The Little Dangers of Living with MS – a Patient’s Story

By Trevis Gleason

Published Dec 2, 2013

I nicked myself shaving this morning.  Alright, alright; it was afternoon by the time my legs were able to carry me into a shower.

Sharp objects, uneven flooring, dark corridors, driving, walking… sometimes it just seems sitting can be dangerous with MS.  The simple act of shaving with shaky hands can leave one looking like Scarface (or, I suppose “Scar-legs”, ladies).

I drop things.  I break things.  I stumble, trip and fall over things… or sometimes I fall over nothing at all.

Watching a friend’s newborn toddle over the Thanksgiving weekend brought my own version of “toddling” to mind.  The thing is, she’ll get better at it.  I’m not guaranteed to get worse, but if my history is of any indication she’ll be surpassing my abilities in the not too distant future.

Stairs?  Forget about those unless there are two sturdy banisters to act like a gymnast’s parallel bars.  And once I do make it up them the descent can be so daunting as I consider the old tuck-n-roll as an easier and quite possibly safer option than an uncontrolled fall.

We’ve discussed so many of the major difficulties of MS over the years.  I’m realizing that we might have missed some minor nuisances that make life difficult and can even be dangerous.

I’ll open the floor and look forward to your comments.  By identifying some of the little challenges you’ve had, you may be helping someone else.

Wishing you and your family the best of health.

Cheers

Trevis

Visit our MS Learning Channel on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/msviewsandnews