Craig is my guest blogger today. He’s just started his own blog, so check it out at www.jonnyspandex.blogspot.co.uk.
Hi, my name’s Craig. I’m 27 and from Leicester, UK, and I’ve got MS (shock!).
Sorry if I’m sat funny, I’ve just injected copaxone in my stomach.
So, after my request for a guest blog was accepted, while I made a tea for the missus and installed MS (see what I did there?) Word, I got to thinking about what I wanted to say, the ideas just started rolling! But I had to pick one, which is like when you have to pick one thing out of several you like and want. So I’ll start like this:
Emotions. Emotions are like MS. We know what they do, and how they work (how symptoms occur in MS, not the disease itself). The issue with both is that we don’t know how to stop them. My daughter is deaf, has been from the day she was born, but it was caught fast and she got hearing aids. At 4, it started deteriorating. I knew it was coming, but the night her deaf teacher rang and told me, I cried my eyes out. I knew exactly why I was and the reason scares me. I’d lost control of the situation, we’d countered on her hearing loss with the aids but it wasn’t going to be enough as it got worse and I was powerless to stop it. Quick end to the story, she’s now got cochlear implants and is fine! 🙂
Right now I’m doing things to hopefully help with MS; I’m in control (aka remission!). But with my first relapse, it hit home at the seriousness of what I’d got, that night I lost control. I’ve still got a lingering side effect, but it’s part of me. More recently, I’m looking at situations in life more and more and imagine what it’d be like. I could actually cry at soppy films sometimes, not because Di Caprio dies at the end (hat that film!) Â but because I’m relating to stories so much more. A PPMS sufferer I speak to on Twitter (sorry, Steve, it’s you!) was having an especially bad day and what I read on it made me so angry, that I/he/anyone can do nothing for it. It made me feel so many emotions but again, no on has control over it, all you can do is sit back and watch the proverbial hit the fan.
Forget all that anyway, the footy’s back!
Morning Craig.
Well, we may not be able to control what is happening, but we can control how we react. And our reactions can make things harder if our emotions are allowed to run riot. We can’t stop them but we can choose them carefully.
There is a saying I like to keep in mind, ‘If you have a problem and you can do something about it – don’t worry. If you have a problem and you can’t do anything about it – don’t worry.’
When watching the fan, look beyond the proverbial. 🙂
I am newly diagnosed after 4 relapses in 8 months and am waiting for my nurse to come with my first batch of Copaxone. How long do your site reactions take to go down?
Hi fella!
So much to deal with at a young age for you but wish you all the best. Most people have no idea about MS (I work in Neuro) and the creeping (or sudden) problems that accompany it can be hard to bear (I have used the right ‘bear’ I hope? Another story). I am still learning about it via websites and through this blog, so I can appreciate (a little) a little more about it.
Good luck and stay positive.
All the best.
Archie
Hi Julie, I’ve not got to the point where I dont worry about it yet though I’m sure in time I will! Now I inject as opposed to autoject in some places generally I don’t get skin reactions, get some stinging but no swelling
Archie, the only time age has become a factor is when I looked at it at one point and though I could potentially be half way through my life, I’ve only discovered sex for abour 10 years! Just not good 🙂 i’ve been reading lots!
potentially half way threw your life?! at 27? 😉 lots of life left to live 🙂 (even with MS)
Nice guest post! I noticed, and liked, what Craig did with the MS Word bit.
It was a fab post! Wishing him lots of luck with his blog.
x