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The \u201cChicken or the Egg\u201d dilemma<\/strong><\/p>\n July 2, 2012<\/p>\n The numbness and tingling is spreading.\u00a0 The muscles are more spastic, stiffer and tighter.\u00a0 Legs are weaker; coordination and balance are worse.\u00a0 Walking endurance is lessoned and the fatigue is escalating.<\/p>\n Figuring out what is going on and what to do about it is frustrating and confusing.\u00a0 And there\u2019s always the chicken-and-the-egg question of trying to figure out what is causing what.\u00a0 Is my depression (fatigue, etc.) causing a bad day or flareup, or is the bad day\/flareup causing the depression (or fatigue, etc.)???<\/p>\n The MS acts.\u00a0 But wait–or is it reacting?<\/p>\n It\u2019s very easy to blame what the symptoms are doing and how we are feeling on the MS itself.\u00a0 However, more often than not, the MS is actually reacting to something else.<\/em><\/p>\n So how do you know, and what do you do about it?<\/p>\n MS is highly sensitive to an endless list of things, and existing symptoms intensify due to things like:<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0weather changes and types of weather (barometer, heat, humidity, storms) For example, a fever can immobilize a person with MS.\u00a0 When the body is cooled down and the fever is gone, the symptoms will subside.\u00a0 Spending two hours on the phone trying to resolve an insurance problem can escalate fatigue enormously; taking a nap afterward or venting in some way will ease that stress and help calm down those symptoms.<\/p>\n Or, maybe those intensified symptoms are the result of what I refer to as a \u2018pay day\u2019.\u00a0 For example, if I wake up one day feeling great, I might push myself too hard to do extra things.\u00a0 Then I \u2018pay\u2019 for it the next day and can do only half of my normal daily activities.<\/p>\n In situations like these, the worsening of symptoms can last from several hours, to a full day to perhaps several days depending on what the cause is.\u00a0 Think carefully about things like this relative to recent or that day\u2019s events:\u00a0 What happened or didn\u2019t happen?\u00a0 What changed or didn\u2019t change?<\/p>\n When you figure out what the culprit is, it can then be remedied and the symptoms will calm down.\u00a0 Things go back to their normal state, whatever \u2018normal\u2019 is to you. No residual damage.<\/p>\n So when would the MS itself directly cause intensified symptoms or new symptoms that do NOT go away after a few days?\u00a0 Now we may be talking about an attack, relapse, or flare-up\u2026i.e. when we come out of remission.\u00a0 It can just happen on its own, but often will be triggered by any major event, such as:<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0falls, accidents, sicknesses, infections In these situations, or in the case when symptoms don\u2019t calm down after a week, when the cold\/infection is over, and rest does improve anything, it\u2019s time to put a call into your neurologist to discuss the situation\/ask for some help.\u00a0 The MS may be relapsing and steroids (like Solu-medrol) may be needed to shorten the duration and severity of the relapse.<\/p>\n Over time, being in-tune with your body will help you figure out if it is the chicken or the egg.<\/p>\n www.DebbieMS.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The \u201cChicken or the Egg\u201d dilemma July 2, 2012 The numbness and tingling is spreading.\u00a0 The muscles are more spastic, stiffer and tighter.\u00a0 Legs are weaker; coordination and balance are worse.\u00a0 Walking endurance is lessoned and the fatigue is escalating. … Continue reading
\n\u2022\u00a0sickness (colds, allergies\u2026)
\n\u2022\u00a0lack of food, water, rest, sleep\u2026
\n\u2022\u00a0medication
\n\u2022\u00a0stress (temporary physical\/emotional\/mental, not chronic)
\n\u2022\u00a0monthly menses<\/p>\n
\n\u2022\u00a0chronic physical, mental or emotional fatigue\/stress
\n\u2022\u00a0major life occurrences (death, divorce, new baby, abuse\u2026)<\/p>\n