Interviewed on BBC News this morning - a young woman who has MS, now she takes her medicine and everything is fine - she is back at work!
In a news items relating to getting people off sick and back to work. Had my husband (who has SP), spitting feathers, so misleading. While it is great for the woman concerned MS is a progressive degenerative disease and as everyone knows here everyone is different.
Untypical reports such as this paint such an unhelpful picture. If only it were that simple.
Did anyone else see it? I think it is worth a complaint.
yes I saw it and am absolutely ‘spitting’. so misleading…If she can work full time then good luck for her…but after 9 months off work with highly active RRMS I knew I wouldn’t be able to cope full time and so returned part time…with lots of support at home I just manage it. I do think that each one of us suffering from this life changing disease should remember that we all suffer differently and make sure that we say something to that effect if and when we are interviewed by the media. Otherwise the general populace , government, DWP, Atos to mention but a few, will feel quite justified in thinking we are all money leeching malingerers…will stop ther as I can’t tust myself with saying more!
I didn`t see the programme, but I agree with you totally.
Yknow when we heard that one of the Osmonds had recovered from his MS, I think he mustve been wrongly diagnosed. MS doesnt get better, does it? I dont mean the way that RRMS can have remittance, but I mean a total recovery. If only, eh?
I did see the news yesterday and felt that this woman was very lucky to be in a job that she could continue with.
I have been off work for 3 mths now and as I drive for a living I am not able to return.
I too want to go back to work and play my part in society.
I have just had 2 days where I thought I was getting to grips with the walking thing and then I wake up this morning and the legs refuse to work.
How the hell can I get back to work when I dont know what esach day will bring.
I am in the process of applying for DLA, which I see as a lifeline for the future, but the interview made me feel that we are looked at with suspicion all the time and leaves me doubting my own ability to do things. I keep asking myself “maybe if I try harder to get about or get exercising more then it will help”.
I know the answer to that but articles like this make me doubt my own judgment on what I can and can’t do.
My husband had a job that he enjoyed and did well. He never had a day off sick.
His last day he could not drive home. He used to drvie 30,000 miles per year.
If he could work he would, in fact if would rather like to go out for a walk, have 10 minutes without pain, be able to play with the grandchildren, travel, pick up his hobbies, mow the lawn, do some DIY.
I didn’t see this, but it is not the first time I have heard of people getting out of their wheelchairs and back on the golf course, getting a diagnosis and training for and running a marathon. Great news for those who can do this, but the reality for me and many others is very very different, much harsher and cruel. It is also not useful when struggling financially and trying to claim benefits when there is a belief out there that a course of drugs will do the trick and that those of us with progressive forms are simply malingerers or frauds, or not trying. Makes me very angry!!
Most of us were enraged by the one sided impression of MS this person gave.
She said she wanted to work and not put a strain on the system, well the taxis to and from work cost money as do the changes her employes made.
Totally false impression, most of us are not the same 2 days running, you notice they never put anyone on this type of item who can`t do much or on their worst days.
I would have hesitated in letting myself be used this way and would have really thought about the rest of the MSers who may not be so lucky.
I saw this news article and thought good, all I’ve got to do is find an employer that is prepared to employ a 56 year old man with a progressive illness, who has no balance and falls over unexpectedly, is on six different drugs daily.
I felt fine yesterday morning, looked normal and fell in a heap on top of my dog (no damage done) but it was ok because nobody saw me, (except for the dog and she’s not telling). Still there are plenty of brain dead people driving around now as I type this, in thick fog with no lights on while school children are walking to school.
I did see this report on the news. Both my husband and I said it was a poor example of someone wiht MS.
I know there are a lot of people out there who would love to work full time and I am one of them. I am pleased to say that I can work part-time, but do need an afternoon nap to keep me going for the rest of the day.
Good luck to this person. They did not mention how much time she has off sick when she is having a relapse did they. That woud be interesting.
I am sorry to say they should have used a better example of a person with ms in a wheel chair maybe, using crutches like myself!
i too saw this on the bbc and felt sick i struggle to know what im going to be like day to day, i would love to work and not be a scrounger as they call us, i get disability but i dont get sick money from the state or my employer as i worked part time and had school holidays so when my hours were calculated i hadnt worked enough hours to pay stamp so nothing is now available for me, i dont want to be at home not doing anything and would love to do simple things like shopping and doing activities with my children but no … the job i did involved me being alone for a couple of hours with the children i i discussed with my employer and we didnt feel i could do this as i would have to carry young children and make food for them, with not knowing from day to day how can this be done ?
i really do hope the ms society complain about this for all us msers in this positionxx
Like your “Cuddles are Free” in your posting - cuddles mean everything and I know myself a good cuddle from my husband takes it all away and for that few seconds you can forget all your pain and worries. Keep cuddling is the best drug of them all !!!
Just wish the BBC could see some of the comments on here about their Item.
I have this morning been onto the MS soc team dealing with this type of thing, the phone no is 0208 4388 0700 to tell them exacly what I thought of this, the guy I spoke to hadn`t even seen it.
Told him I t hought the BBC should be made to put the other side of the story . They couldn`t treat an Ethnic group like this so why us.
Hoping that the BBC will make it clear that this is only the story of one MSer and it may be a different story for her in a few weeks time.