Anyone have or familiar with MS?

[Minnie824]

My friends and I are worried about another friend...she has been having terrible headaches for awhile. Migraine strength if not worse. She says the pain is not just in her head though, it goes down her neck, etc. And that sitting in certain positions makes the pain worse. When we meet for dinner she constantly has to shift positions to sit. This is a daily thing. She also (not sure if related) randomly lost her sense of smell a few years ago while she was pregnant.

So, why we're even more worried..her mom has MS. Our friend is in her 30's and we're just wondering if maybe thats whats going on. She's seeing a chiropractor and other doctors who haven't really figured out whats wrong yet. Is anyone familiar with MS? Is it possible thats whats going on? Any advice on what we could do to support her? Thanks.

 

[jetprincess]

The jury may still be out n this but the last I heard MS was not a genetic disease. MS can be very individualized, as it may not be the same for everyone. I know it can also go in and out of "remission" and people can have "flare ups". I knew a woman who was in a wheelchair one Christmas and when I saw her the next year, she was running around chasing her children!

Headaches & back pain - I'm not a healthcare professional but that sounds like a chiropractic issue to me. I would suggest she go to her Primary Care doctor, who in turn can refer her to a neurologist if needed. However, if it is a spinal problem, the neurologist will most likely be interested in treating the pain (cortizone, spinal blocks etc.) Depending on the situation, it probably won't fix the problem though. They will probably want to do an MRI for diagnostic purposes too. Have they done this yet?

Chiropractic care is only sometimes covered by insurance but it is so worth it!

Again, I could be completely off base here! Please do not take medical advice from Dis'ers as absolute!! We are all willing to share the info and experiences we have but she needs to keep talking to professionals (maybe even a few) to get the answers she needs!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I am close to someone who is similar to your friend, whose mother is afflicted severely with MS. As long as I've known her, she's been worried sick about getting MS herself and is convinced with every unusual ache and pain that "this is it". She's gone through lots of testing on many occasions, and so far, she's ok, thankfully. But no question, it's caused a lot of anxiety in her life.

OTOH, I know someone who went to the doctor's for what he thought was a simple eye problem and it turned out to be MS. That was many years ago and he's yet to have any other symptoms.

It's natural for your friend to be worried about it. My suggestion would be for her to discuss her worries with her primary care physician - repeatedly if necessary (as well as to see her PCP for her current headaches and pain). There may be something he or she can say that will help alleviate some of the worries she has at this time. (It happens for me with my oncologist. Having had cancer in the past, I worry sometimes. But she has a way of helping me distinguish what I should and shouldn't worry about and I usually leave my visits feeling better if I'm worried.)

The one thing I would suggest you NOT do is to brush off her fears. That doesn't cause them to go away, it only causes people to stop talking about them, then they can become bottled up inside and can lead to depression and isolation, etc. You don't need to feed into them, either, just listen and help guide your friend to a realistic place re where she is right now.

Thanks for being a caring friend.

 

[kimblebee]

I have had MS for 12 years ( diagnosed at 22). I've never heard of headaches being part of the symptoms that one can experience. In Canada the chance of your child having MS if you have it is only around 9% greater than if you don't have it. Like other posters have said, I suggest they follow up with their doctor.