The Two O’clock Crash

In the late 1990’s, I was pursuing a jet-set career.  Waking at 3:00 on Monday mornings, visiting five cities in three (or more) time zones and, by the end of it, maybe making it home for three weekends per month were the callings of my job. I was at the top of my game, professionally, though my personal life was suffering for the time away. One of the things that got me though each of those days was an increasing number of espresso shots in my 2:00 o’clock mocha. By that time of the day I would be about to fall down for the fatigue. I wrote it off to the 240,000 plus miles I was flying annually and the hours I kept while on the road.  When the 14:00 coffee fix continued into the weekends, I simply assumed that it was a mild caffeine dependence – something for which my part of the country was well known. I now know that what I was experiencing was MS-related fatigue. I’m not sure where I read it, but I remember something about the body’s core temperature reaching its high for the day around eight or nine hours after we wake – that was about right for my schedule.  Elevated body temperature and heat in general are known factors which can raise havoc for many living with MS. Even though I don’t roust myself from a different hotel bed every morning before 5:00am, two o’clock still seems to be the time that my body wears out if it’s going to be “one of those” days. In the past week or so I’ve noted, and mentioned to Caryn, that I feel painfully exha...
Source: Life with MS - Category: Other Conditions Authors: Tags: MS multiple sclerosis MS fatigue MS symptoms Source Type: blogs