Dizzy after beach?

[susie_belts]

I was dx'd in 2004 with RR MS. My flareup back then began with extreme dizziness after a workout at the beach on a hot sunny day and progressed to affect my vision (optic neuritis) / balance.

I have been managing my  MS very well but a few days ago  I went beach around 3:30 pm  ( on a lovely sunny day - 82 degrees and cool breeze) and fell asleep in sun. I wasn't overheated or sunburned. When i awoke I had extreme dizziness and fatigue  which has been hard to shake. Wondering if this  is MS-related and not something else. Thanks for your thoughts.  
  

[susie_belts]

very interesting - i do know to be aware of foods as well  but until you mentioned it i hadnt considered that this did occur right after eating fresh tomatoes from my garden. SO my first flareup also occured after eating a fresh tomato (my daughter reminded me ) but 8 yrs ago there was nothing that indicated that could be problematic. now, searching the web , i am seeing that tomatoes (deadly nightshade family) may cause autoimmune responses.

so i wont berolling my eyes, but thanking you for mentioning this.... i am going to start tracking whether tomatoes (one of my favorite foods ! ) might be related.

[jenphilly]

I personally am not a big fan of pred... but it is not pleasant for me to take, but i'm sensitive to most meds.

I have a supplement regimen I take that has been a huge help except for when this really nasty heat wave moved in on the east coast.  

I also would suggest (I tell everyone this, so many are probably rolling their eyes...), to keep a food diary, see if you are eating or drinking anything that causess your symptoms to flare up.  I was having such extreme good and bad days that we knew there had to be some trigger.   After keeping a log, it became clear pretty quick that gluten was a major trigger for me.   I went gluten free and then removed lactose when I started seeing problems with too much lactose.   But, that is my experience...  you might find something else like sugars bother you...  or caffeine, or, or, or, or or.....  

Hope you are feeling better!!!

Jen

[susie_belts]

Thanks Jenphilly - Very interesting.

I had just come off a very stressful work week (65 hrs) and was trying to get some R&R to unwind.  This is probably the first time I have lied in the sun to soak up rays like this in my bathing suit so yes, a lot of sun exposure. Same recipe as my first flareup actually - stress and then sun ....

I do seem to be doing better daily, but  wonder if there are any OTC meds I can take to help keep this in check - reduce inflammation, etc. Has anyone tried 5 mg prednisone daily to control minor flareups? Advil? EFA's?

[jenphilly]

I personally find that time in the bright sun, even on a beautiful day throws me into fatigue and spasms...  I know wear long skirts to keep the sun off my legs.  For me, its a bit extreme, sun hitting my skin literally makes a tightening feeling.  Think of having a facial done, that tightening feeling you get as the mask dries on your skin.

You might have a bit of heat stroke, even if you did not think you over heated, you were still baking in the sun, just on low instead of broil :)

Jen