b'Life With MSTThheeAArrttooffSSttaayyiinnggCCoooollwwiitthhMMSSBy Dave BexeldWhentemperatureshitthehigh90s,MSers tend to scurry into air-conditioning (atleast as fast as overheated MSers can scurry),muttering how this summer just like lastsummer and the summer before that one they nally will pick up and move to NorthDakota to escape the sweltering months onceand for all. And then a friend with a smart- and owner of a popular car magazine, Ivephone will dash those fantasies, informing taken those testing skills and applied them tothedreamersthatNorthDakotasall-time MS aids, rigorously putting gear through therecord high is 121 degrees. Gulp.properpaces.AndIvetestednothingasMeanwhile, I put on a bike helmet and go thoroughly as cooling vests: 18 vests, years offor a bike ride. In the middle of the day. When testing, more than 10,000 words and counting.its in the upper 90s. And yes, I have multiple I cant recap everything I know about coolingsclerosisalongwithheatsensitivity.ButI here, but I can pass along my best hacks forhave an unfair edge.chillingoutwithmultiplesclerosiswhenSee,IrunActiveMSers.org,todaythe temperatures rise. And remember, heat doeslongest-running MS blog on the interwebs, not actually make MS worse, but it can makeone that has helped hundreds of thousands you feel temporarily hella crummy. So letsnavigate the pitfalls of this disease during the see if we can minimize that.past 13 years. The goal of ActiveMSers is help Choose the right cooling vest. There isntthose with MS stay as active as possibleone perfect cooling vest. The best one for youphysically, intellectually, sociallyregardless is one youll actually wear. While max coolingof disability. And that means staying active power sounds great on paper, it isnt so greateven when temperatures spike. in practice as those vests tend to be heavy andWhile I am well-known for all sorts of tips cumbersome. I prefer lighter, smaller vests, inand tricks in the exercise, motivation, and particular the vests from Thermapparel (whichtravel departments (all laced with humor), is one of the options available as part of theperhaps I am best known for my gear reviews, MS Focus Cooling Program, see page 28) andfrom o-road wheelchairs, to trekking poles, the aordable CoolSport from Coolture. Theto (drum roll) cooling vests. As the former editor unusual no-refrigeration-needed vest frommsfocusmagazine.org 32'