A fellow MS'r messaged me recently - asking about body heat. I thought I'd share my response with you too...

What I've found - with my MS - that my body tends to act like one of those socks full of rice that you put in the microwave.

It sounds odd - I know - but hear me out.

I can feel just fine & be moving around doing stuff - without any problem at all - then bam! The heat hits out of the blue & I'm sweating like a stuck pig for no comprehendible reason. Kind of like one of those bags of rice I was talking about. You can take it out of the microwave & it doesn't necessarily feel very warm at first - but all the sudden, the grains of rice shift a bit in the bag & it's super hot.

Same thing happens to me at night. I sleep cold - under covers. Then about 10 minutes after I wake up, I'm dripping from all the pent up heat that has finally decided to escape. Again, the same thing happens after I blow-dry my hair. About 15 minutes after I'm done getting ready, I'm so hot I can't do anything. Super crappy too – especially when you have to redo runny makeup!

I've had to learn to adapt & switch my schedule around so I don't have to do so much in the morning to get ready - but it isn't easy and is a pain in the butt to deal with.

I'm so sorry you're experiencing this symptom. Just know it for what it is - a symptom of the ever changing world of MS.

For me - the more it happens, I know when I look back there is more stress associated the few days surrounding the 'episodes'. I like to think of it as my body’s way of chiming in and telling me to 'cool my jets' for a bit.

Cooling vests are a great thing if you can afford them. They also have mini ones that just drape over your neck too - like a bandana almost.