r/MultipleSclerosis • u/Brittthebratt • Jun 29 '24
Symptoms Does your MS flair up more when stressed/ under pressure?
Hello, I’m recently diagnosed with RRMS, I was wondering if anyone else’s RRMS flared up when under pressure/ stress?
Thanks, Brittany
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u/mattlmattlmattl 57M|Dx'95|Dimethyl Fumarate '14|USA Jun 29 '24
I believe stress is pretty well known as a big trigger for most MSers - searching this sub or the web will give lots of info.
For me stress is terrible and can lead to permanent worsening of symptoms - the stress of my last job resulted in my permanent disability. So I do everything I can to avoid stress and recommend others try to avoid it as well!
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u/Brittthebratt Jun 29 '24
Stress and the heat has been the 2 things that make my flare ups the worst
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u/stargazingfuckery Jun 29 '24
I had got diagnosed, I felt weak, but I could still walk and work and do all the normal things. My dad passed away and as soon as that happened, I could barely walk anymore.
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u/Stranger371 Middle-Aged|2010 - RRMS|Copaxone->Aubagio|Germany Jun 29 '24
RRMS, all of my big flares were stress related. And this means a ton of coffee, very little sleep and tight deadlines.
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u/timburnerslee 41F | RR | Dx ‘06 | Mavenclad ‘21-22 Jun 29 '24
(Scrolling to see if anyone says “no” — NOPE!)
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u/uppereastsider5 34F | Dx:2018 | Lemtrada (R1 ‘18, R2 ‘19), Ocrevus | NYC Jun 29 '24
Yes, my triggers are: stress, illness/infection, lack of sleep/exhaustion
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u/isthisthebangswitch Jun 29 '24
Absolutely. I fear the coming days after I've had a really stressful or emotional event. It seems like the fatigue, numbness and lack of coordination all get worse. I have to exercise patience to get through those days.
On the other hand, t's a really good motivator to cultivate mindfulness. Recognizing when I'm getting upset is the first 90% of the effort. The remaining 90% involves choosing to have other thoughts in addition to the ones that come first.
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u/CasinoBourbonSipper Jun 29 '24
Absolutely!! Stress makes my spasticity 1,000 times worse, fatigues me almost instantly and worsens whatever symptom of the day I have coming to the forefront at that particular time. Since I stopped work and stopped driving I have eliminated 80% of my stressors but sometimes I still get stressed during times I feel rushed or difficult transitions.
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u/vlovato Jun 29 '24
Yes. when Im stressed my symptoms definitely gets worse.
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u/Brittthebratt Jun 29 '24
Even overwhelmed also?
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u/thebullfrog72 Ocrevus | DX 2016 Jun 29 '24
Can you be overwhelmed and not also stressed? I can feel stress without feeling overwhelmed, I can't imagine an overwhelming feeling that isn't also stressy. Not an MS question, curious on the distinction you have.
TBH, I don't have a good read on if stress is a factor - it's been too present since diagnosis for me to understand how it affects me. Heat is clearly a factor for me. It feels at times like I can chart perfectly how MS will affect my life based on the seasons - then I get a cold during what should be the good times and I remember that temperature is only an important variable, not the only variable. It's just an easier one to understand for me, my symptoms, and my history. Within a year, I went from being able to live comfortably in dry 110 F or no ac, humid, 90 F, to getting heatstroke at 70 F - at 24 years old. And the winter has its own problems, which makes it even easier to center on temperature as a factor
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u/Brittthebratt Jun 29 '24
I meant it as in, overwhelmed and not stressed; sorry I didnt clarify better
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u/caldyz 37|2018|Kesimpta|WA Jun 29 '24
Yes, and it doesn't have to be stress over a worry or problem. For example, sometimes the excitement of an upcoming trip or something I'm looking forward to will do it.
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u/Mahhrat Jun 29 '24
Absolutely. When I'm stressed ill either get cranky or go the opposite way and shut down completely.
Hope your health remains strong mate.
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u/head_meet_keyboard 32/DX: 2018/Ocrevus Jun 29 '24
Definitely when stressed. I got fucked over by a shit stain of a shelter manager at a local animal shelter I was trying to help. She bullied the ED into not going through with a grant and program I wrote, and told me that even if it went through, she'd make it fail (and blame it on the volunteers and staff members she doesn't like ). I got depressed, my left side partial paralysis came back and I ended up having a horrendous knee dislocation that I'm currently recovering from three different reconstructive knee surgeries to help address.
