This Girl Is On Fire! Facial Flushing and MS

I find it funny to say that my multiple sclerosis makes me ‘hot’. You have to find humor when it comes to chronic illness I’ve come to find. It makes me feel better to be able to laugh about it then feel down and out about all of the symptoms that I deal with when it comes to MS.

It’s ‘heating up’ here in Texas - actually, I’m not sure it ever really cools completely down it seems. But, with the heat comes a symptom that I don’t talk about all that much. Since I have started feeling better thanks to my treatment plan and diet, I’ve been able to do more things without paying the MS tax so to speak. (By the way, I plan on writing an article on my current treatment/diet for an update, so stay tuned!)

My face gets flushed, blotchy, and red

With being out and more sociable with the warmer months, people have been noticing that my face gets blotchy and red (flushing). It almost looks like an allergic reaction, from what they had initially described. I didn’t feel it when they brought this up the first time, but after speaking to my neurologist and doing some research, I’ve come to learn that it’s another ‘MS normal.’

Having visible symptoms, for once

My multiple sclerosis is mainly invisible symptoms, you can’t tell that anything is wrong with me just by looking at me. So, to have someone notice something is actually wrong is an adjustment. I’m not used to addressing questions about visible symptoms since you can’t normally see what’s wrong with me.

Not an allergic reaction

When it was initially brought to my attention, I was making sure that I wasn’t having a reaction to something I ate, or anything else. I don’t have any known allergies by the way. So, I’ve never had to deal with paying attention to what I ingest, etc.

Surprises after years of living with MS

It honestly goes to show you that even living with this illness going on 10-years, something can still surprise you, that’s for sure. It doesn’t even bother me; I don’t feel it happening. Also, it tends to go away once I cool off. Now my family and friends see it and tell me to go cool off before I even feel that I need to do so.

Maybe this new MS issue isn’t so bad, at least now I can have a warning sign of when I could possibly get overheated and pay for it. At least one good thing is coming out of a new symptom coming on. It’s just worrisome when you have no idea what it is and I feel like I automatically think the worst is about to happen, like a possible relapse. If only we could have a big warning sign that came when things were about to take a turn for the worse.

I learned something new

After some research, I have found a name for what I’ve been going through: paroxysmal symptoms. They can include sudden shifts in body temperature and feel like hot flashes. Since it doesn’t bother me or affect my quality of life, I’m not going to necessarily do anything about it. Though, it’s always comforting to have a name for what you are experiencing. Since it’s really hard to explain our symptoms to those who don’t experience them as it is.

My ears are on fire!

I try to avoid getting extremely overheated at all costs. But when it does happen, my ears turn BEAT red and are warm to the touch at times. This first happened when I was newly diagnosed. I spoke to my neurologist as well and was reassured that it was my body temperature. However, it’s still alarming when it first happens from what seems out of nowhere.

The craziness that is MS

Anyways, I wanted to share this new symptom I’ve been dealing with on a more frequent basis. Because out of all the things I’ve read and gone through, I’ve never heard about it. Plus, it’s always nice to know that we aren’t alone in the craziness that is MS.

xoxo
Ashley Ringstaff