you now have an infection. A regular “relapse” is when new symptoms start to form. Sometimes an MRI is needed to tell if you are experiencing a relapse or a pseudo relapse.
With that being said, here are some remedies to help prevent these symptoms from coming back, worsening and or experiencing new symptoms:
- Use lukewarm water instead of hot water. Overheating can cause MS symptoms to come back, so it’s important to make sure you don’t get extremely hot. When bathing, try using lukewarm water.
- Consume more foods with omega-3 fatty acids. Foods containing this type of nutrient usually have the ability to fight off inflammation. This will help lower the risk of symptoms from starting or worsening.
- Go outside and exercise. Both exercising and getting the recommended amounts of vitamin D are important. Vitamin D is known to calm the immune system, which is affected by MS so it’s important to keep the levels high. Exercising will help with fatigue and depression, which are two symptoms of MS and relapse-remitting MS. Going for daily walks could be a big help.
- Keep yourself on a schedule when it comes to your care. It’s important to make sure you stay up to date with your appointments to see your doctors and care team often. Incorporating a planner or digital planner (whichever works best for you) can be extremely helpful.
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Symptoms That Show Your MS Is In Relapse
Granted symptoms may look different for everyone living with MS, however, it’s still important to know what some may look like. If you are experiencing symptoms that you’ve never experienced before, you may be experiencing a relapse.
These can look like numbness in the feet, trouble with your vision, feeling weak and fatigue, constant urge to urinate and trouble with balancing and your coordination.
Other symptoms may be sensitivity to heat and experiencing depression and anxiety. In pseudo relapse, you may experience old symptoms coming back or they may start to worsen.
What To Do In The Moment When Your Body Is Triggered
Once you know how your MS symptoms look, it will help you decide what to do in the moment. If you’re triggered by a symptom, the first thing you want to do is try to sit down if possible, moving around might not be helpful depending on which symptom you’re experiencing. For numbness, try elevating your feet.
If you are experiencing weakness and fatigue, try eating something that is healthy and energy boosting. Also, talk to your doctor about what to do in the moment of a flare-up. Since it mostly depends on what symptoms you experience, they’ll be able to better assess the situation and give you the best possible outcome.