hi all. Christmas has been busy this year. My mum is having chemo for myeloma and is really poorly. I am feeling really shakey inside, not so noticeable outwardly. And feel weak. Is this just a symptom of being under stress? I don’t want to talk to the nurse in case she will want me to have an MRI (I’m claustrophobic) it feels horrible though and my legs are restless. Also not sleeping great as hubby snores all the time 
Any ideas welcome please.
thank you, Sue x
If your brand of MS is anything like mine, then stress and a lack of quality sleep can cause any and all symptoms to flare up a bit.
I do not believe this is the same as a definite relapse and is thus not something to become overly worry about. But it is your body telling you that certain things need to be managed and that attention to these should come sooner rather than later.
The Xmas period is horrific for the stress it brings, not to mention the self-destructive consumption of bad food, too much booze, late nights, early mornings and cash anxiety.
Combine this with poorly relatives and someone able to keep you awake whilst they are all too clearly fast asleep… i am beginning to feel flaky just thinking about it!
Work on being optimistic about your mum.
Give your husband a kick whenever the nasal orchestra strikes up.
Take some time out to rest and do whatever it takes to make you genuinely smile and relax.
And do not fear the MRI; whilst it is useful when getting a confirmed MS diagnosis, MRI would not be used just because you feel a bit more weird than usual. MRIs can show lesions even when you have no symptoms, and you can have symptoms even when the MRI detects no lesions! So put the fear of having to endure a catastrophic 30 minutes out of your head. It wont happen.
Good luck and chill out! 
Hi Sue, sorry to hear of your situation. Stress, anxiety and sleep deprivation I expect could be making you feel weak and physically and mentally fatigued. There are also many colds and flu viruses around at the moment that we are fighting off.
Is there a particular body area that feels weak or just generally?
Is there anything you could do to help the situation, such as trying some mindfulness to relax. xx
Hi Sue
It’s too hard to say whether what you’re experiencing is a result of stress, an MS relapse, simple tiredness through worry and not sleeping well or something else entirely.
I can’t imagine your MS nurse has the power to order an MRI. And in any case, an MRI can’t diagnose whether or not you’re experiencing a relapse. (An MRI shows up lesions but a relapse may not be accompanied by any new lesions so it wouldn’t be a good diagnostic tool.) So it’s really pretty unlikely you’d be asked to have one. And of course, if asked to have a scan, you can always say no.
I would think a good idea would be to speak to your GP or MS nurse, if between you, it’s thought that this is a relapse, you then have the option of steroids. But of course, they’re only going to make your sleep worse. Failing that, you could ask for some other drugs for even just a short term, Amitriptyline could help with the restless legs and the poor sleeping (if you go down this route take them a good couple of hours before bed so they wear off by morning). Diazepam for a week of so might calm down your shakiness and help with sleep. Cloneazepam could also help with both.
With regard to the snoring wilderbeest who sleeps next to you, I have one of these myself. I find earplugs are a miraculous invention. Either the foam type or silicone work OK. It’s better than the alternatives (i.e. shouting at the man, swearing or beating him with a pillow!)
I hope your poor mum gets over the chemo side effects soon and the drugs do the job for the myeloma.
Sue
Also something for the hubby snoring such as nasal strips (like plasters) or an anti-snore pillow.
i find a convenient spasm which make me hit him/kick him works wonders.
haha! just me being evil
lol… i don’t think that is evil at all… i employ the same technique with my wife.
she is her father’s daughter!
Sew a golf ball in the back of his PJ’s.
Hi orchid
I am much same way at the minute , tired and stressed … and my feet are buzzing away and I am like bambi . I am putting mine down to stress as my husband has just been diagnosed with cancer a few days before Christmas and we are just going through the tests to see how bad it is and he’s understandably worried and not sleeping … so I am not either … the amytripyline turns it down a bit and I can take a higher dose if I need to which gets me off to sleep even if don’t stay that way…
i don’t see mine as a relapse as this is what happens when I am stressed and over do it but obviously it is different for everyone
its so difficult isn’t it …as this just creates more stress and if becomes a vicious circle !
I am ordinarily really lucky as I am relatively symptom free …
take care
S