Greetings, boy, you can’t get rid of me, can you?? Once again it’s Dave from ActiveMSers with some valuable advice, the kind of advice that you might get from a concerned parent when you were a teenager who already knew all the answers—well, DUH. How else did you make it through adolescence?! So basically what I’m trying to tell you is that I have advice that is actually pretty good, but advice that you might not need (or appreciate) right at the moment.
Let’s cut right to the chase. If you are newly diagnosed or still wrestling with the idea of having a lifelong chronic illness, you’ll want to take in my must-read advice for the recently diagnosed. I’ve been there as have countless MSers before you. Learn from us. What’s bouncing around endlessly in your brain (urg, it’s a lot) has already bounced around in ours. Worry about the future, stupid uninformed neurologists, idiotic things people say, and general FREAKING THE HELL OUT. Been there, done that. Just remember, you can do this. You can so do this!
Another key component of handling our shared disease is recognizing our partners who are going through this stuff (and I could have used another “s” word) with us. Maybe it’s a spouse, children, parents, or close friends. There’s a section just for them, often overlooked heroes when living with a chronic disease. You’ll read (and listen) to how Laura and I make a great team. And how even the best of teams can struggle.
Now I’ll turn your attention to trickier stuff. Like dealing with setbacks. They are inevitable with a progressive disease, like zits as a teenager or your dad embarrassing you. Unfortunately face cleanser and avoiding black socks and sandals won’t take care of these challenges. So if you find yourself having a rough go, this might be just what the doctor ordered and heck, may even cheer you up.
And then there are the deep tracks that aren’t pleasant to listen to, but they are on the album. You may get around to them, or you may just file that knowledge away. And I’m totally cool with that. Heck, I hope you never need to go there. But if MS gets heavy, this section may offer you some comfort. There is a detailed article on MS depression (it’s frighteningly common with our disease) and frank conversations about when MS gets serious.
