This immediately made me think of something we often speak about in MSSA:
Please don’t downplay your symptoms when reporting them to your neurologist.
In fact, many people with MS do exactly the opposite of what they should. We minimise. We apologise. We say things like:
* “It’s probably nothing.”
* “I don’t want to bother the doctor.”
* “It’s not that bad.”
* “Maybe I’m just tired.”
The challenge is that by the time a message passes from patient ➝ receptionist ➝ nurse ➝ neurologist, important details can become diluted or lost.
If you tell a receptionist:
“My leg feels a little funny.”
What the neurologist may need to hear is:
“For the past 5 days I have developed new numbness from my hip to my foot. It is affecting my walking and has not improved.”
Those are two very different messages.
As people living with MS, you are the expert on your own body. Your neurologist sees you for a short appointment every few months. You live with your symptoms every single day.
When reporting new symptoms:
Be specific Be honest Describe how it affects daily life State when it started Say whether it is getting worse, improving, or staying the same Don’t minimise because you don’t want to make a fuss
Your story is data.
Your experience is evidence.
And sometimes the details that seem small to you are exactly the clues your healthcare team needs to make the right decision.
Don’t water down your symptoms. Don’t edit your story. Tell it exactly as it is. 
You’ve got this.
Team MS South Africa