anniversary

Hey. Just a quick post to mark the anniversary of my return to work after my second relapse.

This year has been pretty interesting, not least because I started taking Rebif. Yes, it can suck doing injections. But on the whole it beats the hell out of not being able to walk.

See you on the other side of our INSANE Government's Spending Review!

alton towers - user review

After trying endlessly to get a cheap last-minute deal for our summer holiday, we've decided to holiday in the UK this year. We realised that there's been loads of things that we've wanted to do at the weekends. So for two weeks, we're doing all the weekend-y things we've never got round to.

So far we've had a lovely day at Chatsworth in Derbyshire (best cream-teas around), next week we're going to see a show and various exhibitions in London, and yesterday we went to Alton Towers - we've been on about that since we got together, so that's been seven years coming!

We booked our tickets online the day before, so we got 20% discount off the on-the-door prices - and the disabled/carer ticket prices are pretty reasonable, anyway.

On the whole Alton Towers does try to do right by disabled people. Blue badge holders get free parking close to the entrance (I was shocked to realise that 'normals' have to pay £5 - shouldn't that be included in the ticket price??) and if you take your blue badge to the ticket booth, they give you a red wristband (blue for carers), enabling you to queue-jump.

This takes a bit of getting used to - it goes against the English obsession with queues and fair-play - but this was brilliant, especially if you're like me, and standing still for long periods brings on fatigue.

The signs for the disabled access points are sometimes a bit hidden. So there were a couple of times we were halfway to the front of a 'priority queue', only to be told to go back round a quicker route. NOTE - The disabled entrance for most rides is through the exit - so you have to get past disoriented people who have just come off!

I'd forgotten how bloody massive the park is - we eventually twigged that we could get around pretty well using the Cable Cars between sections. And it was often difficult to know where you were and where you were headed - a few extra signs here and there wouldn't go amiss!

The main issue I had was the lack of seated areas, other than the cafés and eateries. I don't know if this because of an assumption that DISABLED means WHEELCHAIR and I know I'm lucky that (so far) this isn't an issue I've had to deal with.

But there is really NOWHERE to sit to have a rest for five minutes. Unless you're a smoker, in which case there are a few benches scattered around. And as I'm a typical ex-smoker (i.e. really intolerant of anyone smoking in my vicinity), that's not ideal.

And as an aside - if you see someone walking towards you using a walking stick, give 'em a bit of space! Jesus, the only place I've been where people made an obvious effort to give me some space was New York - in the UK it's almost like a homing-beacon for mouth-breathing idiot children. Phew, rant over.

So we had a really good day and Alton Towers has really tried to make itself nice and accessible for everyone. Without the queue-jumping wristbands, we probably wouldn't have gone at all - it would have been too much for me to stand for that long (some queues were 50 minutes!). They really did make it possible for us to have a great day - plus we managed to go on all of the most popular rides in a fairly short period of time.

I think we're going to send the park an email with just some gentle suggestions of how they can make it better for everyone.

This weekend we're going to the National Museum of Computing - let's see how they do!

brief dispatch

Today you find me a couple of days after my 37th birthday, spoilt rotten, following a weekend where I've been surrounded by the people that I love.

Last week those same people helped us to move into our new house.
(incidentally, I found I was able to do more than I - or anyone else - thought I would)

Times like this, you really have to be thankful for what you have.

Yes, I've had two relapses over the last year or so. And yes, I am the only person I know who is my age and who has a chronic disabling condition, which can sometimes lead me to dwell on minor irritations, which then take on greater significance when I bang on about them on my blog.

But:

• I'm on a recommended course of medication which (so far) isn't doing me any harm and which (so far) hasn't cost me a bean
  
  
• I have the support of the MS nurses of the QMC, as well as a team of neurologists
  
  
• I'm getting financial support for journeys into work, as well as snazzy office equipment
  
  
• I've had the benefit of Physio sessions and my bizzaro orthotic support, which does help but can get a bit uncomfortable if I wear it too long (I know, big deal)
  

Basically, I shouldn't complain that much, so for now I'm going to concentrate on sharing the benefit of the experiences I've had.

upcoming radio silence

This weekend is the big move I've been banging on about recently - obviously in that time, it's unlikely I'll have the energy or phone line to get online - fingers crossed there's nothing to report!

