When
you become a metaphorical card-carrying member of the multiple
sclerosis community, you can celebrate this news by carrying an actual, literal card.
This
handy little orange plastic jobbie explains that a person has MS,
reassures panicked bystanders that it’s not infectious, and details
why the holder might need help fast:
It
is intended to be produced if you need the loo urgently, are at risk
of falling or cannot see or speak clearly and is -
assuming the person being presented with the card is helpful - a
useful thing to have.
But
from this card-carrying member’s point of view, the orange card I
would far rather have had on diagnosis is this one:
Not
because I am some sort of top-hat shaped recidivist, but because if
you’re given one crappy incurable disease, surely you should automatically have a
free pass from any other sort of health calamity.
Seems only fair.
But
sadly, in our own faulty deck of chance cards, this is not
necessarily the case. Something neatly outlined in *panic warning* this particularly scary article linking an MS diagnosis with higher risks of other nasties.
It’s
not just the big illness risks either, there’s a whole list of
other complaints that exist as part of some sort of bad MS
knock-on joke and for which I firmly believe we should get a whole
pack of get out of jail free cards.
Things
like muscle atrophy due to long periods of relapse inactivity, dental
problems due to stiffness, weakness or muscle spasms affecting the
ability to brush or floss properly, weight gain because of difficulty
moving around or poor nutrition due to limited energy or a reduced
income.
Not all of these things - larger or lesser - happen to everyone with MS. And of
course, some can be balanced with help, information
and support.
But such piece-meal construction of a healthy life makes
for a pretty precarious paper structure.
And, like any house of
cards, it only takes one light breeze for them all to come tumbling
down.
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