1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:08,640 Hello and welcome to podcast number nine. Today there's a few little bits and pieces 2 00:00:08,640 --> 00:00:15,480 I want to talk about. First things first, I know I've said this before but I would like 3 00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:22,680 to thank each and every one of you for downloading and streaming and listening to this podcast. 4 00:00:22,680 --> 00:00:33,160 As I say I'm literally nobody special, I'm just a fellow who's gone through this diagnosis 5 00:00:33,160 --> 00:00:42,280 and going through to try and get help and treatment for MS. I'm still so new to all 6 00:00:42,280 --> 00:00:48,520 of this, whether it be the MS side of things or this podcasting. I'll be totally honest 7 00:00:48,520 --> 00:00:55,720 with you, on a personal level this podcasting is absolutely superb. Just managing to talk 8 00:00:55,720 --> 00:01:04,000 about things, getting thoughts from my head out into the world. All of you that are listening, 9 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:14,840 quite honestly you're helping, you're massively helping me, thank you, I appreciate it. The 10 00:01:14,840 --> 00:01:24,800 main thing today is I actually had a letter today from my neurologist. I had my most recent 11 00:01:24,800 --> 00:01:33,160 MRI scans a good few weeks ago now and he's sent me through the report, I mean if you 12 00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:40,840 can say it's a full report because it didn't seem it I'll be totally honest with you. But 13 00:01:40,840 --> 00:01:52,120 in the report he has put that he believes my condition is stable, there is no new lesions 14 00:01:52,120 --> 00:02:01,680 or anything, it's as it was, except from one particular lesion apparently. There is a lesion 15 00:02:01,680 --> 00:02:11,480 in my cervical spine which apparently is showing up a lot more pronounced than it previously 16 00:02:11,480 --> 00:02:21,120 was. Now I know I've mentioned it previously but actually I've been getting a lot worse, 17 00:02:21,120 --> 00:02:32,080 a lot worse recently. My balance all sorts and to be honest with you it's just about 18 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:36,080 everything that you can imagine. I'm getting pains in places that I didn't even realise 19 00:02:36,080 --> 00:02:47,320 existed but yeah he believes that that lesion is progressing. He's had to send me back to 20 00:02:47,320 --> 00:02:56,560 the MSMDT which is the multidisciplinary team and literally I've got to wait for a lumbar 21 00:02:56,560 --> 00:03:04,280 puncture to work out what kind of treatment I can have. They have told me what they're 22 00:03:04,280 --> 00:03:11,360 expecting and I'm doing a lot of research on the treatment that they've suggested to 23 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:20,880 me but again I've got to sit back and wait some more to find out exactly where we are 24 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:26,600 because the MDT want me to have a lumbar puncture before we do any kind of treatment. Which 25 00:03:26,600 --> 00:03:35,800 I'll be totally honest with you, it's not easy. I really am at a point where, please 26 00:03:35,800 --> 00:03:44,040 don't take this as me being majorly negative or whatever else but sometimes in life we 27 00:03:44,040 --> 00:03:53,760 have to look at what's going on and speak as we find. At the moment I'm actually struggling, 28 00:03:53,760 --> 00:04:05,640 I really am struggling. The pains I'm getting in legs, back, calf muscles, up my knees, 29 00:04:05,640 --> 00:04:13,600 across my hips, my lower back, middle of my back, feeling like I'm being squashed across 30 00:04:13,600 --> 00:04:25,640 me around my chest area and top of the stomach and with my brain I've been forgetful for 31 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:32,680 a while but incredibly forgetful and it's not easy I'll be honest with you at times 32 00:04:32,680 --> 00:04:41,800 it's quite upsetting and I'm doing all I can to keep a smile on my face and for me that's 33 00:04:41,800 --> 00:04:45,680 what I need to be doing, I need to keep a smile on my face and try and carry on because 34 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:56,640 there's people out there in a much worse condition and I need to for my own sanity just try and 35 00:04:56,640 --> 00:05:09,360 fight back because as I've said before I've got MS, MS hasn't got me, it will have its 36 00:05:09,360 --> 00:05:16,280 day it will have times where it makes me struggle and at the moment there's a lot of them times 37 00:05:16,280 --> 00:05:27,040 but actually I am not going to give in, I am genuinely