11/30/2023
When we with MS say we can't do something because we don't feel well, people without MS can put yourself in our shoes by using the examples of our symptoms. Please note the descriptions are only an example and not to be done for real - just being sarcastic.
MS Symptoms
What You Can do To Understand
Painful Heavy Legs ...
Tightly apply 20 LB ankle weights and 15 LB thigh weights then take a 1-mile walk, clean the house, go shopping and then sit down.
Painful Feet ...
Put equal or unequal amounts of small pebbles in each shoe then take a walk.
Loss of Feeling in Hands and/or Arms ...
Put on extra thick gloves and a heavy coat then try and pick up a pencil.
Loss of Feeling in Feet and/or Legs ...
Ask a doc for a shot of Novocain in both of your legs and then try and stand up and walk without looking like the town drunk.
TN (Trigeminal Neuralgia) ...
Take an ice pick and jam it into your ear or cheek and whenever the wind blows on it or a stray hair touches it, it feels 10 times worse.
Uncontrollable Itching ...
Glue or sew small steel wool pads to the inside of your shirt, pants and undergarments wear them for an entire day.
Tingling ...
Stick your finger in an electrical socket and imagine that feeling all day.
Tight Banded Feeling ...
Put a 12-inch-wide belt around you and make it as tight as you can and leave it there for the entire day.
Shots ...
Fill one of our spare needles with saline solution, saline won't hurt you. Give yourself a shot every time we do our shot.
Side Effects from the Shot ...
Bang your head against a wall, wrap yourself in a heating pad, wrap your entire body with an ace bandage tightly then finally treat yourself to some spoiled food or drink.
Trouble Lifting Arms ...
Apply 20 LB wrist weights and try and reach for something on the highest shelf in your house.
Spasticity ...
Hook bungee cords to your rear belt loops and rear pant leg cuffs then for your arms hook bungee cords to your shirt collar and cuffs on shirt sleeves then go dancing.
Poor Hearing/Buzzing in Ears ...
Put a bee in each ear and then put a plug in each one so that the bee stays put.
Balance and Walking Problems ...
Drink 100 proof grain alcohol and then sit and spin in an office chair for 30 minutes, now get up.
Urgently Needing to P*e ...
We put a .5 liter remote controlled water bag and drip tube in your pants, we point out 2 restrooms in a crowded mall, then we tell you that you have 30 seconds before we activate the water bag (by remote control) to get to a restroom.
Bizarre and Inexplicable Sensations ...
Place tiny spiders on your legs or arms and allow them to periodically crawl around throughout the day.
Dizziness (Vertigo) ...
Get on a gently rocking boat all day and all night and take several walks around the deck with your eyes closed.
Fatigue ...
Stay awake for two full days to induce incredible fatigue and then cook dinner, clean the house, walk the dog. Please do not compare MS fatigue to being tired from only a few hours of sleep - it's not the same at all.
Cognitive Function (Brain Fog) ...
Take a safe liberal dose of sleeping pills but stay awake. Try and function properly and think clearly.
Bowel Problems ...
Take a 4 day dose of anti-diarrhea medicine followed directly by a 3 day dose of stool softeners for a minimum of 3 weeks, at the end of 3 weeks sit down on a hard Un-cushioned chair and stay there until tears appear.
Burning Feeling ...
Make a full pot of boiling water and then have someone fill a sq**rt gun with the boiling water and shoot it at yourself all day long.
Intention Tremor ...
Hook your entire body to some type of vibrating machine then try and move your legs and arms.
L'Hermittes Sign (Buzzing Feeling When Bending Our Heads to Our Chest) ...
Place a frayed electrical wire on your back and run it all the way down to your feet while plugged in.
Optic Neuritis (Vision Problems) ...
Smear vaseline on glasses and then wear them to read the newspaper.
Memory Issues ...
Have someone make a list of items to shop for and when you come back that person adds two things to the list and then they ask why you didn't get them. When you come back from shopping again they take the list and erase three things and ask why you bought those things.
Foot Drop ...
Wear one swim fin and take about a 1/2 mile walk.
Fear ...
Dream that you have lost complete feeling in your feet and when you wake up wiggle your feet, just so happens they don't move. Think about this every night wondering whether something on your body won't work the next day when you wake up.
Swallowing ...
Swallow a balloon blown up to the size of a golf ball.
Then Finally ...
After subjecting yourself to the items above, let everyone tell you that you are just under a lot of stress, it's all in your head and that some exercise and counseling is the answer.
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