I saw a new neuro a few weeks back, having moved states and not seen a neuro for several years. He ordered an MRI and did nerve conduction studies.

He told me there was no change since my last MRI and the NC studies were all normal.

My left arm however, is fairly weak and my left leg is so weak I use a cane, or rollator at times. I stumble a lot and have frequent falls, and I've broken 6 bones in 5 years from the falls I've had!

My DH has to help me into the car and he also has to help me in and out of the shower.... and to get dressed every day.

My legs crawl with "ants" at times, and my feet burn like crazy. Sometimes my skin hurts so much I can't bear to wear clothes. I self catheterise intermittently, and my bowels have a mind of their own.

The only memory I have that seems to be working is the one on my computer, and I cry for no reason at all. I get so fatigued I fall asleep in the daytime ....often within a couple of hours of getting out of bed in the mornings.

These are just a few of the things that are going on with me right now, but my new neuro says that everything is normal.......all is well........come back in two years or so!

I'm beginning to think that: as beauty is to the eye...... normal is to the mind..... of the beholder!

mainly because my neruo exam was normal.
See my current neuro dont expalin anything to me,how my exam was,and so on.

If you are RRMS, and are experiencing "new or worsening of existing symptoms, lasting longer then 24 hrs", you either have an infection going on, or are in an attack (relapse, not remission). I have had plenty of attacks without neurological change, and then a few others with DRASTIC neurological change.

Cherie

I wish you could have heard Dr. Ben Thrower yesterday. I went to a MS program.

This was brought up in his talk. He said that you can have remylenation, which I did not know!

He also reiterated what Cherie just said ab out relapses. A new sx that lasts 24 hours OR a worsening of an old sx for at least 24 hours.

I hope we have answered your question.

I was thinking about this yesterday, bird, and how it seems a lot of people don't really know how to determine if they are in a relapse or not. However, I can see how it might be confusing for people new to the disease process, as it was for me too in the beginning.

That definition has held true for me each time, although the symptoms have been quite different from one attack to another. Sometimes I have had only an extreme spinal headache lasting 3 weeks + increased fatigue, another time my entire mouth has gone numb, and yet other times I been paralyzed from the chest down. Sometimes it lasts 3 or 4 weeks, and others go on for months (with no 30 day break in between, so it's still one attack).

It concerns me though, if we don't know how to identify an attack. How can we be a good judge of how our DMD's are working for us if we haven't defined that we've had 5 attacks in the last year?

Cherie

you are right Cherie....

It really is important to know when you are having an attack....I guess the BEST rule of thumb is to call the doctor if you aren't sure....actually you ought to call the doc period if you are having more trouble or are worried.

Honestly, unless you have read and retained in your brain every symptom we could have, I can see how people might miss an attack having no idea that it could be MS related.

I think the BEST thing to do is keep an ongoing communication with your doctors....

Yeah, true enough, especially for newbies.

My doc and neuro don't know when I've had an attack until I go in with my list of events for my annual. I don't do steroids, and I don't plan on changing anything anyway, so I don't (personally) see any point in going to the doc most times.

I think I am the cheapest/most cost effective PwMS there is.

Cherie

You have made another good point...

If you don't do the meds at all, just keep a good list of sx....

IF you do do steroids or other meds, definately call each time!