Hi there - can anyone help? My partner (50 year old male with secondary progressive MS, diagnosed nine years ago) has been ill in bed with an infection for three weeks. He has a temperature of over 38 degrees, constant bouts of fever with involves sweats and bouts of severe chills, severe aches in his joints (especially elbows, shoulders, wrists etc at different times), and a strange red rash (flat, disappears when you press it, sometimes blotches or patches, sometimes looks like gashes and scratches), swollen feet. He is eating fairly normally, and going to the loo - no pain on passing urine. But he is deeply fatigued, and whilst normally he can walk at least half a mile and holds down a professional job, at the moment he is too weak to do anything (even read a book or check email) and can’t stand or move easily, and can only walk a few steps. The GP has said - “it is just a virus, nothing to do with MS and it will get better, there is nothing you can do”. After two weeks we took him in to the surgery where the GP looked visibly shocked at the the sight of him and took lots of blood tests. All have come back negative, except to say he has an infection, but he is still just as ill. I have also been told that no virus should last that long. He also had something similar but less bad off and on for six weeks last summer. Does anyone have any similar experience? I am told that MS cannot be the cause of this, and that it will get better on its own. But this does not seem likely. Any thoughts or advice anyone can share? Thanks
Hi, Sorry Ruth but really don’t know what to suggest other than a second opinion. I just didn’t want you to feel that people were ignoring your post. I would have thought that if his blood tests showed signs of infection rather than virus, then he should at least be on some antibiotics. Hope whatever it is clears up soon.
Hi Ruth,
If it really is a virus, then unfortunately, there is no treatment that would help. I am guessing the abnormal blood test result was simply a raised inflammatory marker, which indicates the body is fighting something, but not necessarily that it’s treatable by antibiotics. Even a cold causes raised inflammatory markers, and that is a virus, as we know.
I would guess it’s not related to the MS - except to the extent that any infection tends to affect MSers more than “normies”. It’s possible this is something that might have been relatively mild in someone otherwise fit and well. I agree with Boo that it could be worth a second opinion, just in case anything has been overlooked, but if the first doctor was right, then there won’t be anything else they - or you - can do.
Sorry,
Tina
Thanks for these comments. Yes - the GP says he thinks it is a virus - but he has also taken a course of antibiotics just in case it is a bacterial infection - but this has not helped. I wonder if anyone else has experience of such long lasting viruses - he is now on day 24 in bed with fever, and last had a virus (not as bad) last summer off and on for six weeks. Is this ‘normal’ for MS - and just what we should come to expect from now on - or is this unusual. [I assume the virus is not caused by MS - but the MS symptoms are worse because of the virus, and he will take longer to recover as he has an underlying condition.] Anyone else with similar experience? Thanks