Hot tubs can put MSers in the soup

  

Jumping in the Jacuzzi may sound appealing when muscles spasm and joints ache. Whiling away time in a steamy whirlpool can sound soothing.

 

 

  Lounging in a steamy hot tub may rejuvenate some folks, but it can utterly wipe out someone with MS.

 

Not so for anyone living with multiple sclerosis.

 The hot tub can be one of our worst enemies, when it comes to managing life with MS. It’s pretty much on par with a sit in the sauna, when it comes to triggering MS troubles.

 Heat is not our friend. (Actually, extreme temperatures in either direction can set off our symptoms.  But overheating is a big baddie for us.) 

 Is a sauna soothing for someone with MS? Not so much.

 Uhthoff’s Phenomenon (aka Uhthoff’s Sign) is a classic experience among MSers. When the body temperature goes up, our neurological symptoms generally increase too. That means a cozy dip in the hot tub can invite extra balance problems, blurred vision, confusion, dizziness, fatigue, numbness, pain, tingling, weakness, and other MS woes.

Once our bodies cool down again, some of those symptoms may subside, usually within 24 hours.

 Is it worth all that, just for a short jaunt in the jetted tub?

 

Related items:

• Autumn brings MS relief
• Heat intolerance - Facing MS symptoms from A to Z
• Remember hot showers? Not with MS.
• Remember when bathing didn’t make you blind?
• Thermostat wars and MS
• With MS, a hot flash may not be a hot flash at all.

 

 

Image/s:  Public domain photos, Pixabay

 

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Remember hot showers? Not with MS.

  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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MS means I might have the flu for DAYS without knowing it

A nasty midwinter flu is making the rounds around here, and I finally caught it. Only I didn’t realize it for a few days. Finally, once the flu was full-blown, I got the point. 

I know that sounds weird. It’s like I’m not even paying attention, right?

Only I am. But multiple sclerosis throws a wrench into the works, adding confusion to some of our most uncomfortable seasons.

It started with a headache that lasted for a few days straight. But headaches pretty much go with the MS territory for me.

A whirling vertigo spell came along next. But that’s a hallmark of MS for me.

I started feeling hot and cold and hot and cold. Again, that’s sort of standard practice for my life with MS.

Then the sneezing started, sending me honking two or three times in a row. But I get the sneezies sometimes with MS too. (Look it up. It happens.)

The all-over aches and fatigue crept in, right about then. And yes. You got it. I chalked that all up to MS too.

The idea that I might have the flu didn’t hit me for a while. I’d been overtired after not sleeping well for several weeks. My stress bucket was overflowing for a host of reasons. And the midwinter blues were blooming in full force, as the darkest months of the year brought sub-zero temperatures, beckoned blasting blizzards, held back the sun, and made staying home a whole lot easier than going out.

But, yes. Eventually I got the point. I had the flu. It just took me a while to realize what it was and stop blaming the MS MonSter.

Once I did that, I could even count back several days and figure out where I probably caught it. I’d been at a music convention, spending an entire weekend singing with hundreds of other attendees in a crowded hotel ballroom. Singing together meant breathing all over each other. Plenty of laughing, talking, and coughing were also featured. (Enter the flu.)

Two weeks later, I’m finally digging my way out of the sneezing, wheezing, hacking, sniffling, snuffling, sweating, chilling, aching mess. Soon, the flu will flown. Thank God.

Then I’ll be battling the MS MonSter better. You can bet on it.

Image/s:

Public domain image

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With MS, a hot flash may not be a hot flash at all.

I turned into a hottie yesterday, right in the middle of the center aisle of a most proper, button-ed down church, where I was a guest. The formal service had ended, and I was visiting with a few folks before strolling to the door.

Then it happened. My face started to sweat. My hair matted to my forehead. I started to feel weak and fumbly (Is that even a word?), while the all-too-familiar vertigo tried to knock me off my feet.

As the multiple sclerosis MonSter roared with delight at my misery, I did my darndest to focus on the sweet lady speaking to me. I’m sorry to admit I can’t recall most of what she said.

Whew!

After a few moments, I excused myself and made my way to the exit for some fresh air. Soon, I recovered. I felt the delicious chill of relief.

MS can make one a hottie, but not in the way most people think.

It’s not sultry or sexy. It’s just steamy and sweaty. And shaky.

The first time this happened to me, I was pretty unsettled. I didn’t understand it. So it seemed scary. Eventually, I learned that this is a common predicament for people with MS.

Overheating comes easily to the MSer. And it has nothing to do with the weather or the temperature in the building.

The personal meteorological attack can happen fast. One minute the MSer seems perfectly fine. But all of a sudden, her forehead is beading up. His neck is sweating. She’s tugging at the collar of her shirt. He’s shrugging out of his jacket. It’s almost a panicky thing.

Then it’s over. And the now-clammy MSer is reaching for a coat or a blanket.

Weird hot and cold shifts are not unusual with MS.

MSers can run hot and cold without warning.

It’s not overeating. It’s not a thyroid thing. It’s not a blood sugar drop. It’s not overexertion. It’s not premenstrual syndrome or menopause. It’s not a panic attack. It’s not even a heart attack, although it can surely feel like one when it hits.

It’s as if MS messes with a person’s internal thermostat. Cold isn’t always cold, and hot isn’t always hot. The signals are confused. The wires are crossed (or more accurately, demyelinated).

The demyelination that marks MS can cause disruption to nerve signals, essentially confounding the MSer’s perception of hot and cold. We can be overheated or chilled when there seems no logical reason for feeling that way.

Hot diggety!

This crazy hot-cold shifting happens to me a lot!

I know what hot flashes are. I lived through that entire life season. This is something else.

It’s called a paroxysm. And it’s real.

What’s a paroxysm? It’s a sudden attack that increases a disease’s intensity. Usually, MS paroxysmal symptoms appear intermittently (without rhythm or regularity). But they can be unnerving, embarrassing, and uncomfortable.

The good news is that most paroxysms don’t last long.

Image/s:

Vintage image - public domain

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Autumn brings MS relief

Ah, autumn is arriving. OK, sure. That means winter will soon be on-deck, but let’s just savor the moment a bit, shall we?

Autumn brings cooler temperatures, while we still enjoy sunshine and soft breezes and the lovely colors of Nature. Football fans rejoice to see games begin. Long-distance runners revel in the opening of the prime season. Pumpkin lovers? Don’t get me started.

This welcome season also brings relief for those living with multiple sclerosis.

It means super-hot and humid days are behind us for a while. Extreme heat frequently sets off MS symptoms. (Experts call it Uhthoff’s Phenomenon.) That makes summer sort of challenging for plenty of us. It also makes fall a favorite.

Hello, autumn. Glad to see you! Hope you will stick around for a spell.

Image/s:

Adapted by this user from public domain image

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