It’s Only a Matter of Time

There was a time when I didn’t have deadlines. I’d finally finished academia. No more essays ever!

In theory, I still had seven essays to write. Luckily, those essays could only improve my grade, so I got away with it. But only to a degree. I just scraped by with honors, but hey, now I could legitimately put a BA after my name. Of course, no one does that unless you work in legal, finance, or dentistry!

I knew I’d never use it. My degree was in economics, and there was no chance of me employing (finally a Keynesian pun!) a subject I discovered I hated too late. I didn’t know where I was headed, but it certainly wasn’t the world of economics.

What a breeze with nothing hanging over me! No constant gray cloud of intermittent drizzle.

It was fun for a while, but weirdly, I began to miss the deadlines. I solved that by becoming a journalist. I’ve also worked as a TV casting director and a comedy producer. Now MS has brought me full circle by writing for this very prestigious organization. (I’m also a forums moderator at Multiple Sclerosis News Today Forums.)

I have deadlines aplenty. But MS saps time like nothing I’ve confronted before.

Refill the stapler? That will take one hour, sir. I could ask someone to do it for me, sure, but that feels like giving in. I only relent if I can’t find a way around it.

Some things are just ridiculous, though. For example, an eight-hour bathroom break! (OK, once it was 12 hours, but that is another story.) It’s in no way exciting, so I’ll endeavor to be brief.

Water way to spend oodles of time. (Photo by John Connor)

MS causes so many problems, and dealing with one leads to another. At some point, these problems coalesce. In my case, they coalesce when I shower.

It’s not as bad as it was a few years ago when my shower ate me. Now I have a perfectly adapted bathroom, but combating aspects of MS still consume my time.

To deal with lymphedema, I wear constricting stockings overlaid by constricting bandages. Putting on the stockings is like wrestling angry pythons while the bandages mock my weak and restricted right arm. My able-bodied wife also finds them nearly impossible!

I’m too disabled for wrap! (Photo by John Connor)

Putting them on and taking them off is hours of work!

Therapists blithely say things like, “Take them off at night!” Well, that would mean getting out of bed and putting them on, grabbing some breakfast or brunch, and taking them off again before going to bed.

That was a fun day!

A Peristeen anal irrigation system adds at least two hours to my bathroom routine. With a few months of practice, I can now manage it in a tad over an hour. Throw in shaving, actually having a shower, and the time necessary to recover from fatigue, and there you go — eight hours.

I said I’d be brief! But that’s MS for you.

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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.