Category Archives: Daily Life

Jul 16 2013
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Daily Life

Just Do It Yourself

Just Do It YourselfA brilliant idea came to me during this heatwave. Why not order everything I need online? No more trailing round the shops in the boiling sun rocking the drunken lobster look.

I ordered food from Ocado, printer ink from Amazon and school shirts from M&S. Getting carried away with my success, I looked for paint on the B&Q website. The Teenager wants to paint over his old Manchester City blue walls into a more mature light grey (or ‘light rain’ on the paint chart). Not a problem.

I ordered the three tubs of paint and threw in some ceiling paint for good measure. Got to the online checkout. Home delivery not available, just reservation in store. Ok. My nearest store is a ten minute drive away. With air-con on full blast, I could manage it. So I happily put in all my details, printed off the confirmation email and planned to pick it up the next day.

The morning after, someone called to say that my paint wasn’t in stock. Fine. Could you you let me know when it will be in stock please? No. You have to fill in the entire online page again. Which I did. And printed off the confirmation email and planned to pick it up the next day.

The morning after, someone called to say that my paint wasn’t in stock. Groundhog Day? Can you let me know when it will be in stock? No. You have to fill in the entire online page again. I counted to ten, said thank you very much (I’m British), and put the phone down.

Fired up with indignation, I got in the car and drove to the store. Bypassing the cruising pensioners in bright t-shirts, clutching pots of lavender, I stalked the paint aisles. And there, right where I expected them to be, were my two tubs of paint. And the ceiling paint.

Shoving them in my wheely-basket, I stomped up to the checkout, trying to find someone I could complain to. No one in sight, so I scanned through my items, put them back in the wheely-basket to take to the car. As I was leaving, there were three members of staff chatting to pensioners in bright t-shirts, clutching pots of lavender.

The website name for B&Q? www.diy.com. Does exactly what it says on the tin.

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Jul 04 2013
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Daily Life

Speak Up, Be Heard

PIPSpread the word – cautiously optimistic news – the Department of Work and Pensions are reviewing a recent decision to change the mobility criteria for the new Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

This comes after the MS Society and 50 other charities that make up the Disability Benefits Consortium challenged the strict mobility criteria for PIP and highlighted the devastating impact this would have if it wasn’t reviewed.

For the old Disability Living Allowance higher rate mobility payment, applicants had to prove they were unable to walk more than 50 metres. To receive this enhanced rate under the rules for PIP, this was cut to just 20 metres.

People with MS and other disabilities are now being asked to raise their concerns about these changes. The consultation would like us to answer one question – ‘What are your views on the moving around activity within the current PIP assessment criteria?’

We all know that the particular problem with MS is it’s variable nature. Some people can walk 20 metres one day and yet be unable to get out of bed the next. The very fact people with an incurable illness are being reassessed at all is heartless and the changes are causing unnecessary worry and fear. If a person who has previously been awarded the higher rate of mobility allowance and has a Motability car, they are in danger of losing this vital lifeline if they are reassessed and found not to be eligible under the new rules for PIP.

If you think you will be affected by the changes, you can respond to the consultation by reading it here  (details of where to write to/send an email are at the end of the document) or you can email the MS Society  – campaigns@mssociety.org.uk – and they’ll let you know how you can get involved in the campaign. We need to be quick though – the consultation ends on Monday 5th August.

Anyone who has ever applied for disability benefits knows it is not just a case of filling in a form, nor do we receive free BMW’s as the press would have the public believe in their continued witch hunt against disabled people. If we don’t speak up, we lose our voice.

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Jun 28 2013
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Daily Life

Stumbling Vs Kettlebell – The Smackdown

Cardiff-20130627-00217After weeks months of staring each other down, I finally decided to pick up my kettlebell, even though it was a very handy doorstop.

On my fridge I have a printout of a nubile, semi-clad, skinny female (not jealous) doing all manner of strange exercises with one of the blasted things and the write up was suitably encouraging – ‘kettlebell training is fun and varied, never boring, safe for any age, shape or size.’ Not only that, it also promised me ‘explosive power.’

Last night, with nothing left to lose except my dignity and a good few pounds, I put down my Walnut Whips and tentatively picked it up. Then swiftly put it back down again and attempted to unscrew two of the weights to make it a tiny bit more manageable. Exhausted from the effort, I rested long enough to watch the last episode of Mad Men and finish the last Whip before trying again.

I hid myself in the kitchen as The Teenager is fond of rushing downstairs yelling out sports results at regular intervals throughout the evening and the humiliation would be too much. Ok, squat and lift. Creakily I lowered myself downwards holding the much-lighter kettlebell. And stopped. Just had to stand up straight again. My calf muscles, one of which was fully-cramped with MS pain, protested loudly. I down-scaled the reps from 10 to 5, then 3.

