Re: Stress, Exertion and Symptoms

[Guest guest]

--you have your hands full, certainly. My husband Sam 76 is now

experiencing extreme fatigue--simply can't get up from the table, puts his

head down, and when he finally struggles to bed, he sleeps for several

hours without moving. These spells usually occur after either breakfast or

dinner, or both, but rarely after lunch. He has had very strong feelings

of weight on his chest and cold sweats at night, and we even went to the

emergency room after one episode--strong heart, no problems. I wonder if

some of the medications are causing the problems, as they are rather recent

(6 weeks or so since they began) or whether the MSA is catching up with

him. He has been on his feet, and hadn't used a cane in the house, but now

for the last few days uses a cart/ambulator to push around inside most of

the time. You have a lot of stresses that Sam does not have, but he still

gets worse. I am sure I have not made you feel better, but we wish you

wellAt 06:21 PM 3/5/2002 +0000, you wrote:

>In the past few weeks, the stresses of everyday life (not even

>counting the stresses of MSA itself) have been piling up. During this

>time, my symptoms have all gotten much worse.

>

>I've also had occasion to exert myself in multiple ways, some

>physical some mental. Saturday I had the stress and physical exertion

>of cleaning out the offices that my business occupied for six years,

>but which we now must close due to my illness. Saturday night and all

>day Sunday I was very fatigued, and Sunday night I woke several times

>in the night with my heart alternating between racing and going slow,

>the clear sensation of " hearing " my heartbeat, not to mention labored

>breathing, even with my CPAP. I also had flu-like body aches, which

>sometimes persist for days after I have severe periods of dystonia.

>

>I was just starting to get " back on my feet " so to speak, when I made

>my first visit to the physical therapist this morning. Although I did

>not have to exert myself at all, just the fact that she put my body

>into certain postures has lest me exhausted and cramped (and very

>sore). Now I'm sitting in a chair feeling like a vegetable and having

>difficulty even typing.

>

>So, my question is, do other MSA patients suffer from this seemingly

>disproportinate elevation in symptoms from what would seem to be

>relatively little activity or stimulus?

>

>I'm about to start a 4-6 week regimine of PT twice per week. My hope

>is that over time, my body will adjust, but I also fear that I could

>spend a lot of time in a pretty useless state, just when I seemed to

>be finding some level of " groove " in this illness. I'm at the point

>where I've made the decision to be a productive person and not let

>the disease get the better of me, but I also frequently feel like I

>not only missed the bus, but that it ran me over.

>

>I have another question, which I'm going to write in another thread.

>

>Thanks for your responses.

>

>Pax,

>

>

>

>If you do not wish to belong to shydrager, you may

>unsubscribe by sending a blank email to

>

>shydrager-unsubscribe

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

--you have your hands full, certainly. My husband Sam 76 is now

experiencing extreme fatigue--simply can't get up from the table, puts his

head down, and when he finally struggles to bed, he sleeps for several

hours without moving. These spells usually occur after either breakfast or

dinner, or both, but rarely after lunch. He has had very strong feelings

of weight on his chest and cold sweats at night, and we even went to the

emergency room after one episode--strong heart, no problems. I wonder if

some of the medications are causing the problems, as they are rather recent

(6 weeks or so since they began) or whether the MSA is catching up with

him. He has been on his feet, and hadn't used a cane in the house, but now

for the last few days uses a cart/ambulator to push around inside most of

the time. You have a lot of stresses that Sam does not have, but he still

gets worse. I am sure I have not made you feel better, but we wish you

wellAt 06:21 PM 3/5/2002 +0000, you wrote:

>In the past few weeks, the stresses of everyday life (not even

>counting the stresses of MSA itself) have been piling up. During this

>time, my symptoms have all gotten much worse.

>

>I've also had occasion to exert myself in multiple ways, some

>physical some mental. Saturday I had the stress and physical exertion

>of cleaning out the offices that my business occupied for six years,

>but which we now must close due to my illness. Saturday night and all

>day Sunday I was very fatigued, and Sunday night I woke several times

>in the night with my heart alternating between racing and going slow,

>the clear sensation of " hearing " my heartbeat, not to mention labored

>breathing, even with my CPAP. I also had flu-like body aches, which

>sometimes persist for days after I have severe periods of dystonia.

