1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:07,620 Hello, I hope everyone's doing okay, I hope you've had a good week. I'm going to start 2 00:00:07,620 --> 00:00:13,700 this week very very simply by talking about my nice new chair that I'm sitting in. I've 3 00:00:13,700 --> 00:00:19,880 got to be honest, it is absolutely fantastic, it is so comfortable, it's unreal. It's given 4 00:00:19,880 --> 00:00:27,940 me the opportunity to do things a little bit differently in terms of how I set myself up. 5 00:00:27,940 --> 00:00:33,480 I'm actually holding my microphone for once rather than having it on its stand because 6 00:00:33,480 --> 00:00:40,000 I can sit a bit more comfortably doing it like this. I'm sat, relaxed, chilled, it is 7 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:46,580 really nice, very very comfortable and yeah, I'll be fair, I'm going to tell a little story 8 00:00:46,580 --> 00:00:56,720 about my chair. We went to one of our local stores and as we was walking around I had 9 00:00:56,720 --> 00:01:01,360 no intention of picking up a new chair but I'd been speaking to Lisa recently quite a 10 00:01:01,360 --> 00:01:08,320 bit saying all this stuff I'm doing, I'm sat in my chair. My old chair was my office chair 11 00:01:08,320 --> 00:01:14,040 from when I was at work, 12 hours a day, 4 days a week, the thing had probably, I had 12 00:01:14,040 --> 00:01:18,960 the life taken out of it, I'm going to be honest with you. So as we were walking around 13 00:01:18,960 --> 00:01:25,880 the shop I started looking at them and I'm thinking I probably should replace my current 14 00:01:25,880 --> 00:01:33,560 one, I'm going to be honest, I probably should and I found one that I really liked, so comfortable, 15 00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:42,620 absolutely lovely it is and I kind of convinced myself to buy it and I'm going to be straight, 16 00:01:42,620 --> 00:01:49,240 it was £259 in the shop, this chair. As we was walking around I sort of talked myself 17 00:01:49,240 --> 00:01:53,520 into it, spoke to Lisa and yeah, it was all good, it was all good, I'm going to buy my 18 00:01:53,520 --> 00:02:01,720 chair and when I went and spoke to the member of staff, bless him, really nice, polite chap, 19 00:02:01,720 --> 00:02:08,120 explained that I can order it, it's not a problem but their ordering system was down 20 00:02:08,120 --> 00:02:13,600 and I couldn't guarantee how long it was going to take for me to actually get my purchase 21 00:02:13,600 --> 00:02:25,440 delivered. So I thanked him and walked away without buying and dad then gave me the advice 22 00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:33,920 to have a look online, so I did, while we were still driving away, again I will say 23 00:02:33,920 --> 00:02:40,600 I wasn't playing on my phone while I'm driving, I don't drive, but as we're going through 24 00:02:40,600 --> 00:02:54,720 I found it online, significantly cheaper and when I say significantly cheaper, it was £205, 25 00:02:54,720 --> 00:03:00,280 what a result, honestly what a result, so before we'd even got home, the order had been 26 00:03:00,280 --> 00:03:07,840 placed and my chair was coming, couple of days, bosh, job done, I'm now sat on it and 27 00:03:07,840 --> 00:03:12,000 yeah it's comfortable and I'm going to be honest, one of the things I've mentioned and 28 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:18,000 I'm going to mention it again, from my point of view, I can't go out to work anymore so 29 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:24,560 what I'm looking at doing, spending a lot of time streaming computer games and just 30 00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:31,840 keeping myself ticking over, so I've started doing that, it's begun, I'm doing it, I'm 31 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:36,520 spending a lot of time out here and I'm going to call it my studio now because it is as 32 00:03:36,520 --> 00:03:43,200 good as, so yeah I mean I needed a comfortable chair to be sat down because let's be honest, 33 00:03:43,200 --> 00:03:51,240 I'm going to be out here a long time, so yeah in all fairness, I'm now sat on it and it's 34 00:03:51,240 --> 00:03:57,280 so nice, it's just so nice, I could probably fall asleep in this chair I'm going to be 35 