Good evening Y’all! I am carrying on with MS Awareness Month sharing more information with you about the illness. Have you even analyzed what was going on in your life when you had a MS Flare Up? In a way I guess I have, but still never made any changes to what was going on in my life. I know it will not be any fun and might be a little painful thinking back to your most recent flare up, but what was going on at that moment in your life? I will tell you that the major flare up I had this past October was completely and 100% due to stress. Below are some very common triggers for an MS flare up.

 1. Stress:

         a. Emotional stress can lead to a very common MS symptom, depression.

         b. Stress can lead to additional fatigue and confusion, probably from lack of sleep.

    2. Fatigue:

       a. Sleep is very important for everyone, but it is vital for those with MS.

       b. Most people with MS have a lower reserve for energy, so small tasks can be           exhausting.

    3. Infection:

        a. Infections cause about 1/3 of all flares up.

        b. Due to reduced bladder functions in some MS patients, Urinary Tract Infections are very common, which in turn can cause a flare up. 

        c. Even a slight cold or the flu can initiate a flare up. This makes it very important to seek medical attention at the first indicator of a cold or the flu so you can get in front of the ailment before things get worse. 

     4. Heat:

        a. Increased body temperatures, whether due to the weather or having a fever.

        b. Symptoms, like tingling and numbness tend to be more intense during the summer because of the outside temperatures. It is important to stay in the air conditioning as much as possible or try things like cooling vests.

Not all MS flare ups are going to need to be treated with steroids. Lord knows, for any of you that have had to be on them they are miserable. Even though I know steroids help shorten the flare up, I will do just about anything to avoid them! Typically issues like tingling, fatigue and mental fogginess will go away on their own, especially once the trigger has been eliminated. Unfortunately there are more severe MS symptoms that can affect mobility and vision that will require a short course of steroids. Each person does need to learn what triggers the various symptoms that take place during a flare up. Sometimes it is easy to acknowledge what your triggers are, but an entirely different situation addressing those known triggers.

Do you know what triggers any flare ups you have had in the past? Do you think there was a way to avoid this flare up if any behaviors had been altered? I do believe if I could learn to manage my stress a little better, I could possibly avoid many flare ups in the future. I can acknowledge what my triggers are, but I have a problem making changes with the issue, which is normally stress. This is not a good excuse for not making changes, but it is in my nature to worry about people I care about and feel an overwhelming need to help them through their problem or problems. I always want to fix whatever issue or issues my loved one are experiencing. Even though logically I do know that I am not able to fix everyone else’s issues, but should really focus more on my own life I do still try. This does not fix whatever my loved one is going through, but just causes me so many more issues with my health and an increase in my pain. 

I want to thank y’all for visiting my site today. As always, your comments are very welcomed and I will respond to you as quickly as I possibly can. I know this information is probably well know already, but I hope that it reminded you to be mindful of your own health and try to know what could be possible triggers for you. This information about flares and triggers is not just isolated to MS, but can also carry onto other illnesses. All illnesses can have triggers that cause that illness to rear their ugly heads. I hope y’all have a nice and relaxing evening. As always, I am sending you lots of love and comfort!

Always, Alyssa