How to make injections less painful
Christina says, "When I do my injections, and I hate each and every one of them, I take a deep inhale, inject and then exhale slowly as my injection goes in. It does help me deal with the psychological aspect of self-injecting."
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How to save energy in the kitchen
There are many ways to conserve your energy and still make delicious and healthy meals for yourself and your family. Plan your meals. Whether you plan your meals each day or for a whole week out, you can save a lot of energy. Planning your meals ahead of time saves you the trouble of going back and forth from your kitchen to your cupboards to your pantry and back to the freezer to find something you feel like having that day. When you know what you are going to make ahead of time, you can go right to the ingredients you need and get to work. You can also plan for a more simple meal on days you feel more fatigued.
Use small electric appliances to chop, grind, mix, blend, puree and juice your fruits and vegetables that are needed in recipes. Hand cutting and chopping everything can take a lot of energy. You can buy a week's worth of fresh produce and chop and grind and then store them, and then use them as needed all through the week. Whatever you don't use by the end of the week can go in a juicer and make a really good fresh glass of juice thats full of vitamins and minerals and antioxidants, so nothing is wasted.
How can winter weather affect my MS symptoms, and how can I address it?
Weather and the seasons can adversely affect daily living in many people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The greatest number of relapses or flare-ups occurs in the coldest months (January and February) as well as in the warmest months (July and August). This is because both the extreme cold of winter and the extreme heat and humidity of summer can worsen existing symptoms as well as produce new symptoms of MS.
While the effects of heat on MS symptoms are well known, exposure to cold weather resulting in lower body temperatures can produce increased difficulty in walking, decreased strength, spasticity (rigidity or stiffness), numbness, and bladder symptoms. In addition, the icy cold of winter can cause the development or worsening of abnormal touch sensations such as burning or prickling and can also lead to loss of bowel muscle control.
How to keep yourself comfortable in winter:
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Dress warmly but don't overdress. The slightest rise in body temperature (as little as one degree Fahrenheit) can temporarily worsen some existing symptoms and cause new symptoms to appear in some people with MS. It's not that heat makes MS worse; it's that heat, some medical researchers believe, makes for a less efficient conduction of electrical impulses in nerves in which the myelin covering is destroyed by MS (demyelination).
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Don't overheat your house or apartment during the winter months.
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Don't let yourself get overheated when you exercise or go about your daily activities.
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Do your best to avoid exposure to extreme cold or to sudden sharp cooling.
- If cold weather makes your symptoms worse, and you're thinking of moving to a warmer climate, visit the new location first to make sure it is truly beneficial.