Flares?

[Wendella247]

Hi!  I'm new here and earlier this month was given a diagnosis of MS by a neurologist here in the Phoenix area.  I'm been lurking and reading all over this site and love what I see in support, information, understanding, etc.

I still have to post a history of my situation and how the dr. came to my MS diagnosis, and it's a long story that I'm still working on (my hands have been affected, so it's not easy to type long passages.)

So, for the moment, I just have a question.  When one discusses flares and how often they occur, what would qualify as a flare?  I'm sure this is an over-simplified question and will probably require a lot more explanation on my part, but for now, any tidbits for me?

[Wendella247]

Thanks for this response--especially the article.  I'll have to admit it's all a bit daunting and confusing!  I'm working on my "story!"

[Quixotic1]

This might help, too.

http://www.medhelp.org/health_pages/Multiple-Sclerosis/Relapses--Pseudo-Relapses-and-Remissions/show/372?cid=36

Quix

[essdipity]

Hey! Wendella. Welcome!

A flare, attack, exacerbation (same thing) occurs when new symptoms appear or when old symptoms get decidedly worse. This must last 24 or more hours, not necessarily non-stop. Some doctors put this at 48 hours.

It's often hard to tell what's a flare and what's a pseudo-exacerbation until some time passes. The pseudo kind remit once a trigger, such as being in a hot bath, is removed, but it isn't always instantaneous.

Some people here know to the day when their flares start and stop, while others feel it sort of creeping up and then creeping out.

Because in RRMS all symptoms don't necessarily remit, we can have a baseline of relative normality that includes symptoms, on top of which new flares occur.

We look forward to hearing your story and getting to know you.

ess