>

>I was just starting to get " back on my feet " so to speak, when I made

>my first visit to the physical therapist this morning. Although I did

>not have to exert myself at all, just the fact that she put my body

>into certain postures has lest me exhausted and cramped (and very

>sore). Now I'm sitting in a chair feeling like a vegetable and having

>difficulty even typing.

>

>So, my question is, do other MSA patients suffer from this seemingly

>disproportinate elevation in symptoms from what would seem to be

>relatively little activity or stimulus?

>

>I'm about to start a 4-6 week regimine of PT twice per week. My hope

>is that over time, my body will adjust, but I also fear that I could

>spend a lot of time in a pretty useless state, just when I seemed to

>be finding some level of " groove " in this illness. I'm at the point

>where I've made the decision to be a productive person and not let

>the disease get the better of me, but I also frequently feel like I

>not only missed the bus, but that it ran me over.

>

>I have another question, which I'm going to write in another thread.

>

>Thanks for your responses.

>

>Pax,

>

>

>

>If you do not wish to belong to shydrager, you may

>unsubscribe by sending a blank email to

>

>shydrager-unsubscribe

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

,

Yes, yes, yes! Rob certainly has the same problem with stress and/or

physical exertion exacerbating his symptoms, and many others have

complained of it as well. If you think of the brain as a computer,

it's like having a shortage of RAM -- if it's taken up by too much

physical or mental exertion, there aren't enough MIPS to run the body

functions -- especially, it seems, the autonomic functions. How the

brain prioritizes which things to process is a complete mystery to

me. It certainly would be better for MSA patients if it gave first

priority to the basic bodily functions, but that doesn't seem to be

the case. At least not always.

Theonly " cure " I know of is to rest and relax and avoid stressful

situations, including crowds and places/things with too much sensory

input. You will re-stabalize, but it will take a few days.

This disease really stinks, doesn't it?

Carol & Rob

> In the past few weeks, the stresses of everyday life (not even

> counting the stresses of MSA itself) have been piling up. During

this

> time, my symptoms have all gotten much worse.

>

> I've also had occasion to exert myself in multiple ways, some

> physical some mental. Saturday I had the stress and physical

exertion

> of cleaning out the offices that my business occupied for six

years,

> but which we now must close due to my illness. Saturday night and

all

> day Sunday I was very fatigued, and Sunday night I woke several

times

> in the night with my heart alternating between racing and going

slow,

> the clear sensation of " hearing " my heartbeat, not to mention

labored

> breathing, even with my CPAP. I also had flu-like body aches, which

> sometimes persist for days after I have severe periods of dystonia.

>

> I was just starting to get " back on my feet " so to speak, when I

made

> my first visit to the physical therapist this morning. Although I

did

> not have to exert myself at all, just the fact that she put my body

> into certain postures has lest me exhausted and cramped (and very

> sore). Now I'm sitting in a chair feeling like a vegetable and

having

> difficulty even typing.

>

> So, my question is, do other MSA patients suffer from this

seemingly

> disproportinate elevation in symptoms from what would seem to be

> relatively little activity or stimulus?

>

> I'm about to start a 4-6 week regimine of PT twice per week. My

hope

> is that over time, my body will adjust, but I also fear that I

could

> spend a lot of time in a pretty useless state, just when I seemed

to

> be finding some level of " groove " in this illness. I'm at the point

> where I've made the decision to be a productive person and not let

> the disease get the better of me, but I also frequently feel like I

> not only missed the bus, but that it ran me over.

>

> I have another question, which I'm going to write in another thread.

>

> Thanks for your responses.

>

> Pax,

>

[Guest guest]

,

Yes, yes, yes! Rob certainly has the same problem with stress and/or

physical exertion exacerbating his symptoms, and many others have

complained of it as well. If you think of the brain as a computer,

it's like having a shortage of RAM -- if it's taken up by too much

physical or mental exertion, there aren't enough MIPS to run the body

functions -- especially, it seems, the autonomic functions. How the

brain prioritizes which things to process is a complete mystery to

me. It certainly would be better for MSA patients if it gave first

priority to the basic bodily functions, but that doesn't seem to be

the case. At least not always.

