Hey everyone... Ok, got a situation going on here... I really suck at understanding what is a relapse and what is not...

On April 7th, I woke up and was having dizzy spells... the kind you get when you have a fever... like the all over body chills dizzy spells... (best way I can describe it..) but no fever... My fiance went to the doctors that day and got prednisone for something but did not want to take it... I know that steroids bring bad things in the long run so I didn't want to take them either. Then the next day I woke up and was so dizzy I couldn't take it... So I started taking them...

Then about a day after that I woke up to my feet tingling/buzzing more than usual... Didn't think much of it... Next day it was worse...

All day yesterday I was having trouble peeing (not a new thing for me either) just dribble dribble here and dribble dribble there... never got that great satisfaction pee....

I decided I would get in the shower and go to bed... Before the shower I sat down on the toilet to try and go pee again... this time I pushed.. Ended up sending my bladder into what I think was a severe spasm... managed to get in the shower.. by the time I was done I had to wrap myself in a towel and call for the fiance...

He came in and had to walk me to the bed. I was in so much pain I couldn't stand it. I took some AZO hoping that would help.... Luckily I have had a problem with incontinence in the past so I keep those pull up underwear around for bad days...

I put one of those on and laid down in the bed... would drift off to sleep still in pain and wake up and have to go pee... as soon as I would stand up it would come out.. no control and still horrible pain... Went to the bathroom at least 5 times in an hour.. still never getting a satisfying elimination of pee... and still pain...

Woke up this morning and the bladder feels ok... but my legs are really nasty feeling and it is up to mid-calf...

So... have any of you ever had horrible bladder pains? Should I have went to the ER?? Do you all think Im in another flare??

Its so confusing!!...

it sounds like you are possibly having a bladder infection which CAN trigger an increase in MS sx. It sounds like its time to go pee in a cup at the MDs office.

My MD says a flair is

Any new or reoccuring old sx
must last at least 24 hours with no breaks
then we have 7 to 10 days to start steroids. After 14 days the recovery rate is the same as those that didnt take the steroids.

A fever, or infection without fever appearing yet can trigger a psuedo exacerbation. Similar to what you are describing.

I hope you call the MD to get a check up.

I had similar sx as you described and my doctor put me on Bactrim. Took it for 5 days and the UTI sx went away and the MS sx also went away.

Anything.....allergies, a cold, weather changes, stress, getting overheated.....can cause your MS sx to flare up. It's annoying, yes, but once you know what triggers affect you then you can gain some control over it.

Sounds like you have a UTI....please get some meds for it before it gets worse. Hope you feel better soon!

The thing is, is that I only had that pain for 2 hours or so... then it was completely gone.. doesn't hurt to pee today...

I have problems emptying my bladder and initiating urination... so I don't really think it is a UTI... could be.. but it just seems weird that the only symptom I have had of one lasted only 2 hours...

More confusion... lol

Sounds like a UTI, to me too, Chazen. Have your Doc check it out at the lab.

Feel better soon..

The last time (and only time) I had steroids, I had to go to the bathroom a LOT. My dad told me that steroids can cause you to have to use the potty a lot sometimes. Could that have been it?

At the time, it was annoying, but I was such a happy camper that the vertigo had gone away, and I could feel my toes and I felt "so good!"

I hated the side effects tho...the whole going potty every 3 1/2 minutes, and the interesting and icky infection that girls get when using steroids or antibiotics was really sucky. One of the biggest reasons why I'll try to tough it out during an exacerbation now, rather than running for steroids.

Vertigo is the one symptom that I hate more than side effects, but it has to be really really really bad to make me beg for steroids. I havent had vertigo that bad since that last time with steroids, so far, I've been able to resist the lure of the steroids.

The pain might have been from the retention and or spasms. That's happened to me before without a UTI. You can get those AZO strips over the counter to check for infection also.

I have had several urinary trac infections that didnt get painful till they went full blown, and massive. its like after having so many that your nerves in the bladder dont do what they are supposed to do, and wont behave like normal bladders do. Its best to go pee in a cup and have someone dip it for you. That way its clearly ruled out. sometimes a sore or crack in the bladder wall higher up can harbor bacteria, and cause spasms. it wont react like a typical wiped the wrong way bladder infection. If you have urinary retention you are at much higher risk of infection.

Anytime something changes for me, from allergies, to a small fever, to fighting off the latest cold, it can kick my sx into high gear. you learn to be your own detective.

I hope you feel better soon.