Hello and welcome to episode 22. I hope the new year started really well for everyone.
I hope everything seems to be going okay for you and that just things are working out as
much as they can. On the show today, three things mainly I'm going to talk about. The
first of which as I always do I'm going to do a little update on myself in all fairness.
Pretty much is how I start most shows. I'm then going to introduce you all to another
little project. I've created a website for everything I've got going on and I'll explain
more later in the show. Also, I know in the last show I mentioned that I'm going to be
going down to London later in the year to do the MS Society's 5K. I'm also I've signed
up to do the challenge 28 for the MS Society over February. So again, I will explain that
over the next few minutes. All right, I'm going to start today updating you with myself.
A bit of a strange week. I've got to say that it has been really strange. I've had this
kind of new feeling start and it doesn't matter where I am and I'll be honest with you, I've
questioned myself a few times because it feels like I've got water dripping onto the top
of my head. It's really disconcerting, I've got to tell you. I mean, I can just be sat
whether I'm in the office at work or whether I'm coming home on the scooter or going to
work on the scooter. That's where you'd expect to feel a bit of rain on your head. Yeah,
this is indoors too. Yeah, I mean, I can be sat on the sofa or anything and it doesn't
last particularly long. It just sort of it starts and it's just tiny little droplets
that sort of hit onto my head. I've got to say it's seeming currently to be the left
side. I get it occasionally on the right, but mainly on the left side. I just find it
really disconcerting. I mean, it's not a pain or anything. It's literally, it genuinely
feels like the odd little droplet of water. If you're laying in the bath and you've got
a shower above your head and a little bit of water comes out the shower, that's how it
feels. Yeah, I'd say it doesn't last particularly long, but it's quite new. And yes, it's disconcerting.
A very, very strange feeling. It's one I don't quite understand yet. So I'll have to sort
of try and figure out a way of getting used to it and kind of amalgamate it into all the
other bits and pieces that I have issues with. I've been getting quite a lot of pain in mainly
my left calf muscle. And I have to say when it happens, it's been a couple of instances
where I've had this pain and it shoots into the left calf. And actually it's nearly knocked
me to the floor. It's been quite horrible when it hits, it hits and it hits hard. And
I must admit I'm sort of finding a way to try and get used to it, to try and understand
it. But yeah, it's not nice. It really isn't nice at all. And I've got to say it. I understand
it's the sort of thing I've got to get used to going forward. And yeah, I'm going to. But
it's sort of, I'll say the word again, it's very disconcerting because I'm not understanding
it. I'm struggling to understand why all these new pains and feelings and whatever else hit
and they sort of hit him in batches. And it's strange. It's strange. I'm carrying on, I'm
fighting along as I always will. But yeah, all these new bits and pieces are different.
Different is about the best I can say. It's just sort of trying to find a happy medium
with them, which currently I am doing. But yeah, he's sort of changing my thought process
on things a little bit. I've got to say that. But that's probably about enough of me complaining.
There is the other bit that I want to talk about is something I actually, I'm really
proud of. I'm incredibly proud of this podcast to say the least anyway. I absolutely love
coming on here and talking to you all. I really do. And actually, it helps me an awful lot
because in all truth, it helps me get things off my chest that sit there. And I know I've
said that before, but sometimes you've got thoughts in your head and you want to get
them out. But you don't know how to get them out. But sitting here in front of my mobile
phone, I'm saying I'm looking at my mobile phone screen, which is recording me. I've
got my new microphone in front of me. I've got me sound desk sat here. And it's just
nice to sit kind of alone and get the thoughts out. And hopefully this can sort of help other
people to see that actually there are ways to get things out and about there's ways to
stop things being stuck in your head. But yeah, as I was saying, I've created this website
to go along with this podcast and my social media channels. The website is Mike's MSJourney.com.
