Smoldering Symptoms
Ever notice strange symptoms that come and go very quickly? Maybe they resemble symptoms from a previous relapse. I've noticed these at various times. Mine include a tingling in my leg and blurry vision when I get hot. Turns out these are not considered relapses, or exacerbations; rather, they are called smoldering symptoms. While relapses most often last for weeks, smoldering symptoms come and go in minutes or even seconds.
With multiple sclerosis, the immune system mistakenly attacks the myelin sheath which surrounds and protects the nerve cells. With the relapsing-remitting form of MS, symptoms appear and then fully or partially disappear during distinct relapses. The severity and frequency of these relapses vary with each person.
Even though symptoms may fully disappear after a relapse, damage has still been done in many cases - this is why the smoldering symptoms sometimes appear. If you think you have these types of symptoms, it's probably worth mentioning to your neurologist.