Monday, June 24, 2013

Multiple Sclerosis, MS and sex- Lets talk about it.........

Sex and marriage is a conversation piece in itself.  Sex and multiple sclerosis opens up a whole new can of worms. Now we are talking about function, sensation and mental motivation.

 

Being that I am in my forties, prime menopausal time and without a uterus for the past five years due to a hysterectomy, one would conclude that those factors alone would lead to an absentee sex drive.  Then add on the antidepressants , who's known side effects are just that and it seems like a losing battle.  But its not.  And when it comes to matters of intimacy, which I feel are important in a strong marriage, its important to not give up, although it seems to be the easier route.

 

Let me point out immediately, that there are far and few days that I ever feel "horny", as my husband would put it.  But women and men operate on a different sexual level.  In my own belief and personal experience, sex for a women starts in her brain, then travels to her vagina.  Perhaps this is true for an older man with compromised sensations in his crotch as well.  Even without MS, as we age our neurons aren't firing as strongly as we would like.  Also, let me add that there hasn't been a female version of viagra made available as of yet. 

 

So there are two issues here that need to be addressed- the physical crotch area and the mind. 

 

Lets start with the physical, because we are limited to some degree with options.  SO you have a vagina or penis, but unless that is pointed out to you, it goes unnoticed physically.  You need to find a counteractive solution.  What will make you "feel" your genitalia once again?  They have come out with all types of sex creme's that supposedly work as a stimulant to those areas....never worked for me, as a matter of fact , one of the last ones which I tried actually gave me irritation for several days to follow.

 

 What has worked for me as a female? Wellbutrin, or anything with a stimulant effect such as provigil.  I recall back in my days of college snorting cocaine for finals and the stimulant effect made me very susceptible to "horniness".  I'm not proud to admit that I did that, but it was over two decades ago as an invincible youth.  But the point being made that stimulants that ARE PRESCRIBED by your doctor may have the same effect on your sexuality for you as they did for me.  As a matter of fact wellbutrin came as a suggestion from my doctor to combat the sexual side effects of the luvox that I take for anxiety attacks.  But here's the downfall for me regarding stimulants.  Aside from having a heightened sexual drive, I can NOT stand the way I feel on them.  Sex only lasts a short time- maybe minutes in my own encounters but the remains of the stimulant effect lasts an entire 24 hour period. There is nothing worse for me then to feel like my mind is racing and I've just consumed 16 cups of coffee.  And that's probably the amount of coffee you would need to get the same effect.  However, others handle stimulants quite well. Its a personal experience type of scenario.  Wellbutrin also may work differently on each indivisual, as it is also an antidepressant, one known for those side effects.  Aderol also can have the same benefits as reported to me by two friends with Attention deficit disorder. Vulnerably I would also like to add that marijuana in a very limited use setting; such as two or three puffs totally re-introduces you to your crotch.  Its sort of like "HELLO-Remember me>"".  Its magical, and the orgasm is quite enhanced due to the thc properties. Because I suffer from panic attacks occasionally I have learned the hard way that 3 tokes is sufficient and don't recommend anymore. Pot enhances any feeling - good or bad.

 

Mentally, your current state of mind is important - First, I would like to express that since switching to tecfidera, bg-12 i do feel that there is less stress in my MS world due to the drugs mildness in side effects.  A clearing of the mind is also important, sort of like a meditation, leaving it open and less diluted from the immediate concerns of everyday living.  Once your mind is at ease you can train yourself to divulge in fantasy and if you are even braver turn those fantasies into realities,  You see , sex just like any other activity or event needs to be one-upped to keep interest.  Your not programmed to look forward to repetition.  Think back to the days where you went to first base and reminiscing the following few days led to arousal.  Then you went to third base and took second base for granted, the excitement was gone.  Home run, and there was no going backwards.  Now look where you are today- progression is needed. Its human nature and once again this is where your imagination comes to play- no guilt; just gust.  So pull out those handcuffs, buy yourself a magic wand-the BEST vibrator on the market, learn to talk fetish tongue, dress sexy and get crazy.  You only have one life and one genitalia- live it up.

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