I'm going to try and add new blogs to that website two to three times a week. Just to
keep you all up to date with how things are going. Obviously, his podcast is a once a
week job. So we'll try and blog along a couple of times a week, just to keep everything going
so that you can all have a look and see where I am, see what I've got going on. Because
it's not all, I'm going to say it, the blog, not all going to be MS based. If I've got
other stuff going on, sort of happier stuff and whatever, I'm going to blog it because
not everything needs to be negative. You know, I'm a positive person and I intend to continue
being so. What I've also done alongside that website is I've actually got a dedicated email
address that goes to the website. And that is Mike at Mike's MSJourney.com. Please contact
me on there if you've got conversations you want to have. If you want to just ask me some
questions, because I really do want to get some Q&A going on this podcast. So if you've
got questions, please, please, Mike at Mike's MSJourney.com, ping them across. I will be
straight if they're not a sensible question or you're being a bit over the top nasty,
you're going to get ignored. It really is that simple. I'm not that kind of person that's
going to engage with that, that kind of thing. But if it's a sensible question, not even
sensible if it's just a question that actually needs to be answered, I will do my best to
answer it. And by all means, if you leave your name and just the country you're from,
I'll give you a shout out on this podcast. Because again, I want to start thanking people
for listening, because I've said it before and I'll say it again and I'll say it until
I'm blue in the face. I appreciate each and every one of you for taking the time to download
and listen to what I've got to say, because genuinely each and every one of you is helping
me in a way that you don't actually realize. And that is why I appreciate everything that
you are doing by supporting me in listening to this podcast. If you're on my social media
channels, again, just chucking a like on a post that I put up. Absolutely incredible.
Massively appreciate it. Follow me along on those social media channels, because again,
I want to get my story out there to try and help others with their stories, if that makes
sense. I want to try and build some confidence for people to be able to talk about what they've
got coming on. So yeah, by all means, contact me. I will say it again. The website is micsmsjourney.com
and the email address is mic at micsmsjourney.com. Hopefully that's nice and easy to remember.
Again, pop along. Come and come and talk to me. Come and ask questions. Whatever. Don't
mind. Let's get conversations had. And finally, on today's show, again, some are massively
proud of. And I've got to say this, the MS Society, absolutely superb. As a charity for
everything they do, they are incredible. And genuinely, I am incredibly proud to stand
as tall as I can and just try and raise a bit of money for them. Because actually, I'm
raising money for each and every one of us with MS for just any kind of support that
can be given, whether that is just raising enough for a couple of blood tests to be done
or raising enough for an MRI scanner to be run, whatever. I don't care, just raising
a bit of money. And that is why I've signed up to the MS Society's Challenge 28 for February.
Now what that entails is every day in February being active for 28 minutes. Now, I'm going
to be honest, it's not going to be easy. It really isn't going to be easy because at the
moment I am finding long stretches on my feet or whatever else, quite difficult. But I'm
getting through them. As I've said many, many times and I will continue to say, I will never
back down from this challenge. You know, I've heard it said and I've said it myself, I've
got MS, MS does not have me. It's picked somebody with fight, it's picked somebody with determination.
And I totally understand I'm never going to beat it. But I'm going to fight it. And it's
going to know it's been in a fight. And if that means doing whatever I can to try and
raise little bits of money to try and go towards help and support, I'm going to do it. And
I'm going to do it with a smile on my face. And if at the end of doing that, I've got
pains in places, those pains are worth it. Because this is a fight I'm not backing down
from. This is a fight I am proud to stand up tall and have. I'm going to do this. We're
going to do this. As an MS community, we've got this. We can do it. Not easy. No chance
it's going to be easy, but we can do it. So I'm going to do it. The one thing to be fair,
I was kind of always trying to shy away from. But I am on just giving for raising this money
for the MS Society for the challenge 28. My handle on just giving is Mike's underscore
MS underscore journey. If you are in any position at all to come along and sponsor me, I would
massively appreciate it. But please only do that if you are in a position to do so. I'm
not being funny. We all know how the world is these days. Having spare money is something
not many people have. So do not under any circumstance, sponsor me if it is going to
leave you remotely short. Please don't do that. Only sponsor me if you are able. And
if you are able when you do manage to sponsor me, I'm incredibly grateful. I'll be honest
with you. I will be getting through this challenge. I will fight my way through it and I will
fight my way through it with a smile on my face every single day. Because again, I'm
going to say it MS Society is an incredible charity. And just doing my little bit makes
me incredibly proud. Well, I think that's probably about enough for today. Again, I'm
going to say the same thing I say on every episode and I always will. Thank you for listening.
I've said it earlier on. Thank you for listening. It is incredibly appreciated. Each and every
one of you is incredibly appreciated. And I hope you have a good week. And I look forward
to talking to you soon. Bye bye.