Last updated April 25, 2023 In June, the U.K. marks Carers Week, which got me thinking about how a chronic illness diagnosis often affects a patient’s entire family. Most often, patients are the focus of a diagnosis, and the people around them are almost forgotten. The…
DISabled to ENabled — Jessie Ace
Jessie is the host of the DISabled to ENabled podcast and author of the “ENabled Warriors Symptom Tracker” book. She’s also an illustrator working with MS charities and magazines worldwide. She’s interviewed paralympians, radio DJs, chronic illness bloggers, marathon runners, and more. Jessie, based in the U.K., was diagnosed with MS at 22 years old and was told by a doctor to “go home and Google it” to find out what MS was for herself. Her own experience of being newly diagnosed so young was negative and scary, so she fills the internet with positivity for other anxious MS Googlers to stumble upon.
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It’s with a heavy heart that I write this. I don’t want to, but I have to do what’s right. This will be my last column. Lately, things have been crazy busy for me, with a mix of expected events, such as moving to a new home, and a few unexpected…
Who wants to go on holiday?! I know, I know, we can’t physically go anywhere right now, but what if I told you that you could go anywhere you wanted while staying at home? Stay with me! It’s been really sunny and blindingly hot in the U.K.
You’re chronically ill, super anxious, crazy shy, unconfident, and have no interviewing skills. To some, that recipe may sound like a terrible concoction to start a podcast. However, for me, I knew it was something I had to do. I had to share…
There’s something we need to address, right here, right now. Not all of you will like it or agree with what I’m about to say, and that’s OK. I need to get this off my chest, so here it goes. I hear so many people with…
“You can’t say that!” Screams erupted over our Zoom chat resulting in infectious laughter. Admittedly, it was rude, too rude to mention, especially considering the unexpectedness of who said it. Fun and laughter are what’s keeping us all going right now.
I hate needles. Being told I’d need to do injections was the worst news ever, second only to my diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Sitting in the neurologist’s office with my husband, Paul, was terrifying. I was 22 and newly diagnosed with…
Bookmark this page! Why? Because in this column, I’ll give you three techniques to help manage your anxiety. Anxiety and stress are unhelpful for anyone’s mind or body, particularly with a chronic illness like multiple sclerosis. Feeling anxious or stressed is our brain’s mechanism to prepare the body…
What will the future look like after this coronavirus craziness is over? One thing is certain: The world can’t go back to being “normal.” This time in isolation has raised many issues and broken down so many barriers. Only now do…
Well, this is super weird. Being told to stay home and leave our houses only for food, medication, or exercise is bizarre for those of us in England. It’s starting to take a toll on my mental health. The other day, I stood in line at…
“I can’t move my head,” I thought. It was 5 a.m. on April 1, and the realization of my full bladder prompted my wakening. But I soon realized I had a more significant issue that only became apparent when I tried to get up and couldn’t. What on…
I’m grateful that I’ve worked from home for a long time. I imagine that, for many people, working from home for the first time is a difficult adjustment. How do you stay focused on work without going stir crazy? …
Living through this unique time is nothing like I’ve ever experienced before. There’s so much doom and gloom around lately. I don’t know about you, but the constant government alerts and updates don’t feel like they’re helping me. It’s enough to drive me insane if I…
Following my previous column titled, “5 Free Activities You Can Do at Home During COVID-19 Hibernation,” I thought it would be fun to share some more free things you can do from home. The more I look into this topic, the more material…
I don’t watch or listen to the news, but luckily, fellow Multiple Sclerosis News Today columnist Ed Tobias does. I’ve found that avoiding the news has helped to improve my mental health, because I realized that all the doom and gloom happening…
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