Can wake-up sunshine help with MS?

  

Pulling back the curtains or running up the window shades immediately upon awakening in the morning has become a popular natural elixir for lots of folks. It’s not exactly a new discovery, but lots of health experts are trumpeting the merits of catching a glimpse of sunlight right after waking up.

 Starting the day with a glimpse of natural light can be soothing and cheery at the time, but it also may provide some significant ongoing health benefits.

 

Sunlight (or UV lighting) isn’t just a treatment for seasonal affect disorder anymore.

 Experts agree that, although excessive exposure to sunlight may cause skin cancer, sunlight can aid in resetting the body’s circadian rhythms (internal clock), adding vitamin D, generating emotional well-being (by boosting serotonin and melatonin in the brain), improving vision, easing certain skin conditions (eczema, psoriasis, and vitiligo), treating jaundice, reducing blood pressure, and perhaps helping with weight management.

 Scientific American says it may help with cognitive fog, fatigue, inflammation, lethargy, and other symptoms common to MS. The National Library of Medicine offers support of the theory that sunlight (or light therapy) can reduce MS-related fatigue.

 A 2021 study published in Neurology magazine suggested that children and young people spending considerable time outdoor in summer months might be less likely to develop MS than those who did not.

 Some actually use ultraviolet light boxes to self-treat autoimmune diseases like arthritis, Crohn’s, colitis, diabetes, and more. Oh, and multiple sclerosis.

 

Step outside, if you can!

 Direct sunlight is a known source of vitamin D, which is healthy for everyone, but especially difficult to build up for many MSers. It seems we can’t get enough of it. A short jaunt outdoors (or perhaps a brief stop to read a chapter of a good book) can be just the ticket.

 

Sunshine before screen time

 There’s something to be said for taking a few moments to breathe deeply and enjoy a peek at the outdoors before picking up the phone, tablet, laptop, TV remote, or other screened device. Starting the day with a pause seems like a healthy thing to do – especially as a stress-buster. It’s a way of changing the channel before jumping into the plentiful concerns of the day.

 Personally, I love to open the blinds and let the sunshine in (or just natural light, if it’s a cloudy day) and then crawl back into bed for a few minutes. Sometimes I can spot birds, rabbits, or other delightful sights. It’s a great time to ponder the day to come and think through my plan of attack, so to speak. Even that is likely to start a new day in an intentional and deliberate way.

 Hey, it can’t hurt.

 

Related items:

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• Learning to plan down-days
• MS is like a carnival thrill ride without the thrill.
• MS style: Sporting shades in the shade ... or fog or rain
• What is it with MS and sleep apnea?
• What's a weather-related migraine?

Too much! Too loud! Overstimulation awakens MS

  

It’s easy to become overstimulated in these busy times. We are bombarded with images, messages, noises, smells, and other stimuli – even in our own home. And when we go out, even if we aren’t agoraphobic or claustrophobic, we often face crowds, traffic, and commotion. 

Overstimulating situations can take many forms: 

• a rush-hour traffic jam, with honking horns and lane-hopping drivers, while the radio is playing
• a family dinner, with everyone talking at once
• a loud restaurant with booming music, clanging dishes, and boisterous diners
• a grocery checkout line, with PA announcements, impatient customers, your own kids in tow, and a hurried cashier
• a too-loud TV or sound system, especially if you’re trying to focus on a project
• multitasking on deadline

 I bet you can come up with even more triggers of overstimulation. Essentially, volume and chaos are key contributors. Even sitting at a computer with too many tabs or windows open at one time or trying to work at a cluttered desk or counter may set things off. Of course, everything goes up a few notches with illness, injury, insomnia, or a crisis in the mix. 

And ladies: Toss in PMS, pregnancy, or menopause, and all bets are off.

 

Sensory overload is a neurological circus, and it is common with MS.

 We may experience this in several ways, such as: 

• agitation
• anxiety
• aversion to touch
• concentration problems
• confusion
• disorientation
• distraction
• dizziness
• feeling faint
• frustration
• muscle spasms
• numbness or tingling
• overheating
• oversensitivity to light (especially flashing lights)
• physical pain
• speech difficulty
• sudden-onset fatigue
• sweating
• tremors
• and more.

