Chocolate can be the kiss of death with multiple sclerosis

  

Raise your hand, if you love chocolate. OK, maybe not so fast.

 Chocolate is a major trigger for headaches, especially migraines. And migraines are common among those battling multiple sclerosis.

 Sure, that’s not good news, especially during holidays like Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Halloween, or … well … you get it.

  But identifying triggers that can be eliminated (even disappointingly) can sure be good news.

 Maybe tyramine is to blame. That’s a component of chocolate. Caffeine maybe factor, although that’s also found in some headache remedies (such as Anacin or Excedrin). Whopping amounts of sugar can also lead to headaches.

 For any or all of these reasons, chocolate is not the headache sufferer’s friend. (To make matters worse, chocolate is a common craving during PMS for women – a time when we may be particularly susceptible to headaches anyway.)

 I used to love chocolate. But once I discovered that consuming chocolate would lead to headache hangover, I was only too happy to give it up.

 Here’s a hint. Dark chocolate seems to be the worst culprit, when it comes to chocolate-triggered headaches. White chocolate is the lesser foe, and milk chocolate falling somewhere in the middle.

 So chocolate is the kiss of death for those who are prone to headaches. It won’t exactly kill us, but it can lead to death-defying pain in the brain. 

Related items:

• Dizziness isn't always all-ears
• Heading off three midnight medication mistakes
• MS can do a triple whammy on vision
• MS means I might have the flu for DAYS without knowing it
• What's a weather-related migraine?
• Who wants to exercise when your head is pounding?

   

Image/s:  Public domain photo/s, Pixabay

 

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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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Thermostat wars and MS

 

 It’s midwinter, and that means the thermostat wars are in full swing. In our house, it's one of life’s ups and downs. There may be a chill in the air, but our house is hot – way-ay too hot. And it’s turning up the heat on a daily debate.

He turns the heat up.

I turn it down. 

He turns it up. 

I turn it down.

 

You get the picture.

 I’ve explained the ins and outs of Uhthoff’s Syndrome, the medically proven perils of overheating that face those of us living with multiple sclerosis. I’ve even printed out scientific papers documenting this. I’m pretty sure I’m talking to a wall (like the wall on which our home thermostat is mounted).

 He cranks it up to the mid-70s (F). I dial it back to 68 (F). It’s endless.

 Some medical experts say 68 (F) is the ideal home temperature for someone with MS. That’s about 20 (C). 

I must admit: I’m growing a bit hot under the collar over it. (One might say it's getting out of control.)

 

Nope, I’m not nitpicking. This is a real thing.

 You could say I'm venting, and that may be true. Or possibly, I'm simply letting off steam. But MS heat intolerance is factual.

 In fact, before neurologists grew so fond of magnetic resonance imaging and lumbar punctures (spinal taps), they used to put patients into hot baths to diagnose multiple sclerosis. Those who experienced worsened symptoms in this steamy setting were tagged as MSers.

 Heat sensitivity is why MSers try not to sit near heating output vents in restaurants. It’s the reason we choose the beds farthest from the heating units in hotel rooms. It’s why we don’t find high-temperature baths, steamy saunas, and hot tubs to be particularly inviting. It also explains why we open kitchen windows while baking or cooking and why lots of us sleep with fans all year round.

 To a person with MS, a slight increase in body temperature can bring on a whole host of unpleasant symptoms. It’s a real nightmare.

 It may be difficult to help a non-MSer understand our symptoms, because these manifestations of MS frequently come and go. They are unpredictable and hard for even us to fathom sometimes.

 

We’re not making this stuff up.

 One of the curiosities of this crazy condition is the way it jumbles our own internal thermostats. We can feel hot when everyone else is cold. And vice versa. We may be peeling off sweaters, while others are reaching for their coats.

 Even so, a genuine elevation of heat (even a small one) sets the worst of MS in motion.

 

What happens when the house is too hot?

 For me (and many other MSers), my world begins to whirl (from vertigo). My vision blurs. My color perception dulls. Various body parts grow numb or pins-and-needles tingly. Fatigue attacks like a beast. Even my speech can be affected. (Some MSers experience tremors, absentmindedness or even incontinence as part of this well-known heat intolerance.)

 

It’s no fun.

 It can be a sub-zero winter day, and I’ll step outside for a moment of relief. When I cool off, the symptoms usually subside, as long as I don’t heat up again.

 

What about cold temperatures?

 Now don’t get me started about what extreme cold temperatures (or sudden temperature shifts in either direction) do to the MSer. Those days of uber-frosty air conditioning are coming, along with their own set of related MS symptoms flare-ups.

 Meanwhile, I think I’ll go check that thermostat again.

 

Related items:

·        Cooking with MS: It's all about timing

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

·        My shower looks like a crime scene

·        Remember hot showers? Not with MS.

·        Remember when bathing didn’t make you blind?

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

 

 Image/s: public domain photo/s

 

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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.

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.