It's summer, which means backyard barbecues, spending time at the beach, listening to the sound of crickets, and carving out time for a well-deserved vacation. Time to relax, lounge, and get outdoors.

But not everyone welcomes summer. For people with multiple sclerosis, heat and humidity can be our enemy, causing many unwelcome symptoms. Yet carefully managed, we can spend time outdoors armed with cool packs, cold drinks, big hats, and large umbrellas.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society estimates that over 2.5 people worldwide live with multiple sclerosis, a chronic, unpredictable disease of the central nervous system that incorrectly attacks a person's healthy tissue.

Many symptoms range from blurred vision, loss of balance, poor coordination, slurred speech, tremors, numbness, extreme fatigue, problems with memory and concentration, paralysis, blindness, and more. These problems may be permanent or may come and go.

We spend a lot of time explaining our symptoms to people unfamiliar with MS and don't understand the daily physical and emotional issues we live with.

Healthline created a "heart" filled with "MS lingo" listing multiple symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis.  Take a look and educate yourself. Those of us with MS genuinely thank you for taking the time to educate yourself about our disease.

MS Lingo: A whole new vocabulary of MS words

Please click here to learn more: Healthline: MS Lingo and The Words You Should Know

Have a fun and COOL summer!