Hi all, am new to this site, I am looking for some advice, dont seem to get much from Health experts, except being passed around.
I have been diagnoised with MS since Dec 11, I am having my first relapse since first being diagnoised, I have numbness and pins Needles in left hand and arm, week grip and not good co ordination. Ms nurse referred me to Doctors who prescribed a 5days Steroid course, 5 days is now up, still no change, am lookin for some advice, do I need to go back to the doctors for more Steroids or do I wait it out to see if it gets better on its own.
Also, is it best to rest my arm or try to do some movement?
Any advice would be welcome, as cant seem to speak to the experts when you need it.
Hi, Steroids don’t always work for everyone, although I believe it’s possible still to see some improvement after the course has finished, as they stay in the system quite a while. Because of the risks and side-effects of steroids, there’s a limit to how many you can have, and it would be unusual to be prescribed two courses back-to-back. So you may just have to wait it out. The good news is that steroids have no effect on the extent of eventual recovery anyway, so it isn’t jeopardising your future prospects in any way if they don’t work, or if you aren’t offered a repeat course. There are no hard and fast rules about rest versus exercise during a relapse. Basically, just listen to your body. If your are able to exercise the arm a little without discomfort, it won’t be doing you any harm, and might just encourage it to relearn how to do things. Just don’t go mad with it. If it hurts too much, or you feel overtired, then stop. If you are not sure how to exercise it safely within limits, you could consider asking for a referral to physiotherapy, for some advice. But I don’t know how long the waiting list might be where you are. You could find you’ve recovered quite well by yourself, before the appointment comes through. Hope this helps, Tina
Thanks Tina, wasnt sure what to do for the best.
Kirsty
Hi, I have had steroids in the past and they don’t have an immediate affect, but the do speed up recovery. I found that it took about a week to ten days before I felt better. Hope you feel better soon, Chis