Tag Archives: falling

A Multiple Sclerosis Night Before the Holidays

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By Penelope Conway

’Twas the night before the holidays, when all through my body,
Not a nerve was behaving, making me move rather shoddy.
My daily activities were chosen with care,
In hopes that each one could be done from a chair.

Each word that I spoke seemed to come out all wrong,
So much to be finished, I had to stay strong.
And John in the kitchen, and Missy making frappe,
Everyone busy working, no time for a nap.

When somewhere outside there arose such a clatter,
I peeked through the window, to see what was the matter.
I tried to move fast, to get to the door,
But I didn’t quite make it, and wound up on the floor.

As I lay on the rug, making sure nothing broke
Through tears I could see it, even gave it a poke.
Yes, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But the cane that I lost, earlier this year.

Then the front door cracked open, and before me he stood,
I immediately knew help had arrived which was good.
And more rapid than eagles, his phrases they came,
And he whistled and shouted, and called them by name.

“Now hang on, now slow down, now take more life pauses,
With stressful, and chaos, and tearful day causes.
To the end of the checklist, to the end of the hall,
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!”

And then I could see, as I wiped away tears,
Why, his words and his wisdom had settled my fears.
As I sat on the floor, too weak to even move
He knelt down beside me, and said I have nothing to prove.

He looked a bit weary, as a glance we exchanged,
And he said that my focus is what needs to be changed.
What’s important is family and those who are nearby.
(On that last one he actually said with a twinkly eye.)

Your weakness…it’s real. Your limits…real too.
MS has this way of making even brilliant days blue.
He smiled as he spoke, and I knew he was right.
No more pity party moments or MS fist fights.

He spoke not a word more as he helped me to stand.
I found myself smiling as I reached for his hand.
I sat on the couch as he gave me a nod,
He helped me to see that my thinking was flawed.

Then he sprang to his sleigh, and to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, “You’re doing great, don’t forget,
To pause more and smile, you have nothing to fret.”

 

*Penelope Conway was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in November 2011. She is the author and founder of Positive Living with MS (positivelivingwithms.com) where she uses humor and her own life experiences with MS to help others navigate this unpredictable journey. She believes that staying positive and holding onto hope is the key to waking up each morning with the strength to get through the day.

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Where’d that Bruise Come From?

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If the walls and the furniture would stop moving I wouldn’t have any bruises

Do these words sound familiar: “Woah, how’d I do that?” or “When did I cut myself?” If so, you are certainly not alone. We recently shared an article about mysterious bruises that started quite the discussion amongst the community. With over 160 comments, it quickly became clear that unknown bruises, cuts, burns etc are a regular occurrence among many MSers, but how and why these happen is where it gets really interesting. Here’s what our community members told us!

That’s What Caused it?

While many of the bruises, cuts, bumps, scrapes, burns show up as if from nowhere, others have a very clear cause. Though sometimes it takes a while to realize what that cause is!

  • It took me a while to realize my bruises were from hitting my elbows on doorways to catch my balance when I was carrying the laundry basket.
  • I finally figured out my shin bruises were from those small carts at the grocery store. There’s a little bar across the bottom that hits my shins!
  • I’ll often notice a new scratch on my hands or legs and realize, a day later, it was from my cats
  • I can’t tell you how many times I’ve burned my hands cooking dinner and not realize it until I see the blister
  • We used to have a trailer hitch on our SUV. Weekly I unknowingly walked into to ball on the hitch while loading groceries. It took me MONTHS to figure out where the perfect blue circles on my knee were coming from.
  • What bothers me most is hitting my head as I get into the car. Like I’ve never gotten into a car before.
  • I thought I was in a secret fight club in my sleep lol. I wake up with random bruises all the time!
  • I used to wonder where a new bruise came from now I know! I’m so unsteady on my feet I bang into stuff all the time. It’s so common I don’t remember every bump!

Why Does This Keep Happening?

There are so many factors that could contribute to the increased bruising and wounds with MS.

I just fall more often now

  • Spasticity, muscle weakness and loss of balance are common with MS, and can cause serious gait problems and other mobility issues, such as “foot drop” or “toe drag”
  • And you may also be familiar with dizziness, or even vertigo, as part of the MS experience. Feeling as though the room or ground is spinning can certainly make one prone to falling

Half my body is numb

  • As many of you have probably experienced, numbness on body parts, or entire halves of the body, is one of the most common symptoms experienced by MSers. This is caused by damaged nerves inhibiting the transmission of sensations from the body’s surface to the brain.
  • And of course, when you don’t feel a bump or burn, it’s even more confusing to see a bruise!

My body is more prone to bruising and bleeding now

  • Some medications and that treat MS and other dietary supplements can also cause the skin to thin or lower the blood’s ability to clot, leading to an increase in bruising or bleeding
  • Additionally, there are other comorbidities, such as low blood platelet count or anemia, that can cause clotting issues and bruising

Ultimately, if you’ve ever had a friend ask you “What happened to your arm” or you’ve woken up in the morning to find your legs covered in fresh bruises without a clue, you are not alone!

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