Moving Swiftly on…

My late mum was the fount of all knowledge when it came to family history. She knew the names of all the distant cousins; who was born out of wedlock; who had died before their time and why; who had problems with alcohol; who was concealing their extra-marital affairs; who was LGBT in an era

Under the radar

When I reached the age of thirty, I was helping my father-in-law do some gardening when I bent over to pick up a leaf and I felt a twang somewhere in my lumbar region. This twang put me completely out-of-action for a week or so afterwards. My GP had simply smiled and said, “welcome to

“C’mon get in the car. Let’s go for a ride somewhere…”

“So, where are you guys from? “The UK? Do you guys know Totten-Ham? “See, I follow your soccer and I support Totten-Ham Hotspur. I’m a Hotspur fan. “Do you know why I support Hotspur? “Well, I’m a fan of the Dave Clarke 5, and they’re from Totten-Ham, and they support Hotspur. “Do you know the

The aftermath

Warning: this post contains experience of intense pain and some details of sensitive medical procedures. Sometimes I think of my MS as a monster. A monster who is always there tugging at my neck, poking me in the back, tripping me up or holding my ankles like a deadweight. As a child of the ‘70s,

Foot-ups, Fampridine and familiar faces

The other day was a good day for me and my MS. Not because I felt any better or any different, but because I got a few things sorted, and I dealt with positive healthcare professionals as I did so. Firstly, I had a hospital appointment with a cheery orthotics specialist to fit me with

Baclofen fun

Well it’s the new year (happy new year!) and after over-indulging over the festive period, my thoughts have naturally turned to new year’s resolutions. Normally it’s something to do with losing a bit of weight and becoming fitter, even if it’s just a little bit fitter and being able to take my belt in a

It’s about quality of life

As hinted at in my previous post, after a couple of nasty infections, my dad’s in his final days. At the time of writing he’s being made comfortable. He’s not in any pain and he doesn’t really have the strength or inclination to eat or drink, other than a couple of spoons of mashed up

Pass the parcel

A week or so ago, I stood at the end of my elderly dad’s hospital bed while he squinted at me and asked “Daddy?” Just a couple of hours earlier, he’d been rushed from his care home with pneumonia and possible sepsis, and ‘conscious’ moments like this were fleeting and rare. A few days previously,

Feeling the heat

Well, last week was a scorcher. So much so, that I gave up on Fathers’ Day activities halfway through the afternoon and went to bed for a bit. The following day, I dressed for work, drove my youngest to school, and then turned round and headed back home I felt so rough. Again, I had

Just keep swimming

Well, I’ve just returned from a family holiday to Florida. It was 90% Disney just like the last time we went. Both my wife and my youngest are big Star Wars fans, so my youngest had a light sabre battle with Darth Vader and my wife got a hug from Chewbacca among the many highlights.