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Hey, I'm sorry to ask for advice again, but here goes.

I had imagined that relapses would be fairly straightforward ... like ... awakening to find a numbness in an arm or leg. But my first episode was a "flu" that got worse and worse until I wasn't able to walk or use my hands very well and was thinking and talking somewhat incoherently.

I had thought that was a freak onset. Except now I have a flu that feels like its going the same way. I know for some people a flu/cold will trigger a relapse...but the question I have is... has anyone had a relapse that in fact was itself like a wierd/bad flu that gathered very darkly?

(and if is a relapse, I'm really going to think there is something about las vegas that sucks big with regards to MS, both "flu" episodes started after business trips there)

maybe travel wore u down? for relapsing types i am leaning in the direction that we have latent virus(es) that attack when we're worn down physically/nutritionally or mentally/emotionally (and probably also genetically susceptible).

ljm--

I hope you’re really not feeling timid about asking questions. Here’s an article, available free in its entirety in pdf format and only 3 pages , which has a nice discussion section on some of the work that’s been done linking viral and bacterial infections with relapses. It might shed some light on your question.

Personally I can say that when I got my flu shot last fall I was starting to have difficulty walking again within 2 hours of the injection. I was fine the next day, but I definitely learned that I do not want any infections, viral or bacterial, if I can avoid them.

Best of luck getting over this quickly. Maybe it’s also a matter of adapting to your new environment. I moved a number of times from one geographic area to another and it took several moves before I realized I would definitely be sick more than usual the first year whenever I moved to new surroundings/climate. Rightly or wrongly I just figured there were new and different bugs I hadn’t had an opportunity to fend off before.

Take care--I'm sure you'll do your best not to pick up the wrong things in Vegas.

Sharon

If youhave a fever at all it can cause a pseudorelapse, or a flare up of old symptoms previoulsy healed up. The cure for that is to drink lots of cold water and take care of yourself. I have trouble with this becasue I used to get bladder infections roughly every month or two, and often the only way I knew aI was sick was that I was getting so I could not walk. I would also get them when intersting fun stuff was happening. One notable time Mom and Sis and my niece were coming for fun and visitng and I started to have trouble walking. I refused to think about it and went on as if the usual and we shopped and went to the park and on an on and I could not walk at all and Mom said hey you're sick, pale as a sheet. Sure enough bladder infection. I went to the emergency clinic and could not walk to get into the pharmacy. I had a cane on one side and Mom onthe other and still barely made it in. I had NEVER had a symptoms that bad, but it was merely the fever making my weak places weaker.
I recovered, but may have been alittle worse, which seems ot be my pattern.
I've had MS for 15 years. It took me at least 3 years to understand my "pattern". I was diagnosed RRMS but have never had plain exacerbations. I tend to get almost invisible exacerbations that seem to simply result in gradual worsening. I told my doc I thought I was PPMS but very slow and he said no, you just have very unremarkable exacerbations. I am SPMS now...

I don't know if this helps but there it is...
Take good care of yourself
Marie

The incessant smoking (still!) in Las Vegas could definitely trigger respiratory issues... as well as the dichotomy between insanely hot outside climate and bitter cold air conditioning inside (an old wive's tale that I believe in .

Hey Arron, that's no old wives' tale!!

I was there last year, I went with a sniffle and came back with a terrible flu-like thing that took an age to clear up. I don't know how the locals survive the contrasting temperatures.

Take care ljm.

J.