Waiting
Neurology waiting room in hospital. People waiting, wondering, dreading, hoping. It is not fair. Nobody deserves to be here. Nobody is ever prepared to hear what the stranger in front of them has to say. A neurologist looks at your test results, gazing, thinking. Do they wonder how they will tell you that from this minute onwards, your life will be different, that you will have to change your lifestyle to suit your new, closest and most annoying illness, that your body had betrayed you? Neurological illnesses walk in and out, often their illness seems larger than what they perceive themselves to be. For the ones sitting, waiting by themselves, without someone accompanying them, time goes slow. For the ones waiting with their boyfriends, spouses, parents, time is gentler. They…
This is the Life, by Marie Kane
To people living with MS, this poem is for you… This Is the Life So what if gods, fates, genetic mysteries haven’t been kind? We all have our crosses and I don’t believe in the ecumenical notion that all crosses are equal so no cosmic deal with God would allow me to place someone else here. Hell, I don’t want to be here. Lying on the bedroom floor after falling, thirty minutes pass while I straighten my spastic legs, roll over on my stomach, hunch knees and carbon fiber leg brace under my chest, use my husband’s dresser to pull myself upright, praying it doesn’t topple. Sudden realization— practice acceptance—agree,
Time heals
People have referred to me as what they would call an old soul. Animals are my biggest love, I love campaigning against unfairness in society and I love the company of books over that of certain people. My mum always told me to be kind, caring and having empathy because not everyone has an easy life. She taught me well. Now, I rest my case about awarding myself such qualities though, as articulating who and what I believe to be, is for others to decide.
Time to recharge
MS is as MS does. It drains your energy levels, your thinking goes haywire over the silliest things and it well… it simply plays tricks on you. Only last week I had my right arm swing all over my bedside table, but not where it had to be. Thankfully I was alone, in my bed and away from people. Having court cases because of accidentally thumping people in the face on the street is not what I envisage my near future to be.
MS Symptoms
Note: I am not a medical professional nor do I intend to provide any medical advice to anyone. Please see your family doctor or neurologist if you have any health care concerns. My intention is to provide accurate information from the perspective of an informed patient. Note: As an MS patient you can experience several or very few of the symptoms listed below, they can also vary in severity, duration and recurrence. Note: Different people are likely to experience very different symptoms. Since no two people have exactly the same experience of MS, the disease course may look very different from one person to another. Note: This is not a list of all my MS symptoms but a list of possible symptoms each MS patient can have. Note: The majority of…
MS Medication
Please consult with your neurologist, MS nurse or GP if you feel your medication is not working as well as you had hoped. I am not a medical professional nor do I intend to provide any medical advice to anyone. Please see your family doctor or neurologist if you have any health care concerns. My intention is to provide accurate information from the perspective of an informed patient. The following medication listed has only been found effect for people with Relapsing/Remitting MS, and for some people with Secondary Progressive MS. There is currently no equivalent medication available for the progressive form of MS. For a complete list of available medication, go to: http://www.mstrust.org.uk/atoz/drugs.jsp
Five-year plan
Bad tidings always happen when you least expect it. Your plans for tonight, next week or the following year get punched right in the stomach and you have to regroup. Not only does rearranging your life involve more people than just yourself; your family, friends and colleagues need to find out where you and your plans will eventually fit in. Parameters of life get reset and the future-plan question during your last job interview pops back in your mind: “Where do you see yourself in five years from now?” I truthfully replied that I had aspirations of climbing the corporate ladder and that I wanted to combine this with studying. This was the interview that would lead me to live in Ireland and I ultimately worked in the company for…