00:03:57,280 --> 00:04:02,560 honest but I don't want you all to hear me snoring and actually it's been proven now 36 00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:10,160 I do snore, yeah I know, I know but when there's proof, there's proof, you can't deny it at 37 00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:17,400 that point, you've just got to accept it, it is what it is, I snore. I don't think I'm 38 00:04:17,400 --> 00:04:27,640 like a wounded rhino but there might be a little bit of extra shall we say but even 39 00:04:27,640 --> 00:04:37,960 so it is what it is, we all get there don't we, let's be totally honest. Now as far as 40 00:04:37,960 --> 00:04:49,080 the week's gone in terms of MS type stuff, the issues that I was having, the new one, 41 00:04:49,080 --> 00:04:58,080 it's kind of dissipated, it's gone, I'm doing okay now, not so much of an issue but for 42 00:04:58,080 --> 00:05:06,360 some reason I've gone deaf in my left ear, not completely, I've got a bit of hearing 43 00:05:06,360 --> 00:05:16,600 on there but not much, not much at all and I'm going to be honest, it's very very awkward. 44 00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:22,520 I'm going out currently Sunday so nowhere's going to be open but I am and I've got every 45 00:05:22,520 --> 00:05:29,240 intention tomorrow I'm going to contact someone and try and get me looked at because I really 46 00:05:29,240 --> 00:05:35,360 am struggling, I'm going to be honest, I'm really struggling with not being out of here 47 00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:42,400 so again I'm going to get that looked into and it's going to be a lot better hopefully. 48 00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:46,680 I can't guarantee that's going to be an MS issue, I really don't think it is, I have 49 00:05:46,680 --> 00:05:51,880 to say that, I think it's probably just a bit of summer and nothing but you just never 50 00:05:51,880 --> 00:06:02,840 know. I kind of had a bit of an issue the other day actually where we went shopping, 51 00:06:02,840 --> 00:06:12,520 now when we went shopping I had my FES machine on and I had it clipped on to my pocket and 52 00:06:12,520 --> 00:06:21,600 my jeans which is where I always have it but I hadn't realised it had got tangled around 53 00:06:21,600 --> 00:06:33,800 the seatbelt in the car so trying to get out of the car what then happened was the FES 54 00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:40,640 machine went flying, immediately I panicked that I'd probably broke the machine itself, 55 00:06:40,640 --> 00:06:44,880 I'm going to be honest I really did panic because as I've said I rely on that thing 56 00:06:44,880 --> 00:06:55,720 massively it really does help me so much it's unreal but thankfully got picked up and there 57 00:06:55,720 --> 00:07:04,960 was no obvious damage. I plugged it back in, nothing, nothing happened at all, it was very 58 00:07:04,960 --> 00:07:13,800 very worrying so I then had to walk from the car park to the toilet in the shop to try 59 00:07:13,800 --> 00:07:25,240 and figure out what had gone on. Now I got in there and one of the wires, it had come 60 00:07:25,240 --> 00:07:31,440 out so I'd managed to reconnect it, plugged it all back in, absolutely nothing, still 61 00:07:31,440 --> 00:07:39,520 nothing at all. Walking back to go and meet everyone, go and do the shopping, I noticed 62 00:07:39,520 --> 00:07:47,920 in that very short walk from the car to the toilet, foot drop had taken another trainer, 63 00:07:47,920 --> 00:07:56,440 yep, yep my right trainer, nice big hole. I've not had them trainers long, really not 64 00:07:56,440 --> 00:08:01,720 had them long at all so when I looked at that I was a little bit gutted, I'm going to be 65 00:08:01,720 --> 00:08:10,680 honest I was really gutted because they weren't cheap, I can say they weren't cheap at all, 66 00:08:10,680 --> 00:08:16,840 quite a pricey pair of trainers but it's one of those things so I will have to replace 67 00:08:16,840 --> 00:08:25,600 them thankfully. Once I got back in the car I did manage to figure out what had gone wrong 68 00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:33,040 and I got the machine working again. Yes I was actually very very pleased because in 69 00:08:33,040 --> 00:08:38,600 all truth like