Before I start this week's blog, I need to warn you that I am listening to the Dead Kennedys, so I might end up trying to overthrow the government or something whilst I am writing.
Last week I tempted fate about my lack of falls and guess what? Yep, I fell over. I was drunk though, and as much as I don't want it to count, I'm going to include it. That's twice I've hit the deck this month which is good going for me, with only a week to go.
I'm not going to declare that I'll get to March without another stack though, because my legs are really bad at present. I caught a sickness bug. This alone is nothing to be concerned about, but any virus I get seems to exacerbate (did I spell that right?) my MS, and my legs in particular. I was completely paralysed from the waist down and I had to spend a night in hospital with some lovely nurses. You've got to take the positives out of any situation. My glass is half full, you know. Well until my wife reads this and empties the half full glass over my head!
I'll be fine in a day or two. The virus is out of my system now, so my symptoms will be back to a more manageable level in no time. They better had anyway, I'm going to watch West Ham play Spurs on Monday. I don't care how bad my legs are - I am there.
I'm thinking about renaming my blog Pills, Thrills and NO Bellyaches as I haven't had a single side effect in the whole time I've been on it, which is almost 6 months. If I change it, I won't have to worry about a potential plagiarism lawsuit from the Happy Mondays lawyers. That's where I nicked the name from after all.
My Gilenya turned up last week, but I didn't ask the driver Dave W what the W stood for like I said I was going to a few months ago - because I forget! Don't tut at me, I can't help it Don't blame me, blame my lesions. I have got MS, you know.
All jokes aside, I do feel like my cognition has improved a bit of late. That could be the lack of fatigue coming into play again. I don't know, but that would make sense, the less fatigue, the less the cog-fog.
Fatigue might be invisible to those on the outside without MS, but on the inside, it's a cruel symptom that hampers us in so many different ways. I wouldn't wish MS on my worst enemy. What am I saying? Of course I would. ;-)
Have a nice weekend everyone.
Dan
Friday 22 February 2013
Friday 15 February 2013
Week 23
Last week, I bored you to the brink of death because I was going on about my driving. Well I'm going to bore you on the subject for a few more minutes.
I get my cars on the Motability scheme. Instead of getting Disability Living Allowance money for mobility, I get a new car every 3 years on a lease hire contract. Because my mobility car was written off, the 3 year contract I was halfway through got terminated and you go through the process of picking a car from scratch.
Since the accident, I've been driving around in a hire car that Motability arranged for me. I believe I have this car until I take delivery of my new car sometime next month. I found out the other week that as I am not officially in possession of a Motability car, I am entitled to the DLA money too! Fantastic, eh? You just take your time adapting the new car Peugeot. No rush.
At the time of writing, I've only had one fall in February. We're almost halfway through, so I'm patting myself on the back here. You're probably thinking I'm tempting fate here, and I suppose I am, but I don't believe in fate and should I hit the deck before I post this blog, I won't think it was fate biting me on the arse. It would've happened regardless of if I had written this paragraph, or not. (Fingers crossed)
You want to know about Gilenya, right? Okay then, I've already said how my bowels have improved so much of late *insert your choice of shit joke here* (pun intended). I empty my bowels pretty much every day now, which also has benefits because you don't have all those toxins festering inside your body for a week, 10 days, or however long it takes for the ol' bowels to move. I am convinced this improvement IS because of the Gilenya. It's my body after all.
Also my bladder is still tip top. The other day, I needed to wee twice in one day! Yeah, I know only 2 times. I spent a couple of hours in a car and I didn't take in any fluid, but I more than made up for it in the evening with Vodka and red bull. Yes, caffeine AND alcohol in the same glass! 2 elements that would normally have me running (if only!) to the toilet the second either entered my bladder.
I do apologise about the odd profanity sneaking into this blog, but I can't help it, it's the MS!
Be well, people.
Dan
I get my cars on the Motability scheme. Instead of getting Disability Living Allowance money for mobility, I get a new car every 3 years on a lease hire contract. Because my mobility car was written off, the 3 year contract I was halfway through got terminated and you go through the process of picking a car from scratch.
Since the accident, I've been driving around in a hire car that Motability arranged for me. I believe I have this car until I take delivery of my new car sometime next month. I found out the other week that as I am not officially in possession of a Motability car, I am entitled to the DLA money too! Fantastic, eh? You just take your time adapting the new car Peugeot. No rush.
At the time of writing, I've only had one fall in February. We're almost halfway through, so I'm patting myself on the back here. You're probably thinking I'm tempting fate here, and I suppose I am, but I don't believe in fate and should I hit the deck before I post this blog, I won't think it was fate biting me on the arse. It would've happened regardless of if I had written this paragraph, or not. (Fingers crossed)
You want to know about Gilenya, right? Okay then, I've already said how my bowels have improved so much of late *insert your choice of shit joke here* (pun intended). I empty my bowels pretty much every day now, which also has benefits because you don't have all those toxins festering inside your body for a week, 10 days, or however long it takes for the ol' bowels to move. I am convinced this improvement IS because of the Gilenya. It's my body after all.
