Hello, have RRMS have been carrying a cold for the last 3 weeks which i cant shift. Today i started to get really bad neuropathic pain/neuralgia everywhere. I’m on gabapentin, low dose and i tried taking an extra one at lunch time to bump it up but i cant take too much as it makes me dizzy. I got home from work today and started feeling very shivery and then very very hot. I’ve developed a fever, just at 38 just now but i’m not really used to getting fevers and i’m pretty sure fevers and ms are bad and i am terrified its gonna bring on a relapse. What do people do in this situation? What should i do? Any help or advice appreciated. Kinda scared, dont want to relapse. Alix
Hi Alix,
Don’t panic, there’s no evidence fever causes relapses. It just exacerbates the symptoms in the same way exercise or hot weather do for some people. If you can take paracetamol, try that to keep your temperature down, but don’t exceed the normal recommended dose.
Unfortunately, sometimes infections (but not the fever itself) can trigger a relapse, but that would be up to five or six weeks later, and not during the illness itself. But like all relapses, what will be will be. It’s not something you’ve got any control over, and we can’t all live in a plastic bubble, just in case, so pointless getting yourself in a state about it.
A three-week cold is not normal, by the way, and certainly not to suddenly worsen after three weeks. So although I don’t think it’s got anything directly to do with the MS, it might be worth popping to the doctor’s anyway, in case you need antibiotics to clear it up. If you clear up the underlying infection, the neuro stuff should calm down too.
Hope you feel better soon!
Tina
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