How Can You Beat Fatigue While Staying on Schedule?

When you don’t get enough sleep because you pulled an all-nighter it’s called that you are tired. When you end up dragging your thoughts, words and probably your feet out of the morning shower and you are already exhausted although you had a full-night’s sleep it’s called fatigue. As an MS-er you are mostly already familiar with the topic. So, let’s get started!

What Is Fatigue and What Does It Want?

But what IS fatigue? Let’s look at some cold facts. First of all, having fatigue does not make you a lazy person. It can fluctuate from hour to hour or from day to day. It’s that feeling of overwhelming tiredness or feeling of exhaustion you tend to feel even in the early morning.

Do you know the Duracell Bunny featured in the Duracell Batteries commercial? The one that looses energy as he goes around doing certain activities? It’s feeling like you are out of batteries, literally!

The particular stuff about fatigue is that it can come suddenly, take you off-guard and be totally out of proportion to any activity you might be doing.

Fatigue: Shapes and Sizes

This is the case of primary fatigue, also called lassitude. Another subtype is a kind of “short-circuiting fatigue”, meaning that your muscles get confused and stop responding as they should when doing repetitive movements (i.e. walking gets your legs feeling tired, your hand gets tired writing or chopping vegetables, etc).

These is a second type called secondary fatigue, which is the consequence of lack of sleep, heat sensitivity, stress, infections, relapses, low mood, unhealthy diet, lack of pshysical exercise, meds for other symptoms or conditions that you might have.

Beat Fatigue to the Curve!

How can you beat fatigue while staying true to your daily schedule and to-do list? How can you feel less like moving in slow motion and tripping all over the place? It all starts the day before.

You are the key element in managing your fatigue. You are the only one who can ensure the best levels of energy through enough sleep, relaxtion techniques, a regular exercising routine and a healthy diet.

That’s why you should establish a daily routine that will maximize your energy supply and make you use it in the most efficient way possible to your daily context.

• Wake up and go to sleep at the same hours everyday. The body and the brain will start to get used to your rhythm and adjust the internal clock accordingly, making you less tired and prone to waking up feeling groggy. Plus, doing the same things at the same hours gets rid of stress, as you don’t have to think it through everytime you do it.

• Don’t sleep to much. Oversleeping increases fatigue. Keep the bed only for sleeping (an for other pleasurable activities) and do the rest of them in another part of the house. Read on the couch, have some tea on the porch (or again on the couch if you like it so much). The point is to have a fixed place for resting. So, if you want to nap during the day, where do you go? To your bed, that’s right! Then after napping, get up and resume your daily activities.

• Stay physically active. It will considerably improve your sleep. Try to adapt your exercising routine to your level of energy. It is preferable to exercise in the morning, like I myself choose to do, but it depends on how tired you feel Don’t overdo it by pushing to hard. Keep it light and efficient, just enough to get your blood flowing and muscles stretched. It will alow you to reduce stress, impove your mood and help you with weightoss. I personally enjoy yoga, stretching and deep breathing right after I wake up (and after I have a glass of lemon water to clense my body from all those toxins it released during the night).

• Having a poor diet exhausts your body. Your eating habits play an important role in managing fatigue. Eating foods that are high in nutrients will boost your energy levels and nourish your body, making it more resillient and ready to face the daily MS challenges. Having your meals at the same times everyday, keeps your body knowing when it will receive a new recharge and makes it less prone to headaches or tension. Size DOES matter in this case! Large meals make you feel tired afterwards. Try eating frequent, lighter meals. For example, try eating three main meals and two snacks throughout the day (no, I don’t mean Oreos!). And don’t miss that breakfast! It gives you a fabulous kickstart (or a kick in the behind if you skip it!).

• Having your kitchen organized and cool at all times makes it easier for you to cook, eat and enjoy your meals, without the burdain of fatigue lingering by. Choose to cook in bulk / batches, and store the food into the freezer so it will be ready some other day you need it. A personal tip that I can give you is to gather all of your ingredients and utensils in advance and line them on the table in front of you. Even lining them in the order you have to mix them in is helpful. I have been doing this even before I was diagnosed with MS. Try it and tell me how was it.

• Also, try to maintain a healthy weight. It boosts your energy levels sky-high and it will also help with your self-esteem issues. I messed up this part, as I gained weight after receiving my diagnosis after eating a whole lot of junk just to keep my emotions in place. Big fail! Eat healthy and get rid of bottled juices, pizza, chocolate (I know, I’m evil! But I also have a delicious coconut chocolate recipe that I will soon share with you, in a future post). You get it! Eliminate all that your grandma wouldn’t see as food and you’ll start feeling better (plus the scale will drop a few pounds… just sayin’).

