Happy 1st Day of Summer

[Jesmcd2]

For us with MS it just adds a bit of challenge. Our freezer is full of ice packs Instead of food!🙄 The fridge is full of neck wraps ready to go! And water at the ready!

But, We STILL need to LISTEN TO OUR BODIES!

Heat Stroke can overtake you and me pretty quick!

So here are some things I found from the Mayo Clinic.

~Heat Exhaustion.

Heat exhaustion is a condition whose symptoms may include heavy sweating and a rapid pulse, a result of your body overheating. It's one of three heat-related syndromes, with heat cramps being the mildest and heatstroke being the most severe.

So? Things to WATCH FOR...

1... Cool, moist skin with goose bumps when in the heat!

2... Heavy Sweating

3... Faintness

4... Dizziness

5... Fatigue

6... Weak, rapid pulse

7... Low blood pressure when standing!

8... MUSCLE CRAMPS

9... NAUSEA

10. HEADACHE

If YOU Or Anyone Has Has these, the best thing to do is,

Stop all activity and rest

Move to a cooler place

Drink cool water or sports drinks

**Contact your doctor if your signs or symptoms worsen or if they don't improve within one hour. If you are with someone showing signs of heat exhaustion, seek immediate medical attention if he or she becomes confused or agitated, loses consciousness, or is unable to drink. You will need immediate cooling and urgent medical attention if your core body temperature (measured by a rectal thermometer) reaches 104 F (40 C) or higher.**

How do you stay cool?

🤗💕

Jes🌠

[carolek572 CommunityAmbassador]

Good post, Jesmcd2 I am going to make a few of those neck wraps that was mentioned by greaterexp last year. I try and limit my outdoor activities to early in the day. I have air conditioning at home and will stay indoors on the hot weather days. I drink plenty of fluids, especially ones that will replenish my electrolytes. Ah, summertime, summertime, sum sum summertime!

[Jesmcd2 CommunityAmbassador in reply to carolek572]

Make me some carolek572 !! I live in them in the summer! I have 1 left! 😔😂 They are my life saver! And water water water!!! 🤗💕🌠

[johnMSAA Partner]

Great post, Jes, and a great resource!

- John, MSAA

[Jesmcd2 CommunityAmbassador in reply to johnMSAA]

Thanks johnMSAA heat is horrible for us! As you know! 🤗💕🌠

[rjoneslaw]

ur so right on point

[luvhair]

Try n stay out of heat as much as possible.i do use my coolin vest..n coolin hat if im gonna try the pool or try n walk xo..oh and i also have a scarf i usually dont tKe outside it has place for ice packs but i fill restricted with tht but have used alot inside..i tell ya my air went out last summer when i still lived n the middle floor of complex wow yea tht apt which i did love was like being in a icecream sandwich..oh boy so yep went out on a sat..no air guys.wow super wicked out tht scarf sure saved me wow..i had it on my head neck everywhere.lol..

[Jesmcd2 CommunityAmbassador in reply to luvhair]

You should see about getting the kind that greaterexp makes luvhair the are more lightweight, and like a neckerchief! You can also find cooling towels on Amazon Smiles!🤗💕🌠

[luvhair in reply to Jesmcd2]

Yes she made me one xo

[Kenu]

We are about fifteen degrees lower than normal which is great at 70 degrees 👍. I know it’s coming so yes my vest pouches are frozen along with new vest this year, smaller and tighter which will be nice 👍. Hope everyone has a wonderful day 👍🙏😉 Ken 🐾🐾

[Jesmcd2 CommunityAmbassador in reply to Kenu]

It's been raining here all the time! Today 70 and sunny!!!! Good deal on the new vest! Where did you get Kenu ? 🤗💕🌠

[Kenu in reply to Jesmcd2]

Thru MSAA has new style out and not so heavy 👍 Nice 😉🙏🐾🐾 Ken

[Jesmcd2 CommunityAmbassador in reply to Kenu]

That's awesome! 🤗💕🌠

[goatgal]

Gosh, what a memory you bring back. Some 20 years before I was diagnosed, one September mid day, I set out from the LA area to visit a friend near Ventura, on the Pacific. LA was hot, but the route passed through the Simi Valley, which was even hotter (115 that afternoon as I later discovered.) I was driving an elderly Volvo which lacked AC, but had the windows open and knew the coast would be cool. About 30 minutes before going over the hills to the coast, I became dizzy, started seeing spots in my field of vision. I pulled off the freeway into a McDonald's, made it to the ladies' room. By then I was staggering. At the sink, as I was splashing cold water on my face, I saw that my face was beet red. I went out and sat at a table without ordering, hoping the dizziness would pass, and the AC make me feel better. When it did, I bought a large lemonade and an extra cup of ice and continued on my way, sucking on ice, wetting a corner of my shirt and sighing with relief when I reached the coast and its cool breezes. I came home after midnight without incident.

