Taming Heat Sensitivity at 100 Degrees

Many people voiced their concerns to me about anyone with MS moving to live in a sunny climate. That worry is understandable. With a disease that includes heat sensitivity, where even a hot shower can make you worse, how can any MS patient move to live in an area where daily temperatures average 22 degrees Celsius (82 degrees Fahrenheit) in July and August, but where the highs this year have reached 40 C (104 F).

Well, it is now nearly 10 months since my beloved wife Lisa and I made the move from the mostly cloudy and often rainy U.K. to our dream home in Andalucía in the sunny south of Spain.

Back in the U.K., we lived in a ground floor one-bedroom apartment in an urban area, but now we have our own detached two-bedroom property in a rural community about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the nearest town.

With almost constant blue skies, our home is nothing short of idyllic. We have palm trees visible from our kitchen window, an olive tree in the front garden, plus both orange and grapefruit trees very close by. And, in 15 minutes, we can be at the Mediterranean.

Our home has air conditioning and ceiling fans, plus we have an air conditioned car. I live in shorts and lightweight shirts, use plenty of sunscreen, and have a selection of summer hats.

Our home is just over 1 km (0.6 miles) from the main road, and that is reached by traveling between agricultural fields where, depending on the time of year, various crops are grown. So far, I have seen white cabbages, red cabbages and melons – to name but three.

The fields are planted and harvested by hand using gangs of traveling workers. Then, after the crops have been picked and sent on their way, a large herd of goats is released to clear the remaining plants.

Yes, it is hot here, but the good news is that it is affecting me less here than the very occasional hot day in the U.K., and that is because the humidity is much lower here.

The temperatures are more constant here, too. They change more slowly than in the U.K., where they can change up 10 or more degrees Celsius one day and down again the next day during what passes as summer. That volatility, the sudden changes, made me feel a lot worse. It took me a while to realize that my heat sensitivity was to those rapid and often frequent changes. I needed stability.

So having lived in Spain for most of a year, I can say that heat sensitivity is not an issue for me here. Overall, I still have good and bad days, but good now seem to outnumber the bad. Yes, I still fall, but far less often than used to be the case. Fatigue still happens but, again, less often. Pain is far less prevalent, too, but restless leg syndrome still plagues me in bed.

Mobility, or the lack of it, remains my biggest problem. But on my very good days, I can actually reach my car without sitting down halfway there, like I usually do.

So, do I regret exchanging the U.K.’s dreary weather for the almost constant Spanish sunshine? Not at all. Living it and loving it and, don’t forget, more sunshine means more natural vitamin D.

Note: Multiple Sclerosis News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Multiple Sclerosis News Today, or its parent company, Bionews Services, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to multiple sclerosis.