Yet again I am on here for a bit of advice from you lovely people.
I have just got back from a few days in Ireland visiting family but to be honest I did not do much,everyone came to me which was lovely.
I have had recurrent chest and urine infections on and off since march and they flared up again whilst in Ireland. Luckily my GP had given me some antibiotics to have just in case.
It seems the bugs that I have are resistant to the antibiotics the Gp has told me so I have been given other ones to hopefully try and ease this.
The ms has been really playing up this summer and I was just wondering could the fact that I am getting infection after infection be down to me receving tysabri or is it just the ms itself giving a wee bit more.
I totally know that I am still so much more fortunate than a lot of you lovely folk but this has fairly gubbed me this time. Hoping when this last dose of antibiotics kick in I will get back to a wee bit of “me”. School starts back next week so fingers crossed I am good to go. Think maybe I will have to have wee bit more of an aid, i.e rollator. I know a lot of you guys have them but I think I am panicking that I am letting the ms win if I give in and get one.
So very, very sorry for the long winded moan.
All my best wishes
Mary x
Hi Mary
Sounds like you’re having a rough time of it.
I hope you’re on the right antiblotics now and feel much better soon. I don’t have any experience of the meds you mentioned (I have PPMS no meds for me).
Don’t look at it as giving in look at it as being kind to yourself. MS is bloody hard work so we need all the help we can get. If you get a rotator go for a 4 wheel with seat. From experience with a 3 wheeler they are rubbish if your balance is bad.
Good luck and get well soon x
Thank so much Purplebubbles, I am taking the antibiotics and really hope they work this time.
I won’t be so pessimistic as I have so much to be grateful for.
I will look at the 4 wheel with seat variety and go for it, even if it is just to get me into school and once in I will use my stick.
Thanks again, it means so much
Mary
I am pretty sure that adapting to your circumstances is a lot smarter than “not giving in” and becoming a liability. A rollator will certainly be a safer option and keep those muscles working, so try one out and see if it suits you.
Hopefully, the antibiotics do their stuff soon.
Thanks so much for your kind reply, you are so very right. I will contact my physio on Monday morning and let her know that I am planning to purchase one. Just to let her know and she can give me any ideas she may have as she knows the “wobbly” me well.
Thanks once again, you truly are the best.
Mary
The right walking aid for the job can mean better stability, better walking range, less fatigue, more confidence, less chance of falling over and breaking a wrist… What’s not to love? We can’t stop having MS, but we can do our best to arm ourselves against its ravages, and using all the help we can get to stay mobile and live our lives is part of that, I think.
I’m sorry you are having a bad time of it.
My analogy:
I can walk about 10m unaided if I go v e r y slowly and deliberately, 50m or so with a stick in between rests, but can still walk around the supermarket clinging on to a trolley. Trolley = Rollator.
Just because you invest in a rollator doesn’t oblige you to use it all the time. Pick the right tool for each journey 
Thank you so very much for your very kind replies. Myself and my hubby have been looking up all infor on rollators. I am phoning my physio tomorrow morning to get her advice and there is a mobility shop very close by that we will then visit.
Thanks again
Mary x
A wee update, I contacted the physio and my ms nurse and both kindly called back very promptly.
The ms nurse said to hold off just now on rollator as looking at my gp notes thinks the infections I have had this summer are a wee bit concerning as I have never had infections previously and she will contact my neurologist to see what he advises. She said maybe the ms is active again and they will investigate this.
The ms nurse was very good and said I really need to listen to my body and rest, rest, and more rest as one infection can send the ms a bit off but with me fighting two I need to wait and see how I am when antibiotics completed.
The physio was just on the phone and said there is no harm in having a delta? which I can use as and when and is coming down tomorrow morning with one for me.
I did say that I would be very willing to go out and buy one but she said try this first and that once infection goes I can put it away just to have incase/
I am so very grateful that people are so very considerate and very willing to keep me agile and moving/.
