A question

[gpersiani]

Here they tell us it s the sickness that mostly affects Young adults and in this blog most people claim to be 65-70 and having been diagnosed a few years ago. How come??

[jimeka]

I was 54 when dx but the doc reckoned I had had it about 20 years so what do they know. I had been to the docs 8 years prior to being dx, but no joy. I was dragging my leg which they said was due to a fall off my horse, so I would say I was 46 before I saw any symptoms, but wasn't aware that it was ms. Cheers Jimeka

[Jesmcd2 CommunityAmbassador]

gpersiani lm beginning to think there is no age limit. I was dx last yr n l turn 51 next month. I think with more technology and more ppl involved that the Dr's are changing the way they think.

[Michael1961]

I wasn't diagnosed till I was 53 but in retrospect i've had symptoms since my early 20's. Never had an MRI of the brain before now.

[JeenaRae]

I was dx 1 month before my 21st birthday! It was 2/29/2000 a leap year. I will never forget getting the all back from the neurologist confirming the MRI results. There are also a fair amount of young adults in the infusion room that I have met when I get my meds.

[mayestas]

I was diagnosed in my early twenties no symptoms other than Vision and tiredness at the time when I hit my forties walking issues began

[FrancesPeterson]

Sometimes it takes awhile to be diagnosed with MS. I had my first flare up when I was five. I couldn't walk for a year. But I wasn't diagnosed until I was 47 years old. During the course of my life I had flare ups (legs weakness, fatigue, headaches, and hard to walk). It took many years and tests to find out that I had MS.

[erash]

I had first symptom (foot drop wit fatigue ) at 29 but was misdiagnosed. MS diagnosis at 48. My first + MRI had MANY lesions

[Hidden]

I was dx in December of 2015, I am 44 years old. Most people I have been linked up with seem to be between 29-47 when they were first dx. I have also been told a lot of people have suffered symptoms for years not knowing what was wrong with them, therefore they are somewhat older when eventually dx!

[wewall3]

When I had my first severe symptoms, (TN) the modern, diagnostic tools had yet to be invented. I didn't fit the MS "profile" which was very prevalent in the early 70's (I wasn't female, nor was I in my mid - 20's yet.) Other symptoms which developed over time were "annoying" at onset, so I just blew them off. I didn't think there was any real relationship between them since nothing ever seemed to happen at the same time. So - when I would get bouts of Trigeminal Neuralgia it would get misdiagnosed as a bad sinus condition, get "treated" and (thank you RRMS) go away! Misdiagnosis confirmed. I didn't know any better. I got dx'd when the "annoying" symtoms got worse, joined up with the TN and started ganging up on me. I got all the modern tests, had a neuro that didn't believe in the "profile" of an MS sufferer and nailed it. I had my 1st TN attack at 12 and got dx'd @ 48.

[normwithms]

I to had symptoms in the early 70s but just blew it off. Nerve damage from electric shocks, foot ball game was a little rough, heat stroke, leg feel asleep on long drives, brain tumor or any number of things. Paralysis would only last for a few hours and I could always tell when it was going to happen so I would just go somewhere by my self until it passed. When the symptoms kicked in more often and a little worse in my 30s I was married with kids. Health insurance was a 1/4 of my pay and insurance liked to claim preexisting conditions just to jack up your rates and not pay the doctor. I needed to keep my insurance on my family so I never went back to a doctor that showed the slightest interest in my health. In 2008 I thought I had slipped a disc in my back so I went to a sports medicine doctor. Who knew he would diagnose MS and send me to a neurologist. So much for my sorted tail. I wish you good luck and I hope the cure will come soon for you.

[mik48]

MS is some thing that is not under stud and most Dr. don't come a crossed the differnt symtems.so the pass it to a nother Dr.

[Bygonelines]

I have had MS since my late teens but was not DX'd until I was 48. Lot's of reasons. No insurance till I was in my late 30's. Then doctors said it was all in my head or because I was overweight and my mom had MS so obviously I couldn't have it. Yeah, right. Finally found a doc in 2012 who would listen to me and believe me. Ran a ton of tests, sent me to a couple of neurologists, and then I was DX'd with RRMS. Wish I would have been DX'd earlier.

[Sukie427]

When I was diagnosed at 57, I was shocked. I, too, had thought that MS was a young person's disease and questioned the dx. The doctor showed me the MRIs and the lesions on my brain and spinal cord. He told me that he would like to do a spinal tap to confirm the dx but I refused. I thought it very ironic that for someone who has always been terrified of anyone touching my brain or spinal cord for any reason, here I got, so much later in life, a disease that attacks exactly those parts of the body! I really thought that I was alone, having gotten it at this stage of my life. But after I was diagnosed, I began to learn of others who had MS and also had gotten it later in life. I don't know why, and I don't think that science has come up with an answer, either. All I can say is that my doctor was a lot kinder and smarter than poor Jimeka's; my dr said that how long I live and how the disease affects me is not known because it depends on its progress which nobody can predict. He then told me to go out and live my life as best I could; as it progressed, he did keep bugging me to stop working because my job was very stressful and stress is Enemy #1 for MS , but I refused until I myself realized that it was time to hang it up. My MS specialist also told me to stop horseback riding and I refused and it is still my #1 therapy. So once again, I agree with Jimeka--what do they know?????

[RobertCalifornia]

I wasn't diagnosed until I was 58, but the neurologist told me I probably developed MS 20 years ago. I have met many young people in their late 20's or early 30's and had been diagnosed 10 years earlier. MS seems to be an equal opportunity disease.

[Fancy1959]

Hello gpersiana, I am Fancy1959 and I would like to welcome you to this wonderful chat room and the family that is evolving around it. I was diagnosed when I was 53 but the neurologist estimated that I was fighting MS for some 10 to 12 years. I, too, agree with RobertinCalifornia. I think MS IS an equal opportunity disease that hits young and old alike. Perhaps you simply hear more from the older age group as we have dealt with MS and life longer and are use to speaking our minds either from years of work or life experiences. It matters not what age you are or how long you've been fighting this dreaded monster you have to believe that together we are stronger! I would like to invite you to join us as an MS Warriors and fight against this dreaded disease with us! Fight on MS Warrior, fight on!

[Royjr]

Well I think younger people with MS don't have the time or patience to read and post in this blog. I'm 53 and sometimes I get busy or just tired to post. Most are still working and don't have the time. They don't know what they're missing. This have been so helpful and informative, I'm glad I found it.

[Pbargal in reply to Royjr]

You and me both Royjr this sight is the best sight I have found for ms and I don't feel so alone.

[agapepilgrim]

gpersiani I am 70 and was diagnosed on 6/16/2016. In answer to your question? I am told I have had it since I was 17!!! So, yes I did get the disease at a very young age. Contrast brain MRIs were not given back then to teenage girls you had temporary blindness in one eye. The doctor at that time said it was just nerves. It went away after a few weeks. I was recently tested for nerve damage in my eyes, and sure enough at one time I had optic neuritis becuase I have nerve damage in my left eye, and practically blind in that eye. All my health symptoms since that age - brain fog, severe neck pain, falling, imbalance, tripping down stairs, leg pain, hand tremors, burning tongue, migraines, chronic bronchitis, low grade bacterial infection, recurring pneumonia, blacking out for up to 2 hours, low blood sugar, low blood pressure, low thyroid, and other stuff I can't remember - all diagnosed as other diseases, syndromes (mainly fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, copd), NOW it has all been MS!!