Hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend! I got to see my family in north TX... can't believe how big my nephews are getting.
I told y'all in he last blog that I would tell you about my co-worker - he who has the pain tolerance of Apollo himself! He's not a native Texan, not even a native Southern boy, but he'd qualify as both! He plays hockey and thought he twisted his ankle a couple of weeks ago. Then, last weekend, he twisted his knee pretty bad - bad enough to go to the doc. So, while he's at the doc for his knee, he tells them about his ankle. Well, turns out he's got a sprained knee ligament but a broken ankle! Now, my partner is a good guy and has his moments of brilliant charm but somehow he was able to convince the doc to put him in a removable boot and release him to work with NO restrictions. My buddy is not out on the streets patrolling, he's like me in plain-clothes behind a desk conducting interviews and the like. But, he was the in the class with me, doing everything all of us are doing - and I think I have more "restrictions" on me than him.
I think that's one of the hardest things about MS to explain to others that do not share that Dx. The restrictions the disease puts on us, in so many ways that are not visible. How do you explain to your best friend that you can't go have that drink with her after work because all you can think about is an Epson salt bath to calm your spastic muscles and then climbing into bed? Do your nephews understand why you can't come see their football games because they are at 1 and 3 pm on fields with no shade in 95 degree weather and 90% humidity - but you can make the 8am game next week in the pouring rain? How do you feel when you call in sick to work, not because you've got the flu or a migraine or a broken leg, but because your head is spinning so bad and your feet are so numb you don't trust yourself to walk to the bathroom, let alone crawl into your car and drive?
I can't remember what blog I read it on, but it would be easier if our MS restrictions were easier to explain, just so we could just call in "MS day"!!
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2 comments:
You partner sounds like the rest of us typicsl "Type A's". I was like that, until MS stopped me! LOL. One thing we DO have that can helps with the "MS" days. It's called FMLA. Federal Medical Leave ACT. It requires an MD to certifiy that you OR a loved have a chronic medical condition that WILL require you to miss work. Either on your own behalf or if your a caregiver. You are allowed up to 12 weeks a year. They can be taken as needed (a day here and there) and not all at once. The best part is that under FMLA they can NOT count any time under FMLA as an "absence". So it doesn't hurt your attendance record or impact our evals.
I agree that the invisibility of this disease is bad. For me it is a BIG problem on two fronts: 1) I can't explain to people that I'm exhausted now when I was fine an hour ago or 2) I don't understand myself why I'm exhausted now and so I beat myself up for being lazy.
National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness week starts Sept 14 and I'll post some thoughts on the subject then. In the meantime, I'm glad I found your blog!
Joan at shortinthecord.blogspot.com
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