This was one of those times when I called my doctor the next day and got another one of those disinterested responses: how do you feel now? Since I no longer had those symptoms, I felt fine and he saw no need for me to come in. After that, I always carried a spray bottle of water with me when driving anywhere in the heat. But ever since then, I am REALLY heat intolerant. Fifteen minutes or less, and I begin to redden...probably well on my way to roast.

[Jesmcd2 CommunityAmbassador in reply to goatgal]

Oh no!! So glad to hear that you pulled over when you did goatgal !! It's scary and sneaks up on you Ina heartbeat!😔 And dry heat is very different than a humidity heat. I'm glad you got to enjoy the Cali beach!!!

Keep outta the heat now too! 🤗💕🌠

[goatgal in reply to Jesmcd2]

My internal thermostat is completely, permanently on the fritz. I can wake up sweating in the middle of the night and it's not hot flashes because I never had those with menopause. At this moment, I'm inside with the AC set at 77. I'm lightly sweating under the ceiling fan because it's humid inside and out though the outside temp today is relatively cool, only 81 at the moment. It's my fault: I did an errand and stood in the sun chatting for a few minutes with a friend I met in the parking lot. I'll drink some iced water, though, and cool back down. As quickly as I overheat, sometimes I just as quickly cool down. Since I've been like this for many annoying years, I'm pretty sure that first awful experience was an indicator of nerve damage due to MS since that was about the time I also had a true exacerbation with ON (though even that didn't result in an MS diagnosis.)

[Jesmcd2 CommunityAmbassador in reply to goatgal]

Yuck! I'm sorry ☹️ goatgal but 77😐 ?mine is set at a very happy 74 right now 🤣😂 until the sun stays out more than 2days. Then 72 it is! It's my perfect temp.

Was your ON permanent, I can't remember.?.😔🤗💕 🌠

[goatgal in reply to Jesmcd2]

Yeah, my optic neuritis is more or less permanent. In summer, I have days when my eyes are cloudy (best way I can describe it: everything dulls, nothing stays bright), all year long red is permanently duller, have difficulty seeing the numbers on the color charts w/ left eye, double vision (so have Fresnel prisms in my glasses to correct it), on hot summer or bright winter days my eye muscles become achy/painful, and ocular migraines (i.e. auras in the visual field). It waxes and wanes but is omnipresent. I've learned to live with it, but I can't think of a week when I wasn't aware of some issue with my eyes due to ON.

[Jesmcd2 CommunityAmbassador in reply to goatgal]

🙁😔 Bad Drs bad! I'm sorry! 🤗💕🌠

On the bright side, shark week is next month! ☺️🤤😂

[goatgal]

There's never any need to say sorry. I know the forum family cares about each other. Whatever happens to me, or woes that I carry with me, becomes part of the whole me. It's sort of like a knapsack that I carry along on my journey. Sometimes when the path is steep, the sack feels a little heavier, so I need to rest a bit. Other times, the sack feels lighter and I can forget it is there. The important thing for me is to savor the trail, and delight in the unexpected pleasures along the way and not focus on the rough patches or dark moments.

[Jesmcd2 CommunityAmbassador in reply to goatgal]

MS is always a ride that's for sure! And I like that analogy! I have never heard it put like that before! ☺️

Our life is all about the journey, your so right! goatgal

🤗💕🌠

[kycmary]

Hi Jes I usually stay in but then we have the days that we can't so cool tie and visor to help block the sun. Today they had a birthday party for little Logan she will be 1 yr on Tues. She is a live wire now doing great she's a little on the small side but she is ketching up fast.

[Jesmcd2 CommunityAmbassador in reply to kycmary]

Aww, kycmary that's so sweet! 💕 They really do start catching up fast once they get going! My granddaughter was born at 3. 2 all arms and legs. We were scared to death! 😭😭 You would never know it now! She will be 10 in dec. 😍 🤗💕🌠

[Jds1945]

Jesmcd2, I too suffer from all this heat.. where I live its been 90 to 100 for a month already. I usually do water aerobics in early morning. The water has been so hot today I had to leave the pool immediately because I knew if I didnt I wouldn't have been able to get out by myself . And yes it just hit me like a ton of bricks. I appreciate what you said about the heat. It's my only way to exercise and I think I'll have to take it easier and drink even more water. Thanks for listening

[Ali_B62]

Wouldn't it be great if we could "even out" the temps a little?! It's unseasonably cold here for June. Difficult not to believe all this is due to human mistreatment of this beautiful planet. ☺