1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:09,440 Hello everyone, only me again. I'm going to do a bit of a different type video this one. 2 00:00:09,440 --> 00:00:16,320 I'm going to explain exactly what I've had going on over the last few years and how we've 3 00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:22,920 got to where we've got to. It's been a bit of a long road, I'll be totally honest with 4 00:00:22,920 --> 00:00:29,160 you. We started out about 10 years ago, come back from working down in the Olympics doing 5 00:00:29,160 --> 00:00:38,120 security and I come back and I had very numb feet which is a bit strange. I didn't really 6 00:00:38,120 --> 00:00:43,480 think much of it, I thought you know, is what it is. Probably somewhat silly so I ignored 7 00:00:43,480 --> 00:00:51,640 it for a really really really long time and it never really went away. It sort of became 8 00:00:51,640 --> 00:00:58,520 a little bit less of a problem now and then and then it became almost a permanent problem. 9 00:00:58,520 --> 00:01:06,120 So I went to the doctors, they gave me some antibiotics thinking it was probably an infection. 10 00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:12,960 Lo and behold that did not work, not even close. And then I just carried on ignoring 11 00:01:12,960 --> 00:01:17,240 it, I got used to it and thinking oh do you know what, obviously something's gone a little 12 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:26,640 bit wrong but such is life, we carry on and we keep trying. As time went by, and I'm talking 13 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:32,680 a good few years, as time went by, it almost felt like it started working its way up my 14 00:01:32,680 --> 00:01:39,760 legs a little bit and my legs started feeling a little bit numb. And again it was a bit 15 00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:46,040 uncomfortable but I got so used to it with my feet I'm thinking you know what, I don't 16 00:01:46,040 --> 00:01:49,520 need to be going backwards and forwards to the doctors, there's people out there that 17 00:01:49,520 --> 00:01:54,960 need that service a lot more than I do so you know, let's leave them to it and let's 18 00:01:54,960 --> 00:02:03,240 carry on. I was able to, I started playing a bit of six-a-side football which I'd seen 19 00:02:03,240 --> 00:02:08,960 we eventually won the league, just putting that one out there, but when I was running 20 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:18,760 around I was falling over a lot. Now I would run literally a couple of feet and it would 21 00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:25,640 feel like my legs didn't exist. I would just end up flat on my face because my legs weren't 22 00:02:25,640 --> 00:02:34,080 there. So to an extent I had to stop playing and more sort of on the touchline, leaving 23 00:02:34,080 --> 00:02:43,160 the rest of the team to it. They did good, they did very good. But again, I ignored it. 24 00:02:43,160 --> 00:02:50,680 You know this is the kind of thing that I'd always done, I just ignored things. And that 25 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:58,800 again almost seemed to work its way up towards these sort of areas, top of my belly and my 26 00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:09,320 chest area. It started feeling like a band, really sort of squeezing quite tight. And 27 00:03:09,320 --> 00:03:15,040 thinking to myself, I was a bit overweight, thinking to myself, that's got to be a weight 28 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:22,080 issue. So I made a bit of an effort and over the course of ten months I managed to drop 29 00:03:22,080 --> 00:03:30,360 three stone, which I have to admit has made me feel better in myself, it really has. I 30 00:03:30,360 --> 00:03:41,320 feel a bit in that respect a bit healthier. But the band feeling never went away. In fact 31 00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:50,160 it got worse to the point where it would sort of go and I'd have a few weeks without feeling 32 00:03:50,160 --> 00:03:55,520 anything there at all. Within the last few months it's got to a point where that band 33 00:03:55,520 --> 00:04:05,360 feeling is permanent, it's there all the time. And some days it's not so bad, other days 34 00:04:05,360 --> 00:04:14,240 