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Hello,

I have a question for you about MS symptoms and stages. I have had MS for more than 14 years now and my legs always seem to feel weak and clammy/cold. I use to have exacerbations that were well defined and then got better after about 3 months. The symptoms I have now seem to get a little bit worse or a little bit better but they never just stop and go away altogether. This has been going on since June. Is my RR MS changing into something else. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Alicia

Alicia wrote:Hello,

I have a question for you about MS symptoms and stages. I have had MS for more than 14 years now and my legs always seem to feel weak and clammy/cold. I use to have exacerbations that were well defined and then got better after about 3 months. The symptoms I have now seem to get a little bit worse or a little bit better but they never just stop and go away altogether. This has been going on since June. Is my RR MS changing into something else. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Alicia

Alicia,

It seems that your MS is indeed changing. To what is difficult to say because everyone is different.

Can I presume that you have been examined in the past by a MS doc and have some base line data to compare with your current situation? That would help to see what progression your symptoms may have taken.

Harry

I have been examined by MS doctors many times over the years. I have noticed lately that I do not fully recover from exacerbations and that some symptoms like the leg thing don't act like a regular exacerbation. They are kind of like a constant that fluxuates. I am not very familiar with more progressive forms of MS because I have not had to deal with it. The whole situation makes me sad and nervous. I have been successful at hiding my MS from most people all these years, but now that is getting more difficult. I have noticed a change in my walking. People at work sometimes give me a second glance as I walk by them. I am pretty tired of trying to hide my MS from everyone. It would be a big relief for me to tell my work, but at the same time there are lots of cons that go with that.

Thanks,

Alicia

Alicia wrote:I have been examined by MS doctors many times over the years. I have noticed lately that I do not fully recover from exacerbations and that some symptoms like the leg thing don't act like a regular exacerbation. They are kind of like a constant that fluxuates. I am not very familiar with more progressive forms of MS because I have not had to deal with it. The whole situation makes me sad and nervous. I have been successful at hiding my MS from most people all these years, but now that is getting more difficult. I have noticed a change in my walking. People at work sometimes give me a second glance as I walk by them. I am pretty tired of trying to hide my MS from everyone. It would be a big relief for me to tell my work, but at the same time there are lots of cons that go with that.

Thanks,

Alicia

Alicia,

Your situation pretty much sounds exactly what my wife (passed away 2007) went through for several years in the work world.

After an initial severe attack when she was 21, her symptoms went away with very little residual effect on her. A weakness in one leg and frequent uriniation at times.

She went some 20 years with litte progression but then her legs started to become weaker and weaker. She only told her immediate superior about the MS and nobody else. But as the legs got worse, the stumbling increased and of course others around her started to notice. People start to fill in the blanks without really knowing what the real problem was and they had her with a drinking problem!

Finally, she had to disclose her situation and soon after had to go on long term disability. She had to quit the job she loved...a manager in a hosipital criitical care unit. You will know when the time is right but I would encourage you to at least tell your boss about your situation. It isn't easy and I wish you the best of luck.

Harry

HarryZ,

I am sorry about your wife. Thank you for sharing your story with me. I appreciate it.

Alicia