[Blessings2You]

I was talking with my daughter earlier, and she admitted that yes, sometimes she thinks "what if". My dad had MS, diagnosed maybe in his late thirties (?). I was diagnosed when I was 55, symptoms starting around 50-52. Who knows how long I've really had it?

My daughter is 38, and (like probably half the world population) has "symptoms". Of COURSE she thinks about it. My granddaughter is 21. My daughter suspects that she thinks about it, too, though they kind of dance around the subject.

Statistics say that John Q. Public's odds of having MS are either 1/750 or 1/1000, depending where you find your stats. People with a "second degree" relative with MS (grandparent, aunt, uncle)--their odds are about 1/100. People with a "first degree" relative with MS (sibling, parent) about 1/40. And the odds increase if more than one relative is/was diagnosed.

I have to wonder...how many people have MS and never know it? In other words, they have mild cases and dismiss the symptoms without getting diagnosed, or have it but die of something else before being diagnosed.

We can't "find" anybody before my dad that had it. But what about various uncles, aunts, grandparents who died young in accidents or of other diseases? Who'd know? Or great-uncle Lester who used a cane but nobody can remember why. Lots of people use canes--so what?

Everything about this stupid disease is a mystery, isn't it? When you read the information that's out there, and I mean the LEGIT information, you still read "it is thought" and "research seems to show" and so on. *sigh*

[Kitty]

I firmly believe my Dad had MS that was never diagnosed. He had so many other medical issues that MS was just never investigated.

Some of the sx that he had and things that he complained to me about now make perfect sense.

He had diabetes and heart problems. He had his lower right leg amputated before he passed away and never was able to use his prosthetic leg. Before that he used a scooter and a walker. I believe if he could have walked he might have been dx because his sx would have been more apparent.

My oldest son has told me of some strange sx he's had. They only happen every now and then....nothing consistent. But that's the way mine started. Looking back and knowing what I know now I can see that the strange sx I had were actually MS in it's very early stages.

Scares me to death because I'd rather my MS get 100% worse than my son to have it at all.

[SallyC]

Statistic and odds and stuff like that make interesting research and conversation, but if you have the damn disease, your chances were 100% or one in one!!

DD has it and I advised her to start her kids on LDN at puberty..

[mrsD]

You know, the author Michael Crichton? He originated the TV show ER, and he wrote Jurassic Park. He wrote in his biography that he had an episode of numbness in one of his arms in early 60's. It was frightening for him when his arm became numb and hard to use. He recovered, and never really had more incidents however. But he did do a bunch of Calif. type retreats, over the years, perhaps to stave it off? His biography is pretty interesting if any of you are curious.

He died recently, fairly young...of cancer. Back when he had his incident, diagnosis was less accurate. But he could have gone into a long remission..who knows?

[ewizabeth]

I firmly believe that is is extremely common but for lesser cases it is brushed off as something else. I believe that my mom had it and maybe my dad too. It's the inflammatory thing, and it can translate to other inflammatory types of illnesses.

My mom had type 2 diabetes and my dad likely would have too but he was very physically active in his work. Someday maybe genetic mapping or testing will let us know all of the connections or relevance of these conditions.

[freeinhou]

Originally Posted by Blessings2You

I have to wonder...how many people have MS and never know it? In other words, they have mild cases and dismiss the symptoms without getting diagnosed, or have it but die of something else before being diagnosed.

I suspect quite a few. I know I have MS - optic neuritis led to finding an answer. Other than that, I'd be stumbling along thinking that I'm probably normal... Kinda sorta... For 23 years...

Tom

[karilann]

Before MRI, many people had MS without a diagnosis.
The only way the average Joe remembered that somebody had MS is because they were "in a wheelchair". All others went unnoticed.

My great grandfather suffered from "creeping paralysis" whatever that meant.

However; I do believe it is more likely that our family members may run in packs when it comes to autoimmune diseases...not necessarily MS.

My mom's family was riddled with RA, Hashimotos, etc. Mom had scleroderma.
I have MS and my sister has Sojgrens disease. I think the little glitch is in our DNA, and it just takes some environmental or other factors to give the nasty thing a direction to take.

They say we all have Cancer cells too. Whether or not we develope cancer is subject to the same riddle.

Whatever the case, take it from a friend of mine who nearly went nuts because Huntingtons ran in his family. He drank, took risks, used drugs etc., for fear he would have the Huntington's gene. Well, all his crazy living gave him cancer.....and he died.

I will say this when it comes to your children.....have them get their vitamin D3 level checked. Its about the only possible prevention out there.

[Jules A]

Originally Posted by karilann

Whatever the case, take it from a friend of mine who nearly went nuts because Huntingtons ran in his family. He drank, took risks, used drugs etc., for fear he would have the Huntington's gene. Well, all his crazy living gave him cancer.....and he died.

.

This is so sad. Huntington's and ALS are about the only diseases I can think of that are worse than MS. I'm not sure if he knew but there is blood test for Huntington's that could have ruled him out.

I have cared for a young woman who watched her Mother pass from it, she was later diagnosed and surprise, surprise was on the psychiatric unit for a suicide attempt.

[karilann]

Originally Posted by Jules A

This is so sad. Huntington's and ALS are about the only diseases I can think of that are worse than MS. I'm not sure if he knew but there is blood test for Huntington's that could have ruled him out.

I have cared for a young woman who watched her Mother pass from it, she was later diagnosed and surprise, surprise was on the psychiatric unit for a suicide attempt.

Yeah, he knew about the test to rule him out but was too freaked out to get tested....didn't want to know in case he was "positive" for the gene

[Debbie D]

I feel that my fibro dx in '85 was actually early MS...esp since my knee doc warned me about fibro going into MS way back a decade ago...
My DD26 is so afraid of contracting MS...she lives in Wisconsin too, which has high levels in the population.
I told her, since she hates milk, to take D3 as well.

My family had diabetes T2), heart conditions, thyroid conditions, arthritis, psoriasis and my sis and mom both had rheumatic fever. I think it's a genetic thing too. I read a report that researchers think a retrogene that hasn't been used since caveman days gets reactivated by a virus and triggers MS.
Another research study recently stated that 80% of MS patients are allergic to milk, and that milk has similar molecules to meyelin, which the anti-milk antibodies then decide to attack the meyelin.

So many ideas, no real answers