• Drink enough water to keep you hydrated and to flush those toxins out! Dehydration causes tiredness and makes you feel slugghish (like I’m feeling right now… let me grab some water!). But careful with the salt intake! You don’t want to become bloated, as that will mke you feel shitty as well. Drink as much as one liter and a half - two liters, but don’t overdo it (you remember those frequent trips to the bathroom, right? That’s what I thought!).

Fatigued All Day, Can’t Sleep at Night?

And what about that insomnia that kicks in right after you get into bed feeling exhausted?! Kick it to the curve by following a sleeping routine.

• Try not getting overtired during the day, rest and mind your energy levels.
• Eat a light meal, and do not drink coffee or any tea that contains caffeine.
• Ditch TV, smartphone, tablet, laptop… you name it. If it has a blueish screen and it’s glowing right before your tired eyes, it’s gotta go. Period!
• Go take a shower and then do some light stretches. It helps you relax and feel at ease. Plus it helps with some of your digestion.
• Make to-do lists for all your tasks for the following day, getting them off your mind when it’s time to go to sleep.
• If sleep won’t come, don’t stay in bed. Focus on something else. Read a book, go take another warm shower, pour yourself a nice cup of herbal tea (no caffeine!) or do some light stretches. Distract your mind from trying to force yourself to sleep. Keep a notebook on your nightstand, as to be able to free your mind of any ideas, concerns or plans that might come up and keep you awake.

This is it, my dears! I hope you’ve enjoy this article and you find it useful in your daily life. I have personally tried most of the techniques presented here and I would love to hear what your experiences are like.

Untill the next article, have a wonderful day!

Sincerely,

Alexandra

P(MS) Squared - Multiple Sclerosis & The Ladies

You’ve been there. You know how it goes. You go through it monthly. No, not the lady issue! The MS symptoms pseudo-exacerbations. Hormones and multiple sclerosis are tightly packed, that’s why we can call them P(MS) squared: double the symptoms, double the “fun”.

Hormonal fluctuations affect women in many ways: mood, weight, food cravings, sex drive, etc. This is not your ordinary “woman-issues-post”. It is the one where being a woman with MS gets you a bit over the top, in many ways than one.

The Monthly Issue And Its Quirks

It happens every month. By now you are already used to it. It's not the shallow "womanly weakness thing" that sparks question marks all over the male population. It is a normal process through which the female body has  to go through in order for the species to reproduct. 

This issue must be treated with more consideration, as you don't go around punching in the face someone who has a toothache. You show compassion and try to comfort him / her. Same as for "that time of the month" for women. Hormones, cramping and mood fluctuations are enough trouble, thank you! Expect winning, tears and anger, because the body goes to a tough time.

How Does The Cycle Affect You?

The menstrual cycle is an inflammatory state, made up of two parts with specific manifestations:

1. The folicular phase - the endometer (the tissue that gets eliminated) is growing under the influence of estrogen secretion. This ramps up your old MS symptoms and it’s the time you may begin to gradually feel bad;

2. The luteal phase - the tissue becomes strongly vascularized and retains water under the influence of progesterone, preparing the body for an eventual pregnancy. At this stage your moodiness might be at high levels and also possibly having to deal with some of your MS symptoms even more.

Between these two, the ovulation takes place. Your body temperature begins to raise, and it stays like that until the menstruation begins. During the first phase, the estrogen levels are going up faster than the progesterone ones, and thus the endometer is growing. As ovulation is over, progesterone begins to spike up and raises your body core temperature.

Enter Progesterone

Although you might think that raising your temperature might be bad for your MS, progesterone is in fact not that bad for your brain. It helps with neural plasticity, with learning and memory and relieves stress and anxiety. 

During pregnancy, it is produced in large quantities by the ovaries and placenta. It has been said that a pregnancy protects from MS flare-ups, by neutralizing the immune attacks. The body needs to protect the fetus, and the T lymphocites enter a dormant state. 

After the birth, the immunity wakes up and flares can happen. But it’s only a normal process, as the body needs to heal itself from the pregnancy.

How To Deal With It?

Inflammation is really what MS is all about. The swelling of the nerve cells, by retaining water. The changes your body has to go through before, during and after the menstruation makes your MS react, as you go through issues like water retention, micro changes in the brain neurotransmitters and emotional fluctuation that keeps your stress levels high.

