Lost my glasses atop my head again!

  

Stop me, if you’ve heard this one. Heck, you may have done it too!

 Blame it on MS fog, if you want. Because vision issues are common among those with multiple sclerosis, we tend to wear eyeglasses regularly.

 How many times have I searched for my eyeglasses, only to find that I am wearing them on top of my head?  (True confessions: I’ve done this with sunglasses too. My kids tease me repeatedly about the time they caught me with a pair of sunglasses and a pair of eyeglasses riding on top of my hair.)

 

Is it really such a terrible idea to wear glasses on top of your head? Maybe.

 Hair products, natural oils and sweat can muck up your glasses. And it’s hard to move those eyeglasses around without leaving fingerprints on the lenses.

1. Eyeglasses can bend stretch and lose their proper fit by sitting atop your head. No one likes wearing wiggly spectacles!
2. After repeated wearings, eyeglass hinges loosen and break. (And how can you see what you’re doing with those tiny eyeglass repair kits, if your glasses are broken? That’s right. You need another pair of glasses to do it!)
3. Too-tight eyeglass frames can give you a headache, and MSers already have plenty of those.
4. Oops? Glasses tend to scratch and break when they fall off your head too many times.
5. Hats don’t fit, if they are put on over those glasses on your head.
6. Eyeglasses aren’t actually helpful, unless they are on your eyes.

 OK, we get it. But we do it anyway. We give our eyes a break and stick those glasses up on our heads, regardless of the consequences. Plus, a pair of eyeglasses can make a handy headband.

 Complicating matters further, many of us stash our glasses on our necklaces (or neckties), on the front opening of a shirt of sweater, or simply loose in a pocket. Those special specs can get crushed, smashed, or dropped. (Don’t even ask me what happens when the glasses are stashed in a back jeans pocket. It wasn’t pretty.)

 I’ve worn my glasses riding on top of my head, tucked in the neckline of a shirt, or dangling from a necklace more times than I can count. That’s why I sometimes look like I am dancing the Macarena while looking for them.

 Eyeglasses belong in their protective cases, whenever we aren’t wearing them to see. But what if we can’t remember where we put those cases?

 

It’s a quandary for sure.

 Good thing I stock up on those cheat cheater-readers. I’d sure hate to lose or damage pricey prescription eyeglasses!

 Now, if I could only find my car keys …

 

Related items:

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• MS and vision: How many types of glasses do I need?
• MS can do a triple whammy on vision
• MS style: Sporting shades in the shade ... or fog or rain
• Optic Neuritis: A Look at Sudden Blindness
• Side-to-side eye movement may help memory, but it makes me wanna hurl.

 

 

Image/s:  Adapted from public domain photo

 

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MS can do a triple whammy on vision

 Any multiple sclerosis battler knows there’s a lot more to MS than meets the eye.

 Here’s what the National Multiple Sclerosis Society has to say about MS and vision:

“Vision disorders are the first sign of multiple sclerosis for many people. The 3 most common disorders are optic neuritis, diplopia (double vision) and nystagmus. While these conditions can be frightening and uncomfortable, the prognosis for recovery is good with treatment.”

 

Here’s a quick peek at each of the most prevalent vision-related issues for those living with MS.

1.  Optic neuritis – Caused by an inflammation of the optic nerve, this can be a painful and troublesome symptom of multiple sclerosis. It usually shows up suddenly as blurred vision (often tunnel-like) or dimmed vision, often with blind spots and blurred colors. Affecting one or both eyes, optic neuritis also may bring sensitivity to bright lights and a flashing sensation with eye movements. Untreated, it can last months, although it may abate sooner for some with steroid treatment.
2.  Dyplopia – Commonly known as double vision, diplopia causes blurriness and decreased depth perception. This can affect one or both eyes, and it can be uncomfortable or even painful. During a bout with this, a person may be extra vulnerable to falling and is unlikely to be able to drive or operate machinery safely.
3.  Nystagmus - This condition is marked by rapid involuntary eye movements, which can be rhythmic and may move up and down, side to side, or round and round. Vision (in one or both eyes) becomes blurred and distorted. This can result in dizziness, a feeling of disorientation, and headaches. Nystagmus may result from issues with the brain, ears, or eyes – all of which can be affected by an MS flare-up.

 I’ve had personal experience with all three of those – and sometimes at the same time. Such flare-ups are usually accompanied by vertigo and often a feeling of motion sickness (with nausea), and they generally bring on or aggravate a migraine headache.

 

What about recovery?

 For many MSers, recovery can happen, at least until the next exacerbation or relapse. Then the symptoms (including vision issues) can crop up in the blink of an eye. (Sorry, had to.)

 For many, these vision symptoms may clear up on their own in time, at least for the most part. In stubborn cases, doctors may prescribe steroid treatments (intravenous or oral or a series of both), as this has been proven to shorten the vision attacks in plenty of cases. Although these can be helpful, they are not without side effects, so it’s important to discuss this option with the physician before taking such treatments.

 MS symptom triggers can beckon back these vision issues, even without a full-blown MS flare-up or new demyelinations/lesions. For example, I almost always experience blurred and bouncing vision when overheated. If I can find a way to cool off, my eyesight improves quite a bit.

