By Lauren Kovacs
This is a big ticket for those with MS.
We never know what our hand will be. Even frequent shuffling can deal you a bad hand.
Our crystal ball has been smashed. For me thankfully, I had 18 years of a mild MS course. I was able to work, get married, have kids and mostly be like everyone else.
I had been a college athlete and I never thought that being physically active would end. As an adult, I took figure skating, did Irish dancing and clogged. I was always up for something to excel at.
The changes associated with declining mobility are extremely hard. New ways of doing things became an essential skill. Sometimes, there is no way to really deal with the physical betrayal. When it comes to medical equipment, picking fun colors seems to make necessary medical equipment less medical.
Changes can come frequently. Cards are often shuffled and dealt quickly. First, I started needing a cane. No big deal. I bought a blue fish cover for it. A year later, the walker came into the game. I made sure to get one in pink with big wheels and a cool frog bag attached. Then, another hand was dealt. I needed a wheelchair. Not cool. I was not happy.
I again figured a purple one would be fun. Going with devices as non-medical as possible was a good way to deal with that change. I made them extensions of me. A little pinch of personality and a little bling can go a long way. I didn’t fold and stayed in the game.
Last year we took a trip and I needed to bring a walker to use in the cabin. We flew, so I bought a gray one that folded into a garment bag. I used duct tape with butterflies to make it fun.
I really hated the idea of using that walker, but people saw the butterfly duct tape. I was able to enjoy our trip a bit little more. It was still hard to get around, but I felt less disabled.
Making change fun is the only way I can deal with mobility changes. A pink walker, a purple wheelchair or butterfly duct tapes were simple changes that were not medical. Make changes as non-medical as possible, when it comes to mobility equipment. I was dealt a bad hand, but injecting fun is a simple way to make a bad hand livable.
