What is your day to day activities like living with MS

Sometimes I wonder if I am a sissy or if I am pushing to hard. I know everyone is different but would love to hear from others:
What is your #1 symptom that gets you down?
Do you work outside of the home?
Do you require a wheel chair or cane to get around?
Do you do your own errands and grocery shop, clean house, cook, and take care of children?
How often do you experience relapses?
and lastley if you do push your self does it cause a set back or problems with your sx?

Thanks again
FG but feeling happy.

[HVAC]

I guess I am fairly lucky. I do not have relapses. I have had a slow Progressing MS since early childhood. My progression cannot be controlled and my symptoms are always present.

I have double vision which makes driving nerve racking but I do it. I learned to drive with double vision. I even used to drive rather large commercial vehicles and was scared but did not know why.

I have cognitive issues, lots of pain. Sometimes a hard time walking and foot drag more and more. I have always had vertigo and I can't turn to the left. I have left side weakness as well.

If I have to stand for any time I need crutches. Otherwise I use a mobility dog. Oh and I am wobbly but the dog hides it.

I am self employed but do not have the stamina I had. I pet sit some and I am an artist, a painter. None of my artist friends are doing that well so I have stopped busting my rear for little money.

I do a lot of house and yard work.

I do a lot to help other people. It keeps me out of my own head. I have always had a lot of depression I guess because of the MS so I do all I can to combat it.

I have a loving husband and five wonderful pets.

During the day I get to spend time with each pet so it is not so lonely. With five I get lots of unconditional love.

I have many friends. I belong to two support groups. Oh and one great friend on the forum who was diagnosed the same week. We talk for hours.

I do MS advocacy for my State. I get to sit in a many important meetings and meet politicians on the State and National level. I even write for important State Political Blog.

I do too much and then get tired. I think of my energy like money in the bank. When it is spent it is spent. I can conserve it or spend it all at once.

I have decided to take Dressage Horseback Riding Lessons. It is the highlight of my week. It is hard but I love it so. It is something I always dreamed about.

I guess I believe in Inertia. A body in motion tends to stay in motion a body at rest tends to stay at rest. I am afraid to stop!

Alex

[jumpinjiminy]

Every day is different, and I'm a limbolander currently. So I'll tell you what my today was like.

I woke up feeling fantastic. There was some spasticity, but it was mild. I always wake up that way lately, but have noticed once I'm up and moving it gets a little better and after the baclofen kicks in it's even less noticeable.

I was thrilled to actually have a clear head today, and more energy than the last several weeks, so decided to catch up on some housework that piled up while I was down.

Two hours later, I started noticing and quick decline in my interest to accomplish anything. My fever went up again, and then all of a sudden I had this strong wave of fatigue wash over me. I had slept well, there was no reason for this. But alas, I couldn't shake it, so around 11:30 napped on the couch until the phone ringing woke me up at 1:30. I was groggy, felt like crap, and did nothing but putter on the computer and smoke the rest of the day.

Typical. I can wake up feeling like crap and have that last until evening when it lifts all of a sudden and I can accomplish something of value. Or I can wake up feeling great, start accomplishing something of value only to have it disappear shortly after getting started.

It's frustrating, and I don't accomplish much at all anymore. But I do what I can, and try to fight the urge of thinking everyone looks at me like a lazy slug.

[JemmAus]

What is your #1 symptom that gets you down?

My balance. i walk like a drunk. It's embarrassing and seems to be getting worse.

Do you work outside of the home?

Not for the last two years and the way I'm going, i doubt if I will agian any time soon.
Do you require a wheel chair or cane to get around?

I have walking sticks/canes (of varying colours!). I am starting to look at a wheechair because even walking around a mall is becoming too hard most days, and I dread it.

Do you do your own errands and grocery shop, clean house, cook, and take care of children?

I do all the housework type stuff, though I get my son to mow the lawn. I am a single mum so don't have a whole lot of choice! Most times I shop with my son or my adult daughter to help me.

How often do you experience relapses?

Have been in what seems a continual relapse since February this year. It just wont go away. Prior to that i would ahve one about every - weeks, each one lasting between 1 and 6 weeks.

and lastley if you do push your self does it cause a set back or problems with your sx?

Yes. The other week I had a day (wow ONE DAY!!) when I felt 'normal'. I raced around outside, gardening etc. Rang my daughter and she yelled at me SLOW DOWN. I didnt. I washed the car, made a new garden bed.
The next day a whole new sx of paresthesia started and it's still there. I actually posted in here that day, thinking i was having a stroke. I was terrified...

Jemm

[lovemy6monkeys]

I am always sore at least someplace, I have been for about 7 years (I was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease about 4 years ago, I've always assumed the soreness/pain was from that...now I'm not so sure it all is). For the last few months the back of my right knee hurts. It hurts if I straighten my leg, it hurts if I bend my leg. I'm thinking it might be spasticity.

Some days I feel pretty decent, and I can go through my day with little problem. Some days I feel like I got hit by a truck.

I'm a stay at home mom, so I'm lucky enough to rarely have things I must do. Most times if I feel badly, I can rest. My older kids have been given more responsibility, the two older boys unload the dishwasher everyday (I usually load it every morning, though DH will surprise me once or twice a week and load it before I wake up). All the kids help me straighten up the living room before dinner. I cook dinner every weeknight because DH doesn't get home until about 6. If I'm in bad shape we will have sandwiches. I love sandwiches LOL

By the time dinner is over, I'm done for the night. DH does the bedtime routine. I'm also "off duty" on weekends, DH will do the cooking and cleaning usually. I do the grocery shopping and most errands like that on the weekend.

