I am like Kitty, in that my MS symptoms on a larger (number of symptoms) whacked me upside the head during a period of several months leading up to diagnosis.

My neurologist said that based on his findings (MRI, lumbar puncture results, history of symptoms) believed that I'd had the disease undiagnosed for at least 5 years at the time I was actually diagnosed.

My initial symptoms were attacks of Trigeminal Neuralgia, around 2003-2004... which is in line with his estimation (I was diagnosed March of 2008 ... 4-5 years after those first attacks).

The T.N. attacks came on for a couple months, then disappeared mysteriously. I didn't give it much thought until I hit the 'symptom pool' and got very sick to the point of being unable to work, then getting diagnosed after a lengthy period, then getting into remission to return to work.