Heating An Eating

[highlandmck]

JUST PUTTING THIS OUT THERE...
I AM SURE MANY EXPERIENCE THIS ALSO.
WHEN I SIT TO EAT (I ALREADY LIMP WITH THE MS PRIOR TO SITTING) I FEEL OK.
AFTER I AM DONE EATING I CAN HARDLY WALK LIKE A HEAT EXASPERATION.
LEG DOESN'T WANT TO WORK.

I KNOW ITS GOING THAT WAY WHILE SITTING WHEN IT IS DIFFICULT TO CUT MY FOOD WITH A KNIFE IT IS AT TIMES CHALLENGING.
ANYONE ELSE EXPERIENCE THIS?

DXD 2011 FEBRUARY

[highlandmck]

JUST PUTTING THIS OUT THERE...
I AM SURE MANY EXPERIENCE THIS ALSO.
WHEN I SIT TO EAT (I ALREADY LIMP WITH THE MS PRIOR TO SITTING) I FEEL OK.
AFTER I AM DONE EATING I CAN HARDLY WALK LIKE A HEAT EXASPERATION.
LEG DOESN'T WANT TO WORK.

I KNOW ITS GOING THAT WAY WHILE SITTING WHEN IT IS DIFFICULT TO CUT MY FOOD WITH A KNIFE IT IS AT TIMES CHALLENGING.
ANYONE ELSE EXPERIENCE THIS?

DXD 2011 FEBRUARY

also what is best cooling vest out there

[sardi_g]

Hi there - I remember a doc telling me that eating and digestion can raise body temperature. I just decided to google it cuz I was curious. Here's an interesting excerpt altho I can't attest to the validity of this website but in general it seems to jibe with what I've heard.
"Eating generally leads to a slight increase in body temperature, as your metabolic rate increases in order to allow the digestion of food. Your temperature may increase by as many as 2 degrees F as the chemical reactions of the digestive process take place within your body."
http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articl...-eating.html#b

So if that number is correct, 2 degree is a considerable increase! You can start to feel heat effects (fatigue being a major one) due to increases as little as *1/2 a degree*.

And that statement didn't seem to take into account the actual temperature of the food. I've been eating cold or room temperature foods lately as I react very strongly to heat.

Sorry about you having that reaction though. Fatigue is the pits. I wonder if eating smaller meals spread out through the day would have an effect or would you just experience a persistent low-grade fatigue all the time. That doesn't sound fun.

I think you're on the right track to taking measures to cool your body temp since it's very difficult to prevent it by our activities - esp during summer months. I need to buy a cooling vest as well. They can be pricey so I'm interested to hear peoples' responses. Thanks for asking!

Good luck!

[bwmorris]

The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America seems to offer cooling vests for free (to people who qualify):

http://www.mymsaa.org/msaa-help/cooling/

Has anyone used this program?

[aitch10]

That happens to me. I think digestion raises my body temp just enough to make my foot drag.

[marybenes]

I have a bad reaction if I eat hot soup in the summer. It literally zaps me and makes me feel sick to my stomach. I stay away from this food in the summer but do well with it in the winter.

A couple of years ago, I made some popcorn on my stove top and the heat from the burner made me feel ill. I'll stick to either air popped or microwave. Much less heat that way.

[dennissr]

I have the same experience. If I think that I will try to walk for 20 feet or so after a meal, I finish the meal with an ice pack on the top of my head or behind my neck in an effort to keep my core temperature down. If I fail I can barely rise from a sitting position.

For me this situation is dangerous since it imperils my ability, which is very slight to begin with, to walk. I use the wheelchair after most meals.

I believe that my MS has affected the ability of my body to efficiently engage in thermoregulation so it does not adjust as a result of activity or processes that raise core temperatures. I agree that eating affect core temperatures but feel that it may be only a very slight change.

[highlandmck]

thank you all

for the info very appreciated

as soon as i begin eating at times i can no longer use a knife as i get so weak in my arm,thankfully i have a wife who helps cut my food up, or if i get mad at ms i pick up the food and use the fork and knife god gave me,so there are ways of getting around obstacles that ms puts in my way daily.

[fairpace]

I received my cooling vest through MSAA for free. It's not much to look at, but I use it quite frequently throughout the summer. All you need is an Rx from your MD and proof of income. It's definitely well worth looking into.

The fatigue I feel during eating is usually at dinner - I suspect it's because it's the end of the day and my body is starting to wind down. Other fatigue I have is random and my MS doc prescribed low dose Ritalin. I'm scared to take it though - worried crashing after-the-fact.

[seal]

Weekend eating

I get something similar. On the weekends, my "eating schedule" is different then during the week.

I sometimes forget to eat till later in the day. I'll forget to eat, and once I do (after being up for several hours), I go right to sleep! There is no way I can fight the fatigue, and I'll be "napping" for several hours.

I know all I have to do is eat something within an hour of getting up, but, weekends, my schedule is not existant.

[jjs]

Very interesting thoughts here. I oftentimes get very tired after I eat. I used to think it was a blood sugar thing but it is not consistent and I eat super healthy *most of the time* ... but when I have to stray from my healthy diet fir a meal or two, I seem to have the same unpredictable rate of feeling super tired. Maybe it's just a rise in body temp??? I never would have guessed that but it is worth considering.

I bought a cooling vest and it was well worth the money.