"MS attacks your nervous system and slows down your functions your respiratory system, your organs, everything. The disease eats away at all the things we take for granted. Some of us with MS have a raft of pain; some don't. I have a lot of it. When I wake up, often I can't get my arm to move far enough to grab the cup of water by my bed or my phone from its charger."
"One of the worst side-effects of the illness is the exhaustion. It feels as though I've been on a three-day sleepless bender and that's how I feel after a good night's sleep. Hence all the time I spend on and in bed, snuggled up against my heating pad."
"On the back of that diagnosis and the symptoms I face, I no longer care what I say or how I come across or how it makes anyone feel. I don't have patience for bullshit any more, for things that are meaningless or merely extra. When your physical situation deteriorates, and your life shrinks to the size of a king-sized bed, suddenly all the things you thought were important shift, too."
Multiple sclerosis attacks the nervous system, progressively impairing respiratory function, organ performance, and physical mobility. The disease causes severe chronic pain, leaving the speaker unable to perform basic tasks like reaching for water or walking across a room. Treatment involves biannual infusions that eliminate B cells, increasing infection susceptibility and causing gastrointestinal complications requiring emergency care. Extreme fatigue persists despite adequate sleep. This diagnosis and physical deterioration have fundamentally altered priorities and perspective. The speaker no longer tolerates meaningless social conventions or professional obligations that previously consumed nearly fifty years. Physical shrinkage to bed-bound existence clarifies what truly matters, transforming the speaker into someone prioritizing authenticity and rejecting superficial concerns.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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