Help! I've fallen again and I can't get up - MS Australia

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4 MY JOURNEY I was 10 years old when I had my first sign of MS, in my legs, exactly like they are now. I wasn’t one to tell mum when something was wrong. Mum was always working so she wouldn’t have noticed and it only lasted a week. When I was 20 years old I had a lot of back pains which have always persisted. I thought it was from sitting all day in the office. After I had my second child at 30 years of age, I started to get pins and needles in my hands with numbness. My Uncle told me I must have cholesterol because that’s what happens to him. A test showed a negative result. Then I found it difficult walking so I thought I was putting on a lot of weight and that my scales were wrong. I had double vision, but I thought it’s because I tilted my head. With blurred vision I thought something was in my eye. I would fall over walking on footpaths, I blamed the council for not repairing the footpaths and proceeded to blast them. I also had bladder and bowel problems and thought it was side effects from my skin medication. My poor memory and my inability to absorb anything and also defective hearing added to my problems. Then one day I went totally numb from the waist down with millions of pins and needles going through my body. I felt it came from my back pains; maybe it was a pinched nerve. I was X-rayed but that showed nothing, so off to the Neurologist and was diagnosed with MS in 1993. I really never thought I had a health problem. I always said how lucky I was to be so healthy. I was devastated, I cried buckets for months because I felt I didn’t deserve this and that I was on death row. .My best friend Belinda Toumazis, a very caring person, phoned the Society to seek help for me. After a long time I had the courage to phone the MS Society to register. I went off to my first meeting for the Newly Diagnosed people and again I broke down crying buckets, but by the end of the evening I started to calm down. It must of been the jam and cream scone that did it during coffee break) I have been going to the monthly support groups ever since. I feel it has helped me so much. I don’t think about my MS, it’s only my injections of Betaferon that reminds me. I just get frustrated when I’m unable to do things. I really miss going for walks the most. With each attack I’ve been able to fight it. I won’t let MS stop me from living and so far I’ve won. Hopefully, I will stay at this level. Last year I made my husband take me overseas for a seven week holiday. He didn’t want to take me, he felt I was going to drop dead on the plane, let alone seven weeks in hospital. I told him I’m going to live my life as normal. I won’t be trapped in the house which I am most of the time. So off we went and of course he had me fully insured, just in case. He was worried about the heat as it was 45 degrees in Europe. But I had it all worked out, if I went to the beach everyday it would help and it did. While holidaying I discovered I found a cure for MS. For me I went to the beach daily, no housework, cooking, etc. and partying until 2 am everyday cured me. Sadly I’m back home and back to normal with my MS problems. But I’m not worried as I’ve learned to cope with this horrible disease and I have another plan. When my son and daughter are hopefully married and live their own lives, I’ll be free to do nothing and party, party, party. They have been told about future grandchildren, grandma won’t be home to baby sit. Raising a family is so difficult with MS. I can only take one day at a time and hope for the best. So everyone, there can be some light at the end of the tunnel, and I’m living proof. If you can’t run, walk, If you can’t walk, crawl, If you can’t crawl, just relax. Nicki Theodosiou, Hurlstone Park What MS Cannot Do: MS is so limited . . . It cannot cripple love, It cannot shatter hope, It cannot corrode faith, It cannot destroy peace, It cannot kill friendship, It cannot suppress memories, It cannot silence courage, It cannot invade the soul, It cannot steal eternal life, It cannot conquer the spirit. CELEBRATING CARERS WEEK 22 – 28 OCTOBER. Families, partners, friends, neighbours and carers all play an invaluable role in supporting people with MS. The theme of Carers Week this year is “Listen to Carers”, acknowledging the wonderful stories that carers have to share. If you would like more information on events during Carers Week, please contact your local outreach worker or the Carers Resource Centre on 1800 242 636. MAGSCENE – INTERCOMMUNICATION FOR PEOPLE WITH MS – NEW SOUTH WALES
