I have the early symptoms (numb fingers and toes, unsteady gait, fatigue), and there doesn’t seem to be any other illness that fits. But MS (multiple sclerosis) is notoriously hard to get diagnosed, typically taking 1-3 years. That is because the multiple part is key, and apparently around 50% of people with my symptoms just have them for a while, and never again. Meanwhile my brain scan came back as normal, whereas 90% of MS sufferers will show lesions. Possibly all this simply means I am attentive and responded to the symptoms earlier than most people. One third of sufferers avoid the doctor (and a diagnosis) until they are very bad. Many also choose to not have treatment.
Because I tend to lose scraps of paper and my organisation skills are poor, I’m noting the following down here.
December 2021 – saw the doctor for dizziness upon standing. Doctor said it was nothing to worry about, and it went away
December 2023 – all the symptoms arrived. I tripped on the kerb and some stairs. Balance and footwork are primary skills for me, I never make such mistakes. So these stood out. Then I started noticing that walking in a purely straight line was difficult sometimes. Very much like drunken weaving. Fingers and toes numb. Fingers numb enough that I could drop a piece of paper and not notice, and typing made my fingers ache.
The symptoms ebbed and waned. On a trip to Europe they were completely gone for a few weeks. Then they returned in April/May 2024. The fatigue is interesting… I had chronic fatigue around 2008 and it was devastating at the time, but I learned to live with it, and it faded away to some degree. It arrived after glandular fever and people with MS seem to have all had glandular fever previously, they are connected.
The fatigue was extreme, almost paralysing, on three occasions so far. A family Xmas gathering, moving house, and when my Dad died. I was embarrassingly useless during the first two, when I had important tasks to do.
From what I have read, stress can be a trigger for MS attacks. So avoiding stress seems to be important. No more family members are allowed to die!
Although I have been very keen to pre-emptively attack this malady, and read many books, the (perhaps) solution came via serendipity, from just wandering around a library I had just joined. Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis was prominent on a shelf. Glancing through it, it seemed like the type of new age rubbish I tend to avoid – eat healthy, take vitamins, meditate, exercise and think positively. Still, I read it, and it turns out it is written by a prominent doctor/scientist who has MS and did a deep dive into all existing research to try and cure himself. And did. I have a good BS detector, and this guy is – my opinion – the real deal. I am not a cancer sufferer clinging to the hope given by a guru. Everything George Jelinek says rings true to me. So I am on board, taking it seriously, trying to end this before it gets a foothold.
- No dairy
- Nothing with saturated fat above 1% (goodbye pies and pizza)
- No meat (I will allow myself lean chicken and beef on the odd occasion)
- Lots of oily fish (I already did)
- Mega doses (5,000IU) of Vitamin D (I was already on regular doses)
- Sunshine
- Exercise
- Flaxoil (20 mls)
I have thrown in some “life extension” pills for good measure NMN, Vitamin K and statins.
In retrospect, in recent years (especially while single) I had exercised less, been in the Sun less, and eaten more than ever pizza, sausage rolls, pies, pork and lamb, ice cream, chocolate and yoghurt (which was new for me, ironically for health aims). So if these are what you avoid to end MS, they would seemingly be what kicked it off for me.
The good news is that the lifestyle and diet changes are all positive, regardless of whether I have MS that will progress or not.
Here’s hoping.