Is Your MS Better When You're Sick?

[dyin_myelin]

I've read that being sick can trigger an MS flare, but my friend confirms that I do better cognitively when I have a cold. I get them frequently at work because I kneel down to talk to my students. Right now I feel like a healthy person who has a head cold. I also seem less symptomatic that other people who get sick, maybe because my temp never goes above 96?

[SNOOPY]

Hi dyin_myelin,

No, when I get sick my MS becomes much more symptomatic. Getting sick doesn't necessarily cause an exacerbation but what is referred to as a pseudo-exacerbation. My temperature has always run lower, ranging anywhere between 92-96.

[hunterd]

when I get sick, my symptoms are magnified tenfold at least! And not just one or two symptoms, but all of them !

[KoKo]

Is Your MS Better When You're Sick?

No - my MS symptoms increase with a vengeance.

Because of this, I have become a true germaphobe now (which I don't enjoy one bit).

Take care

[Cat Mom]

I HATE being sick, I so rarely get sick, sometimes can go the entire year without getting sick (watch me get sick just for saying that lol).

However, when I do get sick, I get really sick. My every day MS symptoms SEEM better by comparison to the symptoms of what I'm sick with! Also my MS symptoms are mostly the same all the time so I get used to them vs. sickness that hits you like a ton of bricks, then completely go away.

Maybe you're experiencing this?

Jen

[Mamabug]

dyin_myelin

Hi dyin_myelin,

No, when I get sick my MS becomes much more symptomatic. Getting sick doesn't necessarily cause an exacerbation but what is referred to as a pseudo-exacerbation. My temperature has always run lower, ranging anywhere between 92-96.

As Snoopy says, getting sick could cause a pseudo-exacerbation, where you have real symptoms, but it's not a real flare and the symptoms will disappear as soon as the trigger is gone.

In my case, sickness will trigger a real flare, not a pseudo one. It certainly doesn't improve my MS symptoms or my cognitive abilities.

[jreagan70]

Not only are my symptoms noticeably worse when I'm sick, I've had a couple of colds that turned into full-blown true relapses about a week later.

[newbie but goodie]

My symptoms are way worse when I am sick but strangely enough when my WBC gets too low from my DMT, I feel great.

[Kimba22]

My symptoms are also much worse whenever I get sick, and because of my heat intolerance, even a slight fever can trigger a pseudo relapse. (Like SNOOPY, my "normal" temperature tends to run lower.)

... but strangely enough when my WBC gets too low from my DMT, I feel great.

Me, too. Felt great, even though mine were crashing. It came as quite a surprise when I ended up with sepsis and endocarditis.

[KevsLuv]

Worse

The 1st time I got sick after my diagnosis I didn't understand what was happening! I had strep throat and became unable to walk more than 10 steps. It was the worst I have ever felt.

I have gotten milder illnesses since then and each time my MS seems to be a little worse than normal.

I also felt decent though my WBC was super low!

[kmathis]

I got a terrible cold a couple months ago that turned into pneumonia a couple days later.

While sick I noticed some of MS symptoms seemed to improve cognitive function, balance, muscle cramping. Other symptoms seemed worse, fatigue and depression mostly.