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Hello and welcome to my fourth podcast. On today's podcast I want to talk about something

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that's gone through my head in regards to open MRI scanners. I'm also going to talk

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about how the weekend has been for me and where I currently am in regards to the pains

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and issues that I believe my MS is currently causing me. To the first point, in regards

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to the MRI scanners, obviously on my last podcast I talked about how I have managed

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to overcome my fear. Not everyone can do that. Not everyone is the same. So my little thought

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on that would be, would it not be worth actually having maybe one open MRI scanner per hospital

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trust and again if people need to have transport for that because again it's not going to be

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close by for certain people. Totally understand that. Provide them with transport should it

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be required because each closed scan that is unsuccessful, it clearly it costs money

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and I have been made aware by people in the know that actually it's quite common for a

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decent chunk of closed scans to be unsuccessful. I know, I've been there more than once. So

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the thought for myself would be, is it certainly for cost effectiveness, long term, one open

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scanner per hospital trust, provide transport for those that need it, yes the initial outlay

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is going to be massive. I do get that and I'm not a politician under any stretch of

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the imagination. I've done no research into it. This is just my personal thoughts. It's

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gone through my head so I just have to float that out and see what other people think.

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But if it helps those that actually physically cannot go through a closed scan, well if we

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can provide them with an open scanner which quite honestly it does take away the claustrophobia

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aspect of it, surely that's got to be better and in the long term, and I'm talking long

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term, I just wonder if that would be more cost effective because you're going to have

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a significant dip in unsuccessful scans. It's going to be a lot more successful for

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people so that's my thought on it. One open scanner per trust and transport for those

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that require it. It might be possible, it might not, but as I say, just my thought process.

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I thought I'd float that out there and see what people think about it. Now thinking about

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my weekend, it's not been the best of weekends I must admit. I've had four falls this weekend

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and it's been a few weeks since I've been a bit foley. One of the falls was in the living

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room and unfortunately I hit the deck and I was probably on the floor for about 10 minutes

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or so before I could right myself and get back to my feet which wasn't great, I wasn't

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overly happy with but it happens. Another one, I was going up the stairs and I was actually

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using one of my crutches to go up the stairs. It was a sticky sticky stick stick that was

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with me, I just thought I'd share that bit. As we were towards the top of the stairs I

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had a fall and I actually hit my forehead on the crutch itself which was quite painful.

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I didn't do any major damage to myself thankfully but yeah it was quite painful but again I

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managed to eventually right myself and carry on, managed to get up the stairs and do what

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I was going to do. Over the course of the weekend I've had two injections, my left arm

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has definitely been like a pincushion, I'll pin this with you. I've had my flu jab on

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Saturday which I've never had to have before. It's a bit of a new one for me that, obviously

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I've been put forward for that due to my diagnosis. So yeah that on Saturday. On Sunday I've had

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my fourth Covid injection. As it stands at the moment I think I'm doing okay, I've got

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a bit of a sore arm but that's it. Fingers crossed it stays that way. Due to the issues

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that I've had over the weekend we've been a lot more wobbly than usual. Every single

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day I am quite wobbly I'll be honest with you but this weekend's been particularly bad.

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Spent a lot of time actually just sort of relaxing. I've watched a bit of telly, been

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a bit of sport on the telly. I've watched a bit of cricket, a bit of American football

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which usually I would watch when I wake up for work. It's quite early in the morning

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so I would sit there and normally watch the fourth quarter because that's about where

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we are time wise. So yeah I've watched a bit of American football. There's been football

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on the telly as well. And watched West Ham play, they are my team. I'm a West Ham fan.

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Not the easiest team in the world to follow believe me but we carry on with them and we

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follow the scores every week. At least we picked up three points this week which was

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quite nice. Makes a change because it's not been the best of starts to the season let's

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be totally honest. My youngest she's gone off to camp this weekend with school. I'm

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sure she's going to really enjoy that and I'm actually really looking forward to her

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coming home and letting us know exactly what she's been up to. She's been in touch a few

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times and yeah it sounds like she's having a great time. So yeah it's another one I'm

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quite looking forward to hearing all about it. Going back to some of the issues that

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I've had over the weekend. One of them last night went to bed I was actually having a

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really good night's sleep. Around quarter past, half past two I woke up and I really

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needed the toilet. But I was in a lot of pain with my back and my legs to the point actually

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I physically could not get out of bed. It was very very uncomfortable. Now I laid there

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for probably half hour 45 minutes give or take and I'm thinking just talk yourself out

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of it you don't need the toilet you'll be okay. I was wrong it seems you can't talk

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yourself out of needing the toilet. So after a while I realised actually you know what

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I really do need some help here. So I very gently woke up the wife to ask if she wouldn't

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mind helping bless her big smile on her face she was quite happy to try and help me which

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she did she managed to get me out of bed get me across the hall to the toilet and yeah

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I managed to go and get back in bed. What I will say is I'm pleased that she went straight

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back to sleep from my point of view I couldn't I stayed awake for a good couple of hours

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after a little bit upset with myself that I'd had that issue and I had to wake her up

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because she's got work today so she needs rest but sometimes we just need help and unfortunately

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last night I was absolutely in that position where I really did need help and I'm very

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lucky that I got all the help that was required. I did go back to sleep I managed to process

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it all and sort of get everything straight in my head and sort of realise actually this

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sort of thing is probably something to an extent I need to get a bit used to. So I did

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I processed it I accepted it and woke up this morning I could never say perfectly fine but

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I was able to get out of bed and walk around still very wobbly but at least I'm able to

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move which is quite helpful it's been quite nice I must admit but yeah I mean in terms

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of what I've got going on I think at the moment my MS is being a bit of a problem I'm having

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a lot of pain in my back and my legs and as I've alluded to I'm very wobbly currently

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but yeah so the pain in my back and legs is actually quite quite extreme and it's been

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a bit of a struggle I must admit I'm trying to carry on as best as I can sort of trying

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to find a balance on how to continue doing everyday things but it's not been easy but

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I'm getting there I'm finding a way I'm trying to find a balance and once I've found it all

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good I'll be able to continue on as best as as best as I can. Back at work tomorrow so

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I really need to try and find a way to continue on but yeah I think that's pretty much all

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I was going to talk about today I will say I'm really grateful to everyone that's downloading

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and listening to this podcast I know I've said this previously but the fact that I'm

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looking and I've got people all over the world downloading and listening to me talking about

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what I've got going on and whereabouts I am currently it's it's very eye-opening and

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I thank you all very very much I really do appreciate it I think that's probably it I

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think I've probably bored you all enough for today I look forward to talking to you all

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again soon and I hope you all have a good time okay speak to you soon bye bye