Multiple sclerosis (MS) may be hard to detect in people in the early stages of the disease because symptoms that appear often disappear for a time. The Mayo Clinic states that MS is a condition in which your immune system destroys the nerves’ protective covering. This makes it difficult for your brain to communicate with your nerves. Once the nerves are damaged, it is not possible to reverse the effect. People suffering from MS can be partially or entirely debilitated, and symptoms may be started by body temperature increases. These increases also may make the symptoms worse if they are already present. Symptoms of the disease vary according to the person; in other words, some people may get some common symptoms, but not others.
Numbness and Tingling
Numbing can occur in particular parts of the body. It may affect your left or right arm or leg, or be confined to your two legs. This may be accompanied by weakness in the affected limbs. Tingling also may occur in your body parts when you have multiple sclerosis.
Visual Symptoms
There are several potential symptoms of MS that can affect vision and eyes. For example, you may experience diplopia, the medical term for seeing double images of people and objects. Your vision also may become blurry during the periods in which you have symptoms of the disease. Your vision may be impaired or be lost. The Mayo Clinic states this typically occurs in one eye, then the other, but not generally at the same time. There also is the potential for optic neuritis, a condition in which you experience pain when you move your eyes. As with most symptoms of multiple sclerosis in many people, symptoms such as these can occur, then disappear for months or years before occurring again.
Fatigue
Multiple sclerosis may cause you to become extremely tired and weak during symptomatic periods. Even if you rest more than normal, this fatigue can affect you and make you feel like not doing anything. Fatigue may even prevent you from operating at normal levels despite attempts to do so.
Dizziness
Dizziness, a condition in which you may feel as if you or your surroundings are spinning, also is a potential symptom of MS. Associated with this symptom, you may develop decreases in your normal coordination, experience tremors and walk unsteadily. When you move your head in certain ways, you also may get the sensation of being shocked by electricity.
