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I am having some medical issues that are relatively mild but are starting to concern me. I am a male, 45 years of age living in the Northeastern US. My mother and older sister have MS, my younger does not. No other family member has MS to my knowledge.

I have been very healthy my entire life, never getting sick even when other do. I have been having some symptoms the last 4 or 5 years and it recently occurred to me that they could be MS related. Looking for thoughts from others. I don't really want to be tested but that is mostly fear of the answers.

Below is what I've been experiencing:

Have become gluten intolerant within last 10 years;
Edema in my hands, fingers, ankles, feet - greater amount depending on food and stress levels;
Hearing loss in the past couple of years.
Swallowing problems - sometimes can't swallow properly which causes coughing fits;
Bladder control problems with frequent urges and and multiple visits to the bathroom;
Extremely itchy, tingling, burning skin - specially on my back and arms. Mostly in the winter and spring. Never in summer;
Memory issues - this one is tough because I had a near perfect memory in the past;
Speaking issues - have trouble saying what I want to say. I know exactly what I want to say, but can't seems to make my mouth work;
Cognitive issues - hear words and am slow understanding what they mean. Also effects my talking - takes me a long time to say something I am thinking even though I know exactly what I want to say;
Focus issues - cannot seem to maintain focus for long on anything

What concerns me is these are all very recent issues. Most within the last 4 years. I initially attributed it to aging but have decided that is not it. I do not experience all symptoms at the same time and some only occur once in a while. The most common is the edema, which I have at least 3 or 4 days a week.

I am interested in your thoughts on this and others experiences. It scares me because I have two immediate family members with MS.

Please share some thoughts with me.

Panther123 wrote:I am having some medical issues that are relatively mild but are starting to concern me. I am a male, 45 years of age living in the Northeastern US. My mother and older sister have MS, my younger does not. No other family member has MS to my knowledge.

I have been very healthy my entire life, never getting sick even when other do. I have been having some symptoms the last 4 or 5 years and it recently occurred to me that they could be MS related. Looking for thoughts from others. I don't really want to be tested but that is mostly fear of the answers.

Below is what I've been experiencing:

Have become gluten intolerant within last 10 years;
Edema in my hands, fingers, ankles, feet - greater amount depending on food and stress levels;
Hearing loss in the past couple of years.
Swallowing problems - sometimes can't swallow properly which causes coughing fits;
Bladder control problems with frequent urges and and multiple visits to the bathroom;
Extremely itchy, tingling, burning skin - specially on my back and arms. Mostly in the winter and spring. Never in summer;
Memory issues - this one is tough because I had a near perfect memory in the past;
Speaking issues - have trouble saying what I want to say. I know exactly what I want to say, but can't seems to make my mouth work;
Cognitive issues - hear words and am slow understanding what they mean. Also effects my talking - takes me a long time to say something I am thinking even though I know exactly what I want to say;
Focus issues - cannot seem to maintain focus for long on anything

What concerns me is these are all very recent issues. Most within the last 4 years. I initially attributed it to aging but have decided that is not it. I do not experience all symptoms at the same time and some only occur once in a while. The most common is the edema, which I have at least 3 or 4 days a week.

I am interested in your thoughts on this and others experiences. It scares me because I have two immediate family members with MS.

Please share some thoughts with me.

Welcome to ThisIsMS, Panther123.

Since you asked for "thoughts," here are some of mine:

"Swallowing problems" is also known as "dysphasia." It is mentioned in the following video, as are your other symptoms:



Diagnosing and Treating Vitamin B12 Deficiency: "Everything You Want Your Doctor to Know about Vitamin B12"

I highly recommend this 50-minute documentary featuring Sally Pacholok, RN, BSN, & her husband Jeffrey Stuart, D.O. (authors of the book, Could It Be B12? An Epidemic of Misdiagnoses); Lawrence Solomon, M.D., hematologist with Yale Medical School; Ralph Green, M.D., hematologist at UC Davis; and Donald Jacobsen, PhD, at the Cleveland Clinic (Homocysteine Research Lab).

Also note: it mentions that "B12 deficiency can run in families." Was screening for a B12 deficiency ordered for your mother, your older sister, and you? Since 40% of the American population is estimated to have suboptimal levels of B12, perhaps your younger sister should be tested, too.