 You know, it’s basically the whole kit and caboodle of MS symptoms. But they seem to subside, soon after the overstimulation diminishes.

 

What can MSers do about this?

 Turning down the noise is key. But it’s not always possible.

 Noise-canceling headphones can help. (I frequently wear the big old-fashioned headphones while working at my own desk at home. And I don’t even plug them in. They help to cut the overstimulation clutter in my own home, where loud phone conversations and high-volume TVs can become uncomfortable and overstimulating.) Playing calming music through those headphones is a plus for others.

 Wearing sunglasses and selecting glare-reducing eyeglasses (if you wear glasses) may minimize some visual overstimulation. Night-driving anti-glare glasses are available. Also, polarized glare-reducing sunglasses can be found to fit over regular eyeglasses.

 Softer-glow light bulbs (or dimmers) ease some of the harsh stimulation of the brighter ones.

 Stepping away from chaotic situations may be an option sometimes. I’ve left often left crowded rooms during noisy gatherings (even for a few moments) or stepped outdoors for brief walks and fresh air.

 Simplifying our schedules can help as well.

 Stress management techniques do wonders for those who must deal with overstimulation. A lot of these involve finding moments of privacy and quiet. Some folks practice prayer, quiet time, meditation, gentle exercise, yoga, slower and deeper breathing, singing, reading, and other means of reprioritizing their attention and reducing sensory clutter for a while.

 The hardest step is often to recognize when we are growing overstimulated before it throws us into MS turmoil. There are times when it simply happens without warning. But even identifying the problem can make it a bit more manageable.

 Turning down the noise is a sound decision, when we can. 

 

Related items:

• A-Z promising quotes: Noise
• MS is like a carnival thrill ride without the thrill.
• Multiple Sclerosis: 3 most troubling MS cognitive symptoms
• Tuning in sometimes clears the clutter for an MSer

 

 

Image/s:  Public domain photo/s, Pixabay

 

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MS can be a ticket to de-stress

 

Life with multiple sclerosis can be exhausting. Add the occasional (or frequent) sudden onslaught of MS-related fatigue of biblical proportions, and it’s almost unimaginable.

 High-energy people may find it difficult to empathize or understand what the MSer means, when he or she describes a titanic tiredness that saps all strength and sends energy and motivation limping away.

 Physicians may call this lassitude, and it's a hallmark of MS. It’s physical and mental weariness, a crippling sluggishness. And it can come on suddenly, seemingly without warning.

 One thing we know for sure – MS hits us the most when we are tired and stressed.

 

Maybe it’s time to let MS be our ticket to de-stress and recharge.

 Here are a few strategies for minimizing the stress that can aggravate and increase the fatigue that goes with MS (and that can leave the MSer extra vulnerable to a full-blown flare-up).

1. Clutter is confusing and chaotic. Simply clearing off a kitchen counter, putting away clean laundry, or tossing out junk mail helps remove stressors.
   

2. Multitasking can be unmanageable. Efficiency is lauded as a virtue, but too much multitasking can send our minds awhirl and our energy away.
   

3. Tackling to-do lists reduces stress. Sometimes it helps to make to-do lists and then knock off one task at a time. By listing even the smallest chores, we can gain satisfaction with each completion. At the end of the day, we can review what’s done and feel a bit of accomplishment. If MS has us homebound, sidelined, or otherwise restricted, this strategy can be extra important.
   

4. Realistic goals are our reality. Sure, we like to stretch ourselves, often past our own limits. But setting more reachable objectives can be rewarding and simplifying. The net result is often less stress. The tricky thing is, MS can change our energy resources spontaneously and unpredictability. (Ever heard of The Spoon Theory? We never know how many we’ll have in a day.)
   

5. Learning to say “no” is life-changing. Boundaries can be a new best friend to the MS warrior. They don’t come easily, because we tend to want to volunteer and participate and be active helpers. That’s one way we get worn out extra quickly, so we have to choose carefully when to say “Yes,” if someone asks.
   

