Hello, my name is Nicolette.
On Monday I was diagnosed with MS when I went in to the doctor complaining of numbness from the waist down. They gave me steroids for 4 days and said it may help with inflammation.
My numbness has gotten worse rather than better and I’m starting to worry a lot. What should I do? Am I overreacting? Does the numbness never go away?
I am so confused about all of this and I don’t know what to expect as the doctors tell me everyone is different.
Please help,
Nicolette
Hi Nicolette and welcome to the site
When you say doctor, do you mean your GP or a neurologist? The reason I ask is that only a neurologist can diagnose MS, and only after the patient has had at least two separate attacks.
Assuming that it was a neurologist who diagnosed you (and therefore that you definitely have MS), then I can tell you that steroids can help to shorten the duration of an attack, but they do not always work quickly. In fact, they don’t work at all for some people. The only thing that definitely helps is time.
MS attacks / relapses last about 6 weeks on average, although they can last anything from a day to many months. Unfortunately, there is no way of knowing how long one will last, so all we can do is try and hold onto the fact that relapsing remitting MS is called that for a reason: after relapses come remissions. So although symptoms may get worse before they get better, they will gradually start to improve.
Hopefully your steroids will help to start that improvement off very soon. Try and stay positive - even if the steroids don’t work, time will.
Rest lots, don’t overdo it when you have better hours/days, be kind to yourself. Take it one day at a time.
Karen x
Hi Nicolette. I was diagnosed 2 weeks ago. I know it is emotionally draining but don’t despair. Last year my right leg started going numb and lasted about 4 months then had massive dose of steroids and it started to get better. Within 3 months I was back playing tennis and you wouldn’t even know there was a problem. It took a while and lots of gentle exercise and lots of determination but I got back 95% use of my right leg. Just left with a bit of numbness in my little toes and down side of foot but nothing really. In September I was rescanned and signed off by neuro. Then suddenly in oct this year started getting numbness in left knee which has travelled up my leg into hip and down to foot making it almost impossible to walk. I had one course of steroids 6 tablets for 6 days 5mg tablets 2 weeks ago but it didn’t do anything. I have asked to see ms nurse and she has perscribed 500mg per day of steroids for 5 days. I start tomorrow so don’t know if it will help but I am willing to give it a go. The gp had no idea what to do and would have given me wrong steroids and wrong dosage. I can relate to your post, yes get some treatment, don’t be passive about this… Don’t be fobbed off… I have gone private and now been offered Dmd and now referred back to NHS. I start that ASAP My advice is don’t be silent be proactive. Ask to see ms nurse ASAP. I rang them direct. Where in the country are you? Don’t suffer in silence and do it before the weekend as it always seems to be on a Friday when noone around… Good luck. Keep positive it will come back and you will get better. It just takes bloody ages xxxx Inbox me if you want to ask me bout steroids and I will let you know if they work. Xxxxx Thinking of you xxx good luck