not going to give in because 38 00:05:27,040 --> 00:05:38,440 I've got lots to fight for and I personally believe that we all have so keep me warrior 39 00:05:38,440 --> 00:05:46,600 about me and I'll keep going but yeah that's kind of where we are with that in all fairness 40 00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:56,480 as I say the issues I'm having are not nice at all but I will keep ticking over, I will 41 00:05:56,480 --> 00:06:06,640 carry on. Now one of the things we've done today and over the last couple of days I mentioned 42 00:06:06,640 --> 00:06:16,640 previously in my last podcast that the room out in the garden was going to become my studio 43 00:06:16,640 --> 00:06:25,960 and it is, that we have confirmed, Lisa bless her she's quite happy for me to have this 44 00:06:25,960 --> 00:06:32,120 area where I am now as my recording studio and to be honest with you at the moment it's 45 00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:38,640 gorgeous out here, the sun is shining it's coming through the window and yeah it is absolutely 46 00:06:38,640 --> 00:06:45,320 lovely it's really quite nice I've got to say I'm enjoying it. The new tumble dryer 47 00:06:45,320 --> 00:06:52,460 turned up today that's all been set up now anyone out there that actually knows me knows 48 00:06:52,460 --> 00:07:03,280 I am atrocious with any kind of DIY and how I mean really really bad. Actually today the 49 00:07:03,280 --> 00:07:10,200 table we bought for the kitchen for the microwave to go on which I will say we didn't like it 50 00:07:10,200 --> 00:07:14,960 the table we loved but the position of it in the kitchen just didn't work for us at 51 00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:20,160 all so we reassessed and that table's now been used in the living room looks really 52 00:07:20,160 --> 00:07:27,640 nice I'll be honest. I actually put that table together. Now Lisa she did help me I think 53 00:07:27,640 --> 00:07:34,480 she screwed a few screws in but predominantly I actually did that pretty much on my own 54 00:07:34,480 --> 00:07:39,200 and again if you know me you know full well that that actually is quite some achievement 55 00:07:39,200 --> 00:07:45,480 because I am useless with that sort of stuff but for once yeah no I'll be honest with you 56 00:07:45,480 --> 00:07:50,840 I'm looking at that table sat in the corner with all the bits and pieces on it and I'm 57 00:07:50,840 --> 00:08:01,080 like I did that I did that and it looks good it's solid it is good yeah so that's a massive 58 00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:07,360 achievement I'll be honest with you I really thoroughly enjoyed that this morning it was 59 00:08:07,360 --> 00:08:16,360 interesting and actually in the grand scheme of things it's made me think maybe just maybe 60 00:08:16,360 --> 00:08:22,680 I'm a little bit more capable with that sort of thing than I give myself credit for because 61 00:08:22,680 --> 00:08:28,600 I do get frustrated with that stuff can't help it I look at what needs to go where and 62 00:08:28,600 --> 00:08:37,320 whatever else and think how how do we put that there how do we make that work but with 63 00:08:37,320 --> 00:08:44,440 this one actually I did it exactly yes I did I listened to the instructions I did it exactly 64 00:08:44,440 --> 00:08:51,160 as the instructions said and it was easy little bits and pieces were a bit frustrating some 65 00:08:51,160 --> 00:08:55,440 of the screws were sort of starting to cross thread so I had to take them out and readjust 66 00:08:55,440 --> 00:09:01,600 yeah it was well worth it I can't say it was well worth it because I'm looking at it in 67 00:09:01,600 --> 00:09:08,520 my front room and thinking yep that was money well spent and a bit of time well spent so 68 00:09:08,520 --> 00:09:13,600 yeah I'm really chuffed with that and as I say the tumble dryer turned up new tumble 69 00:09:13,600 --> 00:09:23,240 dryer that's going to be indoors as opposed to out and bless Alisa we did the first bit 70 00:09:23,240 --> 00:09:29,360 of drying she did this first bit of drying and it was it was the towels now with the 71 00:09:29,360 --> 00:09:38,080 old dryer it was a heat pump dryer the old one towels would literally take all day genuinely 72 00:09:38,080 --> 00:09:47,240 they take all day and it was a little bit annoying this new condenser dryer they've 73 00:09:47,240 --> 00:09:58,040 been in there one hour literally one hour and they are perfectly dry amazing the heat 74 00:09:58,040 --> 00:10:03,920 pump dryers are supposed to be the newer technology all singing all dancing absolutely superb this 75 00:10:03,920 --> 00:10:12,080 condenser which is old technology brilliant