It’s not a lovely stage to be in, but this too shall pass. Like all the things you already went through. And by the age of 20, you should be used to the monthly issues by now. Here’s what you can do to ease it up for yourself.

The main goal is to reduce inflammation. Changing your eating habbits helps a great deal.

Water is being retained in your body (brain included) by salt, thus you need to lower salt intake. Use spices, mustard and lemon to flavour your meals. Since we're mentioning it, try to drink moderate amounts of water, as too much of it has the potential to damage the myelin covering by raising edema in the brain. Salt and sugar also contribute to this.

Cut out sugar, white flour and dairy to limit bloating and insulin fluctuations.

Limit / eliminate caffeine. Be it coffee, caffeinated drinks or cocoa. Drink green or herbal tea instead. It contains a light dose og caffeine, just enough to give you energy, but not to much as to amplify your headaches, tension and anxiety.

Avoid chemicals such as aspartame, splenda and sodium monoglutamate. On top of their general excitotoxicity (they affect the brain), they make PMS even worse, and by that your pseudo-exacerbations could flare-up.

Increase intake of vitamin B6. It is involved in the production of myelin and thus helps with brain health. You can find it in spinach, carrots, fish, liver, eggs.

Zinc and magnesium are also good for you during this time of month. They help you cope with stress, fatigue and reducing the inflammatory state. These two help with production and regulation of progesterone, thus making you feel better.

Wraping Things Up!

Nutrition, keeping your minerals and vitamins in check is a good way to help you with PMS and MS symptoms. 

Be sure to also add exercise to the equasion so that you can reap the whole benefits. Moving your body helps you relax, get rid of excess calories and makes the lymphatic system work better, draining your body of all that water retention.

All in all, this might seem like a “ladies-only” topic, but the guys can benefit from it as well. Keeping a healthy body when one has MS is not only a female concern. 

Eat healthy, exercise and find time to relax and destress.

When all things seem to go bad, just smile, breathe and know that this too shall pass.

Sincerely,

Alexandra

Question: How are you dealing with these issues on a montly basis? Share your answer on our Facebook, Twitter or in a comment down below. Thak you for visiting!

(Photo credit 1 & photo credit 2)

Anatomy Of An Emotion. Multiple Sclerosis Style!

Do you have mood swings, incredible lows and incredible highs? Is MS… messing with how and what you feel? First, let me tell you how emotions are born.

Inside the human brain there are a few parts that are responsible for the emotional response.

The limbic system, also called the “emotional brain”, is one of the first areas that develop. It is the main part of the brain responsible for processing emotions. It’s function is yet very primitive. It can differentiate between levels of danger - less / more / very dangerous - and it reacts to fear stimuli. The amygdala is one of its components, and is the part that assesses the emotional value of the stimuli.

The area between the front and middle of the brain has a huge concentration of dopamine receptors that make you feel pleasure and be happy about your life.

The hypothalamus regulates your emotional response and the hypocampus turns your short-term memories into long-term ones, helping you retrieve stored information. Your memories let you know how you react to the world around you, including what type of emotional response you are having.

The two brain hemispheres also keep your emotions in check.

Right versus Left

The right side is responsible for abstract ways of thinking, symbolism, gestures and for the identification of especially negative emotions such as fear, anger and danger. It is more impressionable. It is the creative and sensitive part of the brain.

The left side deals with concrete ways of doing things, literal meaning of words and mathematical calculus. It is the scientifical and objective part of the brain. It also interprets emotions and the logical way to react to them.

Without the left hemisphere, the right one would be overcomed with negative emotions and would not know how to cope or respond to them. The other way round, without the right, your left hemisphere would not be able to identify negative emotions.

Memories drive and inform emotions

The reason why you remember things is to know how to react in a similar situation. Your brain has already analized what happens in a certain context and gives you the information needed to face the present one. Memories of previous experiences dictate the intensity of the current emotion.

For example, if your past experience with needles was a scary one, and you interpreted it as something that is harming you, the next time you have to have an injection, you’ll possibly experiment the same emotional reaction. 

The right brain identifies the stimuli and identifies the type of reaction: fear. You get tense, begin to sweat and / or talk to much. The left brain comes in and it logically asseses the situation, it sees that there is no iminent danger, you calm down and the injection goes smoothly.

Ways that MS influences emotion.

In MS, injury to the brain happens randomly. Because there are so many brain parts that process different emotions in different ways, the place where you have a new or old lesion, can potentially change your mood and emotional response to reality.