I've just said I rely on that thing massively, my foot drop on the right 70 00:08:38,600 --> 00:08:50,960 hand side is awful, it really is bad, it's dangerous so actually it's a real good thing 71 00:08:50,960 --> 00:08:59,560 and going forward I need to remember to keep it unplugged and off my belt, off my pocket, 72 00:08:59,560 --> 00:09:05,120 wherever I've got it, I just need to keep it off while I'm in the car because I don't 73 00:09:05,120 --> 00:09:09,600 want to take that risk again I'm going to be honest, it's something I don't fancy trying 74 00:09:09,600 --> 00:09:20,240 because it just, yeah it worried me. On a good note, we got together on Saturday yesterday 75 00:09:20,240 --> 00:09:25,880 we had a family barbecue which was really good, really really good, thoroughly enjoyed 76 00:09:25,880 --> 00:09:33,800 it, it was good to see everyone, a bit of decent food, you can't beat food cooked on 77 00:09:33,800 --> 00:09:39,800 the barbecue, I've got to say that, I'm just such a big fan it's unreal, we've had a nice 78 00:09:39,800 --> 00:09:45,520 bit of weather the last few days so it was kind of rude not to take advantage I think, 79 00:09:45,520 --> 00:09:52,760 so yeah we got together and we sat, finished the evening actually, it was really nice, 80 00:09:52,760 --> 00:09:59,600 we've got some garden furniture and part of that garden furniture is, it's like a gas 81 00:09:59,600 --> 00:10:09,440 fire and plugged in, so Richard and Dad they plugged it in and yeah it was lovely, sat 82 00:10:09,440 --> 00:10:15,160 there, had a coffee, chatting away with the fire going, it was beautiful, really lovely, 83 00:10:15,160 --> 00:10:22,360 thoroughly enjoyed it, so yeah it was nice to be able to get together and do that, I've 84 00:10:22,360 --> 00:10:31,280 got to be honest, really did, really did enjoy that. But yeah I mean apart from that, MS 85 00:10:31,280 --> 00:10:40,080 wise, not really been that bad this week I'm going to be honest, not been that bad at all, 86 00:10:40,080 --> 00:10:45,760 tiredness is giving me a real good kick in and yeah I've felt a bit ropey I'm going to 87 00:10:45,760 --> 00:10:54,320 be honest, but at the same time it's not been terrible, it's not been unmanageable, it's 88 00:10:54,320 --> 00:11:02,040 actually been something that I can cope with quite well and yeah I've been okay, not been 89 00:11:02,040 --> 00:11:10,480 bad at all. What I am noticing and this is sort of coming away from the MS side of things, 90 00:11:10,480 --> 00:11:21,480 what I am noticing with regards to this show, we're starting to get picked up literally 91 00:11:21,480 --> 00:11:26,360 all over the world now, I mean don't get me wrong and it's been worldwide since day one 92 00:11:26,360 --> 00:11:34,000 but we're sort of plodding along, we really are plodding along and it's so good to see 93 00:11:34,000 --> 00:11:41,360 all these new places that show up and whatever else, I just can't believe it, little old 94 00:11:41,360 --> 00:11:45,720 me sitting talking about things I'm going through and whatever else and people are actually 95 00:11:45,720 --> 00:11:53,920 listening and as far as I can tell, enjoying, by all means tell me if I'm wrong there, I've 96 00:11:53,920 --> 00:12:01,760 got no problem with that, but yeah it's so good to see, it really is and yeah I must 97 00:12:01,760 --> 00:12:11,240 admit it puts a smile on my face. But yeah sort of going back to talking about the bits 98 00:12:11,240 --> 00:12:21,120 I'm doing to keep ticking over, what I'm saying, I'm sat, I've got my camera there, I've got 99 00:12:21,120 --> 00:12:29,200 my laptop and each week at the moment I'm sort of figuring out new things and new ways 100 00:12:29,200 --> 00:12:36,320 of doing stuff and again I mean I'd never really thought about sitting how I'm sat now 101 00:12:36,320 --> 00:12:47,800 with the microphone in my hand rather than on the stand and it is genuinely more comfortable, 102 00:12:47,800 --> 00:12:52,160 it really is, I've sort of got to remember that I'm not looking at the laptop, I'm supposed 103 00:12:52,160 --> 00:12:56,800 to be looking at the camera because I've got the camera slightly offset from the laptop 104 00:12:56,800 --> 00:13:03,520 and when I did this the other day I did it a different place and whatever else, but actually 105 00:13:03,520 --> 00:13:11,800 it's so