absolutely fantastic and having it indoors 76 00:10:12,080 --> 00:10:18,120 actually is going to be quite helpful where we've where we've put it we're going to put 77 00:10:18,120 --> 00:10:24,720 a couple of shelves up either side and sort of above the dryer we're going to put like 78 00:10:24,720 --> 00:10:30,760 a little work surface so when the stuff's coming out the dryer we can take it out and 79 00:10:30,760 --> 00:10:35,480 fold it all right there put it in the basket boom take it upstairs thanks very much job 80 00:10:35,480 --> 00:10:43,560 done it's yeah I think it's actually a really good idea whereas this old dryer has been 81 00:10:43,560 --> 00:10:51,640 outside in what is now going to be my recording studio it's been out here for two years it'd 82 00:10:51,640 --> 00:10:58,840 be nice to actually not get soaking wet in the winter bringing the drying out bless Alisa 83 00:10:58,840 --> 00:11:08,880 she's done that for two years and she absolutely deserves a medal bless her but we move on 84 00:11:08,880 --> 00:11:17,960 we do these new things and actually I think it's going to work really well in terms of 85 00:11:17,960 --> 00:11:26,960 just just life in general I've got to say actually doing that that walk Saturday and 86 00:11:26,960 --> 00:11:31,280 as I've said you know I've been totally honest I probably was in the wheelchair for a good 87 00:11:31,280 --> 00:11:41,360 95% of the walk both both Richard and my dad they they were brilliant actually do you know 88 00:11:41,360 --> 00:11:48,480 what it's given me a real good boost you know as much as I'm struggling at the moment doing 89 00:11:48,480 --> 00:11:59,720 that and again you know I'll be honest we raised 190 pounds which isn't a massive amount 90 00:11:59,720 --> 00:12:07,520 but actually I feel like we've done something really really positive and I can't wait for 91 00:12:07,520 --> 00:12:13,600 next year because I'll I'll be signing up to do next year's without any kind of problem 92 00:12:13,600 --> 00:12:20,880 because it's absolutely worth it and yeah it's made me feel quite good about myself 93 00:12:20,880 --> 00:12:31,640 just to do that little tiny bit which again I find it really positive and at the moment 94 00:12:31,640 --> 00:12:39,040 positivity is absolutely what's needed it really is there's you know these other little 95 00:12:39,040 --> 00:12:44,960 bits and pieces as as usual I've had six days off work I'm off again tomorrow and 96 00:12:44,960 --> 00:12:54,960 back to work on Friday which yeah I've actually I've really enjoyed my six days off and it 97 00:12:54,960 --> 00:13:03,720 is what it is on that back to work I'm kind of looking forward to going back to an extent 98 00:13:03,720 --> 00:13:11,200 I think we all would like to win the lotteries so we didn't have to but but yeah I mean as 99 00:13:11,200 --> 00:13:18,480 I say I mean there's not really a great deal more I can and want to say today from my 100 00:13:18,480 --> 00:13:28,720 point of view these these podcasts me me talking to yourselves like I do I'm going to continue 101 00:13:28,720 --> 00:13:36,040 for the long term they really are because it is incredibly helpful and again I've said 102 00:13:36,040 --> 00:13:41,320 it previously and I will say it again if there's anyone out there that does want to come over 103 00:13:41,320 --> 00:13:53,800 and join me on any of my social media accounts I am accessible say we are I'm on the Instagram 104 00:13:53,800 --> 00:14:05,600 it's Mike's underscore MS underscore journey we're also on TikTok which is Mike's underscore 105 00:14:05,600 --> 00:14:13,680 MS underscore journey and again exactly the same for the YouTube one of the things I do 106 00:14:13,680 --> 00:14:21,200 want to very quickly mention earlier on was doing the washing and drying up and add two 107 00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:30,040 of the kids in the kitchen and just as a bit of a laugh I was I was doing some some impressions 108 00:14:30,040 --> 00:14:38,560 and I did the Mr Bean impression I'm not an impressionist but the pair of them were absolutely 109 00:14:38,560 --> 00:14:46,080 whiddling themselves with laughter and it was really quite fun so I think that might 110 00:14:46,080 --> 00:14:53,680 have to happen from time to time I quite enjoy making people laugh maybe at some point I'll 111 00:14:53,680 --> 00:15:01,600 have the confidence to let you all listen to my Mr Bean impression but not today I'm 112 00:15:01,600 --> 00:15:07,480 not going to subject you all to that today all right well I hope you all have a great 113 00:15:07,480 --> 00:15:15,240 day I very much looking forward to talking to you all again soon speak to you soon bye 114 00:15:15,240 --> 00:15:15,480 bye