MS Is Not The End of Life Life was supposed to begin at 40. I was diagnosed at 41 with symptoms of balance and bowel troubles, and pins and needles in my legs. My own thought was that I had the Big C. The Neurologist report told me that it was MS. (in those days you relied on a Cat-scan). I told my wife about the diagnosis but thought every thing would be okay as I had a daughter coping with diabetes so ‘no troubles’. I had a good job and was very fit and active, played football, sailed every week, ran every morning, played squash two nights a week, loved camping, water skiing and snow. I then went to my nearest MS center with my wife. Walking in and out I said to my wife “That’s not going to be me”. (I have now been back) Then the proverbal hit the fan, when my neurologist told me not to sail in the up coming state titles because of the stress of competition. Even as manager of a company which turned over $1,000,000.00 a year my disability did not impede my performance. Eventually I told the directors of the company about my MS (a big mistake). One day I was called into Head Office and sacked on the spot for no reason at all. Later, clients of the company were told that it was for not following the directors’ directives. All knew I had MS. I met my wife as she was coming home from her partime job and told her the bad news. What were we going to do? Our eldest daughter had just announced her engagement. No job, no money, MS, no future. Friends to the rescue! Arranging finance and helping with computer skills they helped me to set up my own business from the back of our house. Within five days we were up and running with myself selling and my wife doing the books. The business went so well with loyal clients that we needed an office within a year and another employee. I then had the aid of a walking stick but was still managing swimming everyday. Years passed and by 1996 we had a new office and five staff. I never thought it would get this big. Getting tired, youngest daughter married, moved houses, MS is catching up. Do we try to sell the business or close the doors? “Give us a go,” asked my son in-law and oldest daughter, so I trained them for a year and now they run the business in their own right. In 1977 an MRI showed that I had a circle of white matter around my brain stem not consistent with MS. To end the story, I had to retire in 1998. I have 5 lovely grandchildren, two daughters and their husbands, and a very loyal wife, I panicked on retirement. What can I physically do? I still swim, bought a remote controlled yacht and joined a club, use my computer, garden, go out to dinner etc, I can still walk at least 1000 metres for short distances with the aide of my stick and use my scooter for long distances. MS was a new phase of my life. Yes I get frustrated when things I used to do in ten minutes now take an hour but my stubbornness and pride helps me over come a lot of obstacles. MS is not the end of life Further Information on Lifetime Health Cover Graham Edwards We have received some further information in regard to the hardship provision. A carer, currently in receipt of a Health Care Card may by entitled under the hardship provision for Lifetime Health Cover provided they meet one of the following criteria: Financial Hardship criteria; Exceptional Circumstances criteria; or Migrant criteria. In order for a person to apply under the first two criteria, they must prove that they had hospital cover or ancillary cover with a registered health fund for at least 3 years in total in the past, or for at least 12 months in total during the period 1 st July 1997 to 1 July 2000, and because of financial hardship or exceptional circumstances it was unreasonable to expect them to have had hospital cover on 1 July 2000. For further information and applications, contact Lifetime Health Cover Hardship Provision, Private Health Industry Branch, MDP 86, Department of Health and Aged care, GPO Box 9848, CANBERRA ACT 2061. Robyn Faine, Manager of Outreach Services FOR SALE Power Wheelchair Fortress 655FS electric 4 wheel chair. To fit medium sized adult, great for outdoors. Only 24” wide. Top speed 5.7 mph 30 mile range. Condition very good, black and chrome finish. 2x11plate heavy-duty 12volt batteries. Tyres and electronics in good condition. $1,200 ono Phone: (02) 6584 2296 Email: amuzone@one.net.au Gary Olive MAGSCENE – INTERCOMMUNICATION FOR PEOPLE WITH MS – NEW SOUTH WALES 5
Page 1 and 2: SEPT/OCTOBER 2000 VOL. 10 NO. 4 Int
Page 3: Today is a gift FRIENDSHIP Eleanor
Page 7 and 8: Letters to the Editor Dear Zanna, J
Page 9 and 10: TELECROSS SUPPORT SERVICE The Red C
Page 11 and 12: Coded Reference 436 Female Age 53 L
Page 13 and 14: Hunter Region News Social event of
Page 15 and 16: COUNTRY REGION SUPPORT GROUPS There

Help! I've fallen again and I can't get up - MS Australia

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