Stress and MS

[VikingKitty]

Why does it seem that my damaged nerves act up when I'm stressed? I'm talking about sensory nerves that were damaged about 5 years ago in my feet from a flare. I've been feeling very sad today and feel like my feet are a lot more numb than usual...like they did when I was having the initial flare that made them numb..

[Temagami]

Happens to me a lot. If you figure it out, please share.

[Thinkimjob]

Physical and mental stress/ noise/ heat/ brings on cognitive dissonance and other symptoms for me.
I literally can't walk and chew gum at the same time.
My nervous system cannot cope. Thank you, myelin-eating MS.

Things I can do seperately, like "walk", carry my phone, avoid tripping over the cat and making it to the lavatory become a complete car crash if I try to combine them.

[Mamabug]

Why does it seem that my damaged nerves act up when I'm stressed? ...

We always hear about how stress can contribute to strokes and heart attacks. I think that, what we often don't realize is that stress is intertwined with our health, in general, and affects many aspects of our health.

I've found this to be true with chronic illness, in my case, MS. Over the past 15 years with MS, and the many MS flares I've had over the years, I can trace most of them to stress. And, I've found that I need to define stress more broadly than I used to. For me, the stress that triggers MS flares isn't just "emotional stress", but could be "physical stress" caused by illness, or even "good stress" that comes from anticipating a happy event, even when I don't feel like the preparations for that event are overwhelming or stressful.

My sister has Type I diabetes, another chronic illness, and her blood sugar levels are very affected by stress. She has a theory, and I don't remember exactly how she worded it, but, both "emotional stress" or "good stress" increase the same thing in your body and that might be what causes health symptoms to act up.

In your case, I guess it's your "damaged nerves".

My strategy, since I don't know that I'm very good at managing my stress after it has occurred, is to try to prevent stress. One way that I do this is that I've learned to say "no", both to others and to myself. I plan my time carefully, because I've discovered that being too busy is stressful for me. Often, I try not to do more than one "thing" outside the home per day, although that varies, depending what the activity is. I don't feel guilty saying no to others because it's a health strategy; I don't feel guilty for taking my Copaxone so I shouldn't feel guilty for preventing stress -- it's just that simple. The most difficult part is saying no to myself when there are more things that I'm interested in doing than I think that I can. Sometimes, I have to pick and choose.

There are also many stress management techniques that can be explored once the stress occurs.

[VikingKitty]

avoid tripping over the cat

-- that's a difficult one for even the most agile person I'm always telling my husband "don't step on the baby, don't step on the baby" I'm sure he gets tired of me telling him

[VikingKitty]

We always hear about how stress can contribute to strokes and heart attacks. I think that, what we often don't realize is that stress is intertwined with our health, in general, and affects many aspects of our health.

Good point! Stress affects my body/mood in other ways; tension in my neck, insomnia, irritability - why not my damaged nerves that don't function properly?? I'm talking about my spinal cord lesions in the c1/c2 and c5-6 area - at least my feet aren't as numb today...now it's just the little drummer boy in my left ear (myoclonus) sounds like I have a butterfly stuck in my head trying to get out. I'm working on destressing.

[AmyForever]

High stress level are doing similar to me it difficult to carry out simple actions, my BGs levels are also affected. Sometimes fresh air helps me out

[rdmc]

Physical and mental stress/ noise/ heat/ brings on cognitive dissonance and other symptoms for me.
I literally can't walk and chew gum at the same time.
My nervous system cannot cope. Thank you, myelin-eating MS.

Things I can do seperately, like "walk", carry my phone, avoid tripping over the cat and making it to the lavatory become a complete car crash if I try to combine them.

I have a similar experience, and it can be a reaction to good and bad stress or excitement. For me it doesn't last long term. When the stressor passes, the symptoms improve. But if i get really nervous over something or really excited...either way my legs are either going to get all wobbly on me or get stiff as a board, even though I have my MS pump.

I always remember this TV show that was on years ago. I can't recall the name of the show, it's where they did the house makeovers. I didn't normally watch it, but tuned in because I had heard
they were going to renovate a home because the woman living there had MS...and I must say, they did a bang up job. Hand rails on every place in the house where there wasn't furniture to use to stabilize (like down a long hallway.) Anywho, at the final big where the bus pulled away and they
revealed the outside of the house (which was also renovated) she got very excited. She normally walked with two forearm crutches, but she turned and said to the main guy, someone will need to carry me into the house, I'm too excited to walk. He thought she was joking, but she wasn't, one of the big muscle guys carried her into the house. Once in the house, as things calmed down, she regained her ability to walk with the crutches, but that has always stuck in my head as a normal reaction to stress, good or bad.

[Thinkimjob]

I have a similar experience, and it can be a reaction to good and bad stress or excitement. For me it doesn't last long term. When the stressor passes, the symptoms improve. But if i get really nervous over something or really excited...either way my legs are either going to get all wobbly on me or get stiff as a board, even though I have my MS pump.