 

Can eyeglasses or corrective lenses help with MS-related vision problems?

 Because all of these concerns are neurological in nature, they cannot be eliminated by the wearing of spectacles or contacts.

 Occasionally, a doctor will instruct an MSer with vision issues to wear an eye patch over the offending eye for a while, particularly if double vision and/or dizziness are evident.

 It’s important for each individual to keep an eye on his or her vision (so to speak). Eye pain and eyesight problems can point to many other health concerns besides an MS exacerbation. If these or other vision-related symptoms arise, it’s time to consult a neurologist, ophthalmologist, or other medical expert.

 

Related items:

• MS and vision: How many types of glasses do I need?
• MS comorbidities: Welcome to the party!
• MS symptoms fire when we’re sick.
• Optic Neuritis: A Look at Sudden Blindness
• Stress brings MS to excess

 Image/s:  Adapted from public domain image.

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MS and vision: How many types of glasses do I need?

 

Vision is an issue for almost everyone battling multiple sclerosis, or so it seems. Most of us have experienced optic neuritis in one or both eyes, when MS attacks the optic nerve, wreaking havoc on eyesight. We face tunnel vision, color blindness, eye pain, loss of depth perception, and general blurriness until it subsides. If we’re lucky, most of the damage is temporary – at least, until the next episode.

 Vertigo is another common complaint among those with MS. Reeling, unsteadiness, and dizziness can crop up anytime. And they do.

 

That makes vision care considerably more complex for MSers.

 Personally, I’ve been through the wringer, when it comes to finding useful and appropriate eyewear.

 Initially, all I needed was a pair of basic magnifying readers. I’d pick these up for reading, computer work, crafting, and other close-up activities. It was enough to keep a few pairs in strategic spots around the house, office, car, and other locations for quick grabbing.

 Eventually, I grew tired of the constant off-and-ons. And, like many, I began needing some vision help with distance sight as well. So I tried bifocals.

 Ugh!

 I would imagine it’s tricky enough to nod one’s head constantly up and down, finding the sweet spots on bifocals for far and close sights. But with MS attacking spots up and down one’s spine, all that neck movement can be a real headache. (See what I did there?)

 And the shifting back and forth from near and far tends to be jarring. It sure was for me. So I tossed the bifocals.

 Then my eye doctor suggested progressive lenses.

 Oh, boy.

 Progressive lenses somehow blend the distance prescription down to the close-up prescription without visible dividing lines. They’re particularly pricey, but plenty of people crow about how wonderful they are. (Actually, I have never heard an MSer praise them, now that I think about it.)

 Ah, hindsight!

 OK, so the vision center expert minimized the possible struggles I might encounter, simply defining a “short-term learning process” with progressive lenses.

 That didn’t even come close to describing the blurriness, double vision, and vertigo I experienced when I began wearing a very pricey pair of progressive lens eyeglasses. Yes, I even barfed.

 Then I did a little reading on the issue. Apparently, progressive lenses can bring blurry vision, headaches, nausea, balance problems, and an impression of still objects bouncing around. Some people even trip or fall when wearing them. Sounds a little dizzying and disorienting, right? Just the ticket for someone with MS?

 I reverted to my trusty pairs of cheap readers. At the time, I still didn’t need much help for distance viewing. I figured I could live with a little squinting, rather than reeling from the weird lenses.

 

Ah, but things change in time, don’t they?

 My latest eye exam revealed I need more distance vision help. When I protested about bifocals and progressives, my eye doc recommended I try using one pair of glasses for distance and another for close-up.  And because most of my need for distance viewing is while driving, I also picked out a pair of prescription sunglasses.

 Gee, this will be fun, trying to keep track of all that eyewear.

 Life with MS. No one ever said it would be simple.

 

Related items:

·        Eye Pain - Facing MS symptoms from A to Z

• MS style: Sporting shades in the shade ... or fog or rain
• MS symptoms fire when we’re sick
• Optic Nerve Issues - Facing MS symptoms from A to Z
• Optic Neuritis: A Look at Sudden Blindness
• Side-to-side eye movement may help memory, but it makes me wanna hurl

  Image/s: public domain photp

 

 

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Flu shot won't awaken MS? Beg to differ.

 

Does the flu shot aggravate multiple sclerosis? This question seems to come up perennially.

 Plenty of MS experts (like the folks at the Cleveland Clinic) contend that a flu shot is unlikely to exacerbate MS. And that was my experience for several years. I had annual shots to prevent influenza, and I experienced no measurable side effects. OK, sometimes I had some mild soreness in the arm receiving the shot. But that was it.

 

Until this year.

 Curiously, I had very little reaction to the COVID-19 shots (#1 and #2), except for some fairly significant fatigue and overall achiness after the second round. And I had those vaccines about six months ago.

 

But the flu shot was another story this time.

 Sure, the influenza shot is different each year, as scientists try to target those flu variants that seem likely to be the most problematic at the time. But generally, we might expect the actual science to be similar.

 

Go figure.

 Almost exactly one month ago, I had this year’s flu shot. It seemed pretty routine.

