My MS Bully and Me

Copyright: C King You may remember that at the start of lockdown, I wrote an article for the MS Trust and talked to them  regarding how MSers are good at dealing with change, reminding us that for some, we are dab hands at self-isolation, having already dealt with aspects of lockdown, including inaccessibility, not seeing family and friends, unable to access public toilets, having our lives turned upside down suddenly with relapses, and so on. When relating our MS experiences to lockdow n, I was very careful to talk about this in the context of change, something that, due to the unpredictable nature of MS, we are used to.  My language was deliberate: I didn't say that we would come out unscathed. It was a 'welcome to my world', balanced with a 'change is hard, but we'll get through it.' And we are. O ur resourceful mindset and our varied skillset have been hugely beneficial at this very strange time, but  we have now had to balance the extra challenges o...

© C King This week is the ten year anniversary of my MS diagnosis. Having a diagnosis anniversary is unlike any other. You don’t celebrate. There are no gifts.  It’s a reminder of how much you’ve lost and how far you’ve come. You remember it with both sadness and hope. For me, it’s been an opportunity to reflect. Of course, I’d be lying if some of this didn’t involve thinking about where I was as a person ten years ago. No fatigue, lots of energy, virtually no pain (other than the relapse confirming diagnosis) and living day to day. I never felt the need to look back and had no concerns about my future. I even wore heels. I was diagnosed two months into my marriage and well into the mindset of having children; not so much a want as it was a need. Even then, I had other parallel health conditions, such as PCOS. Professionally, I was in demand and at the peak of my career; very much an expert in my field.   When you reflect, it’s hard not to revisit the...

This symptom needs a post all of its own. When MSers talk about their MS, invariably at some point of their lives they will be held back by fatigue. According to the International Multiple Sclerosis Federation , the international body bringing together medical professionals, societies and researchers on MS, up to 90% of MSers have fatigue lasting hours, days, even months. In 2012, they released a piece of work conducted with 10,000 MSers across the world.. Considering the range of symptoms and progression in MS, it is perhaps surprising to some that 86% of MSers participating said that fatigue was one of their most troubling symptoms. There is a theory within the chronic condition community involving something called 'boom and bust.' The Investopedia definition of 'boom and bust' is "a process of economic expansion and contraction that occurs repeatedly." An economic term that describes MS fatigue beautifully. I sometimes have moments, even days, where I ...