Hope you don't mind me joining you.
When I was 18 I had a few weeks of very strange "happenings" I started to trip up a lot, lost the use of my hands, so much so I had trouble writing, my speech became really poor and after several tests and hospital visits, I was told I had neuritis which would never go away, just get on with your life. And that was that. I was never told what caused it, how quickly it would disappear and whether it would ever come back. I did as told, got on with my life, worked, got married, had two lovely children, carried on working, noticed the "Tingling" in my legs and hands over the years, but just ignored it.
In 1997 I was refused critical illness cover and when I asked my GP why, he looked very uncomfortable and said "Erm,.... you have MS" I laughed, told him to stop being ridiculous and get the correct notes out. He showed me the letter from the hospital from all those years ago, which said "Patient has MS but I have not discussed this with her or her mother!" Cheers guys. Looking back, maybe that was the right thing to do, who knows how I or my family would have reacted. For the sake of completeness I had a brain scan which confirmed 3 scars.
I am now 45 and during the last few months been under enormous stress caring for a close friend who is terminally ill and since summer have noticed that I have been having some symptoms, which the neurologist says are due to a relapse in MS.
At weekend my right arm went numb from the elbow down, my right leg is almost as bad, I've tripped up, dropped plates, been so tired I've almost fallen asleep at my desk.
I guess what I'm asking you guys is, do these symptoms I am describing amount to the MS that I have managed to ignore and deal with for so long? I suppose I know the answer, but having been symptom free for so long, I'm just struggling right now.
Thanks a lot
Sorry - I didn't realise my name wouldn't come up - my name is Gillian - I'm in the UK.