Am I going to have ms?

To say I’m scared is an understatement. So my paternal grandmother had MS and really didn’t keep well. She had 3 children, two with the same man and one previous to that. One of the two to the same man is my dad. About 10 years ago my dad was diagnosed with MS. Its been hellish. Hes declined very rapidly, and watching him decline has been terrifying. A few years ago, the second brother to the same man, my uncle, was also diagnosed with MS. Hes also declined very quickly. I am now petrified every single day that I too will end up with the diagnosis. Any time my legs feel wobbly or I stumble slightly I get really distressed. I now have my own daughter (non bio) and for her sake I need to stay healthy and I feel like theres a cloud hanging over me. Am I likely to get MS? I’ve tried researching it but theres not a lot of information online that makes sense to me. Any help appreciated!

Stop worrying women; MS IS NOT HEREDITARY. You probably have something like 20 relatives going back to your gran; what about the unaffected ones. The only problem you have is the age-old anxiety of what colour hat you will wear to your daughter’s wedding. George

George, really, how did you come to the conclusion that this anon poster is female?

Sue

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As George rightly said, MS is not hereditary. There are a whole load of factors that combined may cause a person to have MS. And don’t forget, only half of your genes come from your father.

Have a look at Risk of developing MS | MS Trust This explains the average risk of getting MS depending on your close relatives with the horrible disease.

It’s bound to worry you, having both your father and his brother develop MS and for each of them to have a rapid decline. But to put the risk into context, having an identical twin with MS (so absolutely identical genetics) only gives you a one in five chance of also getting MS.

The other thing to consider is the massive advances in medical knowledge and drugs now available. 85% (ish) of people diagnosed with MS have the relapsing remitting version of the disease. This then means that they have access to 13 different (ok some are different varieties of the same drug) disease modifying drugs. Which means that even if you did develop MS, the chances are that you’d have the RR type and thus be able to avoid the relapses which cause the damage leading to more severe disability.

Try to relax about the possibility. The chances are you won’t get MS. And worrying about it isn’t going to alter that.

Sue

a bit of advise I got years ago from a friend about worry he described it as riding a rocking horse sit on in the morning and your still in the same spot in the evening

There is another saying…be careful what you wish for… worrying about what may be is a pointless exercise. Enjoy your daughter and your life. Life is fragile enough non of us know what is coming our way. MS is not classed as hereditary. As it is an auto immune disease there is a higher risk but doesnt mean you will get it. My grandfather had parkinsons and my father lupus, out of the large family i come from not one of us has had either. I believe my MS came from auto immune attack by all the vaccinations i had in the forces and then stress loaded on top. We all get wobbly legs and stumble you are simply looking for things which i think is way more dangerous. Like george said there are a lot of relatives in between your gran and yourself. Please if you are really anxious you need to talk to someone otherwise this could consume your life. like i said enjoy your daughter and the days you have. what will be will be.