*Idiot*

When I saw Sally had responded to my post I just knew it was going to be "Idiot"......before I even saw it!

The 2 'biggies' for me:

1. Mobility
2. Cognitive

I've not experienced difficulties with either of the above, and I'm truly blessed.

About 8-10 years following when my neurologist predicts my disease 'onset' occurred, I got slammed with Optic Neuritis.

My first MS related symptom I believe to have been attacks of Trigeminal Neuralgia (approximately the same time that neuro guessed the MS had started).

Well I've never had total paralisis or blindness. Thank you Lord!!

You know, for those of us who still see a neuro, this is a great way to think about what sxs are bothering us at the time of our visits...to see what others experience, and then compare and contrast to our experience, brings things into focus and then we can notate with certainty what is occuring in our bodies. Every time the neuro walks in and shakes my hand and asks, "How are you?" I say "fine."

DH then says, "baloney."

Reading through what many of you have experienced, as well as what you don't, gives me a clearer idea of what I am experiencing as MS...

I thought the same thing, Kelly. Guess Sally would say "idiot" to me too. I guess I would need to see a list in order to say whether or not I've had that symptom.

I've pretty much experienced all the ones that you mentioned B2Y. Although, when I had ON it was a mild case and at the time, chalked it up to bad allergies (I wasn't dxed yet).

AMAZING! Kitty is asking a question requiring contemplation of thought without the risk of having either a right or wrong answer. Now that's my kind of question.

I read this thread with great interest the very informative variety of responses and as usual have a completely different perspective on the original subject.

In my case, not being in the medical field and "knowing everything," the one symptom I've not experienced is death. But then, I can only speak to that based upon my most current situation and the true fact even medicine can't tell me what to expect with any precision.

I submit we reframe this question, "What symptoms have you NOT had?" To include subject questions like the following:

1. What products did you NOT buy at the grocery store?
2. What movies did you NOT see last year?
3. What menu items did you NOT select at the restaurant?
4. How high is NOT up?
5. What color is NOT blue?

In all honesty, it would take me a long time to answer this question with integrity. One must take into account the disease's insidious nature, varied unique circumstances of each person's case, and the massive lack of complete knowledge involved in medical discussions on what encompasses this disease.

A valid and simple question? Yes! An easy question to fully address? No, but fun to attempt and compare experiences. Thanks Kitty as this subject thread has been informative, beneficial to the members and lurkers while fun to read.

This is from Merck Manual. I thought it was much easier to do it this way. These are common symptoms of MS. I put in bold the ones that I have had. Wait, I saw how this looked when posted and changed it to bolding the symptoms I have NOT had. lol

Nerves (affecting sensation)
Numbness
Tingling
A reduced sense of touch
Pain or burning
Itching

Eyes
Double vision
Partial blindness and pain in one eye
Dim or blurred vision
Inability to see when looking straight ahead
Uncoordinated eye movements


Muscles and coordination
Weakness and clumsiness
Difficulty walking or maintaining balance
Tremor
Uncoordinated movements
Stiffness, unsteadiness, and unusual fatigue

Intestine and bladder
Problems controlling urination and bowel movements. (Of note, I have not experienced incontinence issues unless I have a cold or some type of virus. I actually have retention and get bladder spasms occasionally.)
Constipation

Mood
Mood swings
Inappropriate elation or giddiness
Depression
Inability to control emotions (for example, crying or laughing without reason)

Brain
Subtle or obvious mental impairment (Like many of us, I have a slow process now and a few other cognitive issues. Don't know if that is what they mean by mental impairment.)
Memory loss
Poor judgment
Inattention

Other
Dizziness or vertigo

I didn't see Debilitating Fatigue on your list. Was one of my biggies, before LDN.

You know what, it didn't. That's a biggie for a lot of us and I believe it is the number 1 reason many MSers have to leave the workforce. Guess I need to write to Merck.