The # 1 symptom for me is getting tired easier. It is very tough for me and I have a lot of guilt about having to ask the kids and DH for help or if we need to leave an activity early because I'm not feeling well. We had a busy day out this past Saturday and I'm still recovering from it :-(

I also have some balance and vertigo issues. Luckily it is not anything too bad most the time. The biggest thing is I can't watch my kids if they are spinning around or running in circles, it makes me dizzy. Movies with a lot of fast action will also make me dizzy and I have to look away from it. I sometimes get more clumsy, dropping or knocking over things, bumping into things, etc, but it has not progressed to the "looking drunk" stage yet.

I'm still not sure about what to consider a relapse. I know my neuro is counting my 2 episodes of vertigo as 2 attacks. So, have I only had 2?? Are other symptoms considered a relapse too? I have no clue! My DH is wondering if I am in a relapse now. I had a return of joint pain (I got it at this time last year too), a return of foot pain, and I'm getting tired/ run down very easily. Is it a relapse? I haven't any idea LOL

I am considered to be in Early MS. I have definite symptoms, and sometimes they impact my daily life more than I would want, but *most* days I can do what needs to be done. I do not need a cane or anything.

Sometimes I push myself (like I did on Saturday) but I know it will cause me to be pretty useless for a few days afterwards, so most the time it is not worth pushing.

~Jess

[Sparkysarah]

My worst symptom is "only sensory" as my MS nurse said and is at the moment ongong tingling and buzzing down my left side.

I do most of my own housework although I do have cleaners every other week as I have a large house.

My kids are 18, 15 and keep me very busy although eldest two are away a lot.

My day today..Up at 6.40am, usual bath, dress, breakfast and rush daughter to the bus leaving all of 30 seconds spare. Then drive up to village to collect newspapers. Call into see my parents at 8am to take them their paper and back home for 8.30 to meet electician who is doing work in my house related to bedroom refit.

Come home and wash all upstairs carpets with electric vacuum cleaner..everywhere very dirty due to building/plastering. Then move some furniture around and do a bit more sorting out in my new bedroom. Everywhere is such a mess still and I am longing to get it tidier.

Morning disappears with phone calls, emails to answer, Mum calls in for coffee. Go out to do some grocery shopping, then home for lunch. Sort out electric gate which has stuck leaving me with electrician stuck in my drive and husband away!! No worries ..he is in the right trade and sorts  it out.

Afternoon flies by, late lunch, more phone calls, quick cup of tea and quickly vacuum my son's bedroom and wash his carpet while I am still in the mood and the machine is out. Then fly off to collect my daughter from school. Journey takes 50 minutes instead of 35 minutes as I get stuck in rushhour traffic. Nearly run out of petrol so have to stop off to get some more but am then late for daughter's sining lesson. We arrive and finaly sit down for 30 miinutes with nothing to do but read the paper that has remained untouched since I bought it at 8am.  

Return home journey takes 35 minutes and we zoom in and quickly cook some stir fry for supper and then collapse ready to sit down and wach some tv. Have a quick look at Medhelp and here I am!!

Another busy day and energy now flagging..but see what I have packed in!

love sarah x

PS I also work voluntarily as a bereavement counsellor and currenlty have 4 clients  aged 71, 2, 4 and 6.  All with very different needs. I love counselling and being given trust by a stranger is a priceless gift and such a rewarding vocation.

[Sparkysarah]

Just to say that I missed off one kid and my eldest son is 20 so not sure how that happened!
Hugs
Sarah  

[sllowe]

Hmmmm

This is hard to pinpoint, but I guess the day-to-day stuff that gets me down is my brain and confusion. That's probably not the right word to use, and I don't know how to put it into one word because thinking affects so many other things.  I hope I made sense of what I just said, and that you all understand, hahah

To answer your other questions, I still work and run errands. All are affected and oftentimes lmited by what I try to describe above. I do push myself on the thoughts that I'll not give in and just deal w/the afteraffects as they come.

I'm not in a wheelchair and don't need walking aids.

Hope this helps!

-shell

[RedFlame]

My constant issues are mobility, fatigue and pain.

I have great difficulty sleeping, so I never feel like I have had a good rest.  I typically wake up in pain and quite stiff, the pain varies from day to day.  Then walking to the living room can take energy.  Some days brushing my hair, brushing my teeth, and taking a bath depletes me.  Sometimes I am too weak to do all of these on the same day.

Pain is an ongoing issue each day.  The more pain I am in the weaker I am.  I can ususally walk in the house but very slowly and with help at times.   If I do work around the house I do it in a chair.

I pay my sister for food and she does the shopping.  She or her husbankd sometimes pick up my meds.  

On good days I use a walker to go from car to doctors office or small store like Walgreens.  

I do push myself at times becuase I want to help.  I always pay for it physically.

I don't work, but I keep a journal and am starting a blog.  Watching three spoiled cocker spaniels is a hoot too!!

Red

[essdipity]

I am in awe of all of you gals!  How do you do it?

The daily routine of healthy gals who are mothers and workers amazes me. How MSers manage is beyond imagining.

I can't predict how I will feel from day to day, and that has led to many restrictions in my activities, because I don't want to commit and then drop out. Just not fair to a lot of people.

I do recognize how fortunate I am to be able to do what I feel like doing. That's because I developed recognized MS quite late in life. I guess every cloud does have its silver lining.

ess