Thanks where it’s due for a badge of blue

OK, so purely in terms of disease progression and mobility it hasn’t been an easy year for me (pandemic? …what pandemic?) so I’d just like to give a shout out to my Derbyshire County Council colleagues in the Blue Badge team for processing my application and delivering a shiny new badge to me in less

Mourning sickness

I recently heard that it’s a good idea to find something to mourn with MS. Something in life that MS has taken from you. Maybe it’s a good night’s sleep, or the ability to run a long distance or that you’re no longer the party animal you once were. It could be all sorts of

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

Making lemonade #2

Way back when I started secondary school, a rumour went around that all the boys would need a medical during the first term. This would involve a procedure where a nurse would hold our testicles while we coughed. This never happened, of course, but a part of me believed it. It made the eleven year

The day has arrived

Hurrah! Today I have a spring in my step. Why? I’m officially a part-time worker. I started work at 9am and I’m just leaving for home. It’s 3pm. I have a pair of shoes to pick up for my daughter and then I’m picking the kids up from the childminder at 4.30 which gives me

Your flexible friend

Well, I thought I was going to have a struggle. I even met with my union rep at one point, but I’m pleased to announce that it’s nearly here: I’m poised to start reduced hours at work. This means I’ll work 30 hours over a five day week. Coincidentally, this works out at six hours

Back to Blighty blues

I’m just back in the UK after a fabulous trip to Australia and Singapore. I don’t normally do this, but while I was away, I re-evaluated things a little. What I should be doing to make myself happier, more comfortable and healthier. The thing about Australia is that there are so many similarities to home

Hindsight

My first big relapse was in 2004 with a numb face, a headache that wouldn’t shift, optic neuritis and vertigo. It’s strange to think of it now, but the medical profession couldn’t explain the cause at the time. Probably because I presented the symptoms individually, rather than all in one go. I then experienced a

Giving in

Yesterday I gave in. I rang work to say that I couldn’t make it to the bus stop (one mile away up an icy hill) because of the weather. In January 2003, I put my books to one side (I was doing a masters degree at the time), donned my walking boots and headed out

My MS History – Part Six

After one more session of double-checking with the consultant where he had yet another student in tow – it seemed I was becoming a textbook example of nystagmus – it became apparent that the steroids really hadn’t done their job. So to suppress my existing symptoms I was prescribed Gabapentin. I had been given details