Does RRMS always progress to SPMS?

[bornworrier]

I was just wondering if it is at all possible to have a mild case of MS throughout one's lifetime?  I have had mild MS-like symptoms for 22 years now, without any major attacks..and symptoms which include bladder issues (frequency and feeling like I always have to go --this waxes and wanes,

sensory sensations-tingling, burning, very little numbness, pricking, feeling of liquid dripping under skin, vision issues (may have had optic neuritis right after I had the chicken pox), also some other minor vison issues like tons of floaters, weird distortions upon waking from deep sleep (goes away very quickly),

when cold fingers get a little numb quickly, same as with thighs, and when out in the cold i have pain in inner ear,

sometimes cant recall words, but this doesnt happen too often, no sexual desire.

I have not been diagnosed.  Last MRI's were 4 years ago of brain and C_spine and they were normal.  Is it possible to have normal brain and C-spine MRi's after having MS symptoms for 18 years? I also had normal MRI's years ago of brain and T-spine and normal spinal tap.

I believe I have MS because what else could it be after all these years?  All symptoms are MS symptoms, I am lucky they have all been mild.  The worst being the bladder.  It was my first symptom.    I have never had any problems walking, I can still work out fine at the gym doing strength training and eliptical machine.  My biceps and hamstrings seem like they may be somewhat weak as I am doing the exercises.

I am doing the OMS diet---Dr. George Jenelik.  If you would like to check it out the website is www.overcomingmultiplesclerosis.org.  I believe in this diet.  George JEnelik has MS, his mother had it too, and he has gone through all of the medical research and ;literature has come up with this diet plan-or lifestyle change that worked for him.  He has been on it for 10 years with no more progression and no symptoms of MS!!  There is proof in the works of Dr. Swank that a diet low in saturated fat works to stop the progression of MS.  

Anyway,  what I have found about the progression of RRMS is that it usually does progress to SPMS.  Does anyone have anymore information on this?  

Thanks for your help and taking the time to read my post.  

[jujuminx]

Bravo Shelly.  Giving you a standing ovation.

Julie

[sllowe]

Born,

Grownups know all too well that individuals are entitled to their beliefs and hopefully those beliefs lead individuals to a peaceful existence in life not matter what is thrown at them.

That said, on this forum we are the dx'd, the misdx'd and undx'd and together we get through good and bad times despite our differences.

It's wonderful the diets you mention are helping you and others.  I can assure you that no-one on this forum is about to discount anything that makes them feel better even if  it's cookies.

DMDs are helping the damage caused by MS - it's a fact, and there is proof. The concrete kind --- drawn from yrs of imaging and clinical evidence. Though decisions to try them or not is very personal and one we don't push because we understand the downsides too.

Diets have changed the course of diseases for decades, it's a fact and there is evidence.  Diabetes comes to mind, but only using one for example purposes.

Truth of this matter is that here we all help feel each other feel more comfortable w/the choices available to us. We present those choices based on facts discovered by the medical community and the sciences. We try hard to understand that but we all have our own unique levels of education and experiences.

Having said that, what we don't do however, is use the forum as a vehicle to drive over our differences with hurtful words. It's what sets us apart.  If you can, please refrain from calling members to the mat, so to speak, by using such words as mystery disease, or insinuating we don't read literature, or that we are unwilling to try things. It's simply not so, and it has caused more than one of us to become defensive myself included and the reason is this.............

My life and the life of my friends here are working hard to get through each day w/ limitations and consequences directly caused by the damage to our CNS caused by MS. I'm here because I want to learn, and I want to support those affected by this disease and/or the mimics.

We are connected in a way that only those who live the life daily can understand - it's  priceless connections.

I hope this discussion can end now with some understanding on both sides.
Thanks,
-Shelly

[jensequitur]

Personally I think it's not very scientific to claim that your diet has cured your MS symptoms, when #1 - you haven't been diagnosed with MS, and #2 - no clear evidence has been shown that diet has cured MS.  As I've said before, any low fat high fiber diet is good for you.

[jujuminx]

Again, I dreaded posting on this thread cause I knew it could potentially be a minefield.  I don't find the comments negative b/c I don't take anything personally anymore.  A forum such as this is frought with the possibilities that what you say will be misunderstood. The type-written word doesn't even come close to conveying someone's real meaning or emotion.

I am so grateful for all of you who have contributed b/c I have learned so much, even things about myself.  So, everyone keep posting if you have something to say b/c there are those that want to hear the different points of views.  Gosh, I love this forum!  

Julie

[Sumanadevii]

You are looking for hope for a disease that you have stated, "  I have had mild MS-like symptoms for 22 years".  You admit that in those 22 years you have never been diagnosed.  So what are you hoping for?  Just general good health?  or hope that you won't be given the diagnosis?  

I can give you some hope.  After 22 years I doubt you will see MS.  Surely by now the doctors would have found it.

[COBOB]

I think you might mean the Lancet.  Again, you need to read the studies.  Uncontrolled with small populations.  This is the key reason that the National MS Society says that the studies are lacking.  Attempts to replicate the original studies return conflicting results.  Once you add control populations and blind the investigators, the claims fall short.  Picking one person or one case or your personal experience is anecdotal evidence, not proof.  I'm not being negative and I'm not knocking the need for a good balanced diet.  Grass fed beef is very high in Omega-3 and the essential fatty acids.  That is a medical fact.  I would never go as far as to say you should only eat grass fed beef on an MS diet.  

What links your speculation to outcome?  Is the good diet the causality for the reduction is symptoms or relapse?  What are the false positive and false negatives in the the cohorts of the study?

I'm sure some people feel better with magnetic bracelets and harmonic whatever.  Yes, diet can help for some things: Rickets, Beriberi , etc.  Yep.  Statistically and scientifically proven.  Rebif, Copaxone and the rest of the CRABs....Yep  Statistically and scientifically proven for over 20 years.  Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids...nope, but may be worthy of study.  There have been published articles that caffeine prevented EAE in mice, leech saliva re leaves MS symptoms and amiloride (a diuretic)  protects nerve tissue.  They all need more research.  I support research into diet, but again, the National MS Society and their doctors nurses and scientists stand by the statement:

"MS specialists recommend that people with MS adhere to the same low-fat, high fiber diet that is recommended for the general population.
T
The Problem with Special Diets

While many different diets have been proposed as a treatment, or even a cure, for the signs and symptoms of MS, evidence of effectiveness is very limited. There is some evidence that a diet low in saturated fats and supplemented by Omega 3 (from fatty fishes, cod-liver oil, or flaxseed oil) and Omega 6 (fatty acids from sunflower or safflower seed oil and possibly evening primrose oil) may have some benefit for people with MS.Most of the diets that have been touted as helping people with MS have not been subjected to rigorous, controlled studies, and the few that have been evaluated have produced mixed results. Most of the claims made for dietary treatments are based on personal accounts, and the reported benefits may have been spontaneous changes that would have happened without any treatment.

Some Diets May Be Harmful; Others Are Fine

Some special diets may be harmful because they include potentially toxic amounts of certain vitamins, or exclude important nutrients. Others conform to the low fat, high fiber diet recommendations of the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society for all Americans."

If it make YOU feel better fine, but don't present this research as medical proof since it is far from proven.  This is like the miracle stuff on TV that has the disclaimer: "...has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not for the treatment of any disease or condition."