Chat MS - 11/09/2015

This week's Chat MS dealt with weight gain; I missed the live chat, but hopefully this keeps it going!
If we don't talk about it, progress has no chance!  Please feel free to copy/paste to your own blog to include those who don't participate in weekly Chat MS.

I haven't experienced weight gain as a result of my MS, but I have had other symptoms that are semi-related to this.  I will do the best I can to stay relevant with these answers!

Q1 - Although it may be overlooked, it’s common for MSers to gain weight. Have you experienced weight gain since diagnosis?

I was fortunate in that it didn't give me weight gain, at least not a noticeable amount.  Being pregnant is much worse for the figure :) but I am a stress starver instead of a stress eater, which might have been the biggest reason why instead of gaining weight, I lost weight after my diagnosis.

Q2 – Weight gain can be contributed to fatigue making it difficult to stay active. Would you say this contributed?

What kept me from being active the most was not fatigue, though that definitely played a part.  When I exercised, my numbness got worse.  I couldn't feel my legs - at all.  I felt very unstable.  It's really hard to run if you can't feel your feet AND your legs - I ended up doing a lot of yoga which didn't exercise me as well as I wanted it to, and I was afraid I might tear something because I couldn't self-monitor my limits as well.

Q3 – A side effects of steroids is also weight gain. With steroids commonly used for relapses, have you noticed this?  

Nah - worst effect with the steroids was no sleep, dead tired during the day, and altered taste.  Yuck!

Q4 – MS can cause weight gain, yet being overweight can worsen symptoms. Have you adjusted your lifestyle do to weight gain?

No comment here -

Q5 – Have you noticed a difference after changing your eating habits and/or exercise routines? If so, in what way?

I have to say - I had to change my eating habits because I was chasing the causes of certain exacerbated symptoms.  My MS hugs were nauseating and debilitating.  They would come in waves throughout the day.  I then found out my gallbladder was somewhat on the fritz - they wanted to remove it but I didn't understand why no gallbladder was somehow better than an organ that worked a few percentage points lower than 'optimal.'  I had odd lower-right pain that felt like an ovarian cyst - but no cyst.  It was very painful.  Appendix was fine.  Now, I'm doing okay without pain and I tracked down the cause of what I was calling MS hugs for so long - - an overload of almonds would set it off, as would my Centrum chewy multivitamins.  Who knew?

Q6 – Yoga is great for symptom relief, fatigue relief, and weight loss. Have you done yoga? Any particular yoga program?

I love yoga - but I wouldn't do anything other than gentle yoga until my numbness subsided.  It is so easy to hurt yourself if you can't feel your muscles saying 'stop,' and the whole point of yoga is to stretch.  You can end up giving yourself a problem you don't already have, so be careful!  But I have to say, when I started doing yoga (and my wonderful husband did it with me), I loved that I was moving muscles I didn't know I had.

Q7 - what other tips or advice would you give to MSers who are are experiencing weight gain?

My biggest advice would be to try not to stress about your weight on top of everything else you are dealing with.  Your body is trying to heal.  If your body gains weight after steroid treatment, the swelling will go down.  Don't panic, and definitely don't overwork yourself.  Save your spoons, so to speak, and listen to what your body says!

That's all, folks!  Love to all -
MSloan

Baby Blanket

I started a baby blanket last night!  Well, I attempted to, until I was hit with a wave of fatigue so hard I thought I was going to pass out, while sitting down!  I had just enough energy to take my prenatal and crawl into bed.

Where I proceeded to lie awake for several hours.  AUGH!  I can't be alone in this.  I feel like a Nirvana lyric.

I did, however, 'wake up' this morning and went for a walk to the local donut shop.  Cake donut with sprinkles - mm!  I am still not gaining anywhere near enough weight for my pregnancy, in fact I am losing weight, so I'm trying to remember to eat during the day.  I have never been successful at putting on weight when I want to.  Stop bitching - I'm tall and have skinny genes, so this has always been more of a 'bean pole' struggle than you might think.

My baby blanket is a light teal, gray, and yellow, as we don't know the sex of the baby yet and I like the colors - it will go well with our Pooh themed nursery!  I like my glider, I especially like that while I'm crocheting I am not able to focus on the numbness in my feet.  It seems to be the worst at night, gets better at about 11 AM, and then fluctuates for the rest of the day until about 9 PM when it gets really bad again.  Thus far, it has not creeped up my legs much, and I'm taking that as a good sign!

Neurologist decided not to do an MRI due to 'unknown risk to the fetus,' I was under the impression that an MRI was safe during pregnancy but I will defer to his judgment unless something really gets worse.

Enough for now, back to crocheting and watching "Moonrise Kingdom."  I love Wes Anderson movies, don't you?  Over and out -

MSloan

The Swing of Things

In July, my husband and I bought 20 passes to the local rec center to work out.  We are not big workout people, by any means.  I am a fairly skinny person, so cardio work just makes me feel even more small - I try some weight training, but let's face it, I'm much more of a yoga person anyway.  My husband, on the other hand, is a bit larger (no thanks to my cooking) and has things like diabetes running in his family, so the need is much greater for him to make the effort.  He is a naturally stocky person, so he bulks up like a Viking quite nicely when he puts in a little time - win/win, right?

Well, I've been to the gym maybe once since then, did some running on my own, but let's face it - I'm an artist, a musician, a writer, a scientist.  I am NOT a jock.  I was beat up by jocks.  So working out is pretty much the last thing on my list.  My husband didn't go all summer, and he was home every day (he works in the school systems).

Today was not a great day sensation-wise; I have been incredibly stressed out at the prospect of moving to another state for my new job in June, and finishing a doctoral program by no means indicates that I have money, in fact quite the contrary.  I am broke broke broke broke broke.  Not to mention the imminent medical bill from my ER visit to be diagnosed with MS - what a nightmare.  So yes, the stress is taking a toll, and my legs feel really 'springy.'  It was a bad day for the shakes, and my heartburn was acting up.  I don't necessarily think the GERD is part of it, but I do notice that when I get the shakes, I get heartburn.  So, BLEH.

But, nevertheless, my husband and I went to the gym tonight.  I ran.  I ran and ran.  My legs went totally numb and I still ran.  I stretched my very tight muscles, but kept going.  I did a full lap of lunges, some walking, some butt-squeeze walking, some march walking - couldn't run any more, I gave myself muscle failure, but that's kind of the point.  I haven't worked out in so long.  And I don't want to hurt myself and not know it - it would have been very easy to fall into someone else, lose my balance, or collapse, because I wasn't regulating my legs very well.

Tomorrow, I'll be in a lot of pain, and I'm guzzling water.  But tomorrow, I'll be in pain that I can control.  It's a good feeling.
:)