it's to a point where it's actually quite scary. And I'm on tablets which do help a 35 00:04:14,240 --> 00:04:23,960 bit but it's still there, it's not nice. I'm at a point where I'm suffering quite badly 36 00:04:23,960 --> 00:04:31,960 with fatigue. I don't need to do a great deal of things before actually I feel like I just 37 00:04:31,960 --> 00:04:43,920 can't move. My thighs, knees, feet, across my chest, it's just my back, lower back, it's 38 00:04:43,920 --> 00:04:53,480 agony. And I can't walk that far anymore. The other day when we was at the zoo for instance, 39 00:04:53,480 --> 00:05:03,440 did very little walking, had to use my wheelchair. Lighten the mood a little bit. When I'm walking 40 00:05:03,440 --> 00:05:10,440 I'm permanently walking with a crutch. Supposed to be two crutches and I keep getting told 41 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:18,840 I'm not using them but I find using two quite difficult. I struggle along with one. My crutches 42 00:05:18,840 --> 00:05:30,720 have got names. I've got Sticky Sticky Stick Stick and Sticky Stick Sticky Stick. I've 43 00:05:30,720 --> 00:05:42,240 also, bit of a name for the wheelchair, he's the DeLorean. And the reason for that name, 44 00:05:42,240 --> 00:05:48,400 because let's be totally honest, if I could get him to go to 88 mile an hour and go back 45 00:05:48,400 --> 00:05:56,000 in time, I wouldn't have MS in my life. Let's be totally honest about that. So it's a bit 46 00:05:56,000 --> 00:06:02,360 of a name for the wheelchair. You've got to try and keep these things light hearted. I 47 00:06:02,360 --> 00:06:07,440 have, that's my way of dealing with things. I need to keep light hearted, I need to keep 48 00:06:07,440 --> 00:06:18,280 fun. But let's be totally honest, not every day is fun. There is very much days where 49 00:06:18,280 --> 00:06:24,520 I don't even want to get out of bed. I feel absolutely awful. And for want of a better 50 00:06:24,520 --> 00:06:36,200 term, I paint a smile on and do what I can. Because for me personally, not everyone needs 51 00:06:36,200 --> 00:06:44,280 to see when I'm struggling. But when I am, I am very lucky. And something I've got to 52 00:06:44,280 --> 00:06:52,880 say is that I have a very good support network. My wife is absolutely incredible. She's always 53 00:06:52,880 --> 00:07:01,680 there. She notices when I'm not right. And she gets me to talk. And it helps a lot. I've 54 00:07:01,680 --> 00:07:10,000 got my dad, I've got my brother, and I've got the kids. They all do an incredible job 55 00:07:10,000 --> 00:07:15,120 of helping. They really do, no matter what the situation, they are right there by my 56 00:07:15,120 --> 00:07:26,400 side. And it is massively appreciated. Going back a little bit to February, when it was 57 00:07:26,400 --> 00:07:35,360 first said to me by the doctor to expect the diagnosis of MS, I'd already had one failed 58 00:07:35,360 --> 00:07:44,360 NHS MRI scan because terrified of them. Absolutely terrified. I have since overcome that, and 59 00:07:44,360 --> 00:07:51,720 I will do a video at some point where I actually discuss how I've overcome that. Because hopefully 60 00:07:51,720 --> 00:07:57,440 that could help other people. Because I'll be honest with you, I've gone from shaking 61 00:07:57,440 --> 00:08:06,120 like a leaf in the wind in an MRI scanner to being able to lay there relatively calmly. 62 00:08:06,120 --> 00:08:13,960 And I managed to have my brain scan done. But when the second private scan, I had the 63 00:08:13,960 --> 00:08:24,000 results come back, I had to go to the doctors. And me, again, being a bit of a joker, I walked 64 00:08:24,000 --> 00:08:31,520 in, first thing I said to the doctor, he sat there blessing, and I said, okay, this is 65 00:08:31,520 --> 00:08:38,400 where you're going to tell me that scan shows absolutely nothing and it was a waste of time. 66 00:08:38,400 --> 00:08:47,920 He said to me, Mr. Parkley, I can't say that, come and sit down for a minute. And he explained 67 00:08:47,920 --> 00:08:59,280 that there was two patches of demyelination on my spine. And he advised me that I must 68 00:08:59,280 --> 00:09:10,200 have a brain scan to confirm. But he said to me to expect a diagnosis of MS. That wasn't 69 00:09:10,200 --> 00:09:21,480 easy. Because genuinely, I was expecting just, you know, it's something and nothing. I