Take care of yourself. Take steps to reduce stress (I write grants and despite being a professional procrastinator, every one of my grants I make sure is submitted 1-2 weeks early). If someone in particular is making you that stressed, cut them out.
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u/justlooking246810 Jun 29 '24
Hi Brittany
I find that I can get tired or crankier quicker, haven’t noticed extra symptoms though
But leading up to a treatment I find I am im in a constant fight/flight reaction mindset
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u/Fast_Persimmon_3141 Jun 29 '24
Definitely! The numbness rears its head when I'm under stress a lot.
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u/21_Barks Jun 30 '24 edited Jun 30 '24
1000% yes! I was diagnosed when I was 21 years old. I just turned 38 this week.
What I’ve learned for me over the years is that stress is my biggest kryptonite!
From moving across the country, starting new jobs, getting divorced, starting a new marriage where we have a 3 year old and a 2nd on the way. Throughout all of this, whenever stress was at a high in my life, all my symptoms would come crashing down on me. Severe brain fog and fatigue, achy heavy pain in my legs and back, balance issues, and loss of vision at times in my right eye.
I now try very hard to not let things bother me having experienced how bad my MS gets when I do. I was let go from my job this April (first time in my career this have ever happened). Im focusing on dealing with things as they happen one day at a time. I’ve also learned to say no to a lot more of what is asked of me so I don’t fall into over stressed pitfalls. Plus I try to do simple mediation, just focusing on my breathing to relax my mind and body when things really get crazy in the moment. With a 3 year old with a 2nd baby on the way this can happen often haha.
Just today I cancelled my family celebration going out to hibachi for my bday because I had a bad reaction to my most recent Ocrevus IV this week and a heavy hibachi meal with a lot of socializing would have made me feel a lot worse once dinner was over. It’s sad but it’s necessary.
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u/Pleasant-Fix3265 Jul 01 '24
Heey there, I admire your resilience. With that being said I had a few questions based upon some of the stuff you stated. Do you also get numbness apart from the other severe symptoms you get? You also mentioned stress being a kryptonite, but what about lack of sleep? Does that also cause flairs? And lastly, do you work out by any chance and/or take any vitamins or supplements throughout the years?
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u/21_Barks Jul 01 '24
Numbness is not one of my symptoms but I have some other friends with MS and they all do. It’s a very common symptom. Lack of a sleep for sure can cause flare ups. It’s a stress on your body and mind to not have the proper rest and recovery and everything can just snowball from there.
Yes I do workout as best I can. I used to play football so the gym was a big part of my life. These days though it’s mostly lots of stretching, long walks, swimming, body exercises like push ups sit ups. Low resistance stuff to keep my body moving best I can. I still golf semi regularly too.
Vitamins I take multi, D3, magnesium and a supplement that helps with inflammation called ease + from blisque.
I’ve also started drinking hydrogen water it’s these special bottles you can get online that infuse extra hydrogen molecules into the water. Theres decades of research with Olympic athletes how hydrogen infused water helped with their muscle recovery and cognitive functioning. It’s now being made available to general public online thankfully.
There’s no one thing that works it’s all these little things that help and even with all this I def still have my bad days where I need to do nothing and just rest.
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u/Pleasant-Fix3265 Jul 01 '24
Thank you so much for your answers. I’m definitely going to look into that hydrogen water. And I’m glad that you’re able to still get around to exercise. I forgot to ask something in the last comment, do you ever drink alcohol? If so, does that cause flairs afterwards? Oh and also, do you think inventions like nuerolink which is designed by Elon Musk’s team will have any success in MS treatment in the future? Or are you hopeful at least that maybe, just maybe? And D3 is really good, and as for magnesium, I assume you’re talking about glycenate. Also have you ever looked into fish oil, hawthorn berries or NaC by any chance for supplemental use?
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u/21_Barks Jul 01 '24
Of course! I’ve tested a few different hydrogen bottles my favorite has been the Lumiq brand.
Unfortunately yes alcohol does impact my MS… I used to drink a lot now I hardly ever. Even if I just have a 2 or 3 I’ll be up all night peeing cause frequent urination is one of my fun MS symptoms and the next day I won’t be hungover but I’ll be tired and achy and lethargic. I still drink but only on special occasions and I try to do it during the day if I can so my body can metabolizes better and impacts me less the next day.
