People with multiple sclerosis (MS) are sharing the ‘weird’ symptoms they’ve experienced over on Reddit.
MS is an autoimmune condition, meaning the immune system mistakenly attacks a healthy part of the body — in this case, the brain or spinal cord of the nervous system.
For people living with MS, their immune system attacks the layer that surrounds and protects the nerves called the myelin sheath.
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"This damages and scars the sheath, and potentially the underlying nerves, meaning that messages travelling along the nerves become slowed or disrupted," the NHS explains.
MS can cause a wide range of symptoms which can vary widely from person to person and can affect any part of the body. Actor Christina Applegate, who was diagnosed with MS in 2021, has been candid about the symptoms she has.
Now people are using Reddit to share their own symptoms and experiences. In a thread dedicated to raising awareness about MS, a Reddit user known as dennibaby on the forum said they were told that their MS symptoms were not ‘exactly normal’.
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They go on to explain symptoms such as double vision and slurred speech, but the way it occurred was ‘strange’.
“I would get the double vision intermittently throughout the day, lasting about 15-30 seconds then it would go away,” the poster explained. I would only have slurred speech if I was having double vision.
“The slurred speech never occurred on its own. So I would start slurring my words when I was having double vision.”
Here are more symptoms mentioned in the thread:
Numb big toe
One Reddit user said their big toe was numb for ‘a few days’ during a relapse. “It was really weird and we were laughing about it. The i went numb from the waist down and it wasn’t so funny,” they added.
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According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, numbness is one of the most common symptoms of the disease.
Wet thighs
Another person who was diagnosed with MS said their thighs would feel like they were wet, even though they were not.
“My thighs would suddenly feel wet like I had peed myself, but there was nothing there?? So awkward and uncomfortable”.
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This feeling may be linked to altered sensations, which involves feeling sensations that are not there.
Visual migraines
A third person said they experienced something their doctor referred to as ‘visual migraines’.
They explained: “Every few months, I'd go through about 30 minutes of a shimmery rainbow obstructing my vision. He just waved it off as normal.
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“I spent the next few years getting new symptoms that were just explained away. I would occasionally fall for no reason, and when I ended up in the hospital at my first known relapse, my voice was very different. Very deep and stuttery [sic]. It was very weird and scary to me. But no one else said anything about it.”
Itching
Another commenter described having an itchy back. Although an itchy back may not specifically be related to MS, sensory disturbances caused by MS can include feeling an itching sensation on the body, according to Healthline.
Unusual feelings such as pins and needles, burning, stabbing, or an electric shock-like pain can be linked to MS, according to WebMD.
Itching can also be a sign of other diseases, so if you feel unusually itchy you should consider contacting your GP.
A loose hair on the arm
Another symptom someone shared was the feeling of having a loose hair on their arm, without there actually being one.
“I am constantly grabbing for it… even though I know there isn’t a hair," one Reddit user disclosed. "It drives me crazy.”
This might also be linked what the MS Trust describes as being an altered sensation, which is a type of nerve pain. It may feel like pins and needles, burning or crawling sensations, numbness or tightness.
Pain specialist, Dr Amanda Howarth, explained to the MS Trust what an altered sensation is and how it may impact those with MS.
"Altered sensations are feelings that people have in various parts of their body – often in their legs, feet, hands and arms. They can feel like stabbing, shooting and tingling pains. Sometimes it may feel like pins and needles or a tickle.
"These sensations can be sharp, dull, constant, or they can come and go. Some people describe them as painful; others describe them as a sensation.
"These sensations are a type of nerve pain (also known as neuropathic pain). They’re caused by damage to the nerves (demyelination).
"The myelin sheath is there as a protective barrier around the nerves. When it's damaged, the nerves in the brain and spinal cord become exposed and messages can’t travel along the nerves as smoothly. Messages can be interrupted and may not be interpreted correctly by the brain."
Main symptoms of MS:
- Fatigue
- Difficulty walking
- Vision problems, such as blurred vision
- Problems controlling the bladder
- Numbness or tingling in different parts of the body
- Muscle stiffness and spasms
- Problems with balance and co-ordination
- Problems with thinking, learning and planning
Topics: Health
Gregory Robinson