 One day later, MS vertigo (one of my weaker links) rose up with a vengeance. I also experienced extra tingling in my hands and feet. My vision blurred in one eye (which happened to be the one where optic neuritis had led to my MS diagnosis in the first place).

 Within a couple weeks, the symptoms lessened a bit, but they are still with me. The vertigo comes and goes in waves and seems to be the last complaint to quit.

 

MS gets worse when we’re sick.

 Ask any MSer. When our immune systems go into overdrive, our MS symptoms tend to come alive. And what does a vaccine do? It alerts our bodies to gear up to fight illness. The problem is, if we have MS, our bodies begin fighting themselves. It’s complex, but also quite simple.

 So when I hear medical experts calling out that flu shots won’t affect MSers, I beg to differ. I’ll have to think twice about having one next year.

 Anyone else have a similar experience?

 

Related items:

• Are flu shots safe for people with multiple sclerosis?
• Got MS? Should you get the COVID-19 vaccine?
• Is MS gonna make me a germophobe?
• MS means I might have the flu for DAYS without knowing it.
• MS symptoms fire when we’re sick.

 

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

 

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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.

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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Yuckies - Facing MS symptoms from A to Z

Multiple sclerosis can give a person the yuckies.

It’s not just that icky metallic after-taste that comes with mid-exacerbation steroid treatments. It’s not the, um, unpleasant and potentially embarrassing personal and private problems that some MSers face. And it’s more than the queasy, woozy, bluesy feeling that goes along with the nearly ever-present vertigo of MS.

MS just feels yucky a lot of the time.

“Where does it hurt?” someone might ask. We may not have specific answers (although we may).

“Are you sick again?” another might query. “Maybe it’s the flu.” But it’s probably not influenza, allergies, food poisoning, or typhoid fever. It’s just life with MS, always running in the background.

The MS yuckies are not like depression or grief. They’re more like riding a tandem bicycle and pedaling hard, while the other person is simply sitting there like dead weight. Add a significant headwind, a light rain, a bit of midsummer humidity, three or four blaring radios (tuned to different stations), a pair of fogged-up glasses, a charley horse in one leg, a too-tight belt tucked up around the rib cage, and some stomach upset – now you’re beginning to get the picture.

And, unless the MS yuckies turn into a full-blown exacerbation, then they just feel like a reasonably difficult day with MS. Sure, some of us have days when we can keep up with fit folks. But we also have times that feel … well … yucky.

Maybe we’ll bounce back again tomorrow or the next day or next week.

Images:
Word cloud generated by Kicking MS to the Curb - All rights reserved

Series title graphic adapted from public domain artwork.

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Optic Nerve Issues - Facing MS symptoms from A to Z

Multiple sclerosis is often first recognized by a condition known as optic neuritis. This is marked by an inflammation of the optic nerve, a common site for MS demyelination.

Popular complaints among MSers with optic nerve issues include blurriness, color-blindness, eye pain, and tunnel vision. These visual problems may be short-lived or ongoing. And in many of those living with MS, optic nerve issues may crop up temporarily when heat or physical exertion raise the body temperature. (This is a frequent part of the MS heat intolerance documented as Uhthoff’s Syndrome.)

MS optic nerve issues may affect one or both eyes. They are generally not addressed effectively with contact lenses or glasses. Steroidal treatments may be used, in an attempt to shorten the duration of such symptoms, although there are no guarantees. Often, vision restores (at least partially) in time.

Images:
Word cloud generated by Kicking MS to the Curb - All rights reserved

Series title graphic adapted from public domain artwork.

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Heat intolerance - Facing MS symptoms from A to Z

Chills and sweats may be hallmark symptoms of the flu, but they also come with the territory for those with multiple sclerosis. It’s sort of like our internal thermostats are on the fritz sometimes. 

Having spent countless hours in medical appointments with multiple sclerosis practitioners in various neurological and other offices, I’ve been frustrated to find this issue acknowledged only in part. Most of these doctors readily acknowledge that an increase in body temperature can send MS symptoms into overdrive. Some will add that excessive cold can also aggravate MS woes.

Very few medical types seem to understand how MSers seem to go suddenly from hot to cold (or cold to hot), regardless of the actual temperature wherever they happen to be. I have no idea why they don’t go with this, because tons of MS warriors describe similar experiences.

We peel off jackets and sweaters, when everyone else in the room is bundling up. We shiver and reach for extra layers, when others are melting. And we seem to go back and forth from hot to cold and so on.

Heat is definitely the worst part of this equation.

Uhthoff’s Syndrome is well documented. MSers suffer in excessive heat. Optic neuritis, vertigo, tremors, spasticity, and other symptoms tend to be exacerbated by warmth. That’s why so many of us seek shade, don cooling vests or neck wraps, and kick off bed-coverings. We sleep with fans running, even in the winter. We steer clear of hot baths and step away from hot, stuffy rooms. And we try to schedule outdoor exertion extra carefully in the summer months.

Images:
Word cloud generated by Kicking MS to the Curb - All rights reserved

Series title graphic adapted from public domain artwork.

Feel free to follow on GooglePlus and 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.