Mixed Body Temperature

Have you ever felt totally ridiculous? Ridiculous to the point of confusion and laughter? I have been there my friend, and it is all thanks to multiple sclerosis (MS).

MS has been the road trip friend along my life's journey. "Friend" might be too strong of a word, but making it sound more kind lessens the sting a bit. Now, back to feeling ridiculous. One of my MS symptoms is a broken internal thermometer. This means that my body will determine how hot it feels based on nothing other than whimsy. I previously wrote about sweating heavily in the middle of winter. This is the ridiculous side of that coin.

My feet were cold

As I sat with the heater on my feet and the fan on my face, I could only laugh at the situation. My body was in two different places. My feet were freezing cold. The MS symptom had me feeling chilly in my extremities. I had heavy socks on to try to help.

My feet feeling cold was a relatively new symptom for me. Tingly sensations were there, and some falling asleep. The cold part snuck up on me until it was "suddenly" there. It was simply along a line of continuation.

But my face was hot

While my feet were being warmed by the heater, my face was streaming sweat. It was being cooled by a fan. This was something I was most familiar with. I have put my head in the cooler of a retail store. I have a fan I carry everywhere at all times. I have gotten my makeup routine down.

What I had not experienced was having my feet cold at the same time. What sort of silliness was this? It was the silliness that could only be caused by multiple sclerosis.

MS ridicules us at times

Multiple sclerosis puts me, and other people living with MS (PLwMS), in situations like this. This chronic illness can create life issues that are ... ridiculous. Because the myelin sheath is damaged, MS can cause problems nearly everywhere. There is no rhyme or reason involved. This is why it is a hard disease on so many of us.¹

While there is no clear trajection and we are unique among ourselves, one thing we do have is a community that is supportive and willing to share their experiences. I found out that I am not alone in this. Others have had to sit with the heat on the feet and a fan on their face.

My feet, my head, and me

So, what to do with my problem? Nothing. Well, not nothing in the way of treatment. I did what we PLwMS do: I made it work, and that is why I was sitting in my bedroom with the fan running along with the heat. Iced tea was my beverage of choice over hot chocolate. Heavy socks and a t-shirt completed my look.

When it comes to to multiple sclerosis, I have become creative and practical. "It is what it is" is a theme in how I deal with MS. I have learned to take it one day, one hour at a time, and to take it all in stride. MS does that to you.