MSers are known to have mood swings, incontrollable laughing or crying outbursts, to get angry faster and to get deeply frustrated on things that normally wouldn’t cause such a reaction.

In newly diagnosed people, fear, anger and emotion may happen frequently, as the frustration of living with a chronic disease takes its toll on their capacity to cope.

Emotional symptoms and manifestations in MS are a large topic. We’ve only scratched the surface of this issue with today’s article. Most likely there will be a series on the topic.

Untill then, smile and keep making the SMart Choice for your MS Lifestyle!

Last, but not least, I would like to thank Positive Living With MS for inspiring me to write this article. You are such a wonderful and positive person. Thank you!

Sincerely,

Alexandra

P.S. Question: How are you managing emotional symptoms on a daily basis and how are they affecting you on a personal level? Leave a comment down below. Thank you for reading!

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(Photo credit)

Heat & Needles - A short MS summer story

Looking outside my window today, I might think that winter is coming (GoT daydreamer here!). The sky is gloomy, the air is full of cold humidity, but I know it. It’s summer. A grey day of rain can’t fool my MS. It knows best.

I’ve never been so much of a summer fan. Not even in my teenage years. All the “let’s go to the beach and get tanned” had no effect on me, as I always prefered the cool mountain breeze through my hair. There is so much more to do and explore, and the scenery tops it all! Being on a moutain cliff and feeling all that space around, gives me a sense of freedom like I’ve never felt anywhere else.

Eight days from now I’ll celebrate the first year since I met my MS. Of course it had to rear its head during the most wonderful time of the year for me: blazing hot summer! The two loves of my life came together. Yay! MS made me dislike summer so much more. Especially when I have to self-inject.

Guess what? Needles aren’t my personal favorites either. But I made friends with them. After more than 100 days of injecting I can finally say that we know eachothers highs and lows. It’s my adrenaline shot and I’m beginning to feel it working. I don’t mind the sting so much anymore, as I gotten used to it. I breathe and I know it will pass… And then I go take a second morning shower because the 34 degrees outside soaked my t-shirt! And it’s not even 11 a.m.!

So, living at Winterfell sounds like a very good option! Seriously now, I could stand frost bites better than dripping foreheads all day long. That’s why my favorite season has always been winter. It’s where me and my MS find common ground. Plus it makes a good match for my daily needles. They are both cold as ice. Hence the picture in this post.

Looking back at my window, winter has come at least a little bit. It’s raining and the wind is slightly moving the tree leaves. And so my MS is pleased. As am I. We are friends again.

Sincerely,

Alexandra

P.S. Question: How are you handling the summer heat? Does that impact your MS in any way? Share your answers on Facebook, Twitter or in a comment down below. Thank you for visiting!


(Image Credits: Thank you #Soli Art Photography! You made my story come alive. Beautiful image!)

METAMORPHOSIS - ep. 1 - Just a normal weekend

"Metamorphosis" - Greek μεταμόρφωσις, "transformation, transforming", from μετα- (meta-), "change" and μορφή (morphe), "form". (source)

(image source)

