Brad Dell, Author at Multiple Sclerosis News Today

There's nothing like a good, old-fashioned bacteriological pincer attack to take your mind off impending death. I'm not exaggerating about the impending bit. A friend/colleague was supposed to fly to Rome today for a holiday but Italy has just closed. As I write this, it was only yesterday that the fifth person died of COVID-19 coronavirus in the U.K.; he did so in my local hospital! As the healthy crow flies, that's about a mile away! Experts say COVID-19 may survive on surfaces for up to several days! Everything is now a potential death trap. This has become madness overnight. At my local doctor's office, you sign in on a touch screen. I've got an appointment tomorrow — I'm probably going to wear surgical gloves. Luckily, I have loads of them due to previous needs. I presume they've sold out along with the British toilet roll mayhem. Some people on Twitter have been offering to swap a couple of rolls for a Porsche! Maybe I could use my gloves to get my hands on a Maserati. Mind you, that's an awful lot of wiping down ... Back to my prosaic bacteriological pincer attack. On Sunday night my wife and I settled down to watch a psychological police procedural film. It might not seem like a lot, but we've only been able to watch television together in recent months. Before that, I was trapped upstairs. Now, having spent a tiny fortune adapting our house, I can be part of my family again. I need to survive for a bit to get my money's worth. Or at least my wife's money's worth! One of the many blessings MS has bestowed upon me is lymphedema. It's particularly bad in my torpid right leg, but suddenly, my left foot started hurting. This had never happened before. My left foot was expanding into a squash! My right foot had a cut (self-imposed, I was trying to squeeze it down a bit with a contracting sock) and it was now infected. Somehow my left foot was copying it. Not only that, but my incessant urinary tract infection (UTI) had also returned. The next day my doctor's office suggested a new drug for my UTI and I gratefully accepted. It's called Monuril (fosfomycin trometamol) and you drink it in one go. I began to feel better within an hour. I went in to see the nurse about my feet. She put me on an antibiotic I'd not heard of (unfortunately I threw the box away without noting it down, but hey, I was feeling terrible!). On going back to have my dressings changed, things were still so bad that another antibiotic, co-amoxiclav, was prescribed. Incidentally, it is also the best for dealing with my UTIs. For a few days I was on two antibiotics! Things have settled down now. My left foot is more like a small melon again. Back to avoiding COVID-19! *** Note: Multiple Sclerosis News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Multiple Sclerosis News Today or its parent company, BioNews Services, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to multiple sclerosis.

Brad Dell, —

Articles by Brad Dell

What New Hell Is This?

Recent Posts

Subscribe to our newsletter