Selma Blair was walking on the runway in a fashion show, but suddenly her left leg became numb. Soon afterward, she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, which had caused her unexplained symptoms for years. MS is a potentially disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord and may shorten the patients' life expectancy by 5-10 years. Anyone between the ages of 15 and 60 should watch out for its ten early warning signs.
1. Fatigue
Fatigue is not exclusive to MS, but as much as 80 percent of MS patients are fighting against the symptom, which negatively affects their life quality, employment and promotion opportunities, and social engagements. The symptoms can worsen with other MS-related illnesses like insomnia, bladder dysfunction, and depression.
2. Optic Neuritis
Optic Neuritis(ON) means inflamed optic nerve. More than 50 percent of MS patients have ON, and it accounts for around 20 percent of patients' first signs. ON can lead to blurriness, double vision, reduced color perception, or blindness, and the patients often feel sharp pain behind their eyes upon movement.
3. Numbness And Tingling
Numbness and tingling are pretty typical for MS. If it continues you'd better make an appointment with your doctor. The tingling might be signs of something wrong with your muscles or nervous system. These might be associated with MS!
4. Unusual Feelings In The Limbs
Weakness, fatigue, or clumsiness can happen to anyone. However, you should be alert when these signs persist or worsen to tingling, a loss of sensation, itchiness, sensitivity to touch, and other strange feelings like drips falling on your skin, a feather tickling on your face, or an ant biting your foot.
5. Muscle Weakness
Have you ever felt too exhausted to lift your leg or do simple chores? These signs suggest that the nerve signals from the brain may have trouble being transmitted to your muscles and making them work. Next you may experience mysterious muscle weakness, it's better to see a doctor.
6. Poor Coordination
People with MS also perform poorly when they are required to walk straight or climb stairs. They may also lack balance or move unnaturally in the early stages of the illness. Selma Blair shared in her Instagram post that she usually fell down and thought it was just for "a pinched nerve," but she was later informed that she had the incurable disease.
7. L'Hermitte's Sign
L'Hermitte's sign is also called the "barber chair sign." It feels like a weak electrical current that passes through the spine to the limbs. But it can also be subtle, like tingling in the fingertips. You may feel it when you bend your cervical spine in any direction but more intensely when you bend your neck forward.
8. Spasticity
Spasticity features increased muscular tension, resulting in muscle spasms, extreme stiffness, and trouble bending or straightening limbs. It is prevalent among MS patients and may lead to an MS hug, making them hard to move and can even cause problems with breathing.
9. Incontinence or Constipation
Bladder and bowel dysfunction should be taken note of and be reported to your doctor in time. They are common symptoms of MS and can also be caused by cancer.
10. Other Symptoms
MS symptoms can vary from person to person. The patients can also experience pain, dizziness, tremors, facial pain, muscle spasms, strange smells, altered taste, and have difficulty speaking or swallowing. If these signs reoccur and impact your everyday life, consult a doctor right away.
Source: buzzaura.com