Next exercise, I just had to swing the thing round my body, switching hands halfway through. Easy. I happily did this for a while, feeling smugly in the rhythm until disaster struck. My dodgy MS hand decided to simply let go. The kettlebell flew towards the cat food bowl, scattering crunchy biscuits across the floor and landed with an almighty thud. Luckily the cat wasn’t eating at the time or we’d be holding a memorial service today.

The Teenager rushed downstairs. I stumbled out to stop him in his tracks.

‘Muuuuuuum! What’s wrong with your face? Why are you all sweaty and red?’

‘Oh, you know. Just washing up. So what’s the latest score?’

I tried one last exercise. This ball of fear was not going to get the better of me. I raised it above my head, slightly to the left just in case my hand decided to play another joke and I knocked myself unconscious. Not bad. I could feel my muscles stretching. Three reps and I was done.

Amount of exercise? Two and a half minutes. Time spent clearing up the mess and cooling down? Half an hour. Not bad for a first attempt. We will meet again tomorrow, same time, same place.

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Jun 22 2013
4 Comments
Daily Life

Keep It. Store It. Chuck It.

Cardiff-20130621-00215As I approach an, ahem, milestone birthday (stop sniggering at the back) I took a long hard look around my house and finally decided to put my student years behind me.

I faced up to the fact that my attempt to channel a New York loft vibe was just never going to work in a tiny, 160 year old cottage in Wales.

Every corner was stuffed with random artwork, quirky finds, mismatched crockery, a growing Teenager and a cat. Something had to give. So I put the cat up for adoption. No, not really, but I wanted a clear-out, a fresh start, preferably without resorting to hiring a chanting shaman to wander round the house burning bundles of sage.

Yesterday, my ruthless mission was completed. Every single item in the house has been thoroughly assessed – keep, store or chuck. That sewing machine I bought with the whimsical notion of spending delightful evenings running up curtains, Cath Kidston duvet covers and cute little jam pot covers? Donated to a friend. The crafting glue gun stays however, for the sheer comedy factor. Hours of fun guaranteed.

My books were culled, boxed up and stored in the attic. I took down half my pictures and paintings, ornaments were decimated and I got rid of the sofa in my bedroom. I rifled through my wardrobe, trying on everything and parting company with all the clothes I was keeping just in case I magically lost three stone. If that miracle ever did occur, believe me, I would write begging letters to Gok Wan, pleading with him to help me find my new fashion direction.

MS has been a great opportunity to audit my entire life from top to bottom, but it’s not always been as much fun as deciding whether a ‘novelty’ toothbrush holder can stay or go. My career path has altered drastically, cherished friends have disappeared overnight and I’m still finding my way in this brave new world. From the depths of despair though, my life is being rebuilt and I  won’t be dragging junk along for the ride, both metaphorically and physically.

If only my emotions could be sorted through so systematically, but in the meantime, I am still undecided. Should I still have a collection of ransom note magnets on the fridge? At my age?

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Jun 16 2013
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Daily Life

In It Together

MSThe MS Society held a brilliant event in Swansea yesterday, ‘Living with MS’, which I persuaded my long-suffering boss to drive me to with the lure of Welsh cakes and a nice lunch.

The event was interesting and engaging and was also a celebration of how far we have come in our understanding and treatment of MS since the Society’s inaugural meeting sixty years ago.

To put this into perspective, just twenty years ago there were no disease modifying treatments for MS. Today, there are seven, with four more on the horizon.

The talks and flow of information at the event were fantastic, but what I enjoyed more than anything was the support and sense of belonging. MS can be a very isolating illness affecting every area of life. As a single parent (yup, get the violin out), there are long evenings when I am alone with my fears and jumbled thoughts, without someone to rein me in and help keep things on an even keel.

To be surrounded by other people living with MS is comforting. I feel accepted and less alone. Sharing stories and laughing with each other in the face of MS is balm for the soul.

I went to a workshop about ‘Looking after yourself’. Listening to other people speak reassured me that my thoughts and fears are not unique to me – we all struggle in some way or another, whether we are newly-diagnosed or have lived with MS for decades.

Lunch was an opportunity to catch up with old friends and spill coffee down my top, just in time to sit on a question and answer panel about family life with MS. As this was at the end of a long day, I was ever-so-slightly tired and I’m sure I rambled incoherently about MS and The Teenager and how we had adjusted to life with MS.

We rounded the day off with donuts and more coffee before heading home. I took away the thought that even though each of us with MS copes in our own way, we all know we are in it together.

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