@DominicS 

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DominicS

Daily Briefing Covid-19 [28th Mar 2020]

Konnichi wa, - It is the weekend. Yay. V. important - I think - to try and distinguish the weekend when possible. It is all part of the routine that I and many others keep to stay sane. Mrs S is now officially on Easter hols so a very cheery mood all-round in mi casa. ----------- MS News ----------- Some super news on #MSCOVID19 from Dr Brownlee n London. The prevailing concern amongst the neuro community is the alemtuzumab (Lemtrada) patients and those who have relatively recently undergone HSCT (especially abroad - not that it is necessarily bad but that the follow-up and continuity of care is much more difficult). He writes: Some good news from my first #COVIDー19 patient: symptoms developed 3 weeks after cycle 2 of #Lemtrada in Feb 2020. Mild symptoms for a week, now fully recovered #MSCOVID19 - I appreciate we are all different but these stories on the hashtag - of which there are many of all the different DMTs seem to point to the fact that just because one is taking a DMT it is not an immediate red flag and something to worry about. - Mental Health - for us MS sufferers we already predisposed to depression and anxiety. It is critical to recognise and address worries before they take hold. It can affect your disease course in a very real and measurable way. In can be worse for you that the theoretical problems we worry about. I know this all to well as the first few weeks of this damn Covid-19 saw me slowly increasing the tightness of the mental screws on myself. This was compounded by all those around me who cared deeply and made exactly the same jump to the fact that immuno-suppression must equal increased risk. I bought a rather fetching mask for £26 (I would have paid double) and an additional freezer (Currys discount brand but still £150 I didn't want to spend and what will we do with it when the main panic is over) and immediately self-isolated. I have been so fortunate to be able to speak to experts and to share that with y'all and I have relaxed immeasurably. II am no less careful and have decided against running naked through the streets yelling. "I'm alright". I can smile about things now and am not having my sleep wrecked and taking up a large part of the day wondering if I have done enough and what will happen if I go straight to hospital, Do Not Pass Go, if I get a whiff of the virus. - Stay safe, stay isolated but please don't worry too much that your drug is gonna get you. - Good news is that so far this year (Corona aside) we have seen the incidence of other infections fall back, almost certainly due to our newfound obsession with hand washing! ------ Social Stuff ------ What's with the much under-reported run on strong bread flour? I like baking sourdough. Now my starter(s) are languishing in the fridge. I have got them out to feed them with the small amount of flour I have left, more for my own feeling of doing something. They have names too. - Cooking is a minor obsession with me and I love to do new things. Yesterday I made some proper baked beans. The recipe was far too sweet and that may be a reflection of the North American palate. Regardless, easy and v. tasty. I will now be stocking up on the dried white beans. Dried pulses: far cheaper, still available and it's not like they are too time-consuming. - I saw a genius idea (one of many) from Jack Monroe the Bootstrap cook. Open a large Tim of tomato puree but are not going to use it all? Spread it out on a baking sheet, freeze it, break it into chunks and whack it in a freezer bag. Eh voila! On demand and no waste. - I have become very accomplished at wasting vast amounts of time binge-watching the entire Big Bang Theory on Netflix. It has some really funny moments. - Shopping - as Lidl and Aldi do not deliver and do not offer click and collect they are proving to be pretty well-stocked. Am sure I mentioned this yesterday but it is worth repeating. Again - let's try and keep our anxiety in check ;) For me no food equals a rise in anxiety. - Some good e-books on Kindle at 99p, I downloaded the entire GK Chesterton today for 99p so I shall never ever have nothing to read. Ever again. The man was prodigious! - Take care and stay safe. Nothing tomorrow. Sunday.
@DominicS

I forgot to add: This is really interesting about neuroplasticity. This is just a flash way to talk about rewiring your brain. The more you do and the more new things you do helps your brain stay ahead of the damage. - https://www.msfocusmagazine.org/Magazine/Magazine-Items/Exclusive-Content/Retrain-Your-Brain-The-Study-of-Neuroplasticity

@ItsMewithMS

Thanks for all your posts and work this week ;-) you enjoy a nice day...although I hope someone controls your urges regarding running about the streets sans pants ;-0 no matter how much we distance that seems to be discouraged here