walked 70 00:09:21,480 --> 00:09:37,000 out of that doctor's office. I cried. It was not easy. I rang my wife, I told her. And 71 00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:45,880 she put a smile back on my face pretty quickly. She calmed me down. I then rang my dad, explained 72 00:09:45,880 --> 00:09:53,640 it to him. We then sat down and had a chat. Wasn't the easiest conversation in the world, 73 00:09:53,640 --> 00:10:03,480 but altogether, we got there. And we managed to make it seem a lot calmer. It certainly 74 00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:12,800 didn't feel okay. But there was a calmness because I'd spoken about it. And we did some 75 00:10:12,800 --> 00:10:21,160 research. I got booked in for that brain scan. And as I say, I went through it, which was 76 00:10:21,160 --> 00:10:28,280 absolutely incredible the fact that I managed to go through it. Because honestly, I'm terrified 77 00:10:28,280 --> 00:10:39,000 of them scanners. But now, not so much. Going forward, I'd had a conversation with the 78 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:45,960 EMS Society. And they were incredible. They gave me some absolutely brilliant advice. 79 00:10:45,960 --> 00:10:55,180 They gave me some incredible help and explained to me what to expect going forward, which 80 00:10:55,180 --> 00:11:05,120 has been brilliant. And that is why next month, myself, dad and Richard, we're doing a 5K 81 00:11:05,120 --> 00:11:11,720 sponsored walk. I tell you now, I won't be walking 5K unless I'm really, really lucky. 82 00:11:11,720 --> 00:11:22,320 A couple of hundred yards tops. But if I have to go in the wheelchair, I will do so because 83 00:11:22,320 --> 00:11:29,480 that charity has done some incredible things, not just for me, but for other people as well. 84 00:11:29,480 --> 00:11:35,600 And I will do what I can to support them and help. So that's something I'm quite looking 85 00:11:35,600 --> 00:11:46,920 forward to. I've written lists of things I was going to talk about in this video. But 86 00:11:46,920 --> 00:11:52,440 in all fairness, I don't really think it's necessary me going through them. It's very 87 00:11:52,440 --> 00:11:59,400 much a case of, from what I'm understanding from other people and from what I'm dealing 88 00:11:59,400 --> 00:12:12,080 with myself, EMS is very much a one person at a time job. Not everyone is the same. Not 89 00:12:12,080 --> 00:12:21,040 every case is the same. It's different. And everyone handles it their own way. And that's 90 00:12:21,040 --> 00:12:28,200 perfect. That's how you have to be, in my opinion, as you handle these things on your 91 00:12:28,200 --> 00:12:37,160 own, in your head. But then you take advice, you take support from everyone else. Because 92 00:12:37,160 --> 00:12:42,560 quite honestly, in life you can't handle everything on your own. You always need that support. 93 00:12:42,560 --> 00:12:49,040 And there's charities out there that can help if you need them. And as I say, my recommendation 94 00:12:49,040 --> 00:12:57,480 very much would be the MS Society because they've been brilliant for me. And as I say, 95 00:12:57,480 --> 00:13:02,360 this video was very much a case of just sort of getting this out of there, explaining to 96 00:13:02,360 --> 00:13:10,880 an extent what I'm going through. And kind of just try and give people a bit of an idea 97 00:13:10,880 --> 00:13:21,200 that it's not easy. It's not easy. But I'm trying to do what I can to make it as easy 98 00:13:21,200 --> 00:13:29,600 as I can for myself. And I will, if anyone needs to talk or anyone wants a bit of support, 99 00:13:29,600 --> 00:13:35,560 there's charities out there. I'm here. I'm quite happy. I'll have a conversation. It's 100 00:13:35,560 --> 00:13:42,560 not a problem at all. I'm not going to try and keep you all too long. I say we're probably 101 00:13:42,560 --> 00:13:48,920 pushing on a 14 or 15 minute video here. But if there's any questions or anyone wants to 102 00:13:48,920 --> 00:13:55,920 have a chat with me about what I've said, by all means, by all means, my inbox is open. 103 00:13:55,920 --> 00:14:01,080 Have a conversation with me. Not a problem at all. Thank you all for listening. I do 104 00:14:01,080 --> 00:14:08,440 appreciate it. And as you can all see, I've got my glasses on and I'm getting used to 105 00:14:08,440 --> 00:14:32,440 it.