One of the major symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) is a sensitivity to temperatures and temperature changes. For some, this means that cold temperatures cause them issues, but for me, it is heat and humidity. Heat results in a number of issues but for someone trying to be sexy with MS, it is particularly difficult.
Thinking Clearly
When the weather is warm, I am talking over 25 degrees celsius, one of the problems I have is trouble thinking clearly. Trouble thinking clearly is something lots of people with MS report, and getting too hot makes the problem even worse for me. And that is even before I start performing!
I love doing live shows but it is hard when I get very hot and can’t think clearly. Live shows require you to think quickly and respond in an appropriate way, and when your brain decides it is too hot and doesn’t want to work anymore, it is hard to respond to a crowd yelling at you online. Likewise, when I receive messages and comments from people, if I am feeling too hot, I may not understand the message clearly and respond poorly or not at all.
How do I handle brain fog that is due to the heat? I slow everything down. During a live show, I may put in a long pause to keep the crowd hanging on the edge of their seat, or a respond in long… drawn out… sentences. Just so I can get my thoughts together.
Same with responding to comments and messages; I am someone who likes to respond in a timely manner to people, but I am learning that it is ok to stop… pause… consider the message… consider my reply…. and then send it.
When filming videos and things get too hot and I can’t think, I do a couple of different things. First of all, I have a good plan before I start filming of what I want to do in the clip. That way I don’t have to think on the spot for what I want to do. Second, I make sure I can schedule intervals where I can rest and cool down so that my brain has time to recover and keep working as it should.
Fatigue
Fatigue is the number one biggest issue that people with MS have to deal with. This isn’t the “I had a big night last night” tiredness we have all experienced. This is a mind numbing, concrete encasement feeling that doesn’t get better with rest and sleep. One of the things that makes it worse? The heat!
Fatigue is related to brain fog but it also has some extra impacts on trying to get my work done. In the summer time, where here in Australia we can have temperatures up to and over 40 degrees celcius, I would struggle to get out of bed. I mean, to sit up, stand up and go to the toilet. That level of struggle. People may say “well I struggle to get out of bed too”… once again this is another level of struggle. This is “I need to eat” or “I need to go to the toilet” but “I can’t make my body do it.”
Even stuck in bed, I could be so tired that doing work on my phone would still be too much. Keeping my eyes open, and dealing with pulsing body pain is not so conducive to doing anything work related.
How do I deal with fatigue when things get too hot? Well, I have to pace myself very carefully. On hot days, if I do too much, I know it will completely wipe me out physically. It is always a case of checking in with myself “how am I feeling? Is this too much? Am I too hot? How can I make myself more comfortable so I am not so tired?” On really hot days, it means I don’t work at all. And luckily, this job gives me the flexibility to have a day off if I need it.
Sweating and Flushing
When you get hot, you sweat and you get flushed right? There isn’t anything spectacularly different about that. Except when you have heat sensitivity it comes on very fast and is very intense. Facial flushing is a less common symptom of MS, but one that I definitely have to deal with.
When taking photographs and videos, I am generally under professional photography lights which warm up the space around them. Add into this mix if I am stripping or playing, and I start to sweat very quickly. Sweat is an issue with makeup running for one thing. Not that I wear a lot of makeup but even a small amount of makeup combined with sweat equals makeup getting ruined in zero seconds flat. Makeup running into your eye is no joke either; it is super irritating. Although sweat gives a nice sheen to the skin, having actual droplets visible is not too cute.
My skin is very pale, so the other consequence of getting overheated is that my skin flushes and I look very red in no time. It is a little embarrassing when people comment on it during a live show, saying, “your ass is really red.” Yeah, my dude. It is. I am freaking boiling here!
To combat this, I do a few things. I film video during the coolest times of the day. I run a fan when I am taking photos, but this doesn’t work so well for videos, when the whine of the fan is audible. I use a fan during live shows and put it in a position where it won’t interfere too much with the mic. But I also make a lot of jokes about the heat during my live shows so that my audience understand that I get very hot very quick.
I hope this has given you a bit of insight into how I manage my MS while I am doing professional hot girl shit. So you have a particular question about MS that I can try and answer? Feel free to email me at remsequence@gmail.com
Rem Sequence is an Australian adult content creator, blogger, and internationally published alt model. She has a background in psychology, philosophy and political science and worked in health and sex education, youth work and trauma counselling for almost two decades. Now, she works full time in the adult industry, as well as indulging her passion for arts, writing and music in numerous side projects.
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