6. Granting ourselves permission to rest is powerful. Stopping our self-expected activities isn’t easy. Who doesn’t want to feel productive and useful? Yet those living with MS may need more rest than those whose myelin isn’t threatened and compromised? We may need to curl up with a book, stretch out under a blanket, or even catch a catnap to regather ourselves and avoid the overdoing that can invite MS to wreak its havoc on us again.

 Self-management is tough, especially with the ever looming challenging that the MS MonSter brings to our lives. And it’s not like we want to cop out of life, escape all responsibilities, and sit idly by. But it’s critical to be deliberate about our mental and physical exertions, if we are to reduce stresses and build ourselves to battle the dreaded beast as best as we can.

 Preaching to the mirror here. I know. Remind me again … soon.

 

Related items:

• Can MS show you how strong you really are?
• Excuses: Ever played the MS card?
• Learning to plan down-days
• Life with MS: Sometimes you feel like toasting, but other times you're just toast.
• Somebody stop me. I've done too much. Again.
• Stress brings MS to excess

 

Image/s:  Adapted from public domain image.

 

Feel free to follow on X. Please visit my Amazon author page as well. You are invited to join the Kicking MS to the Curb page on Facebook.

Stop the skipping soundtrack to beat back the beast

 

Living with multiple sclerosis (or nearly any chronic medical condition) can feel a lot like listening to a skipping record.

 Vinyl records are making a comeback, but I sure hope someone has engineered a way to make songs stop skipping. If you’re been around awhile, you may recall the frustration of hearing a song stop mid-phrase and repeat the same measure or two, again and again, until somebody got up and moved the needle forward on the record.

 

Why did records skip?

 Usually, the culprit was dust or dirt on the surface of the vinyl record. Sometimes a scratch in the record’s groove caused it. At other times, the arm of the record player needed rebalancing, or the needle had to be replaced.

 Hmm. I think there are a few lessons to be found – at least, for me. Maybe for you too! Dust and dirt are clutter. Scratching is damage. Lack of balance is a challenge as well. Maybe these factors combine to make life with MS seem like a skipping record sometimes – when the same annoying symptoms crop up again and again and again.

 

How can we stop the skipping soundtrack to beat back the MS beast?

 Sure, we cannot eliminate an MS diagnosis and the struggles that go with it – until a cure is found. But we can equip ourselves to battle it as mightily as possible. Here are some statements of strength that I’ve found helpful. Perhaps they will inspire others, as we take on the MS MonSter in our own daily lives.

 

1. Acceptance is authoritative.

 This is critical, but it’s a tough step. Coming to terms with the reality of owning up to having an as-yet incurable chronic and potentially disabling medical condition is very hard. But accepting this truth helps us to step up to the proverbial plate and slug it out each day, even with MS throws its weirdest hard balls our way.

 There’s a reason people refer to MSers as warriors. Ask any of us, and you’ll hear some vivid stories.

 Consider the name of this website, Kicking MS to the Curb. There are days when MS kicks me – not just to the curb, but out into the middle of traffic. It happens. But with everything I have, I want to take authority over the dreaded MonSter, retaking ownership of my own life, right in the face of strange symptoms.

 

Stop me, if you’ve heard this:  I have MS, but MS doesn‘t have me.

 

2. Gratitude is empowering.

 This is true for anyone facing down any form of difficulty. Even if our vision fails, can we spot something for which we are thankful? Gratitude changes the channel, switching our focus from our struggles to something more satisfying, even for a little while.

 Little and large points of appreciation can come from unexpected places, such as:

• a delicious snack that doesn’t trigger any symptoms
• a flare-up that waits till after an important event
• an encouraging phone call from a friend
• a long-lasting symptom that finally abates
• a few moments outside on a mild day
• an appointment suddenly canceled, leaving newfound time for rest
• a cozy reading time with a warm blanket, fresh from the dryer
• an MS scan that shows no new changes

 It’s all about perspective. We are boosted when we notice.

