Hot showers are the stuff of nightmares for those us battling multiple sclerosis. The MS MonSter makes steamy, soothing, scorching-hot showers altogether impossible.
Got sore muscles? Spasticity? A hot shower or bath might be just the ticket for most folks suffering from all sort of aches and pains and muscle cramps. But not for the MSer.
Maybe it’s worse in the summertime. Temperatures soar outdoors, while homes, workplaces, stores, and other indoor spots are chilled. The extremes can make us reel, especially when we step into a steaming shower or bathtub.
If you live with MS, have you experienced any of these scenarios?
- Does your vision blur in the shower, even more than the mirror or shower doors do?
- Did you ever had to step out of the shower (maybe still soapy), just to recapture your own bearings?
- Have you grabbed the handrail mid-shower, because you lost your balance?
- Did you ever climb out of the tub and have to lie down in total exhaustion for a few minutes before drying off and dressing?
- Have you forsworn hot baths, knowing they’ll do more harm than good?
I can raise my hand for all of these questions, as long as I haven’t just climbed out of the shower. Then I might need a moment to recover first.
Of course, a cold shower would be bad for spasticity, which plagues most MSers anyway. So it’s all about finding a happy medium between fainting and freezing.
And don’t get me started on saunas or hot tubs.
Related items:
- Heat intolerance – Facing MS symptoms from A to Z
- Is sunshine good or bad for MS?
- My shower looks like a crime scene
- Remember when bathing didn’t make you blind?
- What’s a weather-related migraine?
- With MS, a hot flash may not be a hot flash at all.
Image/s: Adapted from vintage movie still. Pub. Dom.
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