Frustration

[Spydre]

I'm on day 16 of this flare. I've seen the doctor this past Monday and she doubled my Elavil. I also came down with a UTI at the same time. When I saw my primary doctor on Wednesday he said I was very early into it, that I had "just a bit" of an infection, and he gave me antibiotics.

The flare started 5/13, I saw my MS doc 5/23. Monday and Tuesday were pretty bad days - and Monday being gone from the house for 4 hours didn't help (my MS doc is in St. Louis and she was behind, plus I had to get a blood draw). But after that I started feeling better with the increase in Elavil. To the point the day before yesterday I was thinking this thing might be close to being over.

It was a little worse yesterday, and I was having a lot of the "ms hug" symptoms. Today, I was okay at first, felt a little more pain after my shower, but not too bad. But then after sitting down and dozing, and watching a soccer game, it hit big time. It's nerve pain in my skin, and when it hits like this it feels like I've scraped or have a sunburn. I've never had this during a flare before, only when I get a fever. I think I'm going to have to call my MS neuro on Tuesday, and hope that she's in the office. The switch in my medications can't come soon enough.

[SNOOPY]

Hello Spydre,

When having infections such as a UTI, a virus, flu, overdoing it, heat or cold...as examples, you can get what is called a Pseudo-Exacerbation.

When the infection, virus, flu, ect. improve you will usually see an improvement in MS symptoms or at least go back to what is normal for you. Pseudo-Exacerbations are self-limiting.

Is a Pseudo-exacerbation what you are dealing with rather than an exacerbation (relapse, attack, flare-up)? I don't know but it was my thought since you do have a UTI.

It might be a good idea if Tuesday you get re-checked for the UTI. If the UTI is still there more than likely that is the problem. If the UTI has resolved then contacting your neuro would be a good idea.

The below URL is from The National Multiple Sclerosis Society and explains exacerbations. On the left hand side you will notice information about Pseudo-Exacerbations:

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/abo...ons/index.aspx

[Spydre]

Actually, I did start having symptoms of the UTI until AFTER the exacerbation was diagnosed, and week and a half after the exacerbation started. It was coincidental timing. The UTI was light enough that my doctor only prescribed three days of Cipro, but put a refill on it, and I'm taking the refill just in case (its not my first UTI since MS). I haven't had any symptoms of the UTI since Thursday. Which is why the sudden increase in symptoms concerns me.