Interesting that you bring this up. I was under a tremendous amount of stress in the year leading up to the start of my first symptoms and the next six months leading up to my diagnosis. The stress was caused by factors other than my health. I had always been healthy and health concerns were not even on the radar at that time. In fact, I put off going to the doctor for several weeks as numbness traveled up my right arm because I was focused on the shit storm I was experiencing. I remember clearly the stress causing tremendous pressure in my head and chest almost on a daily basis.

Do you think there is a correlation between severe stress and the onset of MS? Maybe not for everyone, but for some of us? Have you read anything about this?

Thanks for opening up this discussion.

YES ME TOO!!PRIOR TO MY DX IN 2006 I STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS WALKING AND WAS UNDER ALOT OF STRESS FINANCIALLY WITH MY JOB AND ALL.PLUS I HAD ALOT OF DRAMATIC THINGS HAPPEN.I WAS MORNING 2 DEATHS THAT WERE A TREMENDOUS LOSS TO ME ONE OF MY BEST BUDDYS WHOM I DID NOT EXPECT TO DIE.I AM STILL UNDER ALOT OF STRESS FINANCIALLY WITH MY JOB BUT INTEND TO CHANGE THAT VERY SOON.I DO BELEIVE AN OVER AMOUNT OF STRESS EFFECTS OUR MS MAKES IT WORSE.

I was under stress; I was moving, had 2 young kids, stessful job, etc. However much research has been done on whether or not stress causes MS or not and it has been found that stress does not add to the cause of MS. It does however make the MS worse when stress is involved. If stressed caused it, we all would have it.

My mother. Enough said. She also contributed to my ridiculous amount of flares i had in the first couple of months before Tysabri. That medication wouldn't let you relapse even if you were blindfolded, on your knees, and had a gun to your head.

I started feeling symptoms while in the Navy. It went undetected, and I was medically discharged, and had begun my long, 4 year fight with the VA to get compensation. Plus, I was pregnant with #3, and a newlywed. My hubby was still in the Navy, and was stationed in Virginia, while I was stationed in Great Lakes (until I got out). Once I got out, we drove from Chicago to Virginia, and started the adoption process for my two older kids, plus we had to go through the hassle of putting them in school mid-year. Meanwhile, the docs in Virginia kept telling me "there's nothing wrong with you".

FOR ME, I DEFINATELY THINK THAT IS WHAT CAUSED MY MS TO REAR ITS UGLY HEAD...THE YEARS PRECEEDING THAT INITIAL ATTACK WERE UNBELIEVABLY STRESSFUL...AND I DIDN'T HANDLE THAT TIME WELL AT ALL.

Stress has been a factor in all of my exacerbations.

I have, I was a mail carrier for the post office, I had my daughter die, when she was born, and I went through 2 divorces. does this all count?