Dan and my daily life and routine finally is getting back to normal.
Much like the rest of society, COVID-19 put our lives on hold. We limited our risk of exposure to the virus especially because we both are living with Multiple Sclerosis, and thus, we secluded ourselves from many of our nearest and dearest and much of the outside world. That was a wise choice, and for the past 15 months we’ve lived with more isolation than our somewhat social butterfly selves are used to.
Fortunately, that protective quarantine cocoon is starting to break. And with this, Dan and I, as well as everyone else living with MS, are on a crash course to relearn the life hacks for living with this chronic progressive disease.
Adapting to the heat was our first lesson relearned. After all, heat sensitivity is one of the major symptoms for people living with MS.
I was fully vaccinated and Dan was halfway there (he was less than a week away from his second shot) when our friends Cynthia and Wes, who were in town from Texas, recently stopped by for a visit. We felt safe because they both were vaccinated and we all were catching up outside (no masks required) on a bright sunny Michigan day.
It was so sunny and hot that even on our covered deck, I worried our friends would be uncomfortable chatting in the heat. But, um, wait Jennifer. Cynthia and Wes live in Texas, and Michigan heat has nothing on the sweltering sun of the Lone Star State. They will be just fine 😉
We had a nice, long, much-needed visit with our friends we haven’t seen in at least three years. We even ended the visit with hopeful talk of our visiting them in Texas. Still further evidence of our getting back to live as we once did.
Yes, Cynthia and Wes handled the heat like the pros they are, but they aren’t the couple living with MS. Dan and I mastered the heat in the face of our MS because we were mindful of staying in the shade, keeping hydrated, and limiting the amount of time we spent in the heat.
We are getting ready to take a trip back to Iowa to see his family for the first time in two years. I will say from experience that my home state of Michigan doesn’t come close to comparing to the summer heat and humidity of the Hawkeye State – which is why my hair is always frizzy or in a ponytail when we go back there 🙂 And right there, that’s one of my tips for staying cool: put your hair up and out of the way.
To make sure we’re ready, and to help you stay ahead of the hot summer months wherever you live or are traveling to, here are a couple links where we share more of our top tips to stay cool when you’re enjoying fun in the summer sun:
- Read our Mango Health post 7 Suggestions for Summer Fun with Chronic Illness
- Listen to Episode 4 of our podcast, Lounge Hour
And in the words of our friend Cynthia, we wish y’all a safe and happy summer!