What Our Partners Should Know About Our MS

There are a lot of people who regularly read this blog about life with multiple sclerosis. There are even more who stumble upon our pages via internet searches. Some, from each category, do not have MS, though they live with the disease; they are the partners of MS.

I think we did this one time before, with limited success, but I thought it was worth another go. I’d like for each of us who live with a diagnosis of MS to chime in and let the partners of MS know what we’d like them to know about our half of the equation. Our comment pages have helped so many people living with MS that I thought we’d take a crack at helping those who look at multiple sclerosis from the other side of the mirror.

Maybe you’d like to use your comment to inform your loved one about something. Even if they don’t read our blog, someone else might be thinking they wish their partner knew the same things you’d like yours to know. I think we all know how powerful it can feel to see exactly what you are feeling written by someone else living with MS. Let’s see if we can’t create the same in these pages.

I often get asked what I wish people knew about MS. It’s a very personal question and leads to a very personal answer. I’ll bet that many of you have an answer that you’d be able to rattle off if anyone would just ask you that question.

Well, I’m asking.

As for me, I’d say to Caryn (and we have had these conversations) that just because I try to do something at which I’ll likely fail (due to pushing the envelope that our disease puts around us), it does not mean that I don’t need help. It means that I do want her help and need her support, but that MS has taken so much that I’d like to try to fight it on this one front.

I think this topic has some legs (as in I think we’ll follow this conversation up with asking the partners who do read these pages to share with other partners what tips they’ve learned. I also think that a reverse conversation where partners tell us what they might have a hard time saying to our faces would be interesting…maybe next week).

For now, I look forward to the advice you’re willing to give to those who live with us while we live with MS.

Wishing you and your family the best of health.

Cheers

Trevis