMS
Dear Multiple Sclerosis, when you imagined how much you could take away from a person, WHY did you have to take away Bread/Carbs too?
- MS Warrior’s
Initially I had an image of MS. It had a wheelchair and a positive attitude. My childhood role-model (Babs) had MS and was a force to be reckoned with. She has MS and battles it with grace, passion, and an incredible fire. Although I only recently learned that what was visible to the average person was not an accurate depiction of her true MS journey. She has no wheelchair, but she is still deeply affected.
I have described the journey of MS as “Uniquely Unpredictable”. I say that because each persons symptoms and outcomes are unique to the individual. The progress, process, route, and pace are all unpredictable to a certain extent.
However, what I didn’t realize until AFTER my diagnosis and extensive research is the EXTENT to which MS can attack every minute, primary, graceful, taken-for-granted movement you have. It’s an evil disease, only a cruel psycho-path would imagine to torture it’s victims with. Most of the symptoms are only obvious to the individual, but just because it’s not visible to you, does not mean it’s not real for me.
Here are the top Symptoms someone with MS could experience:
Fatigue**. Not sleepiness. Out-Right complete & total exhaustion. The #1 symptom of most people with MS.
Walking Difficulties**. It’s as if you’re drunk when you’re 100% sober. Tripping, Slipping, Falling, Swaying.
Limb Control Issues**. Like your arms & legs had a massive workout and weigh a ton, but you can’t remember the last time you went to the gym.
Difficulty in the Dark**. Placing yourself in space at night, in the dark, or with your eyes closed is tough. Swaying, balance issues, and trouble with overall stability.
Spasticity. Twitches, Kicks, and Spasms. Oh my.
Numbness & Tingling**. The sensation of your “foot falling asleep”, all up and down your arms, legs, and/or face.
Vision Problems. Double, Blurry, Blindness…
Word Recognition**. Verbal word recollection and/or written work recognition.
Dizziness. The world moves around you while you sit patiently and stationary until is passes. It’s the spins on steroids.
Bladder Issues. Feeling like you need to use the restroom all of the time or it’s immediately suddenly an emergency.
Bowel Movement Problems**. Feast or famine. That’s all I am saying.
Cognitive Difficulties. Forgetful, Spacey, Blank Stares.
General Pain. Overall discomfort and nerve pain from nerves misfiring.
Swallowing Problems. Sometimes chewing and swallowing is a Herculean task.
Heat / Cold Intolerance**. Not only are extreme temperatures uncomfortable, my body suddenly lacks the ability to regulate my temperature effectively.
Speech Problems**. Stuttering, slurring, forgetting words.
Emotional Changes. Potential for laughter and tears at inappropriate times.
Itching**. An itch that can’t be scratched enough. Sometimes resulting in scarring from over-itching.
Tremors. Uncontrollable shaking.
Breathing Issues**. Like asthma… but worse.
Hearing Loss. huh? sorry. I missed that. Can you repeat it?
Ringing in the Ears**. Oh the ringing. Like a dog whistle of doom.
Sound Sensitivity**. Loud noises, shouting, a lot of mixed sounds all at once are overwhelming and can induce the ringing / balance issues. Fireworks, Loud Music, Yelling… are just the tip of the iceberg.
Sexual Problems. With all of the above, intimacy can be a lower priority or desire. Sometimes the changes in overall sensation are new territory to overcome.
Headaches. Like my brain is banging every drum and pan while playing ACDC on blast in the middle of a fireworks finale.
Seizures. Small, silent, slips, fainting, un-responsiveness, space-out. All types of seizures that are less noticeable but very real.
Gluten / Wheat / Grains Intolerance**. So suddenly Pizza, Sandwiches, Pasta and Burgers are the enemy too. It can cause discomfort and similar issues to someone with Celiacs disease. Difficulty with digestion, low energy and slowed metabolism are all potentials.
** = MY PERSONAL SYMPTOMS
Long story short. If it’s a bodily function you enjoy, or take-for-granted, or assume is inherent to adulthood… MS can take it away.
How you view the changes, gains, losses, recoveries, and overall road bumps in the journey…. that’s up to you. You could easily dwell upon the potentials, the unknowns, the risks, the future/current challenges. Or you could CHOOSE to give yourself the mercy, grace & permission to approach each change as it comes. I don’t have most of these symptoms. I may NEVER get some of them. I could only get a few of them. However, each persons symptoms are at the mercy of the lesions. Where the lesions are, size, recovery, treatment, etc.
Wheelchairs, Canes, Oxygen, Service Dogs, etc could all be in my future. However, we are better off focusing on the portions of the nightmares that are within our control. The diet, the exercise, the recharge, the dr. apts, the treatments, the attitude….. Everything else (not in our control), is just peanut butter (great in theory, terrible when you think about [eat] it too much).
Charlotte Raejole