relapsing-remitting , now secondary progressive

  I WAS RELAPSING REMITTING, FOR 25 YRS. SIX MONTHS AGO, MY STATUS WAS CHANGED TO SECONDAY-PROGRESSIVE.
  NOW HERE IS THE QUESTION: HOW DO NEUROS MAKE THIS DECISION?  THE PAST 10 YRS, MY RELAPSES, HAVE LEFT DAMAGE THAT HAS PROGRESSED OVER TIME. I STILL HAVE RELAPES, WITH PARTIAL RECOVERY. YES, THE RECOVERY IS LESS, EACH TIME.
  DO YOU STILL HAVE RELAPSES WITH SECONDAY? WHAT CHANGES THIS TO SECONDAY? WOULD THIS NOT REALLY BE RELAPSING-PROGRESSIVE? I AM CONFUSED?

[CCF Neuro MD MJD]

Secondary-Progressive merely means that the relapses are not recovering fully and the person involved is starting to accumulate deficits.  This is opposed to Primary-Progressive MS, which is much less common, where a person starts with, say, leg weakness which continues to worsen and progress without relapse-recovery.  Actually, in Relapsing-Remitting, the recovery is often not complete and may leave a little behind, but researchers have designated a separate classsification for those with more residual that is between pure relapsing and pure progressive.  Don't fret - despite whatever term is used for you by your neurologist, you are still an individual with a disease and should be treated as an individual.  Because you still note relapses - those can be approached in the same way as far as treatment and prevention as before.  Hope this was of help.