Prologue

MS changes you. It makes you more aware of your past and present faults. Even of your future ones if you’re not careful. It makes you scared, anxious and stressed. It pumps fear, uncertainty and aggitation. And all of a sudden something changes. You change. For the better? For the worse? Only time will tell. Wait and see. Have patience and read through the lines. The Metamorphosis has begun!

~~~

Friday - 07:00 a.m.

For Heaven’s sake! Does this alarm has to ring e-very morning? OK, OK! I’m up, I’m up! There! I turn you off, stupid alarm!! (like you turned me off a few seconds ago). Thank God it’s not raining again. The good thing is that today is Friiiidaaay! Weekend at last. What should I wear today? … A pair of jeans, this shirt… and I think I’ll take the black blazer too. The rain could make us all a big surprise again. The coffee smells good today! Hm, a ciggarette would be nice! Five minutes and it’s all done!

Ooooukey! Let’s put some make-up on! Why does my eye socket hurt? It must have been the damn air conditioning at the office. And I told Miranda not to overuse it! It blew right in my face. Oh, well! It will pass… For two days I’ll be out of the office and cold-air free! … Where did I put my mascara…? Here it is! … Ahhhh! Damn it! Can’t believe I hit my eye! How sleepy can I be? Ahhh, it stiiings! Let’s wash it off… no, I can’t do that! I’ll be late… Hmm… A Q tip will do the trick! It always does! … Yay! I got rid of the sting. It might have been a lash. I don’t have time to worry about it. It’s already 8 o’clock! Another 10 more minutes and I’ll be out the door.

08:45 a.m. - At the office

I’m the first one to get here! Again… Opeeen the laapptoop and … go smoking again… it’s only 08:50, I have a little time left.. and it’s Friday after all… I wonder if someone will reach the sales target this month… Haha! Wait and see. Who knows what could happen! It would be so nice if my eye would stop itching.. and that pain! I’ll stop at he pharmacy on my way home.. they must have something to help me deal with this! … Somebody came in… 

- Hi, Miranda! I was waiting for you! What’s up?
- Oh, I just came from dropping my little one at the kindergarden. God, he made such a fuss out of being left alone. Again. By me!
- Poor thing, Miranda! I thought he was already getting used to his new schedule and all…
- It seems like he needs a little more training or.. dunno! Maybe I’ll spare him of kindergarden and hire a nanny ‘till he’s able to go to school. Haha!... Is coffee ready?
- Yes, I made a fresh batch. Help yourself. We have milk in the fridge.
- Finally! Oh, by the way! We’re alone at the office today. Between home-offices and vacations we’re left to concentrate on our sales strategies.
- Yeah, right! As if that was the reason for the others being at home. Oh, well! Let’s get on with the day. I finished my cigg, so I’ll be waiting for you in the office. You’re OK with that?
- Yes, no problem. Go, I would be there shortly.

11:17 a.m.

My eye still hurts! Did I got something in it as I was walking here from the bus station… I don’t think so… Miranda?!

- Yes..
- Could you please help me with something?
- Sure, what’s the matter?
- I think I got something in my eye. Could you take a look and tell me if you see something?
- … Hmm… there seems to be no .. wait! I see a little .. I dunno what it is.. a thin puff, let me get it out for you.
- Here’s a Q tip.. see what you can do with it.
- OK.. staaay still and don’t blink! I thiiink I got itttt… Yep! It’s out, you should be fine now!
- Thank you, Miranda! It feels much better now. Imagine how my day might have been with something in my eye! Imagine the productivity… the lack of it! Haha!
- Ehhh, nobody would have accused you of not wanting to push hard on your sales today! Hehe!
- OK! Let’s get to work!

13:30 p.m.

My eyes are tired.

- Miranda?! I’m taking a short brake. I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me, OK?
- OK, dear! Go relax for a bit. You haven’t got off that chair in three hours!

I can’t smoke! It’s too hot outside and having this window open feels like opening the gates to Hell! Hehe! That’s why I love summer! NOT! Neah! Don’t feel like smoking anymore. Let’s get back to work. A few more phone calls and a bunch of emails and I’m home free! Weekend at last!

- Back already?
- Yep! Too hot outside!
- Are you done with calls today?
- No, I have a few more left, but I’ll wrap it up in an hour or so.
- Good!
- But my eye still stings!
- Meeeh, you just have the remaining sensation. I got that thing out, remember?
- Yeah, but I can almost feel it still in there. And my eye is tired. Almost blurry.
- It will pass. Stay calm and take short brakes. You tire your eyes looking constantly at that screen.
- I’ll relax them a bit!

17:55 p.m.

I can almost feel a slight headache rising through…

- Miranda?! (damn, my socket feels like it's burning!) Miranda… I’m done for the day! How’s your work going?
- Uhhm, not so good! I think I need to work on it for about an hour more. Are you OK?
- I hope so! My head hurts a bit and that damn eye still bugs me!
- Oh, poor you! Calm down, it will be ok! Go buy some eyedrops and some ibuprofen and you’ll be fine!
- Yeah, that was just my plan! Thanks for the advice. See you on Monday! (If my eye gets better!)
