Stress is not a good combination with multiple sclerosis. I hear all the time how stress needs to be limited to keep from triggering an exacerbation, but how do you do that in a world full of “I want it now” people and “it can’t wait” situations?
After regularly blogging about my multiple sclerosis life since diagnosis in 2013, I stepped away for more than 8 months. If I’m being honest, I wasn’t sure when—or even if—I would return to blogging. Life has a funny way of filling up our calendars, shifting our priorities, and convincing us that we’ll “get back to it next week.”
My new book is finally available. You don’t want to miss getting a copy for yourself. It’s filled with illustrations about life with multiple sclerosis.
Decluttering started in my kitchen, and now it’s reaching my website. After a lot of reflection, I’ve made the difficult decision to stop writing my weekly blog posts. I wasn’t able to raise the funds needed to keep the site running, and I see that as a clear sign it’s time to let this chapter close.
Last week was a long, hard week. I pushed through pain, frustrations, difficulties, weariness, weakness, emotional stress, financial strain, the unexpected, and loneliness. If I was to list everything I dealt with the list would actually take pages and pages of writing. This one teeny tiny page with a collection of words is only a small speck into my world living with multiple sclerosis.
Then came the day my world tilted. It started small: a numbness in my face and hands that wouldn’t wake up, double vision that turned reading into a guessing game, and fatigue so heavy it felt like wearing a lead suit. Doctors confirmed what I feared — multiple sclerosis. The diagnosis hit like a storm, washing away the “normal” life I knew.
Living with multiple sclerosis can be crazy and unpredictable. I have yet to have two days the same. I have good days, bad days, terrible days, what the $#*^ just happened days, and oops what just happened kind of days.
It’s hard to believe that another year is over and a new year has begun. As they say “out with the old, in with the new,” right? It’s a new year, a new day, I have a fresh cup of coffee… same ole body. Hmm, that didn’t go as planned.
The Holidays are upon us and I want to let you know that I will be taking a break for the remainder of the year. Expect my blog posts to restart again early 2026. I will still be sparingly on Facebook and Twitter during this time. You can’t get rid of me entirely. (Grin)
There’s nothing I hate more than multiple sclerosis. I could say liars, fake people, politics, bad punctuation, and people honking at me because I don’t drive fast enough… but those things just don’t come close to MS.
1. Simplify your life.