The young person's guide to MS What are the symptoms of MS?
What is it like to have MS?
What are the first signs of MS?
What are the main symptoms of MS?
There are many different symptoms of MS. Some are 'hidden' or 'invisible', such as pain, extreme tiredness or fatigue, numbness, weakness, or problems affecting sight, memory or the bladder. Others are more visible and obvious, such as difficulties with moving or walking (mobility), stiffness, or speech problems.
The symptoms vary from person to person, according to where the scarring on the nerves has happened. For example, damage to the nerve that goes to the eye (the optic nerve) can cause visual problems, like double or blurry vision. If the nerves in the spinal cord are damaged this can cause difficulties with walking, stiffness and spasms in the legs, as well as bladder problems.
Symptoms can come and go and can even change on a daily basis, depending on different factors such as heat, mood, stress, tiredness or other illness such as an infection.
Nobody has, or will develop, every symptom of MS. Everybody is affected differently.
The next few pages of this book look at three symptoms that some young people particularly worry about