I’ve heard several and had them explained to me. They don’t all simply mean “rain,” and some don’t have direct translations at all. For example, one of my many favorites is ag cur sceana gréasaí, which very roughly translates to “dropping paring knives.” “Pelting,” “pissing,” “coming down in stair rods,” or “desperate” are just a few of the many other ways to describe the Irish rain. RELATED: 3 Important Words in the MS Lexicon
Some Parallels Between MS and the Weather Are Obvious
I’ve lived through many kinds of rain, and I’ve lived through many types of fatigue caused by multiple sclerosis (MS). From “tired” to “wrecked” and beyond, MS fatigue has as many forms as the Irish weather has descriptors. There are some obvious correlations between wet weather and MS fatigue: storms, downpours, bucketing rain, lashing rain, and the like. Just about everyone understands these. They’re the types of fatigue during which we just have to sit down, lie down, or stay down, because nothing is going to happen while rain is coming down so heavily. But, as with so much we’ve learned in this long journey with MS, it’s the subtleties of this condition that are difficult to live with and even more challenging to describe to someone who doesn’t have the disease. RELATED: Between MS and Stress, 2020 Is the Year That Keeps on Giving
The Rainy Days of MS Fatigue
There are “soft” days when the thick gray seems to descend and envelop us. These days can make our whole being seem a little drained, a little weighed down, a little heavier. On these “soft” days, when mind and body are both feeling clouded, it’s a relief when we don’t need to move too fast or do anything too taxing on the brain. “Showery” days are tough ones, because one moment is dry and the next it’s spitting down. The “showery” fatigue is a most frustrating variety, because we may think we have enough energy to do something, only to have our fortitude sapped as we gear up for the task. As when we bundle ourselves up and hitch up the dog for a walk only to have the rains begin to fall, showers of fatigue often seem to arrive when they are least expected and most awkward. Then there is báisteach leatromach. I’m told the direct translation from the Irish is “local rain.” What it’s meant to confer is the sense of rain that’s meant for someone else, but deflected onto you; think of splashes from a neighbor’s umbrella, or a broken downspout as you walk by. I think all of us have encountered someone who seems to add to our own fatigue with a little báisteach leatromach as they dump their portion on us: “Oh, I get tired, too … ” RELATED: 10 Ways to Fight MS Fatigue Then there’s a type of rain here that doesn’t seem to move — a kind of “hanging damp.” It’s as if the molecules of water in the air all around simply swell to form a constant veil of moisture, and you can’t move through it without feeling its effects. At first, it may not seem much more than a minor nuisance; after a short distance, however, this hanging fatigue seeps into everything, and we’ll find ourselves soaked through to our pants even though we can’t remember anything in particular being “that bad.” RELATED: These Long, Dark Nights Feel Bad for My Health
In Spite of the Rain, There’s Still Reason for Hope
The one type of rain that is always hopeful to me, however, even when I’m wet with it to my core, is “rainbow weather.” It could be raining where I’m standing, but the sun isn’t far away. I could be worn out, but I’m enjoying the view from a comfortable vantage. I mightn’t be able to do it all, but I can do some. I’m not all there, but I’m there nonetheless. There are times when MS fatigue is raining down on me, but so long as I can see the light of the world around me, love breaks through and colors the atmosphere in a spectrum of hope and reassurance. Wishing you and your family the best of health. Cheers, Trevis
