MS Strength

I’m getting ready for Thanksgiving and the approaching Christmas/Chanukah season, so it’s nice to hand over the reins to another writer this week. Mary Ellen Ward blogs about different health topics and she has offered this stress-reducing piece for your consideration:
“Managing MS Through the Holiday Season”

Multiple sclerosis (MS) can be a debilitating and very challenging disease to live with. For those who are afflicted, they may suffer from any number of symptoms. These symptoms can make daily life seem like a complicated process. Before you give up and feel that the traditions and life that you were once used to are gone, know that there are simple and effective ways to cope with them throughout the year. As the holidays approach, it’s important to keep in tune with your symptoms. Though MS may vary in intensity for those who are affected with it, managing the symptoms is always an important aspect of this disease. As the holidays can tend to bring about a great deal of gatherings, activities, and potentially stress, it’s important to know how to manage MS at this time of year.

Get Your Rest

Not only do you need to get a good night of sleep, but it’s a good idea to plan for a nap whenever possible. As fatigue is one of the most common symptoms associated with MS, you don’t want this to overtake you. Getting your rest is also a good idea to help with other symptoms such as muscle pain and stiffness. So whatever you are doing or wherever you are heading for the holidays, be sure to plan for some much needed rest. This can allow you to still enjoy yourself and time with loved ones, but not let MS get the best of you.

Avoid Unnecessary Stress

Though stress isn’t good for anyone, it can cause the symptoms of MS to become much more difficult to cope with. If you suffer from MS, it’s a good idea to avoid stressful situations. Any stress that you feel can make the pain associated with MS much more severe. Stress can also inhibit your ability to rest well, and this can cause a downward spiral with all of the symptoms that you suffer. Learning to manage your stress and limit your worry or concern can be a helpful tactic in coping with MS, particularly during the holidays.

Keep with Your Treatment Plan

Even if you’re planning to travel for the holidays, it’s important to keep up with your treatment plan. Take your medication as prescribed, as this is one of the most important aspects of living with MS. Be sure to pack your medication and don’t miss a dose as it can result in symptoms flaring up. If your doctor has you involved in some sort of physical activity, do your best to get it in even if it’s in a modified manner. It’s important to be diligent about keeping to your treatment plan. Though the holidays can be packed full of fun activities and it can be easy to forget, sticking to your treatment plan is essential at all times.

***Mary Ellen Ward blogs about how to choose among LPN to RN degrees.

It’s been a bit of a crazy week here at the Jersey shore, and so I’m posting a catch-all of latest news. Hope this finds you well and happy:

Joan’s Next MS Chat Room Session: This Friday, Oct 23rd

Come enjoy a Halloween party with Joan and her fellow chatters. The session is from 7 – 9pm, Eastern Standard Time. All are welcome, and more info and login instructions are available at her blog A Short in the Cord……… Joan’s chat is THE BEST!!

Glenn Close’s Mental Health Website

I learned about this site just this morning, as actress Glenn Close and her sister Jessie told of Jessie’s long battle with bipolar disorder on ABC-TV’s The View.  Having struggled with depression since multiple sclerosis altered my life course, I am a HUGE advocate for mental health and bringing knowledge to the forefront. So many people hide their emotional problems because of embarrassment/shame, misunderstanding, and doubt. I seek the ongoing help of a social worker and a psychiatrist— I take an antidepressant— and I want to pass this helpful site on to you and anyone else you might know who is afflicted by emotional illness. There’s help and support: www.bringchange2mind.org

MS Strength has Reached its (First) Goal of $100 in Ad Revenue

It’s taken over a year, but MS Strength has reached the $100 threshold needed for Google to pay out ad revenue. 100% of the profits will be donated to the National MS Society (the U.S.), who has a high priority of using funds towards MS research. The thermometer is set back to $0, and the next donation will be made at the next $100 threshold. Thanks to those who helped the thermometer rise; it feels great to take this money and donate it to our MS cause. A future post will tell about the actual donation, as I am currently waiting for Google’s check.

A New Website for MSers Which Chronicles 5 Patients’ Journeys and Distributes Information about Disease-Modifying MS Medications

I, along with 4 other MS webwriters ( Lisa, Julie, Kimberly, and Bill) have been hired to video blog our multiple sclerosis stories—along with personal journal entries— at a new website sponsored by EMD Serono, a maker of one of the current disease-modifying MS medications and a future MS medication. The site focuses on our stories and it also provides drug information to those who subscribe. As a HUGE advocate for newly-diagnosed patients learning about and trying disease-modifying medications, I’m proud to have been tapped and I feel myself helping others to weigh their medication options, no matter what the brand and the final decision. Thanks, EMD Serono, for allowing the 5 of us to accomplish this: www.howifightms.info

A Local Piece of News About Officials “Spinning Wheels for a Day”

This story caught my eye— I found it at the Nat’l MS Society’s FB page. Interesting, and it gives those in charge a chance to see what others with adaptive devices must navigate on a daily basis. I doff my hat to you, fellow resident Jackie Jackson: The Star Ledger’s Oct 15th Middlesex County News

I have to admit that my feelings about my status quo change almost daily. No matter how much I try to rope in my moods and put on a mask of gratitude, I most certainly do not FEEL gratitude every waking moment. Just the nature of the MonSter I suppose.

I’ve become acutely aware of my feelings over the past several years and I notice a pattern: I go through cycles of low-level depression/anger every couple of months. It’s a vicious loop, but I imagine it just goes with my personal situation: being out of the workforce at the tender age of 38. I am not feeling sorry for myself or asking for sympathy, but merely acknowledging how I feel. Feelings ARE legitimate and with multiple sclerosis (or any other chronic illness) they can and WILL fluctuate, depending on the circumstances of the day. So I feel the low simmer of anger today as I sit here and feel underproductive, underutilized, and definitely underpaid! Where went that career I was promised in my early 20′s?…

A lot of days I DO NOT feel angry. I feel downright blissful and productive and appreciated. These are usually the days when I leave the house to volunteer or be with family and/or friends. Full days that remind me of how I used to be. Today is no such day. I need to self-start and motivate myself to study for a class test (I’m taking a psychology class which I do, in fact, love.) And some days I find this very tricky. I have also been sending out job inquiries with little response. So I stew….. I try to explain this pervasive feeling of anger / depression to others who don’t have MS and I don’t think I’m fully understood. The anger stems from a lack of utilization. I am like a slightly older toy, sitting and waiting for use because I am still mobile and physically viable, just slightly slow and gently worn. Under the right conditions and with a little care, I can work and be useful.

Here are some things I’ve found that really burn my Bunson:

• I look at my years-old clothes in my closet, and I wanna bag everything up and bring it to Good Will. But I haven’t any extra money– because I’m underemployed— to buy a new winter wardrobe. The same holds true when I wanna pitch all of my old housewares/bedding/linens and I realize my money’s already spent.
• I see some able-bodied person landing a journalism job outside of the home and I wish it was me.
• I make contacts for new writing opportunities and I hear nary a response! This one REALLY singes…
• I haven’t a grasp of where the day will go— too much free time— and I long for a no-brainer schedule.
• I KNOW I should be making a reasonable living as an educated, full-fledged adult and I am NOT.

Now I admit that a lot of this anger is trivial, but that’s the way it is. Some days are just not the “full-of-gratitude, I’m-successfully-fighting-my-MS, I-won’t-let-this-condition-ruin-my-mood” sorts of days. Nothing wrong with that. The feelings are honest and they too shall pass. But they are real and they have a right to be acknowledged.