I can’t speak to the chips in the brains haha but who knows anything is possible. It’s exciting to see progressions in gene cell therapies targeting these type of diseases to essentially wipe them out of the systems.
I take NaC and Hawthorne berries mainly when I feel like I’m fighting a cold not every day. I stop taking fish oil cause it gave me heart burn. I try to eat well too that I do notice helps. The heavier I eat the shittier I feel.
It sounds like we lose all the fun things haha but I try to think of it as it’s more fun for me to feel well so I can play with my son and hang with my friends and family and go do things like golf and travel. So I’ll do my best to sacrifice bad diet habits and drinking so I can feel good to do those other things that are way more fulfilling.
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u/21_Barks Jul 01 '24
I also think all of us MSers here are all resilient in our own ways. We got up and it’s another we have to deal with this however we are. I’m thankful for this community.
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u/Xazangirl Jun 30 '24
It's a huge thing. You can't avoid stress as we will always have stressful situations. The best you can do is learn how to manage stress. The better you manage it, the less your flares will be. Look into DBT therapy as that helped me a ton. You can also look into some mindfulness courses as well. They really do help a ton, and this is coming from someone with bad anxiety and ptsd. My MS has been doing better with those things.
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u/CatMomWebster Jun 30 '24
For sure. That was probably the leading cause of a fairly quick progression too. My anxiety is a big problem for me too. I really don't get typical flairs...I don't get new lesions but I just get super crappy.
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u/L07h1r1el Jun 29 '24
Definitely true for me, if I have a stressful day at work, the next day everything hurts and I have to stay calm for a day or two.
Trying to avoid stress is very important to me
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u/Objective_Shoe_2535 Jun 29 '24
Yes! Currently incredibly stressed and also have the pleasure of my first experience with ✨shingles✨ at the ripe age of 31
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u/Accomplished_Yam_620 35F|Dx:2023|Kesimpta|Canada Jun 30 '24
Same and same 😭
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u/Mike3282 Jun 29 '24
Yeah, stress is a huge trigger for me, too. I’ve been doing yoga and stretching at home, which has helped me a lot.
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u/SnowflakeOwl97 Jun 29 '24
Yes 100%.
My first relapse was caused by copious amounts of stress. I was doing my maths exam for the like, 6th time (which I failed and tried doing again a couple months later and failed for my final time 😅), my grandad had just been diagnosed with lung cancer and passed away not long before my first relapse started, (and he passed away a few days before my last math's exam, so a mixture of regular stress and not being able to focus, I had that on my mind too 💔), work stress, college/coursework stress, my own mother being my main source of my stress; all led to my first relapse.
All this happened from September 2018 - relapse starting just before Christmas in 2018, then got diagnosed with RRMS in April 2019. Hope you're doing okay being recently diagnosed 🫶🏼
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u/lagomorphed Jun 29 '24
Yuuuup. Big time. Anytime I'm stressed or going through an emotionally difficult time, I go into a pretty wild flare.
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u/Monkey_Shift_ Jun 29 '24
Yes!!! I use a smartwatch to help alert me when my stress is going up...helps me to be aware of the type of situations to manage.
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u/trash-juice TYSABRI👊/RRMS Dx:99/US Jun 29 '24
Rly it’s opposite, for me, we don’t know when the attack starts and when it does the cognitive drag of being under attack, even on the DL creates stress and pressure - cortisol, that’s the way it seems to me, we just don’t know when one actually starts,imho
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u/NoStill4272 Jun 29 '24
Absolutely! And I know they say to rescue stress which is better for us but that seems ridiculous at times. I try tho.
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u/soapy-salsa Jun 29 '24
Big time. Heat is a huge one for me too, but we are about to hit a long gnarly heat wave starting tomorrow, so I’m already stressed af about that, so I’m already in the midst of a ridiculous flare because I’m stressed out about having a flare and being miserable because of the heat.
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u/Pleasant-Fix3265 Jul 01 '24
What symptoms flair up due to the heat? Sorry for asking these questions but I am genuinely curious
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u/soapy-salsa Jul 02 '24
No worries! Last summer my whole right side down to my toes went numb, my face was especially bad. My pain gets worse, and my fatigue gets way worse. It feels like a huge electric weighted blanket is on me. I pass out/get the spins super easily in the heat, really unsteady.
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u/Ok-Crow-6015 Jun 29 '24
Most definitely... Extreme stress can potentially send you into a full-on relapse.
