I woke up this morning wondering why on earth my mobile phone was on my leg.
It buzzed on and off and as I drifted in and out of sleep, I pondered this new situation.
It kept ringing so I got up and discovered my phone in its usual place, on the bedside table, next to the pile of books I’ll never get round to reading.
Strange. The phone wasn’t ringing but my leg was buzzing.
Great.
A new MS quirk. My left leg now vibrates every five minutes.
I got on with my day, catching up with appointments, popping to the shops and slumping in front of the telly, leg still buzzing away. My foot drop also reappeared like a long-lost enemy, which means my favourite flat boots are now scuffed beyond all recognition.
I did what I normally do when a new MS symptom pops up – I got my favourite blankie and fell asleep on the sofa, hoping it would go away by the time I woke up.
It didn’t, so I guess it’s here to stay for a while. What should I do? I veered between self-pity and, well, more self-pity.
Then I stopped. How would that help? I tried to see the funny side. I had a meeting at university to see whether I could take a PhD (don’t laugh), and bored/scared my friends by asking them to put their hands on my leg to see what I was talking about. Phew. I wasn’t going mad, my leg really was vibrating.
Anyway, the upshot is, ok, a new MS symptom. It’s annoying and means my leg moves in a totally new way. I just have to deal with it. And, although it might sound weird, I have to see the funny side. As it is, my nerve pain means it feels like I have mobiles strapped to my feet. This has gone on for over three years. So I’ve just added a new one.
MS is having a laugh. And it’s all about having a laugh. What’s the alternative?