 

3. Hope is helpful.

 It’s easy to fall into the cancellation rut, living with such a tiring condition. And it’s hard to commit to repeating responsibilities or plans. How do we know how we might feel on such-and-such a day? The what-ifs can be even more crippling than our actual symptoms.

 Most of us find that we have to educate our friends and loved ones about MS, at least enough that they can understand when we bow out of plans (often at the last minute). But isn’t that better than not making plans at all?

 A teacher I have long respected, who carried a chronically disabling condition for his entire adult life, used to offer this advice repeatedly (almost like a mantra):

Don’t skip the plans, even if you end up having to skip the event.

 He knew that anticipation was worth plenty. Maybe we all need to look forward to something. So we go ahead and fill in our calendars (even if we clutter them less than we used to do), and hope for the best. Yes, we learn to balance busy and idle, and we might aim for lighter schedules. But we still make some plans.

Then we hope for good MS days, rather than bad ones.

 

4. Attitudes add up.

 I only knew one grandfather, when I was growing up. Folks called him Tiger, because he was such a fighter. He wasn’t angry or contentious. He didn’t pick fights. But he fought back when life was hard. When his health failed, he fought even harder. His attitude was upbeat, even when his body felt beaten down. He enjoyed his life, despite difficulties.

 That’s a lesson. Many of us haven’t fully learned that yet, but we want that spunk.

 

5. Platitudes are pointless.

 Every one of these statements only rings true when we preach them to ourselves. When someone else parrots them at us, then they are mere platitudes. That feels like we’re being shut down, instead of supported. And that helps no one.

 But when we learn (often the hard way) how mighty our mindsets can be, then we become much more than the medical condition with which we contend. That’s how we stop the skipping record, or maybe just stop the sound from getting under our skin. Sure, we cannot stop the symptoms, as MS stages yet another onslaught. But we grow stronger in spirit, so we can rise (even figuratively) to do as much as we can for as long as we can.

 Maybe that’s all anyone can ask for. Let’s play that tune again … and again … and again.

 

Related items:

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• Hold on! Having MS, I'm thankful for ...
• Is there glory in enduring MS?
• Life with MS: Sometimes you feel like toasting, but other times you're just toast.
• Maybe MS has taught me something, after all.
• MS makes me wanna cheer anyone struggling to exercise
• Stress brings MS to excess
• You have MS? I know someone who has that.

 

Image/s:  Adapted from public domain image.

Feel free to follow on Twitter. Please visit my Amazon author page as well. You are invited to join the Kicking MS to the Curb page on Facebook.

Learning to plan down-days

 Multiple sclerosis can really get you down. You can almost plan on it. That’s why plenty of long-time MSers recommend planning down-days.

 

What are down-days?

 These are those days when we lighten our calendars on purpose. We might stay home and pursue low-stress calming activities. Maybe we do some simple crafting, read a book, binge a favorite TV series, or even take a nap.

This isn’t slacking.

 We’re recharging our batteries, stepping away from stresses, and setting ourselves up for future activities and responsibilities. Essentially, we are becoming better stewards of our own bodies, particularly with MS playing non-stop in the background. Even when we aren’t enduring a full-blown exacerbation, most of us still combat symptoms. And the possibility of a flare-up always lurks nearby.

 Down-days are extra important for the MSer. Even while we are stepping back for rest, we are still at war with this crazy disease.

 

When are down-days most needed?

 Personally, I have found that I can pretty much count on needed a down-day (or more) after a busy week or a full weekend.

 Here’s an example. Last weekend, I went to an evening movie with a friend on Friday. I participated in a choral music festival on Saturday afternoon and evening, followed by chugging my way home (solo) in a blizzard. Sunday I vended at a saddle and tack sale. All this came after a full week that included some important meetings, plus a couple of medical appointments and a funeral for a friend.

 These were all worthwhile activities with people I appreciate.

 Still, it was no surprise that I was completely trashed on Monday. MS had me whirling with vertigo. My head throbbed with migraine. Various muscles were cramping, and that weird tingly nerve pain came alive again. Worst of all, the classic MS fatigue was at full peak.

