About Multiple Sclerosis
MS Facts
Posted 07 September 2009
What Is Multiple Sclerosis? Who Gets MS? What Causes MS? What Are The Symptoms of MS? How Do You Know If You Have MS? The Types of MS.
Couples and MS
Posted 27 January 2009
Recognising that MS can have a huge impact on a couple’s relationship, the MS Society Tas runs Couples Programs. Recently 8 couples travelled to the east coast of Tasmania for a weekend away. On their return one couple wrote… After organising animals, kids etc it was great to get away up the Coast! What a sensational spot – peaceful, water lapping around us, beautiful outlook, and to top it off; fabulous weather. Great environment for relaxing, learning, sharing and contemplating. But, best of all, we got to meet other couples, share our stories and learn heaps about MS issues, relationships, conflict management, sexuality stuff – all done with a multitude of laughs and a few tears. How amazing to realise that as couples, one partner with MS, we are all dealing with the same day to day issues. It is so reassuring to know that we are not alone and there is support available! Humour is so important to take the edge off all the ‘MS serious stuff’ – and there was lots of that – a fun quiz night was a prime example. The ‘support girls’ (the organisers) did an awesome job – top stuff!!’
Katie's Story
Posted 17 January 2009
Katie makes choices, just like we all do, about how she lives, and for Katie that has meant driving a red convertible, living close to town in a place she recreated through renovations. It meant seeing friends, going to pubs, live music gigs and dancing. It meant adventurous cooking, raising three young children on her own and making time for her family and a new man. It meant loving animals and opportunities to ride the wild on the back of a horse. It meant funky fashion and a passion for artistic freedom. Katie has always chosen her independence and vibrancy. She didn’t choose MS. Katie’s symptoms of significant loss of vision, extreme fatigue and awkward way of walking took a while to be diagnosed as MS – a far cry from the hangovers of the party scene. In the twelve months since being told she had MS Katie has seen some pretty major disruptions in her life: she can no longer drive herself or her children around town in her convertible, she relies more on her parents and outside help than she would like and her children are spending more time with their father. Katie hasn’t lost her passion for life and still enjoys meeting her friends, sharing a joke and a smoke, sharing love and intimacy with her man – but things are irreversibly different. Katie has MS.
My Partner Has MS...
Posted 16 January 2009
This news was devastating when we first heard. We had planned to do so much in the future – travel the world together, build a holiday home, move to a bigger, better home – the lot! The thing is, we realised that the future was NOW and so we began finding ways to do some of those things we had planned to do “one day”. While we planned and took action we realised how important NOW is – we began to live each day like it was our last and we found our values changing. We actually laughed more and spent more time together as we planned and worked hard to realise our dreams. We also realised that the important stuff was not the bricks and mortar of new homes but the time spent in talking and working together. Life is hard, there’s no doubt about that. And sometimes I get angry and resentful - and I’m almost always sad in the bottom of my heart. But I’m also so happy that I have him with me a lot more now and the time we spend together is quality time. We’ve learned the importance of humour, lightness and joy. We don’t really know what the future holds but it just isn’t so important - what is important is today – NOW. S.W.
Working with MS (A Personal Story)
Posted 31 August 2008
For some people with MS, being in the workplace can be really challenging. Fatigue can be a huge problem - especially in jobs where the environment is quite hot, like a kitchen or factory. Things such as poor or no air conditioning, stairs and even how far away the printer or toilets are can cause difficulties for someone with MS. Fortunately, often with some adjustments to the workplace or the job itself people can continue working. Working part time, installing an air conditioner and conserving energy where possible by using the lift instead of stairs, or even moving to an office closer to the printer can all help make life at work much easier for people with MS. The MS Society provides advice, support and referrals for people with MS who may be experiencing problems at work.
