Hello and welcome to show number 18. On the show today there's a couple of bits and pieces
that I'm going to talk about. I put out a bit of a trailer the other day because I was
quite excited. I had my phone call for the medical study that I'd been put forward for
so I'll explain that. I've had some issues shall we say in the last week which I'm having
to talk about quite a bit at the moment because they're coming thick and fast. I've also had
the telephone call from Occupational Health through work so I will explain that. And last
but not least we've got to talk about it. Christmas is coming up and this will be the
last show that airs before the big day so yeah I'm going to have a little conversation
about Christmas. I hope that's okay. So we're going to start the day with me talking about
the phone call I had in terms of the medical study that my MS coordinator had put me forward
for. It was actually a very very good phone call. I'm not going to beat around the bush
let's start as we mean to go on. I was offered the chance to be part and parcel of this medical
study. On the zoom call that we had there was just basic chit chat explaining about
myself, my diagnosis, explaining about the issues and everything that I have. Mainly
we were talking about the memory side of things because that's what this study is about. It's
talking about the memory issues and yeah they'd sort of done this, I'm going to call it a
little test, but they'd done this test on me where I had to sort of try and memorise
pictures and numbers that relate to pictures. It wasn't easy, I'll be honest it really
wasn't easy at all. I did struggle. Thankfully because it was on the screen in front of me
I could sort of point my finger at what I was doing and sort of relate the two together.
Bit cheaty, I know, I know, but I had to do it and yeah I mean it was actually very very
good. The person I was speaking to, she was brilliant, absolutely fantastic, been a person
that I'm dealing with going forward with that study. They have actually got in touch
with me today, today is Wednesday and they've asked me if there's another study that I might
be interested in taking part in. Well again I am very very new to all this, I've made
this clear since I started this podcast, but being as new as I am to it I am absolutely
desperate to do whatever I can to help every person that I can and if that means me being
effectively somebody's laboratory experiment, do you know what, I'm happy to do it, I'm
really happy to do it because again if I'm suffering there's people out there that are
a hundred times worse than I am so if there's just a tiny little piece that I can put into
that jigsaw to try and help out then do you know what, consider my piece there for everyone.
So yeah that's how that went and I've got to be straight and I know I've said it before,
the memory issues, I know I am well aware I have lesions on my brain, I do not know
how many at this point but I'm aware they are there and it could well be that that's
what's causing these memory issues that I have because again I'm an open book, I'm
very honest, at the moment memory wise it's very difficult, it really is. So yeah I'm
looking forward to getting into this study and cracking on and seeing if there's anything
we can do to try and help stop the slide and make people have a way of kind of not having
so many memory issues. I know that's going to be difficult, I know it's not going to
be easy but at the same time if there's a little something that can be done to help
let's do it. But yeah I mean that's where that sits in terms of the medical study, as
I said I did put that trailer out, it was only about a minute long but I was so excited
I just had to share it with everyone so apologies for having that sort of spam episode put out
but no I genuinely had to do it. Next thing I'm going to mention is the telephone call
I had with the occupational health which was through work. It was a very good phone call,
it's something that I have to admit I was very nervous about. You know from my point
of view I'm the main breadwinner. Lisa she goes out to work, she works really hard bless
her and she does incredible, she really does, she does things that I couldn't even dream
of doing. So to say that I am incredibly grateful for what she does is a massive understatement.
But yeah I mean I do work full time and it concerned me having this telephone call with
occupational health because yeah I was concerned that they were going to turn around and say
oh no I'm sorry but with the way things are with you, you're not fit to work. Thankfully
that's not what happened. It was a very good phone call, they spoke to me, they allowed
me to talk and give them details of my diagnosis, give them details of my physical well-being,
how things were to how things are. They also asked me about my mental well-being because
let's be honest and again I think I've mentioned it before, I do genuinely believe that having
any kind of chronic medical condition is going to cause you issues mentally, there's no
hiding from that. It's just how we deal with them and every single person on the planet
is different. So yeah we had this conversation and they listened to the sort of things I
do on a daily basis at work. They asked me if there was anything I believed that could
be changed to support me and to make things better and easier for me in the workplace.