 Fortunately, I was able to clear most of my calendar for Monday and part of Tuesday. That need was easy to anticipate.

 Occasionally, life becomes complex enough that we can’t just simplify our schedules. We know we’ll be overwhelmed by a few overdone days. But we go ahead and slug things out the best we can anyway. That’s when down-days become especially essential, if we can just hold on long enough to reach them.

 

Down-days are easier when they are planned.

 Ask anyone battling MS, and you’ll hear that it’s a whole lot simpler to set aside preventative rest days than to wait till the MonSter sidelines us with serious symptoms.

 

Forgive me for preaching to the mirror again.

 I’m still not so good at this. It’s hard to sit out of amusing, interesting, or exciting events. It’s tough to turn down projects. It’s disappointing to miss out on fun gatherings. Deliberately declining any of these isn’t easy. But it’s important.

 People with invisible illnesses like to talk about the Spoons Theory. Basically, this holds that each of us starts each day with a handful of spoons. The spoons represent the energy we possess for that day. We never know how many, and this varies with each day. When the spoons are done, so are we. The trick is to pay attention and budget those spoons wisely.  

 

It’s a challenge. It’s hard to say no – even to ourselves.

 With this in mind, it stands to reason that planning frequent down-days can help to set us up to greet upcoming days with a few more spoons.

 

People will struggle to understand our need for down-days.

 MS is known as an invisible disease, because it can be difficult for onlookers to notice. (Other invisible diseases include chronic fatigue syndrome, Crohn’s, diabetes, fibromyalgia, lupus, Lyme, migraines, narcolepsy, rheumatoid arthritis, and more.) As a result, many folks may have difficulty understanding or commiserating with MSers, even during flare-ups. What’s more, people may not comprehend why we might suddenly bow out of a social commitment, cancel a business meeting, opt out of a trip, or decline an invitation.

 They may suspect we are merely making excuses. Some will even say so.

 Whether folks get the picture or not, we have to find ways to manage our lives with MS.

 

Sometimes we just have to step away, whether we plan it or not.

 By dedicating portions of our future scheduling to down-days, we hope to set ourselves up to manage MS triggers ahead of time. Fatigue and stress are universal precipitants for MS symptom aggravations. And down-days help to stave those off.

 

Remind me again.

 The tricky part is that we tend to want to make the most of our best days. When we feel pretty good (as in, when our worst MS symptoms are not raging), we like to pack all of the projects, errands, outings, and other highlights into our schedules. But when we overdo it, we almost always pay the price later.

 Down-days can help to keep the MS warrior up and running.

 

Related items:

·        Can MS show you how strong you really are?

·        Excuses: Ever played the MS card?

·        Life with MS: Sometimes you feel like toasting, but other times you're just toast.

·        Maybe it's one of those imMeaSurable Mondays

·        Nerve pain feels like coming apart at the seams

·        Somebody stop me. I've done too much. Again.

 

Image/s: Word cloud generated by this user

 

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You are invited to join the Kicking MS to the Curb page on Facebook and the Making the Most of MS board on Pinterest.

The perfect storm can bring on an MS maelstrom

 I should have seen it coming. A full constellation of circumstances set me smack in the middle of the perfect storm, which invited a full-blown multiple sclerosis exacerbation.

 

If you live with MS (or love someone who does), you know where this is headed.

• It all started with a fuller-than-usual calendar, which drew me to overextend myself. (OK, I know that was a choice, but it still happened.)
• Seasonal allergies kicked up a few notches the same week.
• Then I came home from a jaunt in the woods, carrying a tick. The nasty little guy embedded himself in my lower back, and I didn’t discover him for 24 hours. (He may or may not have been a Lyme tick. And we all know how doctors like to confuse Lyme and MS.)
• Just in case, the ER doc gave me a tetanus shot. (Ever have a reaction to an immunization?)
  
• Right around that time, I began topical chemotherapy treatment on a couple of sites, following the instructions of my dermatologist.
• Enter flu season.

