Finding the right balance
Hi, this is my first post here. I have RRMS and my symptoms have subsided well, which I am grateful for, and I know I should be happy about that. I started with symptoms on 12.1.13 and was diagnosed on 28.1.13 after tests, MRI and LP. My consultant at the time was OK, her Registrar was brilliant. I now see another consultant who is not quite so good - his "bedside manner" is appalling. Telling me to get used to it, to live with the remaining issues. I see him again on 22.1.14 and I am not sure what he will have to say. Anyway, I digress.
I have been trying to look after myself, and have unintentionally lost some weight. I walk the dog every day with my husband (unless I am so tired I cant make it - which gets me sometimes - like today!). Many of you will be thinking - what on earth is her problem. She doesnt know what she has!
But still I feel sorry for myself sometimes. Take today. I feel like I am getting a cold. I am shattered, I dont want to eat and I am not sure where to put myself. I havent walked the dog, I havent been outside the door. I have a very supportive family and my husband takes good care of me. He makes sure I dont do too much of the wrong thing. When he isnt well, I get so cross! He hurts his finger doing some maintenance and complains of the pain, and I get cross! But today, I need support and feel no-one feels worse than me. I am feeling selfish, something I dont do often.
You will probably have stopped reading this by now, but trust me it is helping get it off my chest.
Finding the right balance. Food, drinks, exercise, medication. I am tired of having to think of all that. I just want to go back to being "normal" to not having to think about whether eating a piece of chocolate will make me worse; to playing with my grandson without being tired for the rest of the week. My daughter limits my exposure time :(
Go on, say it. She has nothing to worry about. She isnt that bad! My whole working life has been spent using keyboards - typing, computer work etc. etc. So guess what hurts the most? My hands, my fingers. I have been given so many different pain relief treatments from the Consultant I never speak to, I dont know what does or doesnt work any more. I dont know what damage I am doing to rest of me by taking anything. So there you go, I have to find the right balance of medication. Should that be some, lots or none at all? Who knows? Who can tell me? There lies the question.....
Nice to see the panda! (private joke! :eek: ) MS is a condition that needs managing and respecting. We can talk about balance, but it's not just about whether we fall over or not. It's more about how we live our lives. There's balanced diets, which we all know are useful, but we also need to balance out the extremes of life, i.e not over-doing or under-doing it. Stress/worry seems to be fuel for MS, so try not to dwell on things. Just re-evaluate life's problems and place the right priority on the underlying issue. Also, have a look through this post:- https://shift.ms/topic/describing-your-ms-symptoms/ . You might want to get your family to read it too. And, also avail yourself of the services provided. See if you can be referred to a Neuro-physio, via your MS Nurse, primarily to look at your hands, but any other problems you may have. They're good at spotting bad habits, where we compensate for weaknesses. And, ensure you get the flu jab annually. We qualify for that and it's a useful defence. Finally, MS may be your condition but it will affect your entire family unit. I can see that you have already realised how cathartic it is to write it all down and get it off your chest. Use this forum to have a rant. We all do it. it's better to rant here, with people who understand, rather than cause an atmosphere at home. Hope this helps.