Stress

[jumpinjiminy]

How much does stress play a part in worsening of symptoms? If you're having a relapse, will it make the relapse worse, or can it start a relapse?

[Sunshyne]

I think normal stress - the stress the comes and goes in every day life in short spurts - may be not so much trouble; you know, lost your cars keys, the dog tracks mud in the house, running late for work - BUT chronic stress sets off a whole cascade of hormones and inflammation.

I keep trying to think of ways to curb it because I know it's hammering away at me!

What I need to do though is get off my butt (after work ugh) and burn some of it off! I think it would do my mind and my body a world of good!

[CasinoKathy]

Everyday little things not so much, but it's the things like doctor appts, insurance problems and anything out of the ordinary that sets off the stress for me. Then my sx get worse, weaker leg and foot and balance issues.

[jumpinjiminy]

What about getting really, really upset over something? The kind of upset that takes a day or two to get over, combined with fatigue and lack of sleep?

Things were finally starting to calm down. I don't want to think they're getting worse again, but it feels like they might be.

How long before that kind of flare up dies down? Is it a few days, or can they last longer?

[Redwings]

In various documents issued by the NMSS, there is conflicting information about whether a stressful event can cause a true exacerbation. The official position appears to be that there is no evidence that it happens, yet in one of their online learning sessions a guest neurologist says that it can.

I've had three exacerbations of my NMO that I'm sure were stress-related. The timing can't be explained any other way.

[floatingurboat]

Stress can very much affect your symptoms. The reason I was diagnosed was because extreme stress/depression over a period of about 6 months threw me into an undeniable flair which I ended up being hospitalized for. I've noticed my symptoms get noticeably worse when I let myself stress about or harp on something. Stopping that is easier said then done though as naturally I'm a very stressed out person.

The absolute best thing you can do for yourself is try to bring your stress down and learn to laugh more at life. I just figure this year has been such a crap storm so far the only thing I can do is laugh, people may call me crazy for laughing at something like MS, but it's so much easier on the stress levels then crying about it.

Just tell whoever is stressing you out to go suck a bug maybe?

~Elly

[SNOOPY]

jumpinjiminy,

Stress, anxiety/panic attacks can cause neurological symptoms. This can happen to anyone even to someone without a neurological disorder. This is possibly why some who go to a doctor are first told it's stress/anxiety.

I deal with the extreme side of stress --- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and at times have gone years...yes years, in high alert.

This can cause symptoms similar to my MS symptoms but my MS has never really been affected. I have never had an exacerbation (relapse, flare-up, attack) or any sign of progression due to this.

My neuro has told me there is no evidence that stress will cause an exacerbation...in my case this is true.

[jumpinjiminy]

I have PTSD too, and know what you're talking about. I've often felt my adrenal glands overreact in situations of stress, and keep pumping for hours. And yes, there have been times it's gone on for months and possibly years without relief. The one time I talked to a GOOD GP about it, he said it sounded like GAD and prescribed cymbalta and psychotherapy. The cymbalta worked like magic, but after a year I got sick of taking it, the brain fog I thought it was causing, I lost my ambition that whole year, and I wanted to go off.

I'm also starting my period, and the intensity of emotions could have been from monster PMS, which I've had since a teen. Sometimes it's worse than others. And this incident that happened just so happens to have touched on those PTSD issues, along with PMS, fatigue, and lack of sleep. It was pretty bad, and my reaction was way worse than it normally would have been.

I am still tired, but have come down from the emotional crazies and embarrassed that I reacted so strongly to the situation. But so far, nothing really bad is happening, there has only been a minor flare up of things that were fading into the background.

[jumpinjiminy]

An update - - yes, things have flared up. Not badly yet, but they have definitely worsened after having gotten better.

Not sure if it was the stress that caused it, or if it was happening first and caused more stress. But I think it was a little of both.

This just follows the pattern of an increase in symptoms every week, so was probably already happening - I did have major brain fog and fatigue before the argument. And PMS. And it hit on some hot button issues from my childhood that with all of it combined sent me into this two day intense emotional funk.

It's so weird how it all goes away within an hour or so, just like the brain fog and fatigue come and go. I wonder if the emotional thing was caused by the relapse? My fever did go up and stay that way for about three days, longer than usual. And that is always followed by more symptoms intensifying.

Does anyone else get emotional jags like that which seem to come on out of nowhere out of proportion with the triggering factors? And then it just goes away leaving you wondering, "Why was I so upset?"

[tribal]

Stress makes evrything troublesome. We cant avoid the causes of stress, but we can do something not to be stressed. Always relax and smile to beat stress