RedGage

Here in South Jersey the first official heatwave hit the area earlier than usual. What felt like the scorching heat normally of a July or August day hit with a heavy hand the first week of June. 

Hazy, Hot, and Humid are 3 adjectives no one with MS wants to hear when weather-casters describe the upcoming week. We have to make immediate plans to either run for cover, run our errands early in the morning, or run to the a/c for the duration. 

Failure to take these necessary precautions means untold and unnecessary suffering as our bodies react to these most uncomfortable conditions in the most inconvenient ways.

This past 4-day long heatwave reminded me of  my invincibility. While I do have a higher tolerance than most people with MS, when the temperature rises over 70 degrees, I am still no match for 3 or more days of 90+ temperatures. Even though I hid in the safety of my a/c I still found myself suffering from the tell-tale signs of dehydration, excessive perspiration, nausea, and the always fun full body weakness. A weakness that reduces me to an immovable object stuck in neutral, waiting for the sun to set.

If you are new to MS, you can easily mistake these symptoms for a full out MS exacerbation, it sure feels like the real thing, but take comfort in the fact that you are experiencing what is called a pseudo-exacerbation, which thankfully will come to an end once you have cooled off sufficiently, and re-hydrated your bone dry body.

You can be any where when one of these pseudo flares occurs. Your body can do nothing except to warn you that your environment is not conducive to your well-being. Many find they have just minutes from being warned something is wrong to becoming incapacitated by one's overheating and ever rising body core temperature.

I have learned to listen to my body very carefully. At the first sign of trouble I immediately begin a cool down procedure. My procedure  can include the following approaches:

•  Turning up the a/c up, even though I think the air temperature is comfortable.
• Running a fan in addition to the a/c until my body cools down.
• Having plenty of ice cold water, coconut water, or even soda to replace my electrolytes.
• Resting no matter what I had planned, until I have recovered sufficiently.

Obviously these sudden attacks can be inconvenient and downright annoying, but learning to roll with the punches will go far in coping with the short-out that occurs to people with MS, when the weather is too hot.

I survived my first heatwave of this year, but it has taken me two days to recover from the long-lasting effects of all that unhealthy haze, humidity, and hotness. 

I'm now enjoying the cooler temperature and can feel my energy returning. Spring has replaced summer, at least temporarily. The tune-up for what lies ahead was a little early, but all things considered, I think the experience went as well as I could hope for.