Theonly " cure " I know of is to rest and relax and avoid stressful

situations, including crowds and places/things with too much sensory

input. You will re-stabalize, but it will take a few days.

This disease really stinks, doesn't it?

Carol & Rob

> In the past few weeks, the stresses of everyday life (not even

> counting the stresses of MSA itself) have been piling up. During

this

> time, my symptoms have all gotten much worse.

>

> I've also had occasion to exert myself in multiple ways, some

> physical some mental. Saturday I had the stress and physical

exertion

> of cleaning out the offices that my business occupied for six

years,

> but which we now must close due to my illness. Saturday night and

all

> day Sunday I was very fatigued, and Sunday night I woke several

times

> in the night with my heart alternating between racing and going

slow,

> the clear sensation of " hearing " my heartbeat, not to mention

labored

> breathing, even with my CPAP. I also had flu-like body aches, which

> sometimes persist for days after I have severe periods of dystonia.

>

> I was just starting to get " back on my feet " so to speak, when I

made

> my first visit to the physical therapist this morning. Although I

did

> not have to exert myself at all, just the fact that she put my body

> into certain postures has lest me exhausted and cramped (and very

> sore). Now I'm sitting in a chair feeling like a vegetable and

having

> difficulty even typing.

>

> So, my question is, do other MSA patients suffer from this

seemingly

> disproportinate elevation in symptoms from what would seem to be

> relatively little activity or stimulus?

>

> I'm about to start a 4-6 week regimine of PT twice per week. My

hope

> is that over time, my body will adjust, but I also fear that I

could

> spend a lot of time in a pretty useless state, just when I seemed

to

> be finding some level of " groove " in this illness. I'm at the point

> where I've made the decision to be a productive person and not let

> the disease get the better of me, but I also frequently feel like I

> not only missed the bus, but that it ran me over.

>

> I have another question, which I'm going to write in another thread.

>

> Thanks for your responses.

>

> Pax,

>

[Guest guest]

,

Yes, yes, yes! Rob certainly has the same problem with stress and/or

physical exertion exacerbating his symptoms, and many others have

complained of it as well. If you think of the brain as a computer,

it's like having a shortage of RAM -- if it's taken up by too much

physical or mental exertion, there aren't enough MIPS to run the body

functions -- especially, it seems, the autonomic functions. How the

brain prioritizes which things to process is a complete mystery to

me. It certainly would be better for MSA patients if it gave first

priority to the basic bodily functions, but that doesn't seem to be

the case. At least not always.

Theonly " cure " I know of is to rest and relax and avoid stressful

situations, including crowds and places/things with too much sensory

input. You will re-stabalize, but it will take a few days.

This disease really stinks, doesn't it?

Carol & Rob

> In the past few weeks, the stresses of everyday life (not even

> counting the stresses of MSA itself) have been piling up. During

this

> time, my symptoms have all gotten much worse.

>

> I've also had occasion to exert myself in multiple ways, some

> physical some mental. Saturday I had the stress and physical

exertion

> of cleaning out the offices that my business occupied for six

years,

> but which we now must close due to my illness. Saturday night and

all

> day Sunday I was very fatigued, and Sunday night I woke several

times

> in the night with my heart alternating between racing and going

slow,

> the clear sensation of " hearing " my heartbeat, not to mention

labored

> breathing, even with my CPAP. I also had flu-like body aches, which

> sometimes persist for days after I have severe periods of dystonia.

>

> I was just starting to get " back on my feet " so to speak, when I

made

> my first visit to the physical therapist this morning. Although I

did

> not have to exert myself at all, just the fact that she put my body

> into certain postures has lest me exhausted and cramped (and very

> sore). Now I'm sitting in a chair feeling like a vegetable and

having

> difficulty even typing.

>

> So, my question is, do other MSA patients suffer from this

seemingly

> disproportinate elevation in symptoms from what would seem to be

> relatively little activity or stimulus?

>

> I'm about to start a 4-6 week regimine of PT twice per week. My

hope

> is that over time, my body will adjust, but I also fear that I

could

> spend a lot of time in a pretty useless state, just when I seemed

to

> be finding some level of " groove " in this illness. I'm at the point

> where I've made the decision to be a productive person and not let

> the disease get the better of me, but I also frequently feel like I

> not only missed the bus, but that it ran me over.

