I first discovered I had a lot of “pseudo flare ups” when my MS nurse suggested I might have a UTI (urinary tract infection) Indeed I am very prone to UTIs but I had had no symptoms. No pain, no burning, no irritation no frequent urination. Sure enough that’s what it was and now I permanently have a supply of antibiotics on hand and dip sticks to test my urine if I’m suspicious. , Many people with MS suffer from chronic UTIs so drink plenty of water as a preventative (at least a litre(quart) a day or 2  in hot weather), and seek medical help as soon as an infection takes hold, to prevent a full-scale launch of MS symptoms. Personally it often takes a while for this to dawn on me as my UTI is asymptomatic but I get there in the end !

“Did you know that people with MS must also contend with pseudo flare-ups? Well we do. As if getting use to the real thing isn’t enough pressure to deal with, we quickly find out we must also contend with the false-positive nature of MS.”

Frequently an infection of any kind can trigger what is known as a “pseudo” or “fake” flare up but there is nothing “fake” about the MS symptoms. Furthermore it seems common that infections are asymptomatic, (apart from the MS symptoms) It is important to get to the root cause or causes so that your  symptoms can settle back down again.

For instance stress is a well know cause of exacerbations or “fake” exacerbations. I find that if I have a run in with my former husband you can get bet I will have a pseudo flare-up and if I’m on holiday in a hot climate you can be sure I’ll have a pseudo flare-up but that usually ends as soon as I’m in and air conditioned environment or have found another way to cool down.

You can read a bit more on Jen’s Hub page here http://hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Distinquish-Between-a-Real-Flare-Up-and-a-Pseudo-Flare-Up

I’d love to hear your comments on what causes a pseudo flare-up for you

Kath

Related posts

• Does Stress Play a Part in MS Relapses? (0)
• The Next Challenge to Understanding Multiple Sclerosis (0)
• Pain in multiple sclerosis part 2 – Neurogenic pain (4)
• Could Early Symptoms of MS Be Stratified to Give Better Targeted Multiple Sclerosis Treatments? (0)
• Breastfeeding and multiple sclerosis (0)
• What is Multiple Sclerosis (MS) ? (0)
• Using a Functional Electrical Stimulation Device to Improve Dropped Foot in People with MS (0)