
Photo by laszlo-photo
See that ice in the photo? I need some of that. Dr. Z told me to watch out for heat, because it makes MS symptoms worse. He suggested I get a cooling vest, which is apparently like a fishing vest that you can pack with ice packs to keep your core body temperature down (and in a pinch, as my friend Christine noted, you could keep people’s beverages chilled).
I unconsciously decided to put the whole “heat is bad” thing to the test this weekend. I went directly from the Multnomah Days Parade (and another sunburn) to my first real workout with Charles (totally overheated) to a barbecue (with plenty of shade and cool drinks but no A/C), all on the hottest day we’ve had in Portland all year. By this afternoon, I was completely wrecked. I spent most of the afternoon in bed, managed to drag myself to Lorraine’s 30th birthday party – where I am sure I was not good company – and back home to bed again. Then, a miracle occurred. Okay, not a miracle, exactly, but after I went down to the basement to watch Glee Project with David and Quinland, I felt a million times better. We have air conditioning, but there is still probably a 10-degree difference between double down and upstairs. It’s crazy how cooling down gave me back some energy and some mobility in my leg. I actually got up and did a load of laundry just now. Amazing.
Now, off to look at those cooling vests! Do you have any good tips for keeping cool on hot days?
- {Clutter} released: 15 magazines! I “processed” them completely, too – I even filed away my saved articles in the correct binders. Go, me!
- {Stress} released: Worked with David on a weekly schedule for “life after school starts.” It’s still a work in progress, but David took the initiative on making this plan, which was awesome. I like feeling that we will all be on the same page.