Does MS burn itself out?

My neuro has been trying to convince me that MS "burns itself out with age." I think she bases this on my last MRI which shows no active lesions or new inflammation.

But.... I am feeling worse all the time. I have developed gastritis in the last year which she says is the cause of all the recent symptoms. I agree to a point. I also have several other autoimmune diseases like Graves, Fibromyalgia, Spondylosis, IBS etc. So it really is hard to pin which symptom on which illness sometimes.

She took me off Copaxone awhile back because it wasn't doing any good anymore and I was having reactions to the shots. But she would not suggest any of the newer meds. Says she does not want to do any more harm. Since there isn't any active stuff going on without the meds she feels I'm at a plateau.

So, does anyone know anything about this? Ever heard of it??

Bad mojo, I love you!!

Mothermarti,
Mojo is correct. Everyone knows that MS is progressive. It doesn't plateau or burn out. It can, with luck and perhaps aggressive treatment, progress slowly. I would run to a new doctor. Perhaps you can find an MS specialist.

Keep us posted!

When you mention gastritis; so you are having a problem with your gut. You should address that problem with your diet. Need to look at what you are eating to figure out what is causing your gut problem. Some of the foods that cause problems with the gut are dairy, gluten, and sugar. Might try a raw fruit and vegetable diet to clear up the problem with your gut. People with MS often have problems with dairy and gluten. Healing your gut could help with your symptoms. Some people take Probiotics to help with their gut problems.

I actually have a referral to a new neuro in January. Thanks guys.

Yes, I was diagnosed in 2001 after about 15 years of weird symptoms.

I just found this old post of mine. And I am confused too. I must have signed up a second time and used a different name, but Ozarker still comes up too. ?????

Burn itself out??/ MY sister struggles with MS and she is getting worse. Losing her speaking/voice and my brother tells me she cannot feed herself. I can't see her as she is EC and I'm WC and we both have issues and do not travel. We can't even talk anymore. J

If any doctor ever tells you they can predict how your disease is going to progress...RUN!!

Have you considered talking to a lawyer regarding your legal actions? I would think that any medical entity or health insurance entity that declared you "cured" and stopped treatment--only to see further health deterioration--would be liable for damages.

I've had many neuros over the years and the one that was the best was the youngest of them all. MS is still not well understood. Hardly any MS patients have the exact same symptoms--so it is hard for anyone to be considered an expert in such a wide varying disease. Even a nuero that has treated over 1,000 MS patients has likely only experienced a small fraction of all the possible symptoms and their varying degrees. New MS drugs are being tested every month.

Some of my neuros have said I have relapsing-remitting, others have classified me as secondary-progressive. But none of them have ever mentioned anything about MS "burning itself out". EVERY neuro I have had has firmly believed that early and continuous treatment is best. I had to switch from Copaxone to Tysabri because the Copaxone did not work for me. The Tysabri has been working well for 3+ years. Everyone responds to treatments differently--so you may have to switch treatments more than once--but stopping treatment altogether seems rather shortsighted to me. But only you can decide what is best for you. Just be sure to get plenty of opinions.

The problem with a lot of doctors is that they dont venture outside the box and many have the attitude of heres the treatments available to you, live with it.

The way I look at it is we don't just contract Multiple Sclerosis. Ive come to my own conclusion that there is something in our lives ( disease, virus' , bacteria, fungus/mold) that was present in our bodies long before it ever presented itself as to what we know as Multiple Sclerosis. Its the progression over time of this underlying problem that triggers an auto immune reaction. Many people that have MS have a high count of Candida in their blood. Many people with MS also have leaky gut. Are these two related? Quite a few people have had success with over coming symptoms with a change in nutrition by following a strict diet. All these people are doing is getting the proper nutrients their bodies need and in return the Candida is controlled, Leaky Gut is healed and symptoms subside. Coincidence? Could this be where the problem originally manifests itself from? None the less, MS doesnt just "burn itself out" and go away on its on. I do believe critical lifestyle changes must be made if there is any hope in repairing the damage that has been done by an underlying condition.

For what it's worth here's my take. Can MS "burn itself out"...No. Can MS "plateau"...Yes. Is MS "always progressive"...No. Am I or could I be "wrong"...absolutely!

Whether or not your MS progresses has nothing to do with whether you have active lesions or not. Not everyone with active MS lesions will progress badly just as not everyone with non-active MS lesions will not progress. Someone with relatively few lesions can present with more issues than the one with a multitude of lesions. Positioning of the lesions plays a huge role in one's outcome. I have several lesions and am scooter dependent. Yet my cousin has a multitude of lesions and after 36 yrs of MS is still able to walk etc.

I am also a big believer that MS is not only your genetic DNA but environmental as well. One needs both to interact with each other. Scenario...you have 3 siblings with 2 of them being twins. One sibling & 1 twin have MS while the 2nd twin does not. Why? I have MS yet my 9 brothers & sisters don't. Why?

Does diet play a role...I doubt it. But then we all know a healthy diet is always beneficial to ones overall well being. Could allergies play a role...possibly. What about vitamin deficiencies? I know when my vitamin D, B12 & potassium levels are low my MS symptoms are more pronounced.

So here's the bottom line...MS is an unpredictable...indiscriminate disease that holds no boundaries. It's a MonSter that will suck the life right of you if you allow it.

I'm going through this now....my Neurologist at VA in Lexington, has been following me for the last 3+ years...last time he saw me to discuss my annual MRI results, he told my wife and me that maybe 5 out of every 1000 MS patients may experience this "burnout" of the disease. I'm skeptical but agreed to stop my Betaseron injections after nearly 9 years of faithfully sticking myself every other night. I stopped the injections in May and will retake my MRIs (brain/C-spine) in September, unless I relapse before then. I was formally diagnosed in May of 2006 but later studies of my medical records revealed that my first exacerabation was probably 10 years prior. I've been VERY blessed that my MS has been extremely slow to progress. The only symptom I have currently is what I consider excessive lack of energy, but I'm nearing 55 y/o, so that could be a contributing factor and the fact that I work my 80 hours in 6 days so I get the following 8 days off every pay period - so basically work a week/off a week.

Anyhow, thought I'd research this "MS burnout" theory and I stumbled upon this forum...so thanks for being here! :)