I always remember this TV show that was on years ago. I can't recall the name of the show, it's where they did the house makeovers. I didn't normally watch it, but tuned in because I had heard
they were going to renovate a home because the woman living there had MS...and I must say, they did a bang up job. Hand rails on every place in the house where there wasn't furniture to use to stabilize (like down a long hallway.) Anywho, at the final big where the bus pulled away and they
revealed the outside of the house (which was also renovated) she got very excited. She normally walked with two forearm crutches, but she turned and said to the main guy, someone will need to carry me into the house, I'm too excited to walk. He thought she was joking, but she wasn't, one of the big muscle guys carried her into the house. Once in the house, as things calmed down, she regained her ability to walk with the crutches, but that has always stuck in my head as a normal reaction to stress, good or bad.

I saw that show, a long, long time ago, or the Australian version. Scared the whatever out of me. Now, I'd just love some reality TV show to do that for me.

[Mamabug]

... Once in the house, as things calmed down, she regained her ability to walk with the crutches, but that has always stuck in my head as a normal reaction to stress, good or bad.

Yeah; that fits with what I was saying. A reaction to stress; good or bad. However, unlike rdmc, for me it lasts long-term enough to trigger an MS flare, especially in the past, before I was on Copaxone, which helps me "manage" my MS better than Betaseron did, in the beginning of my illness.

[trevvian]

Stress does me in, too

My symptoms also get worse under stress. My last relapse came after a couple months of 60+ hour work weeks.

I don't know why, but I have a couple non-medically-approved theories. My default is stress management, asI'm not in a place in life to avoid stress, per se.

So if I'm in a time of stress. I try to:

• find time & energy to exercise daily, even if it's only 30 minutes on the stationary bike
• get more sleep
• find 20 minutes to rest in the afternoon
• make sure I have daily reading and prayer time

My theory is that stress may cause inflammation, which makes my existing lesions cause more symptoms. Or that stress might throw off my hormone balance.

(I don't think hormones cause MS. But I do wonder if they have an impact on some other bodily system that impacts it. Because I feel worse with PMS. And if I skil my Tec for a day, I get my period, which is bizarre.)

It seems for me, that the exercise helps with my mood and makes me better able to handle life. And if I'm stressed and don't sleep, my symptoms get far worse.

I don't know that it would help anyone else, but it's all healthy. Maybe it just makes me feel like I'm doing something proactive and I'm getting a placebo effect.

[Thinkimjob]

Back in the day, eight months ago, when I had a job; yes, it was stressful but I had something else to think about other than MS.
These days, unemployed and unemployable, there is little else to to do.
Much worse.
Hey-ho.

[Mamabug]

Back in the day, eight months ago, when I had a job; yes, it was stressful but I had something else to think about other than MS.
These days, unemployed and unemployable, there is little else to to do.
Much worse.
Hey-ho.

Hmmm. Interesting. Although, when I became "unemployed and unemployable" and went on disability, I grieved that, somewhat deeply, for about 3 years. But, actually, rather than adding stress to my life, not being employed decreased my stress. I'd enjoyed my job, and, like I said, I grieved moving on to this less active and less busy and less "productive" phase in my life. Yet, it decreased my stress.

Now, 15 years after my MS began, and 9 years after going on disability, I can't imagine having to "work" anymore. But I have things other than MS to "think about". I don't just sit at home and do nothing.

I volunteer a few places (CASA, Circles of Hope, my local church, a first grade classroom, moderator for MSWorld), and I try to go to the YMCA and exercise a few times a week, I read and I write, I mess around on computer, I watch TV, I plan occasional "movie" nights when I invite friends to come over and watch a video, I meet with my "small group" of 6 female friends to share about our lives and pray together once every other week, I skype with my grandson about once a week, etc. But, even the thought of having to be employed would be stressful at this point. I need my "down time". And, I don't want to be accountable, in a having-a-job manner, to anyone. There have been some blessings, along with the losses, in filling this new life of mine.

Thinkimjob, I hope the stress you feel over not being employed will decrease and that you will find satisfying alternatives to fill your life.

[marti]

Why does it seem that my damaged nerves act up when I'm stressed? I'm talking about sensory nerves that were damaged about 5 years ago in my feet from a flare. I've been feeling very sad today and feel like my feet are a lot more numb than usual...like they did when I was having the initial flare that made them numb..

I know what you are saying about your feet feeling worse during stress or a flare up. Whenever I start feeling really lousy, dizzy, anxious etc my left foot starts to tingle. Doesn't last long, but I have to drag it a little for a short time. Can you tell me how you know you have damaged nerves? Is there a test that confirms that?

[REG53]

I have been having a lot of stress in my life lately and it is showing in my legs. This wk my walking has gotten worst, more weakness, more pain. My shoulders have starting tinging and that hasn't happen for years.

Viking, I hope you are feeling some better.