How can Multiple Sclerosis season
changes affect those who have been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis?
Season
changes include Spring and Fall, when the outdoor temperature, and other weather
becomes so much more unstable, so that it fluctuates much more between day time
and night time temperatures. Season changes can have a huge impact on those with
Multiple Sclerosis because of a few different reasons.
Season Changes can
contribute to making Multiple Sclerosis symptoms much worse, as well as, trigger
or aggravate MS exacerbations and ms relapses. During season changes, those of
us with Multiple Sclerosis can have much more problems with ms fatigue, more
problems with getting more intense infections more often, have problems with
getting rid of each infection, or have problems with more exacerbations and
relapses of our Multiple Sclerosis symptoms.
During season changes, those of us with Multiple Sclerosis
can have much more problems with ms fatigue, more problems with getting
more intense infections more often, have problems with getting rid of
each infection, or have problems with more exacerbations and relapses
of our Multiple Sclerosis symptoms.
This also means
that basically season changes can make the people
with Multiple Sclerosis feel
much worse, compared to most other times of the year, which can also
result in those with MS being able to function much less.
Season
changes are often very difficult for me,
when it comes to my own case of Multiple Sclerosis, since I often
can not adjust fast enough to temperature changes (when it is
20 to
30 degrees Fahrenheit) difference between nighttime and daytime
temperatures or the times
when it
is warmer one day and colder the next day, where the temperature
changes by 20 to 30
degrees Fahrenheit within a shorter period of time (within 2 to 3 days).
For those of us with Multiple Sclerosis Season
changes are very stressful and weakens
the immune
system to start with.
Other people, that have not been diagnosed with Multiple
Sclerosis, also go out much more during the season changes to be around
other people, even if they just got over being sick, or if they are not
quite over being sick with some type of infection or the flu that their bodies have been battling
against.
The season
changes are also the times of the year, where everyone
else around us is getting sick. The people without Multiple
Sclerosis can be carriers or viruses or bacteria and even though they
may not be showing any outward symptoms of being sick, they can pass on
a virus or bacteria infection very easily to those of us with the
weakened immune systems because of Multiple Sclerosis.
This is a worse problem for those with Multiple Sclerosis, than other
people, because of our weakened immune systems because any one that we are around
that is a carrier of the flu, cold or whatever other sickness can give
it to us so much more easily.
To
avoid the problems with Multiple
Sclerosis season changes (fall
and spring), I avoid going out to be around people at these times of
year and I take extra vitamin D, vitamin C and zinc
to boost my immune system and prevent me from ending up with a cold or
the flu or whatever
anyone else may have that I can catch from them. I also find that
cutting sugar and things made from white flour can help tremendously to
prevent how sick I tend to become during season changes, since sugar
and white flour are known to weaken the immune system.
I tended to get
the
flu 20 to 30 times each year for the first few years after I was
diagnosed with
Multiple Sclerosis and
I learned the hard way that I was better off avoiding being around
other people
for at least 2 months, as much as I could, after the more extreme temperature changes
started that are often
associated with spring and fall.
Because
of the freezing
temperatures in Fall and the large temperature fluctuations, during
this season, this sets every one up for becoming sick more easily, but
it is much worse for those of us with Multiple Sclerosis. I find
that Fall
is the worst season for me, as far as how severe it causes my MS
symptoms to
become.
Resting
more and finding ways to reduce stress on our bodies are more important
to focus on doing the season changes to help work with our bodies to do
what we can to help boost the immune system, boost the natural ability
of our bodies to produce more stem cells and give our bodies a chance
to keep from entering a vicious cycle of getting one infection after
the other.
I
find that for me, the vicious cycle of getting one infection after the
other is a much bigger problem during season changes.
I
think we can curb how many times within the 2 to 3 months around the
season changes that we end up with more infections and with setting up
our bodies for more MS exacerbations and MS relapses if we really go to
the effort to change our routines.
Reducing
MS depression and ms anxiety during season changes can also help to
boost the immune system. Finding ways to connect with other
people on-line can help to reduce the loneliness and isolation that we
can up feeling during the season changes when we do what we can to
avoid being around other people that more often not are sick and get us
sick from being around them.
Ways
to connect with people on-line can include visiting any of the social
sites (Facebook, Twitter, Digg, etc.) or getting involved in
discussions on-line at ms blogs, ms forums, ms chat rooms or any place
on-line that you can ask questions.
Season
changes can be difficult for those with Multiple Sclerosis, but with
some planning ahead and with doing some of the things that are
suggested in this article, we can reduce how difficult season changes
can be for us.