Also my bladder is still tip top. The other day, I needed to wee twice in one day! Yeah, I know only 2 times. I spent a couple of hours in a car and I didn't take in any fluid, but I more than made up for it in the evening with Vodka and red bull. Yes, caffeine AND alcohol in the same glass! 2 elements that would normally have me running (if only!) to the toilet the second either entered my bladder.
I do apologise about the odd profanity sneaking into this blog, but I can't help it, it's the MS!
Be well, people.
Dan
Thursday 7 February 2013
Week 22
My last blog came across as mildly melancholic. I do apologise. I suppose I shouldn'tbe listening to Nirvana or Lana Del Ray when I'm writing. Oh well.
Don't worry, MS hasn't managed to get inside my head. Depression is a very common symptom of MS, and that is one battle I fight every day. And every day I win that battle and I'll continue to win that battle every day.
My walking is slowly improving - I'm not thinking about the London Marathon just yet. Maybe next year, but don't hold me to that. This is more than likely because I've got my exercise regime down to a tee. At first they were making me quite rough, but now I'm feeling the benefit. I had a week where I did them, regardless of how bad I was the next day. I spent 3 days where my body was ruined because of the exercising, but I've come through the other end feeling the benefit now.
Also my driving has improved. Yeah, yeah, I know, you're thinking that I'm talking rubbish because I wrote my car off before Christmas. Well let me tell you the accident was the other driver's fault, and if it hadn't been, it wouldn't have been my fault either because I've got MS!
The car(s) that I drive have been adapted. They have the 'push and pull' hand controls fitted, so that when my legs are tired and 'drop foot' kicks in (oh, the irony), I can take them away from the pedals and drive with my hands. I've been driving like this for a few years now and before I was hospitalised in June, I could drive between half a mile to five before I'd start going back and forth using the hand controls as well as the foot pedals. The last month or so, I've been driving to Chelmsford using only the foot pedals. Now that is a 25 mile journey from Southend. Is the Gilenya helping me? I dunno.
The thing is though, as my body is slowly deteriorating, my ability to do things becomes less and less, but some things have improved. My fatigue, my bladder, my bowels and now my ability to control my car with the pedals. I'm wondering if the less the fatigue, the less the drop foot - thus making me to drive the car 'normally' for longer? We all know that fatigue affects us physically so, maybe, just maybe the Gilenya is helping me as well as the exercises.
If I were a scientist, I would stop the exercises and see if it is the medication, or vice-versa if I were a physiotherapist, but I'm neither, so I won't, so you're out of luck. Sorry.
Have a good weekend, people.
Dan
Don't worry, MS hasn't managed to get inside my head. Depression is a very common symptom of MS, and that is one battle I fight every day. And every day I win that battle and I'll continue to win that battle every day.
My walking is slowly improving - I'm not thinking about the London Marathon just yet. Maybe next year, but don't hold me to that. This is more than likely because I've got my exercise regime down to a tee. At first they were making me quite rough, but now I'm feeling the benefit. I had a week where I did them, regardless of how bad I was the next day. I spent 3 days where my body was ruined because of the exercising, but I've come through the other end feeling the benefit now.
Also my driving has improved. Yeah, yeah, I know, you're thinking that I'm talking rubbish because I wrote my car off before Christmas. Well let me tell you the accident was the other driver's fault, and if it hadn't been, it wouldn't have been my fault either because I've got MS!
The car(s) that I drive have been adapted. They have the 'push and pull' hand controls fitted, so that when my legs are tired and 'drop foot' kicks in (oh, the irony), I can take them away from the pedals and drive with my hands. I've been driving like this for a few years now and before I was hospitalised in June, I could drive between half a mile to five before I'd start going back and forth using the hand controls as well as the foot pedals. The last month or so, I've been driving to Chelmsford using only the foot pedals. Now that is a 25 mile journey from Southend. Is the Gilenya helping me? I dunno.
The thing is though, as my body is slowly deteriorating, my ability to do things becomes less and less, but some things have improved. My fatigue, my bladder, my bowels and now my ability to control my car with the pedals. I'm wondering if the less the fatigue, the less the drop foot - thus making me to drive the car 'normally' for longer? We all know that fatigue affects us physically so, maybe, just maybe the Gilenya is helping me as well as the exercises.
If I were a scientist, I would stop the exercises and see if it is the medication, or vice-versa if I were a physiotherapist, but I'm neither, so I won't, so you're out of luck. Sorry.
Have a good weekend, people.
Dan
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