This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

Radek mentioned having a 'pseudo relapse' and then qualified it as 'imaginary'. Actually, the way my neuro explained pseudo relapses to me was that something (maybe heat, excess exertion, stress, emotional upset, etc) would trigger something (maybe inflammation) that would cause actual symptoms, but that they didn't stick around as long as an exacerbation would. He said he thought I had one after having a bad emotional upset...I was upset that he thought I was making it up or imagining it...so he explained that it didn't mean that i imagined it, and proceeded to give me the explanation above....so they actually are a real event....

Lisa

Lisa, I know there's a theory about pseudo relapses being real events. I'm not sure what that is though, since if they were inflammatory they'd be visible on MRI, perhaps all pseudo-relapses are real relapses they just can't be seen on 1.5 T MRI but would probably be visible on 7 T. My CIS presented with a number of very mild symptoms, all of which were sensory i.e. non-disabling. Because of a lack of abundant enhancing lesions on my MRI my neuro thought that some of the symptoms might not be a sign of actual neurologic damage, and may have had to do with anxiety of experiencing something going on and imagining/amplifying additional symptoms.

My understanding from Kerr and our neuro before that was that a pseudo-relapse was a triggering of existing symptoms by heat, fatigue, infection or even just 'dunno' cause but didn't show up with new symptoms etc.

I think Kerr called them exacerbations which I think fits better.