Lucy

A little story for you!

Wednesday 23rd April 2025 - I woke up, normal day ahead and I was getting ready for work but noticed a tingling, almost light pins and needles, feeling in both my feet and lower legs that wouldn’t go away. Over the course of five days, it gradually became worse as basic daily functions suddenly became a challenge - my navel area to mid-thigh was around 90-95% numb, and the further down it went, the more numb it became – 100% loss of feeling in both feet and toes.

I was eventually given an MRI scan on Monday 28th April - the result: I have multiple scarring/lesions on both my brain and spinal cord. The diagnosis was relapsing-remitting Multiple Sclerosis (MS). 

I knew very little about the condition prior to my diagnosis. It’s been a learning curve for myself and my family, to understand, to manage, and to find my new limitations.

Since my diagnosis, I have had to overcome so many struggles - physically, emotionally and mentally - and all are just as hard as each other. The hardest part is that they don't work together. They argue all the time... My body says stop, my mind says push. My mind says rest, my body won't switch off. It's a constant back and forth that drains my energy so quickly, it’s like my power cord is pulled. The crash can happen suddenly and anywhere.

Common symptoms of MS that I experience frequently since diagnosis: aches, pain, fatigue, muscle spasms, fuzzy feelings like your nerves are vibrating, heavy legs, cognitive issues, frustration, depression, anxiety, fear - all of these can, and do, show up at the same time. MS is very much an invisible condition - while I’m sure I look OK on the outside, on the inside it’s a very different picture.

But I’m doing what I can, while I still can. A year on, to mark the occasion, I am taking part in The May 50K event. It’s a minimum of 50km but I am challenging myself to walk 100km throughout the month of May. If I hit that, I will up the target….but we’ll see if it’s the mind or body that wins that battle!

There are 150,000+ people in the UK living with MS. It’s the most common disabling neurological condition in young adults, usually diagnosed in the 30s or 40s - and women are 2.5 times more likely to be diagnosed than men. While I am fortunate to still have full mobility and access to disease modifying therapies (DMTs), some people are not as lucky. Therefore, if you can donate—big or small—you’ll be supporting the MS Society UK & the MS International Federation in funding life changing research, better treatments, and hopefully one day a cure 🎗️🧡

If you’d like to learn more about MS, visit the MS Society UK website (www.mssociety.org.uk) which offers comprehensive information on the different types of MS, treatment options that can help reduce relapses and slow progression, common symptoms people experience, and ways to support the MS community. 

Will I complete the 100km? Who knows! But I’ll give it everything—for myself, and for those living with MS. It's silent, it's invisible, and it's unpredictable.

And if you have made it to the end of this, thank you very much for taking the time to read all about ‘Me and My MS’ 🧡 

Lucy x