Call it a flare-up, an exacerbation, an attack, or a relapse. Whatever you call it, it’s not something you expect. When you have relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS), you can go days or years without major changes in your symptoms. Then, suddenly, things change.
You’ll work closely with your doctor to feel better. You can also reset your schedule to take special care of yourself. Exercise, stretching, and relaxation can help you manage MS symptoms — and they boost your mood, too.
Symptoms of a True Flare
Here’s how to tell if you’re having a relapse of MS, when the illness is active again:
- You develop a new symptom of MS. For example, you’ve never had vision problems before, and suddenly you can’t see clearly out of your left eye.
- A regular problem gets worse. Maybe you’ve had some numbness in your left leg before, but now you can’t feel anything below your knee.
- Your symptoms last for 24 hours or longer. A relapse means a change in your brain, called a lesion. “If a symptom lasts less than 24 hours, it’s something transient that’s not related to a new lesion,” says Edward Fox, MD, PhD, director of the MS Clinic of Central Texas.
- Symptoms level off after a while and stop getting worse.
MS flares can last days, weeks, or even as long as a year.
“Then they usually do improve, but recovery can be quite slow,” says Bruce Cohen, MD, of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. You may recover completely, or you could have some permanent loss of function or sensation.
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