Samir Chandiwala loves to play tennis.

But after he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2005, he gave up the sport. The heat and humidity in Augusta, Georgia, where he lived, affected him so much that he was barely able to go to his office in the summer—let alone the tennis courts.

“I have spasticity in my back, legs and chest that became worse each summer in Augusta. I’d have full body spasms just crossing the parking lot into work. Sometimes I couldn’t even walk. I got so anxious about whether the heat would exacerbate my MS symptoms that I think that made my symptoms worse. And then that would give me even more reason not to go outside in the summer.”

Samir is one of the 60 to 80% of people with MS who have a temporary worsening of symptoms when they become overheated. After tying common coping strategies, including air conditioning, cooling vests and ice packs, Samir and his family took more drastic measures to beat the heat by moving to a cooler climate. He also switched medications and lost weight.

“Now I feel like I can cope. The heat is no longer something I have to work my whole life around.”

Have you found solutions to heat sensitivity? Read some tips on how to beat the heat when simple strategies aren't cutting it: https://ntlms.org/AcingTempControl.