My sister was just diagnosed with MS last week (4/7/09) and was in the hospital for 6 days. It was a sudden onset, no symptoms in previous months or years! She is only 31. A week before she was diagnosed she started out with numbness in her feet, and every day it would get worse and keep moving up to her legs all the way up to her waist. She always ignores symptoms, so kept putting it off, finally it went into her abdomen area, and was starting to have a lot of aches and pain. She figured she may have had a slipped disc in her back or something, and went to her chiropractor, he said usually that is just one sided numbness, she was referred and sent to the ER. They did an MRI, as the doctor thought she had Guillain-Barre Syndrome due to classic signs and symptoms, or Transverse Myelitis, which the next day they were going to do a spinal tap! After the doctor read the MRI, he came in her room and informed her she had Swelling and spots on her brain and spinal cord, and a spinal tap was not necessary as she has MS, we were all devastated. She was given IV Steroids for 5 days, and then released, there has been no change what so ever, she has to use a cain to walk. (what little she can stand as it is very painful) and also has blurry vision. So to answer some peoples questions, It can be painful. Right now it is just a waiting game to see how she is going to get along. It is in a progressive active stage right now the doctor said. It is so hard to deal with because she is the mother of 3 wonderful children, a 1 year old, 8 year old, and an 11 year old, and she is the best wife, sister, daughter, and aunt, that anyone can ask for, and is not only my sister but my best friend! We are just praying to our wonderful Lord that she will come out of this or at least be able to deal with it.
