Hello everyone, only me again. I'm going to do a bit of a different type video this one.
I'm going to explain exactly what I've had going on over the last few years and how we've
got to where we've got to. It's been a bit of a long road, I'll be totally honest with
you. We started out about 10 years ago, come back from working down in the Olympics doing
security and I come back and I had very numb feet which is a bit strange. I didn't really
think much of it, I thought you know, is what it is. Probably somewhat silly so I ignored
it for a really really really long time and it never really went away. It sort of became
a little bit less of a problem now and then and then it became almost a permanent problem.
So I went to the doctors, they gave me some antibiotics thinking it was probably an infection.
Lo and behold that did not work, not even close. And then I just carried on ignoring
it, I got used to it and thinking oh do you know what, obviously something's gone a little
bit wrong but such is life, we carry on and we keep trying. As time went by, and I'm talking
a good few years, as time went by, it almost felt like it started working its way up my
legs a little bit and my legs started feeling a little bit numb. And again it was a bit
uncomfortable but I got so used to it with my feet I'm thinking you know what, I don't
need to be going backwards and forwards to the doctors, there's people out there that
need that service a lot more than I do so you know, let's leave them to it and let's
carry on. I was able to, I started playing a bit of six-a-side football which I'd seen
we eventually won the league, just putting that one out there, but when I was running
around I was falling over a lot. Now I would run literally a couple of feet and it would
feel like my legs didn't exist. I would just end up flat on my face because my legs weren't
there. So to an extent I had to stop playing and more sort of on the touchline, leaving
the rest of the team to it. They did good, they did very good. But again, I ignored it.
You know this is the kind of thing that I'd always done, I just ignored things. And that
again almost seemed to work its way up towards these sort of areas, top of my belly and my
chest area. It started feeling like a band, really sort of squeezing quite tight. And
thinking to myself, I was a bit overweight, thinking to myself, that's got to be a weight
issue. So I made a bit of an effort and over the course of ten months I managed to drop
three stone, which I have to admit has made me feel better in myself, it really has. I
feel a bit in that respect a bit healthier. But the band feeling never went away. In fact
it got worse to the point where it would sort of go and I'd have a few weeks without feeling
anything there at all. Within the last few months it's got to a point where that band
feeling is permanent, it's there all the time. And some days it's not so bad, other days
it's to a point where it's actually quite scary. And I'm on tablets which do help a
bit but it's still there, it's not nice. I'm at a point where I'm suffering quite badly
with fatigue. I don't need to do a great deal of things before actually I feel like I just
can't move. My thighs, knees, feet, across my chest, it's just my back, lower back, it's
agony. And I can't walk that far anymore. The other day when we was at the zoo for instance,
did very little walking, had to use my wheelchair. Lighten the mood a little bit. When I'm walking
I'm permanently walking with a crutch. Supposed to be two crutches and I keep getting told
I'm not using them but I find using two quite difficult. I struggle along with one. My crutches
have got names. I've got Sticky Sticky Stick Stick and Sticky Stick Sticky Stick. I've
also, bit of a name for the wheelchair, he's the DeLorean. And the reason for that name,
because let's be totally honest, if I could get him to go to 88 mile an hour and go back
in time, I wouldn't have MS in my life. Let's be totally honest about that. So it's a bit
of a name for the wheelchair. You've got to try and keep these things light hearted. I
have, that's my way of dealing with things. I need to keep light hearted, I need to keep
fun. But let's be totally honest, not every day is fun. There is very much days where
I don't even want to get out of bed. I feel absolutely awful. And for want of a better
term, I paint a smile on and do what I can. Because for me personally, not everyone needs
to see when I'm struggling. But when I am, I am very lucky. And something I've got to
say is that I have a very good support network. My wife is absolutely incredible. She's always
there. She notices when I'm not right. And she gets me to talk. And it helps a lot. I've
got my dad, I've got my brother, and I've got the kids. They all do an incredible job
of helping. They really do, no matter what the situation, they are right there by my
side. And it is massively appreciated. Going back a little bit to February, when it was
first said to me by the doctor to expect the diagnosis of MS, I'd already had one failed
NHS MRI scan because terrified of them. Absolutely terrified. I have since overcome that, and
I will do a video at some point where I actually discuss how I've overcome that. Because hopefully
that could help other people. Because I'll be honest with you, I've gone from shaking
like a leaf in the wind in an MRI scanner to being able to lay there relatively calmly.
And I managed to have my brain scan done. But when the second private scan, I had the
results come back, I had to go to the doctors. And me, again, being a bit of a joker, I walked
in, first thing I said to the doctor, he sat there blessing, and I said, okay, this is
where you're going to tell me that scan shows absolutely nothing and it was a waste of time.
He said to me, Mr. Parkley, I can't say that, come and sit down for a minute. And he explained
that there was two patches of demyelination on my spine. And he advised me that I must
have a brain scan to confirm. But he said to me to expect a diagnosis of MS. That wasn't
easy. Because genuinely, I was expecting just, you know, it's something and nothing. I walked
out of that doctor's office. I cried. It was not easy. I rang my wife, I told her. And
she put a smile back on my face pretty quickly. She calmed me down. I then rang my dad, explained
it to him. We then sat down and had a chat. Wasn't the easiest conversation in the world,
but altogether, we got there. And we managed to make it seem a lot calmer. It certainly
didn't feel okay. But there was a calmness because I'd spoken about it. And we did some
research. I got booked in for that brain scan. And as I say, I went through it, which was
absolutely incredible the fact that I managed to go through it. Because honestly, I'm terrified
of them scanners. But now, not so much. Going forward, I'd had a conversation with the
EMS Society. And they were incredible. They gave me some absolutely brilliant advice.
They gave me some incredible help and explained to me what to expect going forward, which
has been brilliant. And that is why next month, myself, dad and Richard, we're doing a 5K
sponsored walk. I tell you now, I won't be walking 5K unless I'm really, really lucky.
A couple of hundred yards tops. But if I have to go in the wheelchair, I will do so because
that charity has done some incredible things, not just for me, but for other people as well.
And I will do what I can to support them and help. So that's something I'm quite looking
forward to. I've written lists of things I was going to talk about in this video. But
in all fairness, I don't really think it's necessary me going through them. It's very
much a case of, from what I'm understanding from other people and from what I'm dealing
with myself, EMS is very much a one person at a time job. Not everyone is the same. Not
every case is the same. It's different. And everyone handles it their own way. And that's
perfect. That's how you have to be, in my opinion, as you handle these things on your
own, in your head. But then you take advice, you take support from everyone else. Because
quite honestly, in life you can't handle everything on your own. You always need that support.
And there's charities out there that can help if you need them. And as I say, my recommendation
very much would be the MS Society because they've been brilliant for me. And as I say,
this video was very much a case of just sort of getting this out of there, explaining to
an extent what I'm going through. And kind of just try and give people a bit of an idea
that it's not easy. It's not easy. But I'm trying to do what I can to make it as easy
as I can for myself. And I will, if anyone needs to talk or anyone wants a bit of support,
there's charities out there. I'm here. I'm quite happy. I'll have a conversation. It's
not a problem at all. I'm not going to try and keep you all too long. I say we're probably
pushing on a 14 or 15 minute video here. But if there's any questions or anyone wants to
have a chat with me about what I've said, by all means, by all means, my inbox is open.
Have a conversation with me. Not a problem at all. Thank you all for listening. I do
appreciate it. And as you can all see, I've got my glasses on and I'm getting used to
it.