Cause & Effect

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It's an undeniable fact that MS comes with a slew of frustrations. They may change month to month, day to day, even minute to minute, but they're always nearby. While some can be brushed aside, the ever-lingering annoyance I've found causing me considerable grief lately is a little symptom game called "Guess the Cause"! 


So you're experiencing a new symptom - maybe it's a minor nuisance, maybe it's a major inconvenience. But the cause? That is ever the mystery. Is it the steroids? The comedown from steroids wearing off perhaps? Is it your medication? A lack of medication? Could it be heat-induced? Maybe stress-related? Perhaps you're having an actual relapse...then again it could just be a temporary flare. Did you eat too much of a triggering food? Didn't exercise enough? Exercised too much? Impending cold/flu/other random unrelated illness getting inflammation fired up?
Good news is, there's a solution! 
Wait and see. 
Not satisfied with that solution? Neither am I, ever - but alas, that's life with MS. 
I think this has been the hardest aspect of this disease for me to adjust to. Not only is feeling crummy in one way or another a huge bummer, not knowing why is endlessly frustrating. As I've mentioned in previous posts, I'm a very problem --> solution kind of person, and in this standoff of me vs. my MS symptoms there is no resolution, no quick fix to employ - I prefer the "see" part to the "wait" component of "wait and see," but that's unfortunately not a luxury afforded by MS. Only the wait part can potentially give you answers; waiting and experimenting in the future to try to identify your cause. It's sort of like people who do the Whole 30 diet to try to identify what foods may trigger unpleasant reactions for them - unfortunately with MS symptoms the list of things you'd need eliminate extends far beyond food. Weather,  activity, stress, medications, and a litany of other things could be the trigger for that particular issue, but tomorrow your trigger may be different. 


So goes the ever-changing cycle of triggers and reactions that accompany MS. All we can do is try to keep up and adjust as we learn. Just know that if you're feeling frustrated with this seemingly never-ending battle, you aren't alone!



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