25 thoughts on “At what age did your first symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) present themselves? Please do take our poll”

1. old person deseise my ass!

2. was diagnosed end 2011 after doctors finally referred me to neurologist as I couldn’t and cant feel lower legs and feet. did have optic neuritis in early 1990’s  but no link made

3. I had my first major symptom at 23 and was diagnosed when I was 24. I am 26 now. When I tell people that I have multiple Sclerosis i usually get “but your so young” I then try to explain to them that I am at the prime age of developing the illness.

4. I was diagnosed 2013, spent 4 months in hospital with it, came out in a wheelchair and now hobble about with a stick. My biggest issue at the moment is trying to get my driving licence back off the dvla due to m.s. my doctor and neurologist won’t help so what do I do now?

5. I was Dxed when i was 18. I lost my eye sight my hearing in my right ear i couldn’t walk barley swallow. Missed prom cause i couldn’t walk all my friends i grew up with left me as a friend cause i couldn’t do whatever it was thet were doing. My goal was to walk across the stage to get my hs deployment. ! It was scary and still is.

6. i was diagnosed with MS in Nov, 2013…i had first clear symptom in july when i had an attack and my whole right side of body went numb..i went to docs but no one was certain what is happening and in nov i officially got diagnosed with MS

7. I was four when ms started showing up. My doctor dismissed me as a “clumsy child” I spent my childhood and teenage years always falling with sprained ankles and fractured bones. I passed out several times in school and the doc told me that I was over working myself. he didn’t listen to me until I was 20. thats when he sent me to an ent then from there a mri and then finally to a nuro. I faced three different possibilities (brain tumor, Lyme disease, or ms). on my 21st birthday i had a lumbar puncture and two weeks later i finally got my diagnosis. my mri showed over 10 different lesions.

8. while i was diagnosed at 61i am sure had symptoms way before then. we all have hindsight as to when we think MS started, just not the actual yes this is what you have!!

9. Mine began when I was 26…I had gone to two different Dr’s for back pain. They found nothing. I had some optic problems over the next few years and just thought it was allergies. I became pregnant with my son at 30 and had numbness in my right hand that wouldn’t go away. people just said “it’s probably the way the baby is laying. When my son was born my left leg started tingling. I went to a nero doc and said I needed an MRI. It only showed one lesion. I disregarded it and didn’t believe my diagnoses of MS. I continued to have symptoms much like Fibromyalgia so I assumed they made a mistake. I began falling in my 40’s and had problem with balance. I went back to the Dr. and began Copaxone. I really began to have problems and felt ill and had multiple infections. The shots were leaving huge knots under my skin (rock hard) the Dr. switched me to Rebif. I then experienced heart issues…thought every day I was having a heart attack. I got off and read lots of books. The MS RECOVERY DIET has really helped me. I also do water aerobics 5 days a week. Love it. I feel so healthy now and symptoms have slowed  a lot!! I will never let them give me any more meds. I think they ruined my immune system. I’m now allergic to..wheat…sugar…dairy…caffeine and many other things!! So embarrassing to eat at peoples homes.  I hope this info helps someone that is having the same issues!! God bless each of you on your journey!

   • marshapennartz  

     Hallo, pls tell me what is ” MS Recovery Diet, as I am also a  MS patient since 2010.

10. I was FINALLY diagnosed after years and years of symptoms and feeling as though I was chemically imbalanced. My docs figure about the time the MS really started was when I reached 21. I was officially diagnosed at 28….it was a long long 7 years of torture and fear of the unknown.

11. I was diagnosed with RRMS when I was 40 years old . It took 10 years to get the diagnosis. I was so relieved when they finally figured out what was wrong with me, but also so scared and pissed off that I have to have this monster on my back. I’ve calmed down a little since them. I’m on Copaxone for 8 years now and doing fairly well, Compared to some others.

12. I first think my first symptom happened when I was 15 or 16 after i went into a steam room/sauna at a presidents health club. I got very dizzy and dehydrated i had to get help walking to the pool to cool off.

13. my son was diagnosed at 15 after presenting with stroke like symptoms.He is 26 now and is having more probs because gov says hes not disabled enough for any benefits.go figure right.

14. I was just diagnosed with MS this last December at the 37 years old. I can’t walk without a walker and have had 4 flare ups this year. I can’t work anymore and I am a CNA. I can handle all that is and will happen to me, my son is just a little unsure.

    • sarah jane 1976 That is the worst part, watching your family deal with the disease.  My kids aren’t concerned really right now (but I am doing really well right now) but my husband knows all that is happening and it’s hard to watch him try not to panic.

15. When I find that I had MS my age was 31 yrs old

16. My husband collapsed on me one night. He subseqently passed a month later. The day after he fell on me I had trouble walking which continues today- 3 years later. When my symptoms worsened 2 years later and I fell out of bed knew I had MS. My MRI showed my brain lesions and incidentally lung cancer.

17. Was in my early 20’s when I first started experiencing what I now know to be symptoms of MS; I wasn’t diagnosed until age 53 when symptoms became so bad I couldn’t ignore them anymore; by this time I had 8 lesions. In some ways I am glad that I wasn’t diagnosed earlier as although there were bad health times not knowing I had a debilitating disease kept me from limiting myself.

18. I was 50yrs old when a really big problem from my ms occured.  I have problems walking now, can’t work because I am a floor nurse by trade.

19. Symptoms started for me 2 months after I turned 18, when I was 500 miles away from home at my first semester of college. I ended up in a wheelchair for two weeks totally freaked out and unsure of what was going on. Now I’m just past 21, after being diagnosed about a year ago at age 20. It’s kind of a relief to know what’s been wrong with me the past few years but I still feel robbed of my youth.

20. I was diagnosed at age 55 but for years before I would say things to my Dr about my symptoms and she never mentioned it may be MS and so never thought about it. I just never knew why things were happening to me. I think more GP Dr’s should be more aware of the disease. I am Canadian and there is not enough out there to help us.

    • I am Canadian as well. There is not enough support or information. And most MS Clinics at the hospitals deal with RMS, or RRMS and not Primary Progressive MS or Secondary. I’m told it’s because there is less they CAN offer and little more they can do. It’s disheartening.

21. Age 5.  Suffered complete paralysis.  Of course in 1976 they didn’t test children for MS.  Had a spinal for meningitis which of course came up negative.  Now the records have been destroyed so we can’t even see the test results!

    • Heather Hoag I know what you mean about them not testing children for MS in the ’70s. I had balance problems and vision problems that cleared up on their own, so the doctors treated me like I’d been making up my sx.