much easier and it's giving me that, a bit more confidence, I'm going to be honest, 106 00:13:11,800 --> 00:13:15,800 it's giving me a bit more confidence being able to sit more comfortably rather than sort 107 00:13:15,800 --> 00:13:21,240 of leaning forward and whatever else. Yeah so in all fairness I hope that comes across 108 00:13:21,240 --> 00:13:31,800 actually because I do feel better, I feel a bit more relaxed rather than uptight. In 109 00:13:31,800 --> 00:13:41,360 terms of the streaming stuff, again as I've said and all joking aside on this one, with 110 00:13:41,360 --> 00:13:50,040 regards to what MS has caused in terms of taking away my ability to go out to work, 111 00:13:50,040 --> 00:13:56,720 in terms of my ability to go out without sticks and whatever else or my mobility scooter, 112 00:13:56,720 --> 00:14:04,640 wheelchair, all of that stuff. Doing these other bits and pieces that I've got, I've 113 00:14:04,640 --> 00:14:08,400 talked about it before, you've got the social media, you've got the streaming that I'm now 114 00:14:08,400 --> 00:14:14,000 doing and again I've purchased all the bits to do the streaming properly, I've not spent 115 00:14:14,000 --> 00:14:19,600 massive amounts of money, I'm going to be totally fair, I've bought the basic equipment, 116 00:14:19,600 --> 00:14:28,160 maybe one day if that starts taking off maybe I will then improve on things. But again you've 117 00:14:28,160 --> 00:14:35,560 got all of the sort of stuff, the social media, in this podcast I'm trying to improve each 118 00:14:35,560 --> 00:14:40,440 and everything but actually again it's all keeping me ticking over, it's all keeping 119 00:14:40,440 --> 00:14:50,680 my brain fresh, it's all keeping me able to have things to focus on and it is such a good 120 00:14:50,680 --> 00:14:59,320 thing, it's a piece of advice that I would give anyone in this situation, I really would 121 00:14:59,320 --> 00:15:07,520 and that piece of advice is just try and keep yourself going, it's not hard, it's one of 122 00:15:07,520 --> 00:15:17,720 those things where if you can think of something, even if you're not able to get up and get 123 00:15:17,720 --> 00:15:25,480 out, even if you could hold a piece of paper and a pen or whatever else, try writing things 124 00:15:25,480 --> 00:15:33,240 down, if you've got your mobile phone try talking into your mobile phone, play a game, 125 00:15:33,240 --> 00:15:39,320 whatever do a puzzle, anything like that, try and keep your brain going and again it 126 00:15:39,320 --> 00:15:45,880 will not work for everyone, I will never say things I suggest would work for anyone but 127 00:15:45,880 --> 00:15:55,400 if they work for one person it's been successful and in all truth for my point of view keeping 128 00:15:55,400 --> 00:16:06,680 myself available to do things, keeping myself able to find things to do and again not everyone 129 00:16:06,680 --> 00:16:13,200 is going to want to sit and play computer games, I get that, writing, reading, absolutely 130 00:16:13,200 --> 00:16:20,720 anything, absolutely anything that can keep your brain ticking over is worth doing, it 131 00:16:20,720 --> 00:16:29,840 really is worth doing and I know that might sound a bit very simplistic but honestly if 132 00:16:29,840 --> 00:16:36,600 you're able to give it a try please do and just see how you get on and maybe at some 133 00:16:36,600 --> 00:16:41,920 point you will find that one thing that will make you click and go yeah okay this keeps 134 00:16:41,920 --> 00:16:48,480 me going, this keeps my brain ticking over, it gives me something to look forward to, 135 00:16:48,480 --> 00:17:01,920 to enjoy because if we're able to enjoy things it might just help, I'm not sure I'd never 136 00:17:01,920 --> 00:17:12,080 say get rid of because it won't but it might just help slightly suppress some of the negativity 137 00:17:12,080 --> 00:17:23,380 because with this condition negativity is so easy to feel because it is nothing but 138 00:17:23,380 --> 00:17:31,160 negative, it's as simple as that, it is nothing but negative, you can't say anything positive 139 00:17:31,160 --> 00:17:40,740 about this condition but if you can find some good have a look for it, see if you can find 140 00:17:40,740 --> 00:17:51,600 it and grab it with both hands and try and try to find a way to keep that going for you, 