QUESTIONS
with TIM
MS
SYMPTOMS
what you can do
to understand them
Here’s something a little different
for this edition. One of the things
any person with MS knows is
just how hard it is to explain to
someone who does not have
MS what the symptoms feel like
– how it affects the things you do
every day.
Now I can take no credit for
the suggestions below – I
don’t directly know the people
who wrote them (definitely
someone with MS) but see if
you can convince your partner,
kids, friend, boss, colleagues
to give some of these a go and
send us your feedback to
[email protected]
MS LIFE – WINTER 2014
Painful heavy
legs
Apply 10kg leg weights then take a 1km walk,
clean the house, go shopping and then sit down.
Painful feet
Put equal or unequal amounts of small pebbles
in the bottom of your shoes then take a walk.
Loss of feeling in
ARM AND/OR LEgs
Put on extra thick gloves and a heavy coat then
try and pick up a pin.
Uncontrollable
itching
Glue or sew small steel wool pads to the inside
of your shirt, pants and underwear and wear
them for an entire day.
Trouble lifting
arms
Apply 10kg wrist weights and try and reach for
something on the highest shelf in your house.
Urgently need
to urinate
Go to a crowded shopping centre and at any
given moment, you have 30 seconds to get to a
toilet. Sometimes it may only be 20 seconds.
FATIGUE
Stay awake for two full days to induce incredible
fatigue and then cook dinner, clean the house,
walk the dog and see how you feel.
BRAIN FOG
Take a liberal dose of sleeping pills (please don’t)
but stay awake. Try and function properly and
think clearly.
VISION PROBLEMS
Smear Vaseline on your glasses and then wear
them to read the newspaper.
Foot drop/
balance /tripping
Wear a swimming fin on just one foot and take a
1km walk.
MEMORY ISSUES
Have someone make a list of items to shop for.
When you come back have that person add two
things to the list and then ask why you didn’t
get them. When you come back from shopping
again, have them erase three things from the list
and ask why you bought them.