>

> I have another question, which I'm going to write in another thread.

>

> Thanks for your responses.

>

> Pax,

>

[Guest guest]

,

It sounds as if you may have an infection of some type. Or maybe a flu bug.

Stress does make things worse and can contribute to the type of things you

are experiencing. I have a question about " dystonia " that you mention - are

your arms (or hands) going into permanent cramps? Or are you talking about

rigidity and ataxia?

While PT can leave you tired, it does not usually leave you cramped and

sore. Is the physical therapist doing stretching exercises only? Have you

mentioned all of this to the doctor?

Take care, Bill Werre

[Guest guest]

,

I don't know what my collection of symptoms is called

because the doctors can't put their finger on it.

However, I know exactly what you are talking about.

Part of my job is cleaning up an old site my company

has with a lot of old PCs (boat anchors), printers and

the like. I was over their two days ago cleaning up,

lifting and shifting a lot of stuff. The net result is

that yesterday I was looking for somewhere to lie down

and the weakness and fatigue aspects, I experience,

together with the pounding (tinnitus) I get in the

ears were all a fair deal worse than normal.

All I can suggest through my own trial and error is to

pace yourself a bit and not let enthusiasm or

determination totally run away with you. When I overdo

it I suffer for a few days at least afterwards. Don't

get me wrong, we definitely should use it or lose it,

but we also have to learn to work within our

constraints.

I hope I don't sound like I'm preaching, I just wanted

to share my common experiences.

All the best and I hope you are feeling better

shortly.

Regards Sowter

--- bigredbmw bigredbmw@...> wrote: > In the

past few weeks, the stresses of everyday life

> (not even

> counting the stresses of MSA itself) have been

> piling up. During this

> time, my symptoms have all gotten much worse.

>

> I've also had occasion to exert myself in multiple

> ways, some

> physical some mental. Saturday I had the stress and

> physical exertion

> of cleaning out the offices that my business

> occupied for six years,

> but which we now must close due to my illness.

> Saturday night and all

> day Sunday I was very fatigued, and Sunday night I

> woke several times

> in the night with my heart alternating between

> racing and going slow,

> the clear sensation of " hearing " my heartbeat, not

> to mention labored

> breathing, even with my CPAP. I also had flu-like

> body aches, which

> sometimes persist for days after I have severe

> periods of dystonia.

>

> I was just starting to get " back on my feet " so to

> speak, when I made

> my first visit to the physical therapist this

> morning. Although I did

> not have to exert myself at all, just the fact that

> she put my body

> into certain postures has lest me exhausted and

> cramped (and very

> sore). Now I'm sitting in a chair feeling like a

> vegetable and having

> difficulty even typing.

>

> So, my question is, do other MSA patients suffer

> from this seemingly

> disproportinate elevation in symptoms from what

> would seem to be

> relatively little activity or stimulus?

>

> I'm about to start a 4-6 week regimine of PT twice

> per week. My hope

> is that over time, my body will adjust, but I also

> fear that I could

> spend a lot of time in a pretty useless state, just

> when I seemed to

> be finding some level of " groove " in this illness.

> I'm at the point

> where I've made the decision to be a productive

> person and not let

> the disease get the better of me, but I also

> frequently feel like I

> not only missed the bus, but that it ran me over.

>

> I have another question, which I'm going to write in

> another thread.

>

> Thanks for your responses.

>

> Pax,

>

>

>

> If you do not wish to belong to shydrager, you may

> unsubscribe by sending a blank email to

>

> shydrager-unsubscribe

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

,

I don't know what my collection of symptoms is called

because the doctors can't put their finger on it.

However, I know exactly what you are talking about.

Part of my job is cleaning up an old site my company

has with a lot of old PCs (boat anchors), printers and

the like. I was over their two days ago cleaning up,

lifting and shifting a lot of stuff. The net result is

that yesterday I was looking for somewhere to lie down

and the weakness and fatigue aspects, I experience,

together with the pounding (tinnitus) I get in the

ears were all a fair deal worse than normal.

All I can suggest through my own trial and error is to

pace yourself a bit and not let enthusiasm or

determination totally run away with you. When I overdo

it I suffer for a few days at least afterwards. Don't

get me wrong, we definitely should use it or lose it,

but we also have to learn to work within our

constraints.