141 00:17:51,600 --> 00:17:56,400 just my piece of advice, that's all I can say to that, it's just my piece of advice 142 00:17:56,400 --> 00:18:06,400 and if it works great, if it doesn't not so good but worth having a try. 143 00:18:06,400 --> 00:18:19,280 I managed to do something on my website that I'd been struggling with, in a few weeks 144 00:18:19,280 --> 00:18:25,880 and again I've mentioned it myself, my dad, my brother, we're going down to London for 145 00:18:25,880 --> 00:18:33,880 the MS Societies walk, we're doing the 5k, let's be honest, I probably won't even do 146 00:18:33,880 --> 00:18:44,840 500 yards but I'll be in my wheelchair and the 5k will get done with me in the wheels. 147 00:18:44,840 --> 00:18:51,800 But if you are able to sponsor, what I have managed to do is actually managed to get the 148 00:18:51,800 --> 00:19:00,120 link to Just Giving on my website, that's Mike's MS Journey.com and there is a section 149 00:19:00,120 --> 00:19:10,000 there called Fundraising for MS, if you've got any ability at all to donate to that cause, 150 00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:15,360 please feel free to do so, it doesn't matter how much, just the smallest little amount, 151 00:19:15,360 --> 00:19:24,880 massively, massively grateful if you can because again from my point of view, I turned to the 152 00:19:24,880 --> 00:19:31,480 MS Society right at the very start when I was first told about MS and I got nothing 153 00:19:31,480 --> 00:19:40,560 but incredible help. I mean I was probably talking utter rubbish at times to them, I 154 00:19:40,560 --> 00:19:48,280 really was, they listened and they were just there, they did not rush to get off the phone, 155 00:19:48,280 --> 00:19:55,640 nothing at all, they were just there to try and support and I'll be honest with you, without 156 00:19:55,640 --> 00:20:01,440 that support and the family support I would not be where I am now, that's cold hard fact, 157 00:20:01,440 --> 00:20:09,720 I would not be where I am now. So from my point of view, anything I can do to help any 158 00:20:09,720 --> 00:20:17,280 of these fundraising events, I'm prepared to do, anyone that's watching on YouTube 159 00:20:17,280 --> 00:20:22,320 will see that one of the things I've done in the studio on the door, I've started putting 160 00:20:22,320 --> 00:20:30,360 medals up and I've got three medals sat there currently, two from the MS Society, one from 161 00:20:30,360 --> 00:20:39,000 last year's walk and one from the walk in February and also my winners medal from when 162 00:20:39,000 --> 00:20:45,440 I was playing six aside football but again the more medals I get, the more will go up 163 00:20:45,440 --> 00:20:52,840 there because that's going to be my sort of, my bit of pride, having a bit of pride in 164 00:20:52,840 --> 00:20:59,040 what I've done to try and help and go from there. But yeah if you are able as a sub, 165 00:20:59,040 --> 00:21:06,160 be internally grateful, I really would and I know the charity would be grateful, by all 166 00:21:06,160 --> 00:21:12,960 means onto my website, Mike's MS Journey dot com, fundraising for MS and there is just 167 00:21:12,960 --> 00:21:18,880 a little button, there's no link as such, it's just a little button that says just giving, 168 00:21:18,880 --> 00:21:25,840 if you click that it will take you through and then you just follow through the instructions. 169 00:21:25,840 --> 00:21:32,520 Well I want to thank you all for listening, again I mean I've recorded this podcast quite 170 00:21:32,520 --> 00:21:39,600 late actually, it is now five past eleven at night and I'm still sat out in the studio, 171 00:21:39,600 --> 00:21:46,000 I've now got the work to do to get this all set up ready to go and then I've got some 172 00:21:46,000 --> 00:21:52,920 streaming to do, I'm going to do some streaming into the early hours, not massively because 173 00:21:52,920 --> 00:21:58,200 I'll be half asleep, I'm going to be honest I will be as good as out. But that's what 174 00:21:58,200 --> 00:22:02,880 we got to do, that's what I'm trying to do, this is what's keeping me going and I'm going 175 00:22:02,880 --> 00:22:10,920 to enjoy it. Well again thank you very much, massively appreciate you listening and I will 176 00:22:10,920 --> 00:22:33,640 speak to you all really soon. Have a good one, bye bye.