Fall Brings a Welcome Break From Heat Exhaustion
On my side of the world, we are beginning to see temperatures drop. I’ve never been a big fan of summer. I don’t enjoy sweating, and I like mosquitoes even less. For someone like me, who lives with myasthenia gravis (MG), summer also means heat exhaustion. So, I’ve been looking forward to fall.
Even before MG, the hot summer months were a nuisance. But MG makes getting through them a much bigger challenge. The amount of sweat my body creates went from normal to excessive after MG.
I had already been suffering from excessive sweating as a side effect of prednisone for a while, but high temperatures made it worse. And it didn’t matter if I was indoors or outdoors. I could sit in a chair for less than 10 minutes and pools of sweat would form on my seat. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any solutions for the excessive sweating, although a fan offered some relief.
The extreme heat also leaves me feeling fatigued more quickly, and simple tasks become like impossible mountains to climb. Taking several breaks throughout the day helps, but the tasks still need to be completed.
This is why I welcome fall. Cooler temperatures have always had a much more positive effect on my MG. When the weakness in my left eye was at its worst, my neurologist laid an ice pack on my eye for five minutes. It was uncomfortable, but not painful. After removing it, my eye strength temporarily returned. It wasn’t a miracle, but it made me appreciate colder temperatures.
Fall also brings better food and better clothing options — even more to like about it. But MG is the main reason I look forward to the change of seasons. Heat and MG don’t work well together. Fatigue is something I always have to worry about, so it’s nice to have one less thing to lose sleep about after September.
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About the Author
Deborah Dortzbach
I love fall. Walking outside no longer makes me feel suffocated! I love the crunch of leaves and enjoy the vibrant colors around me in northeast America where I live. I am trying to take advantage of these months, before icy cold brings safety issues for walking, and the heat of winter kept me inside with air conditioning. It is perfect time to get outside and walk for even short stints. Good for my spirits, refreshes my mind, and body.
Jane Potero-Motto
I agree I lived in South Carolina since 2008, diagnosed with MG in 2014 and heat has not been a friend. Moved back to the north, near Chicago O’Hare Airport and on extremely humid days I am not at my best especially in the mornings. I feel then when the humidity increases my fatigue increases and the super hidrosis is not pretty. - Jane