I hope I don't sound like I'm preaching, I just wanted

to share my common experiences.

All the best and I hope you are feeling better

shortly.

Regards Sowter

--- bigredbmw bigredbmw@...> wrote: > In the

past few weeks, the stresses of everyday life

> (not even

> counting the stresses of MSA itself) have been

> piling up. During this

> time, my symptoms have all gotten much worse.

>

> I've also had occasion to exert myself in multiple

> ways, some

> physical some mental. Saturday I had the stress and

> physical exertion

> of cleaning out the offices that my business

> occupied for six years,

> but which we now must close due to my illness.

> Saturday night and all

> day Sunday I was very fatigued, and Sunday night I

> woke several times

> in the night with my heart alternating between

> racing and going slow,

> the clear sensation of " hearing " my heartbeat, not

> to mention labored

> breathing, even with my CPAP. I also had flu-like

> body aches, which

> sometimes persist for days after I have severe

> periods of dystonia.

>

> I was just starting to get " back on my feet " so to

> speak, when I made

> my first visit to the physical therapist this

> morning. Although I did

> not have to exert myself at all, just the fact that

> she put my body

> into certain postures has lest me exhausted and

> cramped (and very

> sore). Now I'm sitting in a chair feeling like a

> vegetable and having

> difficulty even typing.

>

> So, my question is, do other MSA patients suffer

> from this seemingly

> disproportinate elevation in symptoms from what

> would seem to be

> relatively little activity or stimulus?

>

> I'm about to start a 4-6 week regimine of PT twice

> per week. My hope

> is that over time, my body will adjust, but I also

> fear that I could

> spend a lot of time in a pretty useless state, just

> when I seemed to

> be finding some level of " groove " in this illness.

> I'm at the point

> where I've made the decision to be a productive

> person and not let

> the disease get the better of me, but I also

> frequently feel like I

> not only missed the bus, but that it ran me over.

>

> I have another question, which I'm going to write in

> another thread.

>

> Thanks for your responses.

>

> Pax,

>

>

>

> If you do not wish to belong to shydrager, you may

> unsubscribe by sending a blank email to

>

> shydrager-unsubscribe

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

,

I don't know what my collection of symptoms is called

because the doctors can't put their finger on it.

However, I know exactly what you are talking about.

Part of my job is cleaning up an old site my company

has with a lot of old PCs (boat anchors), printers and

the like. I was over their two days ago cleaning up,

lifting and shifting a lot of stuff. The net result is

that yesterday I was looking for somewhere to lie down

and the weakness and fatigue aspects, I experience,

together with the pounding (tinnitus) I get in the

ears were all a fair deal worse than normal.

All I can suggest through my own trial and error is to

pace yourself a bit and not let enthusiasm or

determination totally run away with you. When I overdo

it I suffer for a few days at least afterwards. Don't

get me wrong, we definitely should use it or lose it,

but we also have to learn to work within our

constraints.

I hope I don't sound like I'm preaching, I just wanted

to share my common experiences.

All the best and I hope you are feeling better

shortly.

Regards Sowter

--- bigredbmw bigredbmw@...> wrote: > In the

past few weeks, the stresses of everyday life

> (not even

> counting the stresses of MSA itself) have been

> piling up. During this

> time, my symptoms have all gotten much worse.

>

> I've also had occasion to exert myself in multiple

> ways, some

> physical some mental. Saturday I had the stress and

> physical exertion

> of cleaning out the offices that my business

> occupied for six years,

> but which we now must close due to my illness.

> Saturday night and all

> day Sunday I was very fatigued, and Sunday night I

> woke several times

> in the night with my heart alternating between

> racing and going slow,

> the clear sensation of " hearing " my heartbeat, not

> to mention labored

> breathing, even with my CPAP. I also had flu-like

> body aches, which

> sometimes persist for days after I have severe

> periods of dystonia.

>

> I was just starting to get " back on my feet " so to

> speak, when I made

> my first visit to the physical therapist this

> morning. Although I did

> not have to exert myself at all, just the fact that

> she put my body

> into certain postures has lest me exhausted and

> cramped (and very

> sore). Now I'm sitting in a chair feeling like a

> vegetable and having

> difficulty even typing.

