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Welcome to the Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge brought together by WEGO Health – a social network for all health activists.  Again, I am participating in the annual Writer’s Month Challenge in which I will be writing about my health activism and health condition based on given prompts.

Saturday 18th April: Summer is Coming

What are the 3 things you look forward to the most in summer?  Whether it’s the travel, the weather, family cookouts, or another activity, share with your readers why you’re excited for the summer!

It’s fast approaching the end of April, and as we enter into May we are ever nearing the start of Summer.

Hopefully, like last year we will be immersed in months of glorious sunshine and warm temperatures.

Summer is the probably the favourite season for most people if asked.  Living in the UK, and experiencing long and miserable winters, the summer, therefore, provides a welcome respite from the grey clouds and rain.

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With grey clouds overhead everything can look bleak and depressing.  In the summer, however, the same scene can look beautiful cast in dazzling sunshine and bright blue skies.  Also, if you ever notice being out and about during the winter, everyone seems in a rush; dashing in shops and buildings to escape the rain.  The same people during the summer, however, are much less hasty during their walks, taking their time whilst enjoying the feel of the warm sunshine on their skin.

Furthermore, in my personal experience, and depending on whether the temperatures do not get too high, I find that the chronic pain that I experience as a result of spastic paraparesis eases slightly during the summer months compared to the excruciating pain that the very cold temperatures during the long winter months cause.  Taking part in activities such as swimming also helps relieve any pain and discomfort that I do feel, and there is no better time of year to do said activity than the summer.

Look at that view basked in beautiful sunshine and blue skies filling the sky. Bet it wouldn't look half as beautiful when there are grey skies!
Look at that view basked in beautiful sunshine and blue skies filling the sky. Bet it wouldn’t look half as beautiful when there are grey skies!

A few months ago, I wrote a blog post about the reasons to love winter.  Not an easy article to write, and often felt that I was taking the reasons for hating the season and putting a positive spin on them.

I have the opposite problem with writing this post about summer; there are so many reasons for looking forward to summer, that choosing only three is extremely difficult!

Here are my reasons for loving summer:

  • Summer Fashion: Although I love my winter wardrobe as mentioned in my post on the reasons to love the season, with the chunky knits and thick, comfortable leggings, I prefer the summer fashion with all the bright colours such as orange, yellow and pink, all of which to me represents happiness.  I also adore wearing maxi dresses and white trousers, all fashions that look lovely and fresh during the summer months!  Recently, going shopping and noticing the new looks for summer, with the bright colours everywhere in the shop looked cheerful.  And the swimwear collections, reminding us that holidays are also looming
  • Good Times: The choice of activities during the winter months can be quite limited in part due to the changeable British weather.  However, if you are a person who likes to be busy and active, you are certainly spoilt for choice during the summer, as there is so much to do.  Summer fêtes, open-air theatre productions, outdoor concerts and music festivals to name but a few.  Tourists besiege the popular destinations, making the summer feel like one long party.  With so much to do and the fact it’s light early in the morning, and the days are long, we get to see much more of our friends and families, enjoying barbecues, picnics, playing games and gossiping until late. Making memories that will last forever.
  • Nature: There are lovely natural sights to behold during the summer months.  Beautiful, bright butterflies fluttering around.  Dazzling, exquisite flowers in full bloom.  The smell of freshly cut grass.  The sound of birds chirping.  Everything feels alive and exuberant during summer!

There must be something special about summer, I mean even a snowman wants to experience it!

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Welcome to the Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge brought together by WEGO Health – a social network for all health activists.  Again, I am participating in the annual Writer’s Month Challenge in which I will be writing about my health activism and health condition based upon prompts given.

Today’s prompt reads as follows:

Summer Lovin’…Summer is coming up.  What plans do you have?  Any family vacation?  What do you look forward to in Summer 2014?

I have to admit that I currently have no plans for the Summer of 2014.  Why is this?  For starters, in my opinion making long-term plans whilst living with a neurological condition or chronic illness like myself, can be extremely difficult.  It can be extremely difficult because everyday is an unknown.  We do not know what each day will bring; how severe the symptoms associated with our condition and how we will feel from one day to the next.  Sometimes especially when experiencing a bad flare in our conditions, we do not know how we will feel one minute from the next even, and so therefore making plans can often be problematic as there is always the worry that we will need to cancel.  And cancelling plans not only disappoints those with whom we have made those plans with, but also leads to disappointment for ourselves.  You know that phrase “We plan, and God laughs” – never has a saying been so true for life with chronic illness, except that it is our bodies that laugh and not God.

"People plan and God laughs" or the Spoonie equivalent is "We plan and our bodies laugh!"
“People plan and God laughs” or the Spoonie equivalent is “We plan and our bodies laugh!”

By the time that Summer arrives of course, I would have already have been on my holiday.  The first holiday in fact that I have had for several years.  At this very moment, I am a mixture of being very excited but also very nervous.  Living with my neurological condition can be very difficult, and therefore I realise that going on holiday may at times be very difficult due to my symptoms such as dizziness.  However, as I am going on a cruise, it has a variety of benefits, such as being able to set the pace for the holiday itself.  I can be as active or passive as I want; and in addition if I suddenly become unwell, I can simply head straight back to our cabin without the hassle of travelling back to a hotel from the beach or from somewhere further afield.  Also, being on a cruise ship could also lead to more independence away from my parents as I can (with hope) wheel myself around to areas of the ship where the activities that I want to take part in are held.  For example, I have learnt that often cruise liners hold art and craft sessions, such as lessons in jewellery making or scrapbooking and so as I have found art and crafts to be useful in distracting myself from symptoms such as dizziness and chronic pain and so therefore may be beneficial for me to attend such onboard activities.