 

Wham. Bam. Slam. There’s the MS maelstrom.

 The dictionary defines “maelstrom” as a massive and powerful whirlpool, a tumultuous set of circumstances, pandemonium, or bedlam.

 

Kind of like an MS flare-up.

 The whirlpool part hits all too close to home for MSers like me, who battle vertigo frequently, especially when MS rises into full force.

 I was down for the count (flat on my back) for nearly two weeks. Violent vertigo, daily migraines, total fatigue, blurry vision, and nearly complete loss of appetite pounded me. Sinus pressure and drainage that ended up in my lungs, sending me into full-body coughing fits didn’t help.

 Two months later, I’m still staving off vertigo (as much as possible) with motion sickness medication and finishing the vestiges of a lingering cough.

 Looking at the list of possible MS exacerbation triggers, I cannot exactly tell which ones whipped the MonSter into such a frenzy.

 But it’s easy to tell that I was right in the middle of the perfect storm.

 

 

Maybe you’ve been there.

 Sometimes we can spot and avoid our most predictable MS triggers. But this crazy condition has a mind of its own. Sort of like Mother Nature’s fury, when she stirs things up into a superstorm.

 I’m thankful that this tempest seems to have tamed, at least for now.

 

Related items:

• Ain't nothin' pseudo about a pseudo-exacerbation
• Did COVID-19 flip you into an MS flare-up?
• MS episode: Is it a relapse, a new lesion, or what?
• MS is like the cancellation disease

 Image/s: public domain photp

 

Feel free to follow on Twitter. Please visit my Amazon author page as well.

You are invited to join the Kicking MS to the Curb page on Facebook and the Making the Most of MS board on Pinterest.

Pain & fitness: Sometimes the answer is the last thing we wanna do

 

Feels like sciatica, I sighed. Actually, I may have used less scientific and more graphic terminology. And it may have been the all-too familiar nerve pain that can come with having multiple sclerosis.

 

But let’s not split hairs here.

 My lower back was giving me agony. Bending, stretching, twisting, and even standing still hurt. Sitting and reclining were the worst.

 I moaned and groaned (mostly to myself, but more than once to a couple of others) for two days. I spent two whole nights, squirming and wincing and trying to find a sleep-able position. Didn’t happen.

 Ask any MSer what happens when we get overtired. It’s not pretty. And I was there.

 

Something had to change.

 Finally, on the third day, I dragged myself out of bed, hobbling like a fairy tale monster. I forced my feet into my sneakers and made my way to the gym for a stretch/cardio/strength class. Honestly, I expected to limp out of the session early.

 

But it actually helped.

 Moving was the last thing I felt like doing. The mere idea of stretching made me want to cry.

 As it turns out, all that activity was just what I needed. Isn’t that often the case?

 

This can take all sorts of forms.

 Maybe it’s physical therapy. It might be walking up and down the driveway once or twice. It could even be taking a shower, when symptoms are making the MS life extra tough. The thing that could help the most still draws our dread.

 When we make that move, we may be surprised to find some relief.

 

Let’s not get carried away here, though.

 It’s easy to overdo things, while battling MS. When we are able to get up and get going, we may be tempted to go all-out, making up for lost time (when we were sidelined). That’s a danger zone. We know it. But we still fall into that trap.

 I’m not throwing shade at anyone who is immobilized today, with the MS MonSter attacking in full force. The battle looks different for each of us.

 It’s just that sometimes I need the extra internal shove to work out some relief. Anyone else know the feeling?

 Let’s hope I don’t regret today’s workout tomorrow (or even tonight).

 

Related items:

 ·        Beware the MS hiatus hangover

·        Despite MS, sometimes we just have to take it to the limit

·        MS makes me clumsy sometimes.

• MS makes me wanna cheer anyone struggling to exercise
• Who wants to exercise when your head is pounding?

 

Image/s: Adapted from public domain image/s.

 

 

Feel free to follow on Twitter. Please visit my Amazon author page as well.

You are invited to join the Kicking MS to the Curb page on Facebook and the Making the Most of MS board on Pinterest.