I have listed over the following pages the illnesses and symptoms I have had during my life so far before I was diagnosed with MS. I have done this in case there are other people with very similar symptoms to me, prior to getting MS.

Asthma
From an early age about 3 years old I had asthma, this may have been attributed to damp living conditions. I suffered quite badly with Asthma until I was about 14 years old. I used to go to hospital and receive treatment on a regualr basis, pre-ventolin days. When ventolin became available my asthma became much easier to control.

Smoking
Like many people of my age I stupidly started smoking at an early age and was smoking properly from the age of 14 years. What was strange was that around this time my asthma pretty much left me with the exception of allergies to some cats. I quit smoking October 2005 for about the 5th time in the last 2 years and at present am still a non-smoker. What did I smoke? Rothmans, Benson & Hedges, followed by hand rolling tobacco Golden Virginia and then Old Holborn. Between the ages of 18 and 25 I smoked 20 a day and then reduced this by changing to hand rolling tobacco. I probably smoked the equivalent of 12 cigarettes a day for the rest of the time.

Alcohol
I currently can't drink alcohol as it effects my MS quite badly. But again between the ages of 20 and 27 I really did enjoy a drink, mainly lager but sometimes spirits. Lots of parties and gigs etc. By 28 I had calmed down a lot and just enjoyed a few glasses of wine with a meal.