Like laundry, living with MS requires ongoing maintenance
The invisible, daily upkeep never really ends
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There’s a bin of laundry in my car. It’s been there for days, but I keep putting off carrying it upstairs. My dryer is broken.
It’s not a crisis, but it’s certainly inconvenient. It means I have to make a weekly trip to do laundry instead of running a load in the background while multitasking at home. It’s one of those minor inconveniences that isn’t dramatic enough to derail your life, but it is annoying enough to catch your attention every single week.
Mostly, it’s reminded me that laundry is never really done. At best, you get briefly caught up. And then life continues. Clothes are worn, towels are used, and the basket fills right back up. It doesn’t matter how many times you wash, dry, fold, and put away; before long, you’re right back where you started.
This rhythm reminds me of life with multiple sclerosis (MS).
The revolving load of MS
When most people think about MS, they tend to think about the big things: the relapses, the debilitating symptoms, bad news, and the way it can interrupt someone’s day or change their life trajectory in a flash. All those moments are very real. But a lot of life with MS is not lived in the dramatic moments, but in the upkeep.
Life with MS can be found in routines: taking medication, scheduling appointments, following through on MRIs, and paying attention to sleep, stress, temperature, energy levels, and all those little things that can tip the scales and worsen symptoms faster than you’d like.
Upkeep with MS means adjusting, then readjusting, constantly. It’s learning that doing well does not always mean the work is over. Sometimes it just means that all the work is, well, working.
That’s the part that people don’t always see. Stability with MS can look effortless from the outside. If someone is functioning, showing up, working, socializing, smiling, or laughing, it’s easy to assume things are just fine. But, boy, does “fine” often require a lot of maintenance.
Even though my symptoms from my last relapse have quieted, that’s still true in my life. After my last round of rituximab and last neurologist visit, I was told to schedule my next MRI. Not because of an immediate problem, but simply because I require routine monitoring. It’s part of living responsibly in a body that needs ongoing attention. But, in all honesty, I delayed making that appointment. I knew it mattered, but that upkeep was easy to postpone because nothing felt urgent.
MS doesn’t really work like that, though. Most chronic illnesses don’t. We don’t get to graduate from maintenance. There’s no winning your way out of the follow-up phases. And you don’t get to cross a clean finish line and have someone hand you a certificate that says, “Great news — you’ve done enough and now you never have to think about this again.”
Instead, you just keep tending to what needs tending. And that’s what my laundry has been reminding me of lately.
Some loads are heavier than others. Some weeks are more inconvenient than others. Some days, I’d prefer to pretend the basket isn’t there. But ignoring it doesn’t make it disappear. It just means a bigger pile will be waiting for you later.
Life with MS is a revolving load of responsibility — a series of small, necessary choices and tasks that help to keep an overworked body functioning to the best of its ability. To me, that’s one of the least glamorous truths about living with MS. So much of it is repetitive, ordinary, and largely invisible upkeep.
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, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to multiple sclerosis.
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