I have to be honest as I've said previously I am quite lucky because in my workplace I
am able to sit down quite a bit which is very very helpful so when I'm having a bad day
there's always bits and pieces I can do, there really is which is fantastic. They asked
me a question I was a bit confused about, they sort of asked me about the chair that
I sit on when I'm in the office and I bought my own chair for work, I thought it was a
better thing to do. They've told me that actually I need an even better chair than that but
it's not me that's going to be purchasing it and this is the sort of thing that is all
new to me I have to be honest, I've never been the kind of person where things have
been handed to me. In that respect in the work environment things have never been handed
to me but yeah apparently my company are going to need to provide me with a lumbar supporting
chair which should make things a bit more comfortable and yeah I mean that's the sort
of thing that Occupational Health have come up with and massively appreciated. They have
suggested to me about counselling, they believe because it really did come out of the blue,
the diagnosis and yeah the person I was speaking to said actually do you know what you sound
very comfortable with things and you sound as though you're sort of taking it in your
stride but again I've been honest with them at times I have had absolute meltdowns over
it. I've had instances where I have sat and cried and I'm not embarrassed to say that,
I have genuinely had times where I've sat and cried my eyes out and the person from
Occupational Health actually said well do you know what that's understandable so they've
spoken to me and they've asked if I'm okay to have counselling should it be required
and yeah I've put my hands up I've said do you know what anything is going to help, I'd
do it. So yeah I mean that's where we are. In the report that Occupational Health are
going to ping through to my company they have made it clear that I am fit for work which
honestly is a massive weight off my shoulders it really is because I was worried. I can
imagine most people would be but yeah that is fantastic. Going on to the issues that
I've been having, they've not been great I'm going to be honest they really haven't
been great I know I've mentioned it a few times recently where I've been having pains
and whatever else yeah I mean they're pretty standard at the moment they really are. I
know when I've done some research into MS when I was first diagnosed it was made very
clear that the heat can cause quite a few issues for people with this condition. I'm
actually finding that yeah okay the summer was quite bad but I managed to plod through
and I am a summer person I love the sunshine you give me sunshine and a barbecue in the
garden I'm going to rip your armour for it absolutely love it. I'm not one for the cold
weather but yeah this cold weather is actually causing me a bit of a problem and that's
me being totally honest it really is causing me a problem. Tuesday night we'd had a bit
of a bad day it was my day off there was a lot of stress going on it came to Tuesday
night and I got to the point where actually I fell onto the sofa it was difficult I couldn't
get back up I couldn't even sit up I was sort of laid on the sofaish it was very uncomfortable
but I physically could not move I felt drained I had feelings like somebody was tickling
my face and my head and I've mentioned that previously I've had that but yeah I mean
it was it was very very bad I was probably there for I'm gonna go for as strong as about
20 minutes Lisa was with me she was doing all she can to try and keep me calm try and
try and help me get up as and when I needed to get up eventually we did manage to get
me on my feet she passed me one of my crutches that one was stick stick sticky stick the
other one was upstairs so yeah I managed to managed to get up with Lisa's help and when
I was stood there I was stood there for a minute or so and I physically couldn't move
my legs my brain was saying move step forward step step my legs were saying I don't even
know who you are my friend I can't I can't do anything they literally would not move
eventually we managed to get past that and I did manage to get upstairs managed to get
in bed and eventually dropped off to sleep wasn't a great night's sleep I must admit
but when I woke up the following morning I was drained I felt like I had no sleep at
all genuinely physically and mentally I was exhausted and I've got to be honest with you
that day's today I'm recording this the day after ready for release Monday night yeah
it's a struggle I'm gonna be honest with you I'm sat here I'm painting a smile on my
face for those of you that are viewing this on YouTube you're looking at me I've got
a smile on my face internally that smile don't exist this this is not a good day I am really
struggling but I'm doing what I can to fight through it's not easy but I'm doing the best
I can and again that's just me being totally straight with you I've said all along I'm
gonna be honest because at the end of the day that's all I can be is honest and give
you all a proper insight as this is called it's called Mike's MS journey part of that
journey is good days part of that journey is bad days part of that journey is absolutely
awful days today comes under the absolutely awful I'm gonna be honest with you but I'm
doing the best I can and I'm not gonna dwell on that I don't want to keep sort of pushing
that out to yourselves it is what it is I'll be straight with you I'll tell you when it's
a bad day but you know what I'm doing what I can to crack on and I will continue to do
so I think that's probably enough of the the negative aspect one thing I've really got
to talk about today Christmas love it absolutely love Christmas it's gonna be the last time
we speak before Santa comes around and you know what I want to wish you all an absolutely
fantastic Christmas I'm gonna say to you now I was gonna wait until the end of the episode
to say it but you know what no I want to tell you now have a cracking Christmas I really
do hope you enjoy it it doesn't matter what you're doing just a day for smiles I really
hope that you can all have that from my point of view we're doing what we always do we're
having family come over we've got a big Christmas dinner planned in Lisa and my dad they always
cook Christmas dinner and they do a fantastic job of it I don't know how they do it cooking
for so many people but fair play to them they've got some skills I couldn't even imagine having
to say that they really do a couple of days before Christmas on the 23rd we are again
as a family going out to the local pantomime it's become a bit of a ritual we do it every
year I mean obviously over Covid and that didn't happen for the I believe it was the
first year but yeah we go out we absolutely love it I'll be honest it's a fantastic night
out again I don't know what I can and can't say on here but there is a particular company
that put the pantomimes on brilliant the actors that they have on are fantastic and the one
thing I've got to say Lisa's personality is fantastic and the way she laughs at things
is brilliant we tend to sit quite close to the front and there tends to be this one member
of the pantomime crew one of the actors he seems to recognise Lisa every year and a poor
bloke he walks out he sees her face he just has a little giggle because he knows what's
coming and yeah it's fantastic honestly the crew that do it are brilliant and yeah again
it's just one of those things that I look forward to so yeah that's where our Christmas
lies I'm excited for Christmas can't wait and I really hope you all have a fantastic
one it doesn't matter what you're doing genuinely I hope you have a great Christmas massive
thank yous I know this podcast is still very new it's only been since really the end of
September but honestly you've all yeah I'm gonna be honest to me you're all friends you're
all friends and I'm incredibly grateful for all the downloads and the comments that I
receive have a great Christmas really do hope you enjoy it and I look forward to talking
to you all again soon speak soon bye bye