this morning when i got out of bed my legs refused to co-operate.
undeterred i got to the bathroom (bladder urgency) and then gave them a good talking to.
“you’re my legs and so i’m the boss, behave yourselves!”
lo and behold they started to co-operate enough to get me downstairs and into the kitchen to make a coffee.
will they hold me up for the rest of the day?
will let you know.
carole x
also the bladder might need a good talking to but i know that it’s the boss of me!
I’ve given up talking to my bladder carole-it doesn’t listen I just keep layering up with the tena ladies and hope for the best
Hope your legs hold you up for the rest of the day…you tell em girl!
xx
Hi Carole
I talk to my legs a lot. If I don’t concentrate then they won’t work. I have to really concentrate on the walking if I want them to work for a few steps. As soon as I concentrate on something else then they give way. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work with my bladder. I am sure it speaks a different lanhuage.
Hope you are feeling a bit happier now though.
Shazzie xx
Hi Carole, I talk to my bladder ( not joking) - I have to speak out loud and then it works. Don’t know if it just makes my bladder to relax just a bit :- enough to make it start working.
so talking to your legs seems the obvious thing to do, to me. Hope you continue to stay well .
jackie xx
hi
thanks for being pleased that i’m over my big downer.
now i’m just the loony who talks to different parts of her body
carole x
Haha!
And I thought I was the only one that does this! I have actually done it whilst out and about, and then worried that anyone might have overheard me muttering: “C’mon, stupid leg!”, or something like that.
T.
xx
Tina
it works though doesn’t it?
my legs are telling me that they’re tired now but they have behaved all day.
i feel that i should promise them a milky bar!
but they can’t eat so i’ll have to do it for them
carole x
when i am having a nasty bladder spasm, I reallly tell mine not to pee out the wrong way! Does it listen? Most of the time, no!
pollx
I do think mental attitude is hugely important with MS, and in fact, I was told this when first diagnosed.
I am certainly NOT suggesting everything can be fixed with just mind-over-matter. If it could, then nobody would be in a wheelchair, or having toilet accidents, or whatever. But yes, assuming diplomatic relations have not been completely broken off, I do find talking to the bit that’s playing silly beggars often helps.
I think it’s probably something about focusing the attention. There are lots of things I find harder now, but can still do if I think about it more. I suppose, if you say to the legs: “Now come on, we’ve got to do this - don’t mess me about!”, it sort of crystallises that directed thinking.
I have also slapped bits that were numb or tingling when I got particularly annoyed with it, but that doesn’t seem to work as well.
Tina
x
now neuralgia is driving me mad!
clutching my jaw and i know there is nothing wrong with my teeth.
another thing to chunner to myself about.
i’ll get taken away by those nice people in white coats.
especially when im sit on the loo and rock backwards and forwards whilst talking to my bladder!!
LoL! Not at the neuralgia - only had it once, but boy, did it hurt. But in the morning it was totally gone, to the point I wondered if it had all been a dream that I was up in the night, in agony.
But at the performance on the loo - another one I can relate to: “Lean forward a bit…lean back a bit…think of waterfalls!” To think I used to be able to sit down and just do it.
T.
x
I talk to my body a lot, albeit usually in my head. But i find making an enemy of it doesn’t help at all. For example, I used to get frustrated with my legs for spasming. But it would never make any difference, other than to make me more stressed. Now though, I’m more soothing towards them - it’s not my leg’s fault after all. And the spasms will usually calm down quicker, or at the very least I’ll feel more calm & relaxed. It’s sort of like having a baby that’s crying - get angry with it, or even just plead with it to stop, and the baby will probably carry on crying. But if you’re soothing & accepting, it will probably settle down more easily.
On the weakness thing though, here’s an interesting experiment for you to try on 2 people. Person 1 has to hold out their arm in front of them, then person 2 has to push down on their arm for a few seconds while the first person tries to keep their arm out straight.
Next, person 1 can put their arm down, then has to close their eyes & say ‘I am weak and unworthy’ out loud ten times. (People often don’t like saying that & will rush through it, but it’s best to get them to take the time and really feel the words.) Then repeat the experiment - person 1 holds their arm out straight and tries to keep it straight while person 2 tries to push down it down. Note whether or not it was easier to push their arm down.
Finally, person 1 can put their arm down again, then has to close their eyes & say ‘I am strong and worthy’ ten times out loud. Again, this shouldn’t be rushed. And then repeat it again, with person 1 trying to keep their arm out straight while person 2 tries to push it down.
Chances are, it will have been easiest to push person 1’s arm down after they said they were weak & unworthy, and hardest to do it after they said they were strong & worthy. And I think that’s fascinating for us with an illness that’s defined by weakness. Obviously, as Tina says, that doesn’t mean MS is all in our heads and we can ‘fix’ it just by thinking better. But how much do we make things just a little bit harder for ourselves by telling us that we’re weak & will find things difficult? I use the ‘strong & worthy’ trick a lot now, and my body is always a bit stronger afterwards.
Dan
dan
that makes a lot of sense.
“kindly awareness” as in mindfulness meditation.
so when i get up to make a cup of tea, i’ll say “come on my sweet babies, get me to the kettle please”.
i just did it so now going to drink my cuppa.
carole x
hiya
thats exactly the way i get through each day!
fantastic reply dan-as always
ellie