(although hopefully by the next time we talk the pins-and-needles in my hands will have fecked off again - for the last couple of weeks, it's been taking me twice as long to type anything and getting myself washed, dressed and out the house isn't much fun either)

With that I'll sign off with LCD Soundsystem's fantastic video for "Drunk Girls" - and if you're a spambot - and believe me they've been the only comments I've had for a while - leave as many messages as you like - I'll never approve them (unless they're funny)!

handy hints and top tips

As I've mentioned before, the MS nurses have advised me to take a painkiller before each injection. As I've ALSO previously mentioned, my past experiences with, for example, Modafinil have given me reason to be wary of taking drugs willy-nilly.

My dad has also warned me about taking ibuprofen "like tuffy's".

So last week I did my Rebif dose without taking a painkiller beforehand.

STEVE'S TOP TIP:
Don't do this!

Half an hour after the injection, I was a shivering, achy, nauseous wreck. I guess this is what that horribly-vague side-effect "flu-like symptoms" looks like.

Do I still have a problem with taking six 200mg capsules of Ibuprofen every week? Yes.

Am I going to keep doing it? HELL YES, at least until I can talk to my Neuro.

In other news, we seem to be living under a Conservative government again. The people of the uk seem to have incredibly short memories. Disapointing.

I'd better call the MS nurses before they get cut.

anthem for the earnest

Briefly:

1. After hitting the 12 week marker, the Rebif side-effects seem to be calming down - if you remember, I called the MS nurses about my day-after-injection flu-like symptoms, flakiness and mood swings. They said it would take around 12 weeks for my body to get used to the full dosage and, lo and behold, i hit the 12 week marker recently and have noticed a real improvement - more energy in the mornings and less headaches. Sweet.
   
   
2. However, following my initial honeymoon period, I'm now well-and-truly bored of injecting myself.
   
   
3. I went to collect my orthotic sock - it's actually more like a medical sling / support and not very sexy (surprising I know). The nurse fitted it for me and on the little bit of walking I did afterwards, it DID seem to help (driving was a bitch, however). Since then I haven't been able to get the bugger on - diagrammatical instructions are no good for me.
   
   
4. The result of my first blood test came back OK - after the doctors had managed to find my blood, which appeared to have been sent on a tour of the East Midlands. Anyhoo, my liver function checked out OK too. Had my second test yesterday, so it's all looking good.
   
   
5. Can anybody recommend a job which will pay me lots of money for very little work? All recommendations gratefully received!
   
   
6. Through over-work and extra responsibilities, coupled with the fact that we're buying a house, I seem to be having a kind-of mini-relapse. No major changes as far as my walking is concerned, but the tingling and lack of sensitivity in my hands is making typing(for example) heavy weather. Annoying. This has been going on for a week or so.
   
   
7. Taxi Drivers continue to be the bane of my life - one yesterday was THE. MOST. BAD-TEMPERED one yet. He obviously had a problem with the shortness of the journey, so he proceeded to try to KILL ME, driving at lunatic speeds down narrow residential streets and grumbling to himself throughout. The guy I had today was a positive angel, so it was a shame that he'd obviously been farting away quite merrily on the drive to pick me up.

More updates from the house of glamour soon!

headlines

Again, apologies for lax blogging.

Remember ages ago that I was waiting for a call back from the MS nurses? I was concerned that I was feeling lousy the day after my injections? Well, those are those unnervingly-vague "flu-like symptoms" that everyone's been telling me about.

"Nothing to worry about, just keep taking the painkillers, you'll get used to it. Incidentally, what are the results of your blood tests?"

The results of my what-now?

Apparently, I should have been getting my blood tested every month since getting on the Rebif horse to ensure I wasn't completely arsing my body up. Unsurprisingly I got checked out as soon as possible after that little revelation - I've not heard anything back from my Neuro so I'm assuming that it's all hunky-dory... for the moment.

The mood swings and all-round flakiness continue - according to the Nurses it should take 12 weeks-ish for my body to get used to the increased dosage. So, within the next two weeks I should be firing on all cylinders... as much as I ever was, anyway.

Aside from the flu-like stuff, things are going fine - I had been neglecting my physio work since being signed-off but I'm getting on with stuff more now.

And me and Emma are buying a house six-doors down from where we're currently renting - any volunteers for the human chain are gratefully received!

About a month ago, on the advice of my Physio, I went to see the Othotics department at the local hospital. Although at that point I didn't need it, they've ordered me an Orthotic sock for my pesky left leg.

I think this should help my walking when I'm having one of those days but we'll find out later when I go to collect it later on today! How exciting!