Intermittent Burning sensations - MS or UTI complication

Everyday living
1

Hello everyone

I was diagnosed with RRMS in 2003 and have been fortunate enough to not have any major relapses for the last 5 years. So apart from ongoing eye issues I have been well.

Over NY I had a nasty UTI which took ages to diagnose because it didn’t hurt when urinating (and the walk-in centre ran the wrong urine test - my advice don’t get sick over christmas). I was in a lot of pain in my flank/lower back, had horrible chills, fever, low blood pressure (which gave me double and reduced vision) - and also I was getting intermittent burning sensations in various places (hips, groin, inner thigh) but only in one place at one time - like little hotspots! The burning sensations did not hurt - just felt hot and cold all at once.

I eventually had antibotics and I no longer have the chills and fever suggesting that the infection has gone, but I still keep getting these burning sensations. As they started with the UTI I kinda assumed they were related. Now I have had burning sensations with MS but I don’t remember them being intermittent.

I guess what I am hoping for here is to hear about anyone else’s experience with UTI and if you had burning sensations / or opinions on whether this could just be MS…

I will mention this to my doctor - have recently moved and changing surgery. However, in my experience they are not so knowledgeable on MS / or everything is assumed to be MS. And maybe I am a bit anxious in trusting them after what felt like a traumatic start to the year with wrong tests and being floored by an infection for 10 days without knowing what the hell was happening!

Thanks for reading and any help appreciated.

D x

2

Hi Daisee

It sounds like you had rather odd sensory reactions to your UTI. Maybe the UTI itself caused a relapse, or a ‘pseudo-relapse’. What I’d want to do in your situation is firstly to make sure the infection has gone, so take a specimen to your GPs on Monday if you can (personally, I buy urinalysis strips so I can check my own - it’s very easy to do). If you are certain that you have no infection, then you are faced with a relapse so could consider taking steroids. Do you have an MS nurse who you could talk this through? Or a neurology nurse?

Otherwise, it’s your new GP…

Sue

3

Like Sue, I think you should check that your UTI is definitely gone. If it is then this could well be a slightly odd relapse or pseudo-relapse. When I’ve had a relapse where the symptom was neuropathic pain in my face, the pain came and went. After I few weeks, I stopped getting the pains.