THIS IS DRAMATIC!

How is it, that some people can really put you down, and make you feel like total rubbish, in just a couple of words? People with multiple sclerosis, MS, unfortunately know about this.

There's something around disability going on here, that I can't even talk about, but it IS about that and writing us off as useless, or looking at our disability and seeing us as being a bunch of moaners and parasites, instead of realising, like anyone else, we have needs that must be addressed.

I know finding somewhere to live, in the UK isn’t easy, so when we do find a dwelling that will accept us - people with a long-term health issue that’s only going to get worse - we are very grateful but please realise adjustments need to be made, regarding our disability, to make that accommodation safe for us to live in.

I can use some weights machines and do a front-crawl swim but there are days, weeks or even months when I can’t due to my fatigue and lack of ability to fight-off infections. It’s made worse by the MS, which also interferes with balance and co-ordination

People can look at me, and assume that I am just exaggerating and making it up, but I’m not.  There are other people who also have MS or other long-term health issues affecting the body/mind and know, to make an important life-style decision between heating and eating. I choose heat, as cold weather makes my body condition worse.

I don't need people putting me down and devaluing my worth but some people do. That’s why, when another person tries to be friendly, many of us get ratty, because when someone, innocently tries to be nice, we wrongly say to ourselves, ‘what are they up to?’

I am not making excuses for us, as I accept, we must realise not all people are bad. As with life, we need to realise, there are good people too.

One of the hardest lessons I’ve learnt in life is to accept I meant nothing to people who meant the world to me. But this is the case for all of us, whether you’re disabled or not.

I still say, to one and all, regardless of your health, ENJOY LIFE, IN THE HERE AND NOW!

DON'T FORGET TO  HAVE A GREAT DAY!

 

Light and Peace

 

Andria

We all have a past.

No-one is perfect and that includes people who are disabled.

Some of us are very angry that we’ve got this illness of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), even if we aren’t in a wheelchair.

I admit, if I had a choice, I wouldn’t have MS. But I’ve grown to accept my condition.

We’ve all made choices that maybe weren’t the best. I was happy to put behind me, my days of being a career woman, to doing weekend work or be a stay-at-home wife and mum.

I liked having an administrative, nine-to-five office job, so when I got this illness, it changed the direction of my life, which, at first, I found hard to accept.

None of us are completely innocent, as it’s still not known why a person gets MS. We will always have to live with physical and emotional pain that comes with this, which includes asking ourselves, "why me?".

Believe me, I’ve looked, hoping that I would find a cure. I’ve accepted I won’t find one. I still have days when I’m frustrated that I can’t get up and go for walk.

However, every day gives us a fresh chance to be a better person than yesterday.

So please get washed, change clothing, get a manicure and Carpe that Diem, regardless of the nay-sayers who’ll do what they can to steal our joy from us!

Light and Peace

Andria.

I WANT TO ENJOY LIFE!

 

I’m aware that people who read this, tend to think my life is about doom and gloom.

Please realise it’s also about enjoying life to the best too.

That’s why we need the money we get. We do need help in the form of other people washing ourselves.

Even if we don’t need that kind of help, when, like me, you’re at stage two of MS, you do still need help, regarding flooring, toilet and bathroom aids.

This ranges from getting internal and external mats, railings, special underwear (okay, adult nappy's) and special products to clean 9 intimate areas of the human body.

All of which, are pricey and have to be replaced, along with getting other medical products for internal use, I assure you, despite having to deal with these issues every day, I do still decide that I still want to enjoy life, so I’m going to say this:

I WISH ALL OF YOU MOMENMTS OF PEACE AND HAPPINESS IN YOUR DAY. YOU DESERVE WONDERFUL THINGS.

 

Light and Peace

 

Andria.

Why people with long-term health issues do need a Care Plan.

It’s easy to think that sticking us in a building is okay and that’s all we need.

Well unfortunately, fatigue, lack of balance and co-ordination, which gets worse for me during the day and our bodies turning hot for no reason, which means I’m sweating in my clothing, then go cold for no reason, says something else.

This is the case in cleaning anything, from washing a plate, to cleaning my room and the rest of my dwellings.

I pay for a housekeeper, which isn’t cheap but she is someone I can trust and does a wonderful job.

I don’t insist that she wears a housekeeping outfit. I’m just very grateful that she makes my place well-loved, cared for and hospitable.

This includes tidying up my bedroom and changing bed sheets. I’m grateful for this. Before my housekeeper, I would look at my dwelling and cried. Not just because of the mess but because of the frustration of not being able to do it myself, as I did before having Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

There’s no point in moaning to myself, ‘why is this so hard for me?’ as I’ve accepted that my cry will only be answered by getting a housekeeper that I know who’ll not steal from me.

We don’t like asking, as I, like many who have a long-term health condition, affecting the central nervous system, want to se seen as strong, independent and capable.

But our health says to us, NO, IT’S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN AND I WON’T LET YOU DO THIS!

We smile and remember to be friendly, even when we know that those same people that we are being nice to, are talking about us, in a nasty way, behind our backs or have an ulterior motive, when asking us questions in a friendly way and manner.

My condition is only going to get worse. I’m not being weak-willed. I don’t bite. I’m human and I’m stll capable of turning up for meetings. That’s got to count for something!

Light and Peace

Andria.