I also know that it may take a while to recover from the cruise and from all of the added activity that comes from being on holiday.  The start of the Summer therefore may be recovering from the holiday.  Unfortunately, the Summer may also see more hospital appointments as am waiting for an MRI to be conducted before seeing my consultant again.

Although I don’t have definite plans for this Summer, I do hope however for more lovely, relaxing and fun days out with my carer and enjoy the most of the warm weather.  Day outs to nearby tourist attractions, days out shopping or simply a trip to our favourite coffee shop, I don’t really mind as long as the Summer isn’t spent in my house with only my symptoms for company.

Hello, Everyone!

I hope you are doing well and are AWAP (as well as possible!) and I hope that everyone has been able to enjoy the great weather we’ve had (granted, for those of us in the UK, it’s only been a week or so!). Anyway, although it has been delightful to see bright blue skies and the feeling of warm sunshine on my skin, the hot weather and particularly the humidity at night has been playing havoc with the symptoms which I experience.

For example, Monday I had the opportunity to sit in the beautiful gardens at the Centre for which I volunteer, and after only a short time the dizziness and vertigo which I experience daily were incredibly intense, leading to visual disturbances and incredible nausea as well as deep aches and pains in my legs.

And last night was one of the worst nights I have experienced for a while.

It was so warm and humid in my bedroom, and unfortunately for me, I also had a guest in my room – my dog Honey! And believe me, this didn’t help the situation!

Due to the humidity, it was incredibly difficult for me to get to sleep anyway, especially with the cramping and deep pains in my legs, but somehow I did manage to drop off sometime during the night.

Honey looking angelic keeping cool – complete opposite of her antics last night!

But alas, was awoken around 2.30 by the dog, crying and heavily panting – seems I wasn’t the only one that is having trouble with the heat, and hampered by my bedroom which always seems to get very warm.  And after that was unable to fall back asleep due to the severe stiffness and pain in the legs as well as the violent dizziness and so spent the early hours of keeping myself occupied by listening to music and watching episodes of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and ‘Once Upon a Time.’

But a question that might you be thinking is why does the heat affect those with neurological conditions so much?

Well, the reason for this is in many neurological conditions the nerves are damaged or the neural pathways which slows the ability of the nerves to function and send messages to the appropriate part of the body.  Heat can further slow down nerve impulse in affected areas such as legs in my case. And this is the reason for increased symptoms during the hot weather.

 

Image: She Radiance.  A Magazine by Ayushveda 

So to ward off increased symptoms and those of heat intolerance it is vital that those with neurological conditions such as in my case, or those with MS, keep cool during these warm Summer nights.

And what steps can we take to ensure that we do not relapse or our symptoms become worse or find ourselves unable to sleep because of them?

 

Suggestions for keeping cool and being able to sleep comfortably on a hot night: 

  • If safe to do so leave a window open in your bedroom to increase the air circulation in the room.  Multiple windows facing different directions to admit breezes is even better.
  • Set up a fan – if you are worried about the noise emitted by fans, consider buying a large fan or even a ceiling fan which tends to move air with less speed and noise
  • If you are unable to open a window, consider using a fan and ice to mimic air conditioning if it is unavailable.  Buy a commercial bag of ice and empty it into a shallow container (to contain the water as the ice melts).  Place the bowl of ice directly in front of the fan (between the fan and you), level with the top of the bed
  • Keep your neck cool! It works the same way as keeping your feet cool.  Try using a cooling pack that works for you, or place a damp towel on your neck
  • Consider using the ‘Egyptian Method’: wet a sheet or bath towel that is large enough to cover you with cool or cold water, and wring it or run it through the spin cycle on a washing machine until the sheet is quite damp but not dripping wet.  Or you can use a spray bottle of water to spray the top sheet until it is damp but not soaking.  Place the dry towel or sheet underneath your body and use the wet sheet as your blanket.  The wet blanket will help keep you cool.
  • During an extreme heat wave take a light t-shirt and wet it, wring it and then wear it.  Evaporation from the shirt will help to keep you cool enough to sleep for a few hours
  • Take a pair of cotton socks and rinse them in cold water, wring them until they are damp and put them on.  The cooling of the feet lowers the overall temperature of your skin and body
  • Chill your pillowcases: put your sheets, blankets, and pillowcases into freezer bags and place it in the freezer all day.  Doing so can help you fall asleep faster, further reducing your exposure to the uncomfortable heat
  • Sleep in a ‘spread eagle’ position, so heat doesn’t gather around you
The ‘Spread Eagle’ Position
  • If it is a terrible night for you, sleep downstairs – warm air rises, so it tends to be cooler downstairs
  • Take a cold shower or bath before bed, or if this is not an option splash some cool water on your head and feet – this will help you keep cool for longer allowing you to fall asleep faster

 

These are some of the examples of keeping cool during those unbearable hot summer nights.  Have you got any other tips?  Please leave a comment with any other suggestions!

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