Living With Multiple Sclerosis

I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in 2010, after a particularly bad fall, and extreme feelings of right-sided muscle weakness.

I say my GP, who sent me for a CT scan, and based on the result of the scan, referred me to a neurologist, who sent me for an MRI scan. Then the neurologist, after looking at that scan was able to share the news — I had a chronic illness Multiple Sclerosis (MS), that would be with me for the rest of my life! Oh joy, not …

He didn’t put it like that, of course, and to be honest, I can’t really remember all he said, it was thirteen years ago, and quite a stressful time, after all. I think after hearing the news, I then went home with my husband, after making a further appointment to late see the neurologist to discuss medications to help slow the progress of the illness.

That second appointment was when I was introduced to my options, most of which involved sticking myself with needles, ouch! My options were needles daily, every other day, a few times a week, or once a week. I didn’t want to jab myself with any needles at all, but it seemed I had no other choices, so I said once a week please.

And so began my life on MS medications. That first one, Avonex, was OK, I learnt how to do the injections, and I usually did it without making too much of a bruise on my thigh (left or right leg, alternately week to week).

I wrote about this, with poetry, and was in fact the recipient of a grant to assist me in the writing of a…