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

Gloves off

Well, I knew I’d be tempting fate to say that I was feeling fitter and more mobile. It seems that the old MonSter has found a chink in the armour and has left its footprint behind in the form of a few new spots on the MRI. My neurologist has decided to advise exactly what

RIP Allan Robb

I see the media are reporting that the BBC Radio journalist Allan Robb has died. Allan had MS. I don’t know what type of MS it was and I don’t know how he died. I am assuming that the MS was a contributory factor in his death as the media are implying that his death

Sativex to get a licence in the UK

According to the MS Trust, once the wording on the patient information document has been approved, Sativex will be getting NICE approval in the UK as early as this month (April 2010). My neurologist dismissed Sativex at my last yearly meeting, so it will be interesting to see his position in June. I need something

Getting fit with Mr Uhthoff

This isn’t a new year’s resolution, but I have decided to get fit. This incorporates a couple of in-built problems, the most obvious being the MS, of course, but the second being the fact that I don’t do personal trainers (I have to admit to being quite rude to the only one I have ever

Experience of fatigue

Up to eighty-seven per cent of people with MS, including myself, experience fatigue at some point. It is important to us that people don’t think fatigue is the same as tiredness. It is the most draining experience imaginable and it can happen for no apparent reason. I went to a talk by an occupational therapist the

MS Explained

Just a note to say that the MS Trust (UK) have updated their marvellous booklet MS Explained. This is a little bit more involved than some of the literature out there. While not for everyone, it explains the neurology and immunology aspects of MS very well in layman’s terms. I would heartily recommend this publication

Health talk online

Even with all the support in the world, diagnosis of a chronic illness can be a dreadfully lonely experience. While the MS Society and the MS Trust and the nurse assigned to me were all utterly wonderful when I was diagnosed, I think what I needed (need) more than anything was to connect with other

MS Trust open door

open door is the quarterly newsletter from the MS Trust. It largely reports on research results and the like, but despite this, is very readable. The current issue (just arrived) deals with posture, depression, misleading stem cell treatments and the impact of progressive MS on family life amongst other things. Items that caught my eye: