Does my friend have MS?
She seems to have a lot of the symptoms that I've researched. She forgets things frequently. Yesterday, she seemed to be having muscle spasms and was talking about feeling like she was burning up even though we were at a cool lake. She said it hurt too much to move. She said the trees all looked like a blur. Later, she was having a hard time keeping her balance and generally just moving. This isn't the first time this has happened. She also is allergic to a lot of foods, which could be related to MS. Because of this, she has a kind of avoidant/restrictive eating disorder, which could be making things worse. She also doesn't get enough sleep. The only thing that makes me uncertain is that her flare-ups only last a couple of hours. We are also teenagers, which could mean it will get worse in the future? I wanna know what I can do for her.
I should also mention, she hasn't been tested as far I know. She doesn't know what's wrong with her. She says she hasn't gone to the doctor in a long time.
Hi,
!
First, I think it's very cool that you are looking out for your friend like this. Second, we can't provide any kind of a diagnosis, for your friend's safety.
That said, obviously something is going on in her body that needs to be addressed and I know she may not want to hear this, but the best way to get answers is to go to the doctor. MS frequently progresses without treatment, so it's important for her to get a firm diagnosis (whether it's MS or something else altogether) and treatment options.
So. What can she do? A good place to start is with her primary care doctor, if she has one. Even a gynecologist (if she has one), may be able to get the ball rolling with a referral to a GP (general practitioner) or a specialist. Some of our members have been referred by their eye doctors, so it's not unheard of to get a referral from almost any type of doctor.
She can do things to mitigate some of her symptoms, like avoiding heat and overheating, but that's just a workaround, at best, at this point.
Also, she may be dealing with any number of conditions and treatment for those conditions can vary widely. Also, if she is dealing with food allergies and restrictive eating patterns, that could be contributing to some (though not all) of her symptoms.
I would definitely gently encourage her to see a doctor. Even an Urgent Care or ER doctor may be able to help, though that can be an expensive route to take. Here are some of the diagnostic tools a doctor may use to diagnose (or rule out) MS -- https://multiplesclerosis.net/diagnosis/tools-your-doctor-will-use-to-make-a-diagnosis. Also, just to give you and your friend some idea of the conditions that share symptoms with MS, you can check out this link -- https://multiplesclerosis.net/diagnosis/ruling-out-other-health-conditions. Whatever your friend is dealing with, proper diagnosis and treatment are the quickest way for her to start getting some kind of relief. And again, you're a pretty awesome friend to be looking out for her like this.
Good luck presenting this information to her and I hope she starts feeling better very soon!
Keep us posted, if you feel comfortable doing so.
Best, Erin, Team Member.