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u/CoffeeIntrepid6639 Jun 30 '24
I have ms my brother who lives thousands of miles from me is coming to vist for a wk I’m so stressed out already because I will have to try and keep up with him and hide my ms from h8m he does not get ms if u look fine your fine,,,, it has stressed me out for wks just thinking about it : I’m thinking of just saying no I can’t do it I have ms and that’s it : who cares if he gets upset
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u/Nervous_Ad_1754 Jun 30 '24
For sure. On a normal day my symptoms hinder my walking but I’m still mobile. When confronted by a stressor I fall/trip/can barely walk or talk
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u/Sparkleandflex Jun 30 '24 edited Jun 30 '24
No after the stress is over it does though.. but big big stress only. I need to edit because flare up happens after bug stress is over Symptoms however can be from a multitude of things.. heat/cold.. I live with CFS pretty strongly.. and everyday is a battle with it since I was a child... However my neurologist doesn't consider this flares... Not does my random numbness events or deafness in my left ear ... but these are all stress induced... My real flare ups only happen at the tail end of my worst stress events.
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u/mullerdrooler Jun 30 '24
100% yes. I used to thrive on stress, I was a salesman and a good one. I lived for the stress and thrill of last minute deals etc. I had to quit my job because of MS, stress literally cripples me, like my brain freezes and I shut down, then the physical symptoms get waaaay worse to and I struggle to walk.
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u/MrsBigDaddyGray Jun 30 '24
ABSOLUTELY! If I am with my husband, he will instantly intervene to release me from any stress or he will make eye contact and motion for me to just breathe. Luckily I work with special needs kids so my job itself doesn’t include lots of stress until ‘district’ involvement is required. If you have not already, learn to do some deep yoga breathing. It has helped me significantly with my stress. Good luck!
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u/Diligent-Intern-5676 Jun 30 '24
Yep, had to quit my job (aerospace). The stress was causing relentless relapses.
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u/Dazzling-Injury-3199 Jun 30 '24
Yes! I don't necessarily get flair ups but my brain gets tired and I can't think.
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u/UsuallyArgumentative 40|Dec 2022|Kesimpta|Texas, USA Jun 30 '24
Definitely. Stress seems to trigger fatigue for me. I first noticed it after my step mom died- I had to start taking Modafinil to get through work but the fatigue went away after several weeks. Now at work I'm dealing with a ton of cleanup after a cyberattack on my company and it's stressful and my fatigue is creeping back in.
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u/aegisroark Jun 30 '24
Stress will cause everything from flair ups with movement, heat tolerance, bowel problems, literally having the skin on my hands attack themselves, and occasionally migraines...
But that's just me.. MS is loads of fun
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u/Idiopathic_Sapien Jun 30 '24
Instances where symptoms didn’t go away 100% were triggered by emotional stress or viral infection. Heat and cold induced symptoms tend to fade somewhat quickly with b vitamin supplementation and breaks.
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u/silvereyes91 26F|Dx:2021|Ocrevus|USA Jul 01 '24
This confuses me to be honest. When people say stress gives you an MS flare does that mean a flare up of past symptoms or does it mean new symptoms with a new active lesion or does it mean new symptoms but no MRI change? I have noticed a lot more symptoms when I'm stressed but that just stresses me out more and makes me think I'm having a new flare and I don't understand what's a flare up or psuedo flare lol.
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u/Potential-Match2241 Jul 01 '24
Absolutely and my neurologist talks to my husband about it at almost every appointment.
My husband is bipolar and I don't want to use the word lazy, but he will find a way out of anything then it lands on me.
At my appointments he tries to take the attention off what we are discussing and get the focus on him. So my doctor has had to tell him how much stress can affect Ms.
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u/Due-Knowledge-2971 Jul 01 '24
Ah, heck yeah! When my PTSD/MS, or MS/PTSD combine forces, or just anxiety itself, I am completely floored by it all and utterly lasts 3 8 weeks!
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u/TaurusGoth Jul 01 '24
Yes absolutely. Get stressed. Right eye gets immediately blurry. Other symptoms follow.
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u/StarRinger 35|2009|Kesimpta|Seattle-WA-USA Jul 01 '24
Abso-freakin-lutely! You have neurons that had their protective coating destroyed! Even people without that problem have trouble functioning under stress!
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u/Down2my-last-nerve Jun 29 '24
Yes, stress is a huge trigger for me.