| Since the discovery of multiple sclerosis, doctors | | | | long-term physical effect. It is more generally known |
| have found it difficult to diagnose multiple sclerosis. | | | | as the feeling of "pins and needles" or of a limb falling |
| The reason is simple. Let us take the US as an | | | | asleep. |
| example. According to earlier numbers, there are | | | | >>> Impaired vision - Patients describe it usually as |
| about 400,000 people with MS. Newer numbers talk | | | | mist in front of their eyes or double vision. |
| yet of 500,000. Put this in relation to the number of | | | | >>> General fatigue - It is very common that |
| doctors in the US (more than 812,000 already in the | | | | patients have been tired for months and years and |
| year 2000) and you can imagine how often doctors | | | | complain of low energy. |
| ever see MS patients. If the chance is so low, how | | | | If these symptoms appear and come together, it is |
| should the average doctor be able to diagnose the | | | | time to think of multiple sclerosis. |
| symptoms correctly? | | | | If in addition the following two symptoms appear, |
| It gets still more difficult as the initial symptoms are | | | | >>> insecurity |
| very subtle and unspecific. Talking to patients and | | | | >>> lack of staminaboth while walking and these |
| searching the Internet, we discover that in many | | | | sensations come and go then the diagnose "multiple |
| cases it takes years until certain symptoms of | | | | sclerosis" is almost sure. Because of this, it is |
| disease are diagnosed as MS. This leaves a huge | | | | unnecessary to think that MS might be diagnosed too |
| number of people either untreated or unnecessarily | | | | late. |
| wrong treated. | | | | Nevertheless, there is something to consider. Most |
| It is shocking that although multiple sclerosis has been | | | | physicians including neurologists see very seldom a |
| known for more than 140 years medical science | | | | patient with MS. Because of that, many have little |
| keeps groping in the dark for the cause of this illness | | | | experience in diagnosing multiple sclerosis if at all. That |
| and is still unable to diagnose it early on. | | | | is why there is a lot of information on the Internet |
| However, there is a surefire way to find out whether | | | | that it took a long time, in some cases even years |
| it is MS or not without all modern hi-tech medicine. | | | | until MS was diagnosed. |
| There are certain early stage symptoms that make | | | | Who observes the symptoms mentioned above and |
| the diagnosis easy: | | | | if they come together, is well advised to consult a |
| >>> Paresthesia - It is a sensation of tingling or | | | | neurologist and ask him or her to be tested for MS. |
| numbness of a person's skin with no apparent | | | | |