MS

Hello lovely people.  Here we are in 2018, another year well underway.  2017 was a bit of a mixed bag for me with some wonderful things happening and some not so wonderful.  In my last post  I mentioned I had been unwell and at that time a cause for my symptoms unknown.  After more tests I was diagnosed in December with Multiple Sclerosis.  By then I was beginning to suspect MS was the possible cause of my debilitating symptoms but having it confirmed by my neurologist was not something I wanted to hear.  

What is one to do when given such a diagnosis?  What choice does one really have but to make the best of it!  My first thoughts were how this would affect my family in the long term, what it would mean for me and how it would change my life.  I've had some very dark days with tears and despair but ever the optimist, I sat down and wrote a list of all the positives in my life and there are many.  This really is the only way to manage and cope on a daily basis.

The most frustrating thing for me is the fatigue and the uncertainty of how I will feel one day to the next.  My love of gardening has been severely curtailed but my symptoms have improved so am able to do just a little bit and find I can weed and prune for short periods of time.  Learning to do tasks in short bursts rather than for long periods at a time is something I'm adjusting to.  I've spent rather a lot of time crafting, either knitting or sewing and am so very happy I enjoy these hobbies otherwise I fear I'd be very frustrated. 

I love the illustration below, a very good description of my brain and the way I think.  Having a sense of humour is the only way I can get through some days, that and a trailer load of yarn to make lovely things.

Speaking of creating and yarn, I am fortunate enough to part of a group of ladies who all started knitting socks from Christine's blog https://www.winwickmum.co.uk/p/sockalong.html. Some ladies in my local area have become very good friends and we meet on a regular basis.  We all seem to have yarn stashes and can relate to this illustration.

When I get my laptop fixed up, updated etc., I'll be able to load some photos from my phone so I can show some of the things I've been doing/making in the last few months.  I'm currently working on some crochet blankets, neat ripple pattern by Lucy of Attic 24.

Thank you for reading,

Anne