Preparing for your neurological appointment
Seeing your neurologist can often make you feel anxious or afraid to speak up. Each appointment should be about exploring options, not about being bulldozed by a standardised litany of things you don’t want. Going in prepared will make you feel more at ease, so why not make a list of vital questions and things you need to discuss? When you organise your thoughts, you feel more in control of the situation and sure of where you want to see your treatment go. After all, you are the one living with your illness. Don’t feel ashamed either in what you want to ask your neurologist, chances are they have heard similar things before, and they will be the least likely people to attack you for asking. Remember, the only silly question is the…
Disable Inequality
It’s been rather quiet down here. The past four to five months, I’ve been involved in disability rights campaigns and had a long much-needed Christmas and New Year’s break. I’m now back to passive campaigning in some form or another while having the flu… it’s never boring in MS-land. With the Irish election campaign in full swing, it’s difficult combining high-powered fatigue issues and other MS symptoms with the amount of advocating I want to do. The first and second are, as most of you know, difficult to tackle, the latter not acted upon enough. I’m still dedicated to writing for my blog, though, and also for the Novartis and Irish MS Society blogs. There is one thing I would like to highlight. In my belief, disability rights are something…
Let’s be frank
"Too many times we like to blame others for our own problems. Situations and people create our experiences, but these situations and people don't create you. Understanding our past helps us to distinguish why we hold on and repeat self-destructive behaviours. When we feel anger, resentment and other non-positive emotions, the only one we annoy is ourselves. So, choose taking ownership over blaming others, happiness over negativity, a new way of life over just remaining in a rut."
Trading pens and ink for bullets
"My own freedom of speech means the need to write, to create, to share, to ask, to think, to discuss and then create again the way I intended, the format and content I choose. It's not only my basic human right, but it's yours also and should be upheld regardless of country borders or religious background."
What a difference a needle makes
Needle anxiety. We all went through childhood being afraid of injections. But why would someone have needle anxiety when what you’re about to self-inject every day, in fact, slows down the progression of your chronic illness? Although my emotions regarding needles do not amount to belonephobia, I have gone through moments where I simply could not press a needle in my skin. Using an Autoinject only made it worse. Pain doesn’t scare me (anymore). In fact, I’m going through a pretty rough time right now because of trigeminal pain. Knowing, however, what the prerequisite was for having to inject myself on a daily basis, has, on occasion kept me from self-medicating.
To update 2025 – Mental Health Ireland
Add Ireland St Patrick’s Mental Health Services (SPMHS) Fasttrack General Practitioners, GPs, Family Doctors, Pharmacists, Dentists, Hospitals. It also provides contact phone numbers. Type your address in the box below. The Atlas will search automatically – choose an address from the search results. A map of your street will appear. Health Atlas HSE mental health support HSE mental health professionals National office for suicide-prevention National counselling service branches Services you access directly G.P. services What to expect when visiting a G.P. Counselling in Primary Care Evening and weekend services Emergency services What to expect at the Emergency Department Primary care services Counselling in Primary Care Community and non-statutory services Counselling Phone and online supports Interview with Samaritans Supports for young people Jigsaw virtual tour Supports for parents and guardians…
10 ‘Little rebel, me’ mistakes
Are you a list person? I am, that’s a given. After wasting time on websites like List Challenges, I thought, ‘Well, how about the ten worst things I’ve done since being diagnosed, with a follow-up on the best things I’ve done since that day in 2005?’ Quotes are added to underline my thinking, ideas or just as some way to kick-start goodness in my life. Once the 10 best things have found their way onto paper, I will link them to each other here if you want to read lists for a while!