- See you on Monday! Have a nice weekend!
- You to, Miranda! Byyye!
- Bye!

18:30 p.m. - At the pharmacy

Wait, my eye cleared a bit! Yay! Let get those drops and get home.

- Hello! Could you give me some eyedrops and an ibuprofen, please?
- Sure! … Here you go!
- Thank you! Have a good day!
- You too!

18:45 p.m. - Home at last!

Hey! Dimi is home!

- Hi love! Didn’t expect too see you home so early!
- Hey gorgeous! … We finished the viewing and there was nothing more left to do so he sent us home!
- What a nice man, this boss of yours! When he wants to, that is!
- It has to suit his interests first, as always! How was your day?
- Fiiine! I reached the upper half of my target…
- Good for you!
- … and resolved all my to-do’s for today. But my eye kept hurting and I could not concentrate as good as I would of wanted!
- Does it still hurt now?
- Yes, unfortunatelly! It cleared up, but my socket still aches! After dinner I’ll take a painkiller and get ot over with.
- Oh, don’t worry! These things happen! … Do you have eye drops?
- Yes, I also bought some of those.
- Come here, you little beautiful one!
- Dimitri, it feels so good to be home!

Sunday - 11:02 a.m.

Oh, well… it’s Sunday! Bummer! Tomorrow that alarm is going to ruin my sleep again! But in the meantime, let’s enjoy the beautiful July weather outside!

- Dimi, could you pass me the lighter please?
- Here you go!
- Thanks! Breakfast was sooo good! I’m living with a real top chef! Haha!
- But of course, my dear! Hehe! Especially for you! By the way! How’s your eye?
- After the discomfort I had yesterday… a bit better now. I can see clearly once again.
- I’m so glad! You got me a little bit scared there.
- Eh, it’s probably nothing!

16:22 p.m.

I’m so tired! And this Sun is hitting me right between the eyes. Let’s move a bit. Ouch! I got some ciggarette smoke in my eye. Wait! It’s not the smoke! The pain came up agin. I’m feeling a little headache comming too. Ehh… get over it.. I’m tired… I’ll sleep it of!

- Alex!
- Yes, Dimi! What is it?
- Could you read this message for me? I can’t do it untill I finish rolling this chicken, or we’ll have burned barbecue! Heheh!
- ‘Course, dear!...
- Well, what does it say?
- Wait, I can’t see the writing well!
- What do you mean?
- My vision is foggy! And this damn headache!
- Are you OK, Alex? Let me get these off the grill… Here, come and sit down!
- I dunno what got into me. I was feeling fine a few hours ago.
- You must have that eye checked soon. Make an appointment sometime next week.
- No, I’ll make one for tomorrow.
- And what about work?
- Work can wait. I would not be able to work with this pain anyway.
- Call your boss and first get a leave of absence, to be sure.
- Ok, I’ll do that, and then make my doc’s appointment.
- I love you, you little in pain one! Hehe.
- I love you too, but leave me alone for a bit! Let me make the call.

17:05 p.m.

… To-mo-rrow… at 10 a.m. .. OK! Thank you very much! Goodbye!

- Dimi, all done! I made my appointment for tomorrow morning at 10.
- Good! Would you like me to come with you?
- No, it’s just a check-up. She’ll probably give me some eye drops and send me home.
- OK.

Monday - 10:00 a.m.

Why am I so anxious? It’s not my first eye control. That eye sore, or viral conjunctivitis, or what the Hell it was passed so quickly… I bet this one will be the same!

- Good morning! Nice too see you again, doctor!
- Good morning Alex! What brings you here? I hoped our meetings would be fewer.
- Oh, just a check-up. My right eye has been hurting me for the whole weekend. I think I also got a headache from it a few times.
- Take a seat here, please. Let us check it! … Allllriiight! Can you read this for me, please? …. OK! Good! Now this line, please! ….. This one… OK! You did good!
- I’m usually good at this! Hehe!
- Yes you are! Put your head here, please! Keep your eye still… don’t move...or blink.. OK, let’s do the other one!
- OK. Same moves, right?
- Same ones, yes! … Did you have any reading problems.. as not being able to distinguish between letters or needing to squint to see a word..
- No, I did not have issues like that! Why?
- Because from what I can see here, there’s nothing wrong with your vision. Did the pain upset you much?
- Yes. It was constant, and it hurt as I rotated or moved my eye from side to side.
- Let me see those eyes again! Put your head here… OK… and now the other eye...
OK! As I said before, your vision is perfect, but I think there’s something wrong with the optic nerve. Did you ever took a visual field exam?
- No.
- I would want you to have your visual field checked up and go to a neurologist to see if all things are alright. Then comeback and we’ll look at the results.
- Why are these necessary?
- As I said, your vision is good, and I can’t see what is wrong. A visual field chart and a neurologist’s opinion would help me make the right choices for you. Here is your letter of recommandation… your diagnosis is retrobulbar optic neuritis. Make an appointment for these two, and then come back here to look at the data together.
- All right! Thank you, doctor! I’ll schedule them for tomorrow! Have a nice day!
- You too! And lots of health!
- Thank you!

… Funny thing! I’ve always been curious about a neurology exam. It seems I got my wish now!

(continue to Ep. 2 - Breathe, just breathe!)