How heat is effecting me

[coach291]

I have found out the past month that when I get hot I immdiately get very fatigued and that my symptoms seem to get worse about an hour later and linger for hours or even days. Does anyone else react this way to the heat? I know that every case is different. Also I start my copaxone this week. Not looking forward to it. I hate needles!

[coach291]

I got an auto injector. I am just waiting for the nurse to come by and set my settings for me. My wife has used hers for the last year and has no problems. I just have a phobia of needles..lol

[jean_619]

I'd suggest getting the Auto Injector for the Copaxone.  Then you don't have to look at the needle.  I don't mind needles at all -- grew up with a diabetic father and now my niece is diabetic so I see them all the time.  But I've heard those that don't care for needles really like the Auto Injector.

[coach291]

Cant't move even though my wife and I both have MS. She was diagnosed two years ago and is also currently on copaxone. (She is doing great! Symptom free 99% of the time). I live on Saint Simons Island in a great house so moving is out of the question. Could not sell a house in this market right now any way..lol. Living on the GA coast in the summer is not as fun as it used to be. I already had to give up coaching football this year because of the 115 degree heat index we have been having. But on the bright side it will be 75 degree and perfect come fall and most of the winter.

[Lulu54]

Wow, coach... we must have all been posting at the same time.  Can you tell heat is on all of our minds these days?  

[Lulu54]

Coach, the lesson in all of this is be smart about what you do and how you do it in this summer heat.  Heat is the enemy of most of us.  Fortunately the problems it causes is normally temporary, but  that temporary time can last quite a while.  

Since you are in the south and can't avoid the heat entirely, plan your outdoor activities in the early and late parts of the day.  Stay hydrated.   And look into a cooling garment to use.  That could make a big difference for you.

As for the copaxone needle - you'll get used to it quickly - the needle is so fine I don't think I have heard anyone complain about the needle itself. If you have questions, we are more than happy to talk about the injections after you get them started.  

stay cool,
Lulu

[Quixotic1]

My ideal temp is 67 degrees.  Q

[Quixotic1]

Hi, Coach, we discuss this all summer.  Not only is overheating a nuisance, but it is also dangerous.  Do everything in your power to avoid it.  Move around in the cooler morning hours.  Precool with a cold shower and cooling vests.  Wear cooling vests in the heat - if you HAVE to be out.  Drink iced drinks.  Fans, wet hear, wet T-shirts, wet bandanas.  

Before the MRI they used a "Hot Bath" test to see if people's sight dimmed, as a test for MS, called the Uhthoff's phenomenon.  They also found that old symptoms would reappear and sometimes new ones.  They stopped doing the test for diagnosis when a patient became permanently paralyzed.  However, we keep inadvertently doing the test to ourselves.  Mark has the right idea.  If it is at all feasible, moving to a cooler climate is ideal.

If MS is suspected NO hot showers, baths, saunas, hottubs, overheating from exercising, fevers.  The heat really is dangerous for us.

Quix, MD

[tonyad]

  Hello and Welcome to the Forum :)

   You got it right...Heat is an enemy to MSers  When the core body temp rises.
Here is some information from the National MS Society in regards to heat and MS.

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/about-multiple-sclerosis/what-we-know-about-ms/treatments/exacerbations/heattemperature-sensitivity/index.aspx

    I got a cooling vest but better yet, I avoid going out during the day unless it is a
"Have To" like a doctors appt.  Otherwise, I wait until around 6 or 7 at night when the sun is "WAAAYYY" down  (Lol) to go out anywhere.

    Good luck on the Copaxone.   You will do fine..No Worries :)
And if you have any questions you can always have the Copaxone nurse come back to your house as much as needed.

Take Care. Have a Great week!
~Tonya

[coach291]

I am still waiting for my next remission stage. First symptoms where in January for about a month and went away. Ever since the summer started and my symptoms came back (and with a few more)  and I got diagnosed with MS. The symptoms have not gone away completly. Today after I got over heated I had even had a few more new symptoms show up. Fun times.

[michelleislay]

i am not at all diagnosed, but may be having symptoms of an ms hug and i find walking home from work in the heat definately escalates the tightness.  
good luck with your needles next week.  it may sound silly, but it helps my kids a lot with vaccinations so i'll tell you incase it can help---try to think of them as just a slight pinch.  if you take the nails of your thumb and forefinger and give yourself a tiny little pinch, then remember that feeling when you are getting your needle, you will find they are not all that dissimilar.   you can visualize getting pinched instead of getting a needle--what so many of us dread!
good luck.
michelleislay

[MarksMS]

Hi Coach,

Heat has had a similar effect on me, I tell friends and family that I melt when the temperature is in the 80s, if I do any serious gardening, the temperature has to be much lower.

Good luck with Copaxone, the needles are the easy part after you get past the first few. They are now so thin and sharp that you will barely notice them once you find the right spots and depth. I will admit that I hurt because of the medicine after the injection, but it did get better with time, and there's little doubt that C is effective for many folks with relapsing remitting MS. It is not a cure, but it does seem to increase the interval between relapses.

Mark