Was this a flare?

Question:
I have had quite a bit of stress moving lately. Although things went smoothly, it was stressful on my body. Even during my flight my leg ached (neuropathy pain). Once things were a bit settled my pain became pretty bad in my leg. As I had just arrived and did not have a doctor yet I decided to follow my old doctors advise on taking prednisone for 7 days of 40 mg. Two days after felt sick but now the severe pain has gone and my leg is back to usual. I have stable/inactive MS and was diagnosed in 2012. Was this a flare???

Answer:
We would not call this a flare up or relapse based on the information you describe. May conditions and symptoms respond to prednisone—this is why doctors love steroids so much—and a person’s response to these medications does not help us determine whether they are experiencing a relapse. Please refer to some of our previous posts concerning the definition of relapses and differentiated relapses from other symptoms of MS.

Revere (Rip) Kinkel MD
Director of the Multiple Sclerosis Program
Professor of Clinical Neurosciences
University of California San Diego