|
Progression Causes More Symptoms |
|
Written by Jane Taylor
|
MS is a condition that gets progressively worse over time. For some people, the onset of the MS can first be noticed when these more advanced symptoms take hold, though most will have some warning signs like those listed above prior to having these symptoms.
- Fatigue: Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms of MS. Fatigue is generally worst in the afternoon. It could include any type of fatigue such as muscle weakness, sleepiness, drowsiness and mental fatigue as well. A combination of factors may be present. Fatigue is brought on without any type of cause and may happen each day or some days.
- Heat Sensitivity: Most individuals that suffer from MS will experience sensitivity to heat in some form. This can happen at any time that you are exposed to heat, but it is commonly brought on in severity with increase of heat. For example, you may experience muscle fatigue or discomfort while taking a hot shower.
- Spasticity: This is another symptom of MS that is seen in most people that have MS. In this case, muscle spasms generally happening in the legs and the arms, though they can happen to any muscle in the body. These spasms often leave the individual debilitated and in pain. In some cases, they do not allow a person to move their muscles freely and over time will interfere with day to day living as they become more common.
- Dizziness: As the disease progresses, more and more MS patients complain about the feeling of being off balance. They may feel dizzy or lightheaded. Vertigo is common as well. This is a feeling that everything is spinning around you. This particular symptom is caused by damage to the complex nerve pathways that are associated with your vision and the inputs to the brain (that are used to maintain your overall balance of sense of balance.)
- Impaired Thinking: About 50 percent of those with MS complain of problems with thinking abilities. This often means that they think slowly or have a hard time concentrated. They may have a slipping memory. A much lower number, about ten percent, of patients will have significant impairments to their abilities to carry out day to day activities as the disease progresses.
Additional symptoms of MS can occur. For example, many will experience problems with their vision (up to 60 percent of patients,) abnormal sensations will effect a variety of individuals, speech and problems with swallowing are also common. As the MS condition causes the body to deteriorate further, additional problems are seen. This includes tremors which are difficult for doctor's to treat and problems with walking. Rarer symptoms of MS include problems with breathing and seizures.
Those that may have any of these symptoms of MS should seek out the help of their doctor as soon as possible. If you have more than one of these symptoms, help should be sought as soon as possible so doctors can take corrective measures as soon as possible. |
