Flat Out

Thank you to everyone for their support of this blog and of me in general.  Last month when I got my diagnosis of MS, I felt so alone.  Now, after 5 days of posting and more than 2700 page views, I know that I am certainly not alone and that there are a ton of people out there facing similar problems.  So, issue of the day: I fell on my way into work this morning.  :)  Mind you, it was raining and I was walking faster than usual due to my new-found mobility; one of my colleagues asked me jokingly if I was practicing for a marathon.  Well, no, but when you can't walk properly for months and then you are almost in remission, you tend to speed along as fast as your legs will allow for a while!  Anyway, I want to talk about "canes" and not the candy kind.  When my mobility was down to almost nil, my co-worker brought me a wooden cane.  Well, that cane sat in my office for a week before I could bring myself to try it.  Just like not being able to wear heels anymore, using a cane made me feel angry and embarrassed, like something I really didn't want to give up had been stolen from me.  Fast-forward and now I'm all over using my cane; I'm not very good at it yet but, it sure does help.  It's been in my den for about 2 weeks now but, after my slip today, I may break that sucker out again.  For all of you mobility-challenged young people out there holding out on trying a walking aid, I am going to tell you to just do it.  Seriously.  Make your life a little easier.  I recommend the kind of cane that I bought; it's called a Hugo and it matches my favourite pair of flats (silver & black).  Check it out fellow MS-ers:
http://www.hugoanywhere.ca/ProductsSeg.asp?SegmentNameEn=Offset%20canes
I got the "carbon swirls" one but I'm thinking I kind of like "rainforest" too. ha ha  When I first started using it, all kinds of strangers asked me what was wrong; in elevators, in stores, on the street.  I was humiliated and deep in denial after my diagnosis and told people blatant lies like I had a broken leg, I fell skiing, I twisted my ankle...It was becoming a game in my head to try and think up the most outrageous story and see if I could get away with it.  I imagined myself blurting out "bear attack", "my parachute didn't open" or "killer bees" when encountering a curious stranger.  Now I'm further along in the 'stages of grief' and entrenched in the 'acceptance' stage so, I have no problem telling anyone, "I have Multiple Sclerosis".  While walking is still a struggle for me if I don't get enough rest or overdo it, I know that whenever I'm having trouble, I can just take out the Hugo and go wherever I used to.  Hey, if I ever do encounter a swarm of killer bees or an angry bear, at least I can hit them with the cane!
And for anyone who's interested, there is a young man named Jason Dasilva addressing the issue of MS and mobility in his film "When I Walk" (link below).  I can't wait to see it.
http://www.wheniwalk.com/
Thanks all, Love Ali. xoxo