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MS can cause memory loss

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We live our lives in a crazy, seemingly unending fog. A fog filled with fears, doubts, unemployment, financial uncertainty, strained relationships, health problems, depression, confusion…so many difficulties and troubles. These events are common as you get older but it also happens due to multiple sclerosis.

Cognitive function is related to the number of lesions and the location of the lesions on the brain, as well as brain atrophy. The changes generally progress slowly. They are also unlikely to improve dramatically once they have begun.

Since the areas of damage are different in different people, the effects on cognition vary from person to person. You may have trouble remembering things or concentrating. Planning events can become difficult because it may require multitasking. One of the worst is when you can’t think of the word you are wanting to say so you end up playing an impromptu game of charades or you completely forget what you were saying right in the middle of a sentence. I know for me it can end in tears because things are becoming way to complicated for something so simple.

Sometimes you may feel like giving up because you don’t have the strength to stay afloat any longer. How many times have you felt like throwing your hands up and giving in? How many times have you felt like quitting because life was simply too hard? How many times have you lost sight of where you are going and not had the courage to hang on?

For me, I realized I woke up today and remembered my name. That’s a great accomplishment. I was able to brush my teeth without making a mess. I even got dressed instead of staying in my PJs for the day. All huge triumphs.

I want to encourage you today to never give up. Refuse to let your problems beat you. There is always a way to get through the difficult times. Always! Those times when you feel as if you are drowning and there is no end in sight, don’t let your inability to see the end stop you. Keep going. Keep trying.

When the struggle gets tough I want you to know that you can make it. I know you can. Fight through the fog, dodge the dizziness that happens, keep your focus on the end even when there is no end in sight. Don’t allow your inability to see stop you. Keep pressing forward one step at a time. You are closer to your victory than you think.

Living with a disability in an uncaring world

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There are all kinds of people in this world. Some will help you along the way while others will attempt to push boulders in your path. Living with a disability is not always easy. I have met the rude, uncaring type who watch as I struggle to open a heavy door rather than stepping in to help and the ones that choose to give me the death stare as I pull into the disabled parking spot at the grocery store only to turn away (hopefully in shame) as soon as they see me wheel my way out of my van in a powerchair.

But some of my disability is not visible. Most isn’t. People don’t see my pain, cognitive problems, bladder and bowel issues, unrelenting fatigue, spasticity, numbness, and so the many other unseen multiple sclerosis issues I deal with.  I have had people give me cures such as physical therapy classes, prayer, and positive thinking to fix me. All of these things have benefits, but they will not cure my disability.

I have difficulties getting ready in the morning. I often struggle to button things, even simple things. I use a button gadget to help out for shirts and pants if I’m wearing anything other than sweats and t-shirts. I also struggle to put on my socks, open jars and even easy-to-open packages. They can all be a challenge for me.

I’m thankful that I can still drive with a modified van for my powerchair so I can drive from my wheelchair, but even now I question my vision and slower response to traffic. I always take the back roads and navigate around busy areas because I don’t trust my own response time to sudden braking.

Everything is a response to how others are choosing to live around the disabled.  It’s sad really, that we as a society have become such critical, judgmental, selfish and uncaring people. That the disabled are invisible in their eyes. It can be seen everywhere you turn.

So, how do you function as a person with a disability in a world that cares more for itself than others? What do you do when people are rude? Mean? Angry? Do you respond in the same way as them…rudeness for rudeness? Hate for hate? Anger for anger?

That seems like the easy way, doesn’t it? It’s easy to throw out a few hurtful words in response to someones mean-spirited actions or words. But just because it’s easy doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do.

How people act is not about you – it’s all about them. You can tell a lot about a person just by watching what they do, how they act, and what they say. But how you respond, that’s all you. Don’t let people’s wrongful, uncaring and bigoted actions cause you to stoop to their level. You are better than that. I know you don’t feel like it at times, but you are.

It takes all kinds of people to teach us how to become a person of character. Character is created through the struggles we face. It’s not something we are born with.

Today, if you are met with a challenge from someone’s rude and insensitive behavior, take a deep breath, allow your emotions to calm down, then respond as a person of character rather than being just like them. You be the bigger person…the better person. Show them, and yourself, that even though you have a disability, you are better than they are. You are greatness. You are more able-bodied than them.

Take the high road and leave them behind you in the dust of their own constructed chaos. Instead of wrestling with pigs, you’ll be soaring with eagles.