I will let you lovely folk know how I get on.
Maryx
If it keeps you active you will not slip back so far. I used a stick after the relapse that led me to my diagnosis and weaned myself off it. Now I use the right tool for the job. I think it is all too easy to pigeon oneself as a rollator user or scooter user. Answer it depends!
Hi Mary,
Sorry to hear about the infections. There have been some great responses. I tend to agree, you are not letting MS win. You can’t do any more about your MS but you can do stuff about how you manage the symptoms. If you get a rollator (4 wheeler recommended) it will be there IF you need it. In my MS journey I have been too stubborn sometimes and then regretted not having the right tools to help me make the most of my mobility.
Hope you feel better soon.
Mick
Thanks everyone for your very honest and helpful replies. Physio has just left and has brought me a three wheeled delta i theink she called it. Emma, the physio has said to use this for now if and when needed and she will be in touch next week after my return to work just to see how things go.
Emma also sai she would prefer if I have a four wheeler rollator with a seat but they are waiting for a delivery of them.
I did say I will us it as it does give me a wee bit more confidence but oncde theses infections go hopefulluy I will get back to me, wobbly alright but manageable. I will keep you all updated.
Hope you are all well.
Mary xx
Hi Mary
Like you I’ve had a bout of infections. Cellulitis the first couple of weeks in April and a recurrence at the end of June. Both put me in hospital for 10 days followed by lengthy periods on antibiotics at home. It’s not just the infection and associated high temperature, but the extended periods of being sat around at home feeling listless and getting stiffer than ever.
Just saying, you’re not alone - I know what you’re going through 
Graeme
Graeme
Thank you for your kind reply. I am sorry you have florred with infections too and hope you are well on the mend now.
Take Care
Mary
I think the four wheelers come into their own when you are using them outdoors and having the seat available whenever you want is great. The ones that have the sides coming together are easier to transport.
Thank you Crd, I will hopefully improve from this wee blip once the infections clear completely,(fingers crossed).
I have taken all your advice n board and have said to the physio.
Thanks again
Mary x
Hi Mary
On the face of it, it’s downbeat but I used my short-term, infection / high temperature downturn as a bit of a window on the future. Am getting some condition back and trying to push it a bit with the exercise.
When one stick (and no stick around the house) turned into using a zimmer frame around the house, it gave me a heads-up. I also bought a shower seat as standing up for the full duration of a full wash down was too hard and bought 4 of those long handle grabbers, distributed around the house. No harm getting in early! Next will be converting the en-suite to a wet room.
I don’t plan to waste money but think it’s better to get in early with the aids & adaptations, before the point of not being able to cope, rather than after.
Graeme
Thanks agin for your very sound advice.
I walked a few yards with my stick in the cul de sac this morning, I had a shower and then did the shopping with my hubby.
I am very proud but am truly gubbed now.
Last day of the chest antibiotics today and the kidney antibiotics are completed Friday so fingers crossed I will be able to return to work on Monday.
Love to all
Maryxx
Well done @marymcdermott !
Purely from my own personal experience, but it took me a good few days to clear my head after the antibiotics finished and even longer (i.e. not there yet) to get back physical strength. Are you sure you want to be rushing back to work?
Hi Mary so much good advice has been given.
As others have said, using the right aid for the right occasion, can be empowering.
I have a selection of walking canes and more recently some jazzy crutches. The later I will be using at work, too many falls, and hanging onto cupboards for support.
As Graeme says invest in appropriate aids that make life easier now. I am doing the same, the smallest of changes, perching stool, shower chair, grab rails honestly have made such a difference.
My next challenge is a mobility scooter or power chair, just can’t decide which way to go. I can’t walk far and although crutches helped in a recent holiday, not physically sustainable.
I’m with Graeme, sounds like you have been knocked for 6 with your infections, make sure you are well enough to go back to work. It can be so easy to set yourself back.
Take care.