No new lesions - woohooo!

I have wanted to write a blog for a couple of weeks now and thought of a few different ideas but just didn’t write them. I don’t like to write a blog for the sake of it because it’s not very useful to people and that’s the whole purpose of my writing really.

I was going to write about stress and MS, am I clumsy or is it my MS and how to bring my MS into a conversation for awareness rather than sympathy. But then on Saturday I received a letter from the hospital about my recent MRI scan and found out over the last year I have had no new lesions – wooo!

For anyone not in the MS world, this means the treatment I am on has been working and it’s stopped my nerves getting damaged. A new lesion means a relapse so it means I haven’t had any sort of relapse in the last year (hidden or visible). I get a MRI scan every year to monitor it.

This has been a massive relief for me and I’m really happy how effective the treatment has been. Although I’ve had some side effects since going on the treatment (the main one developing an over active thyroid) it has been the best option for me and how my MS affects me.

The treatment I was previously on had stopped working and I had a couple of relapses so the consultant decided to change it. This was the best option for my age and it meant I didn’t have to take a tablet every day. It also meant that when I was ready to start a family I could without having to change my treatment plan. So, it was the best decision for me and others around me.

Looking back to nine years ago when I first got diagnosed, I was lost and frustrated, and I didn’t think there was much of a future for me. My life could have been totally different if I didn’t listen to the advice from my consultants. I feel healthier than ever and let’s hope I’m saying the same thing in 10 years time.

Working with MS

Sorry I’ve been a bit quiet recently, I’ve been enjoying my summer, everything’s good though and my treatment is still working better than ever. So here goes my next blog post... 

When I was younger, I had big dreams and always wanted to be a swimmer/a footballer or a presenter on Sky Sports News then I realised as I got older I enjoyed the sports but I wasn’t that good at it (got to be honest) and I definitely wasn’t committed enough to do anything like that. Plus I would’ve been an awful Sky Sports presenter since I can’t even string a sentence together when I’m talking to my friends...

I started setting my sights on more realistic careers like being a physiotherapist when I was doing my GCSEs. I thought it still had a connection with sport but it was something I could really see myself doing, so I went to sports college. Then while I was at college I got diagnosed with MS which made me stop and think actually if I’m getting symptoms like losing the feeling in my hands then I wouldn’t be a very good physiotherapist. 

This is when I was stuck and had no idea what I wanted to do... probably a feeling everyone has had at one point in their life. I had to think of how my MS could affect me, which is not the easiest as it’s an unpredictable illness. I decided to go and see a careers councillor and long story short I ended up at Sunderland uni doing PR. 

In my final year I applied for a internship at the Works. I didn’t know what to expect, id only worked in John Lewis at the weekend but I somehow managed to get the job as an Account Executive. 

I was scared to tell them about my MS. I didn’t want to make a fuss and think of me as disabled but it was important that they knew. I’ve had two relapses since I’ve worked there and they’ve been great in the situation. I’ve had the help and support I’ve needed when I’ve needed it, but anyone who knows me knows I don’t like to ask for it! 

Four years down the line I’m still at the Works and I’ve just been promoted to an Account Manager. 

Since I was 18 I’ve always had in the back of my mind that my MS will hold me back and if it did get bad, I might not even have an option of a career. But the thing is with MS you can’t think of it like that. It’s so unpredictable you can’t wait around for it to potentially affect your life, you’ve got to take the opportunities that are in front of you. 

I’ve worked hard over the last few years to get to where I am and although my MS can impact my life, it doesn’t stop me living it! 

Keeping myself fit with MS

Happy Great North Run Day everyone!

I thought today was a good day to talk about how I incorporate fitness into my lifestyle since it's GNR day. This time last year I had just finished my first Great North Run, something I thought I’d never be able to do since I’m not the strongest runner. It was the best feeling in the world though knowing I’d ran all that way for a charity that means the world to me – The MS Society.

I raised over £1,100 for the charity which was a lot more than I expected when I signed up. It was an amazing experience and I entered again this year but sadly had to pull out due to a relapse earlier in the year…

Fitness has always been a big part of my life. In primary school I was on all the sports teams, secondary I was a swimmer but then when I went to college I stopped exercising when I was diagnosed with MS, put on a lot of weight and become lazy. Then I went to university and decided to join a gym and get fit again. Now I go to the gym 3-4 times a week #fit

I don’t just go to the gym to keep the weight off although that helps as I eat a lot of food!! I go to the gym to relieve stress, to challenge myself and most of all because I enjoy it.

People forget how important it is to do something that relieves stress. Without the gym I know I would become anxious, angry and stressed so I try to go when I can without pushing myself too much.

I usually do 2 x weight training sessions, 1 x spinning and 1 x run a week which I feel is a nice enough balance to work different parts of the body. I usually can tell whether my body is tired from exercise or when my body is tired due to my MS (I normally get tingly legs) so I try to slow down when I can.

It’s important to get a balance and to listen to your body especially when you have MS. Everyone gets tired but when you have MS tiredness and fatigue is much more common and you feel like it’s your biggest weakness. But what I’ve learnt is it’s okay to go to bed a bit earlier, it’s okay to not want to go out until the early hours of the morning and it’s okay to stay in you pjs all day.

Sometimes we need to rest and recover – we’re only human!