“What dreadful hot weather we have! It keeps me in a continual state of inelegance”. ~ Jane Austen

It is incredibly hot this summer. I hear people complaining about it all the time. Nevertheless, they all still seem to be able to go about doing their daily task. For them, it’s basically an annoyance or at the most, it presents some discomfort. For me, it has way more damaging effects. As soon as the sun’s rays hit me, it sucks every ounce of energy right out of my body.

At first, I thought heat affected everyone with MS in the same negative way. But I see news stories of people with multiple sclerosis running marathons and participating in bike events. I find that incredible! I can barely go outside for 10 minutes without wilting in the sun.

How are they doing that? Am I in the minority?

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I have a cooling vest that is 5 years old. It helps, but not for very long. My friend, Dave Bexfield from ActiveMSers, suggested I get a new one. Cooling vest technology has improved over the years and there are a larger variety of styles available as compared to the recent past. He recommended a couple and I chose the one that best met my needs.

That was great advice because using my new cooling vest has really worked for me. Besides just staying in the house, it’s pretty much the only way I can think of to beat the heat.

So, I need some help. What’s the secret?

How do you deal with the heat?