Michael Williamson was 16 years old when he noticed a few odd cramps one day at a cross-country track meet. His coach told him to run them out. A day or so later, he woke up completely paralyzed from the waist down.
After a lot of testing and poking and prodding, Williamson was told he had something called transverse myelitis. “I saw a lot of specialists, but no one mentioned MS,” says Williamson, now 27 and the owner of an adventure travel company in Colorado.
Push for Earlier Treatment
If Williamson had his first symptoms today, he would likely start a disease-modifying drug right away. Now, doctors tend to diagnose MS more quickly than before.
Each time you have symptoms, it’s called a flare-up, relapse, or attack. Doctors used to wait for a second bout to be sure you have MS. Since 2010, though, doctors may diagnose MS after the first flare if both of these are true:
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Symptoms of MS last for at least 24 hours. They could be as dramatic as Williamson’s paralysis, or more subtle, like an arm or leg with numbness that doesn’t go away when you shake it out. A sudden blind spot or blurry vision in one eye can be a symptom, too. (Within one to two weeks, vision often returns to normal.)
- An MRI shows changes in the brain. In MS, your system goes awry and attacks the tough sheath around the nerves of your brain and spine, called myelin. An MRI scan can show early damage here.
That means you and your doctor can start fighting MS sooner than in the past.
Hopes and Benefits of Prompt Treatment
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