Diagnosis
Life with MS, always adapting to a new normal
My life with MS as a retired man is much easier than when I was working. Medical retirement took me in 2012, aged 58. I then spent a couple of years wandering around trying to adjust to the new life. Two years talking to a counsellor for 45 minutes once a week in the evening […]
Smouldering MS its my long-term condition
Smouldering MS, is my long-term condition, it is not a happy or relaxing disease. It can usually be endured with symptom management drugs and procedures. Its a complicated disease, hidden disabilities are a fact of life. A big problem is that no one has ever told me what the future would be when I was […]
My MS journey begins, 24 years before diagnosis
Some events are very significant, and the emotional impact is unforgettable. Events such as marriage, death of a spouse or parent. I will never forget that moment in 1996 when the consultant uttered the words “You have multiple sclerosis”. Many years later I realised my MS journey began 24 years before my diagnosis. My MS […]
Now I’m comfortable in my skin
Multiple sclerosis affects everyone differently. My life was busy with work, family and a tiny wee bit of MS until medical retirement arrived. My MS started in 1972 but it was not diagnosed until 1996 with RRMS. MS made no impact on my life even after diagnosis, the relapses were very sporadic and disappeared as […]
With MS I now move like a tortoise slow but steady
As I move forward through time, ticking off the years, multiple sclerosis has an ever growing impact upon my life. Nowadays I must always have one hand holding onto something firm and stable. The happy days of nipping upstairs or popping next door are history. Now everything must be carefully considered. I now move like […]
I am Patrick and I have advanced multiple sclerosis
I am Patrick and I have advanced multiple sclerosis; A physically active life is no longer possible, balance and walking problems get in the way. Also I am not allowed to drive because of double vision, another kind gift from multiple sclerosis (MS). The beginning I am convinced my multiple sclerosis started in 1972, my […]
Multiple sclerosis is a vile disease
MS smothers you, wraps you up in its tentacles and replaces energy with fatigue. I can no longer do things that other people take completely for granted. Even worse there is nothing predictable about it except it just gets worse and worse and worse. It can even lurk in the body for years before its […]
My long journey with multiple sclerosis
This is the story of 45 years of my life living with multiple sclerosis as we both grew up. I did not piece the whole story together until I took medical retirement in 2012. My long journey with multiple sclerosis. My long journey with multiple sclerosis It all started in 1972 and I was almost […]
Ways to Help Cope with an MS Diagnosis
A guest post from Dizzy and the Dinosaurs. You can visit the blog at dinosaursdonkeysandms.com Ways to Help Cope with an MS Diagnosis It was nearly four years ago that I was diagnosed with MS. And for me it was rather a shock. Before I started acquiring my weird collection of symptoms (have buzzy feet, seeing […]
Will the lumbar puncture hurt?
I have now had four lumbar punctures. A small sample of fluid is taken from the spinal cord to measure the activity of multiple sclerosis. Think lumbar puncture and my hair stands on end. The idea of a syringe going into my spine and thinking ‘will the lumbar puncture hurt?’ are two concepts I don’t like […]
Life before diagnosis of multiple sclerosis
I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1995 but my journey started much earlier. In 1972, only 18, I was in the pub having some beers with a couple of friends. Suddenly I had the urge to go to the loo but when I went nothing happened. I didn’t think anything of it at the […]
Imagine life without multiple sclerosis
Sometimes I like to play a simple mental game. Picture myself going up a flight of stairs. Maybe I can see myself walking to the shops and then carry the shopping back home. Drive the car instead of using the bus. I can still visualize myself striding out for a walk with the dog, not […]
Diagnosis, what next?
You have been diagnosed with Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS), this happened to me in 1995. How many of you have been offered a disease modifying therapy (DMT) and when were you diagnosed? You try disguising a fall When I was diagnosed with MS I was not offered any treatment because none was available. I […]
