Peter Jones

I had my first episode when I was nine years old and a second when I was 14 years old. My third event was at age 26. I am now 72 and have had no recurrence for the last 46 years, thus the benign status. Although suspected, I was not formally diagnosed with MS until 1989. I had been suffering from severe headaches and my neurologist set me for an MRI which at that time was a very, very new diagnostic tool. As a result of the MRI a forma diagnosis of MS was made. My left side has always had a weakness, residue from my three episodes. Over recent months I have become very unsteady and experiencing balance issues, which my neurologist tells me is a combination of the residual damage and the ageing process. Several weeks ago I was assessed by a MSWA physiotherapist and as a result I am attending regular physiotherapy and have had orthodics fitted all of which seems to be having positive results. I appreciate that I am one of the lucky ones when it comes to my MS experience. I was told many years ago to "live with it, not for it" and I have endeavoured to adopt this attitude. It has only been recently that I have taken an interest in MS (after 46 years without an attach you tend to think you have dodged the bullet, but having now read a lot about it many things are falling into place. Things like the problem with fatigue (I had never made the connection): heat and humidity (likewise): dehydration (ditto). I am grateful to MSWA for the services, support and assistance they provide.