Paying attention to what your body is telling you is important to living a healthy life. When your body aches or is doing something out of the ordinary, it is usually telling you that something is wrong and you need to figure out what it is. This is especially true with multiple sclerosis. There are many symptoms that can point to multiple sclerosis that can come and go for years. This means that you may not be diagnosed with MS for years and your body will already have gone through a lot and there could be irreversible damage. Paying attention to what the early symptoms of MS are can get you treatment earlier on in the disease. This can slow down the progression of the disease as well as lessen the chance of a flare-up of symptoms.
More than 85% of MS sufferers have the type of MS that is called relapsing remitting. This is when the symptoms come and go over time. This is why MS can be tricky to diagnose. People will feel an odd symptom and think nothing of it because it goes away. They do not go to the doctor because they brush it off as nothing. Many of the symptoms that can point to MS can also be caused by other diseases. You should always go to the doctor if you feel anything odd that is not normal in your body. A doctor will be able to perform the proper tests in order to see if you have MS or something else.
There are many different symptoms to look for as an early sign of MS. Some of these include: loss of balance, weakness in an arm or leg, numbness, blurred or double vision, thinking problems, clumsiness or a lack of coordination. These symptoms are usually not something a person normally feels unless they have a pre-existing condition that they know about and are expecting these symptoms. You should go to your doctor if you feel something out of the ordinary so you can get treatment as early as possible.
When you have had MS for a long time you can develop a disability. Getting treatment early on can decrease the chances of a person developing a disability. This is because taking medications soon after your first symptoms cuts down on how many times those symptoms come back. Disabilities can still come in the long run, but people who have taken medications for their multiple sclerosis are less likely to develop one over the short-term compared to those who did not.
Many people wait until they have symptoms more than once to get treatment. Studies have shown that starting MS treatment before it is even diagnosed is the best way to have a full life where MS symptoms do not take over. This is because permanent damage can happen in the early stages of MS, and getting treatment earlier can prevent that damage from even happening. Many of the drugs that are prescribed for people with MS target their overactive immune system. These drugs will slow your immune system down so it stops attacking your nervous system. Telling your doctor your symptoms may alert them to a possible MS diagnosis and they can start treatment before they even begin tests for MS. Some choices for early treatment medication include: Bataseron, Rebif, and Avonex. Betaseron is given to MS patients every other day via injection under the skin. Rebid is a beta-interferon given under the skin. Avon is another beta-inferno that is given once a week via muscle injection.
There is still medication for people if they have a late diagnosis of MS. Although they do not prevent damage like the early treatments do, they still can ensure that the symptoms do not have a flare-up. These are called disease-modifying drugs and they will help you have fewer relapses in the future.
Even though going to the doctor for a symptom that came up very randomly and went away seems trivial, it could be very beneficial. Getting treatment early for MS as well as getting an early diagnosis will help you get medications and treatments that can slow down the progression of the disease. It will also help ensure that you don’t have any relapses of symptoms and will make it less likely that you develop a disability in the early stages of MS. Be aware of the early symptoms and talk to your doctor about treatment as soon as they start.