>

> So, my question is, do other MSA patients suffer

> from this seemingly

> disproportinate elevation in symptoms from what

> would seem to be

> relatively little activity or stimulus?

>

> I'm about to start a 4-6 week regimine of PT twice

> per week. My hope

> is that over time, my body will adjust, but I also

> fear that I could

> spend a lot of time in a pretty useless state, just

> when I seemed to

> be finding some level of " groove " in this illness.

> I'm at the point

> where I've made the decision to be a productive

> person and not let

> the disease get the better of me, but I also

> frequently feel like I

> not only missed the bus, but that it ran me over.

>

> I have another question, which I'm going to write in

> another thread.

>

> Thanks for your responses.

>

> Pax,

>

>

>

> If you do not wish to belong to shydrager, you may

> unsubscribe by sending a blank email to

>

> shydrager-unsubscribe

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Greetings ,

You wondered:

> ... do other MSA patients suffer from this seemingly

> disproportinate elevation in symptoms from what would

> seem to be relatively little activity or stimulus?

That's been my experience. However, it appears to be common among anyone

that suffers from some form of neurological degeneration.

Regards,

=jbf=

B. Fisher

[Guest guest]

-,

I know what you are talking about. I too can only do an extremely

small fraction of what I use to do. They say you have to find your

limitations on when to stop. I think that when your body tells you to

stop don't force the issue " stop " . I too would not be able to do

anything for 2 or 3 days later when surpassing the limit. It is very

frustrating but something that we have to do. I hope this helps.

God Bless,

Belinda

-- In shydrager@y..., " bigredbmw " wrote:

> In the past few weeks, the stresses of everyday life (not even

> counting the stresses of MSA itself) have been piling up. During

this

> time, my symptoms have all gotten much worse.

>

> I've also had occasion to exert myself in multiple ways, some

> physical some mental. Saturday I had the stress and physical

exertion

> of cleaning out the offices that my business occupied for six

years,

> but which we now must close due to my illness. Saturday night and

all

> day Sunday I was very fatigued, and Sunday night I woke several

times

> in the night with my heart alternating between racing and going

slow,

> the clear sensation of " hearing " my heartbeat, not to mention

labored

> breathing, even with my CPAP. I also had flu-like body aches, which

> sometimes persist for days after I have severe periods of dystonia.

>

> I was just starting to get " back on my feet " so to speak, when I

made

> my first visit to the physical therapist this morning. Although I

did

> not have to exert myself at all, just the fact that she put my body

> into certain postures has lest me exhausted and cramped (and very

> sore). Now I'm sitting in a chair feeling like a vegetable and

having

> difficulty even typing.

>

> So, my question is, do other MSA patients suffer from this

seemingly

> disproportinate elevation in symptoms from what would seem to be

> relatively little activity or stimulus?

>

> I'm about to start a 4-6 week regimine of PT twice per week. My

hope

> is that over time, my body will adjust, but I also fear that I

could

> spend a lot of time in a pretty useless state, just when I seemed

to

> be finding some level of " groove " in this illness. I'm at the point

> where I've made the decision to be a productive person and not let

> the disease get the better of me, but I also frequently feel like I

> not only missed the bus, but that it ran me over.

>

> I have another question, which I'm going to write in another thread.

>

> Thanks for your responses.

>

> Pax,

>

[Guest guest]

---

Hi,

I have a question about the dystonia.

Do they know what actualy causes it?

I have it in my neck. Sometimes so bad,

I cannot move for a few days. They give

me flexeril, but I hate taking it as

it causes my sleep apnea to act up horribly.

But sometimes the pain just outways the risk.

I have tried other perscription muscle relaxers

that just didnt even come close to helping.

Thanks

WEndy

In shydrager@y..., Werre wrote:

> ,

>

> It sounds as if you may have an infection of some type. Or maybe a

flu bug.

> Stress does make things worse and can contribute to the type of

things you

> are experiencing. I have a question about " dystonia " that you

mention - are

> your arms (or hands) going into permanent cramps? Or are you

talking about

> rigidity and ataxia?

>

> While PT can leave you tired, it does not usually leave you cramped

and

> sore. Is the physical therapist doing stretching exercises only?

Have you

> mentioned all of this to the doctor?

>

> Take care, Bill Werre