Fatigue
Fatigue is the single most common complaint in people with MS. It is often one of the most debilitating of all possible symptoms. It occurs in as many as 80 percent of people with MS and interferes with most activities of daily living. Fatigue can be associated with an increase in activity, but it can also appear without cause. Although most people look normal during episodes of fatigue, they feel unusually exhausted. Fatigue generally surfaces late in the afternoon when body and outside temperatures rise. It often subsides in the evening when temperatures fall. It can also occur after periods of intense activity, such as after a long walk, and is often relieved by a cooling down period and rest.Sometimes, low energy in MS patients can be due to depression, which needs to be treated differently than does fatigue.
Sensory Symptoms
Symptoms that affect sensation are often the first to appear. Numb, tingling, tickly, itchy, or tight-band feelings occur because the myelin in the nerves responsible for the sensory pathways from the spinal cord and brain are damaged. These complaints occur in 20 to 55 percent of people with multiple sclerosis (MS).Numbness may be experienced on the surface of the skin, including the face. There may be a decreased sensitivity to light touch or a pinprick, or it may be much deeper, such as the inability to feel a toe or a finger being moved. People with MS often describe a feeling similar to a belt being tightened around the arms, legs, or trunk. Another complaint is that of an electrical sensation that travels down the back and sometimes into the arms or legs when the head is bent forward. This is also known as Lhermitte's sign.
Heat Sensitivity
Small increases in body temperature may activate old symptoms or cause new ones to emerge (called Uthoff's phenomenon). Body temperature typically rises when the body is fighting an infection, the temperature outdoors is high, or during exercise. Some people with MS notice changes in energy after sunbathing or taking a hot shower or sauna. Symptoms are usually temporary and usually improve once they cool off and their body temperature returns to normal.Psychological Effects
Cognitive and emotional changes may be related to the stress of being ill or the direct result of lesions located in thinking areas of the brain. More than half of all patients with multiple sclerosis experience changes in thinking, memory loss, difficulty in processing information, and mood swings. Forty percent of people diagnosed with MS report mild problems, and 10 percent, severe problems. Many physicians inexperienced in diagnosing MS often dismiss cognitive and emotional symptoms as "psychological." This is more likely to happen to women than men. But clearly, cognitive problems frequently occur in MS patients as a result of brain lesions.Pain
Pain can have many causes and take on many forms. People with MS may experience pain caused by muscle spasms, cramps, and injury to sensory nerve fibers. Some people experience excruciating facial pain on one side that feels like a knife stab. Increased sensitivity to touch and tight muscles can also cause pain. Not all pain, however, can be attributed to Multiple Sclerosis (MS). People with MS still have normal aches and pains of everyday life, including headaches and joint pain.(published with permission in writing from:http://www.multiplesclerosis.com)
