IVSM does it always give symptom relief?

[golfore]

I have had RRMS for 20+ years. I have just finished 3 days of IVSM. Should I expect my MS symptoms, numbness, fatigue, balance to improve until the IVSM wears off?

I understand that the steroids won't have any long term effects. I want to hear from those who have had lots experience with steroids.

TY.

[MrsBones]

The short answer is no, you can't expect symptom relief from IVSM....at all.

What I mean by that is that steroids reduce the inflammation so that you can speed through the actual relapse faster than if untreated. The steroids themselves are out of your system in a few days and the rest is up to whatever healing your body is capable of. Some have temporary improvement due to what I think of as steroid buzz, all that energy and just general "oomph" they give you. Some have the opposite with the negative side effects of steroids.

The upshot of all that is that when you take steroids, you can have near complete relief of symptoms when you're done, none at all or anything between. Symptoms might improve over time, thanks to any remyelination your body can manage or perhaps PT and symptomatic management, but once the steroids are done, your body is essentially on its own. You can't reliably expect anything, even based on your own past experience.

Personally, I've had one decent experience with steroids and a number of times where they did nothing but give me unpleasant side effects and a minor heart attack (a very rare combo of IVSM induced arrhythmia and existing conditions). I no longer take them and just ride out relapses.

[golfore]

MrsBones, Thanks for your response. I have a spinal cord injury and M.S.

I'm trying to figure out which of my many medical problems are due to my M.S, I've had for 25+ years, and which were caused by my spinal cord injury.

[tspaulding]

When it comes to sensory sxs, nothing may help them, or it may, we are all different. I have had numbness and tingling daily in my legs/feet for 8 yrs.

I have had problems w/ my balance since 99 and roids never helped.

Solumedrol did not help my sensory sxs nor my weak legs very much. One new neuro told me roids can stay in my system for 6 weeks, this was the first time I heard that.

I was dx RRMS almost 19 yrs ago, so I am used to my symptoms.

TC and GL