When it comes to his MS Symptoms Aaron has what he would call better times during any given day and worse times. Some symptoms are always there but you can’t see them, others come and go and new ones are appearing constantly as if from no-where.

To compile a simple list is way too hard so I read through already compiled list and asked myself ‘what symptoms do I see him experience during any given day’?

Below are 11 symptom groups that I encourage you to have a read and imagine living with just one of the symptoms in a group forever – never being able to get rid of it and constantly adding a new one unexpectedly with worsening of the older symptoms …. Some days I don’t know how Aaron copes; I think his ability to overcome and just get on with it is built in from 20+ years of living with the symptoms of MS just not knowing!

1. Balance and coordination problems:
   Aaron experiences loss of balance, tremors, unstable walking (ataxia), giddiness (vertigo), clumsiness of his left leg, lack of co-ordination, weakness (this particularly affects his legs and walking any great distance). Inside our small home he can ‘bounce thru the house’ – when it comes to leaving the house if there is any distance of walking involved or stairs he requires the wheelchair.

2. Altered sensation: Aaron has had constant tingling, ‘pins and needles’, numbness (paraesthesia), burning sensations in his hands for many years, that sensation has spread to both his arms and his face. He also frequently experiences a common sensation that can only be described as bugs crawling under his skin.

3. Pain: This includesmuscle pains, facial pain (such as trigeminal neuralgia), constant stabbing sharp pains and a burning tingling pain in his head. Migraine pain and odd headaches at the least expected times.

4. Spasticity: altered muscle tone can and muscle stiffness that affects his mobility and his walking, this stiffness affects his arms and their movement, he gets frequent arm spasms with decreasing leg spasms as his mobility declines.

5. Fatigue: Aaron experiences a debilitating kind of general fatigue which is unpredictable or out of proportion to the activity. Fatigue is one of the most common (and one of the most troubling) symptoms of MS. He also experiences sleep problems and often gets out of bed in the morning tired from a restless night.

6. Visual problems: Aaron has to date been lucky and only had a few times when he experiencedblurring of vision.

7. Bladder and bowel problems: Aaron’sbladder problems include the need to pass water frequently and/or urgently, incomplete emptying or retaining.

8. Sexuality and intimacy: impotence, diminished arousal, loss of sensation .

9. Sensitivity to heat: this symptom very commonly causes a transient worsening of symptoms. It means Aaron cannot be in temperatures over 26 degrees Celsius for any extended period of time, he cannot go in direct sunlight for more than 5 mins without becoming instantly weakened and experiencing and onset of symptoms including lack of mobility.

10. Abnormal speech: More often now Aaron has a slowing of his speech, a slight slurring of words, changes in rhythm of his speech, and has experienced difficulty in swallowing (dysphagia).

11. Cognitive and emotional disturbances: As well as other symptoms in this set Aaron experiences loss of short-term memory, loss of concentration & poor judgment or reasoning. (I have a complete post on this & how it affects Aaron and our lives that I will update you with soon). A close friend that has spent many hours with Aaron has noticed what I have nicknamed the ‘many Aaron’s’ emotionally and cognitively, we experience an Aaron that is dependant and reliant and unsure, another Aaron is determined and head strong. Another can be the old Aaron talking and acting like the MS diagnosis never came into his life, and then there is the frustrated, angry and confused by the symptoms he is experiencing and the affect it is having on his family and his friendships.

    I hope this might help you understand a little more about MS Symptoms, their effect on Aaron and in turn Jacob and I in our daily lives.