#MSAwarenessWeek Day 7: the theme this year was MS makes me…

And I think it makes me me - obviously I’d rather not have #MS but I can’t ignore the things that happened, the people I met and the decisions I made because of it.

#MSAwarenessWeek Day 6: The #Parkrun group for people with #MS and shift.MS are my favourite support groups. Shift.MS organised a festival for young people with MS in 2017& 2019 and they were both such positive events. It was the first time I saw so many people with MS just wanting to live their best life. I also met two of my running buddies through Shift.

#MSAwarenessWeek Day 5: Fatigue is one of the most annoying symptoms (for me) - I can normally manage it well but I sometimes overdo things and then crash…needing a nap and brain fog are early indicators, sometimes it can be weak legs and dizzy spells. My sleep tracker also helps me identify fatigue and sleeping more than 7.5hrs is a warning flag…

#MSAwarenessWeek Day 4: My #MS diagnosis started my career change in 2018 and it was part of the consideration about my latest job change. I cut my commute in half and can have an active commute. I also have my own office which cuts down fatigue a lot. The team are truly well-being focused rather than just saying they are…when you manage a chronic illness all these things matter (the role is awesome too)

#MSAwarenessWeek Day 3: In 2021 I decided to add my lived experience with MS on my CV. I wanted to be more open about who I am and what I care about. It’s in the category EDI and Sharing my lived experience. I understand not everyone can or wants to share this openly but I have had positive experiences with it

#MSAwarenessWeek Day 2: my #MS diagnosis made me rediscover my love for running…I started with a 10k and fundraised for Shift.ms a great charity

Since I have run multiple half marathons, one ultra and other distances…the biggest achievement has been running the West Highland Way last Easter with two friends who also have #MS and I met on Twitter

https://stephaniezihms.blog/2017/05/31/why-im-running-10k-to-raise-money-for-shift-ms/

#MSAwarenessWeek

Day 1: neuro check-in (annual) I’m still in care in Edinburgh because the Anne Rowling Clinic is one of the best for #MS and it’s some travel but I can manage that 3 times a year for my nurse check in and MRI…

For prep for these I use my extensive MS-IS-29 data and notes from my #BuJo because remembering what happened in 12 months is a lot - this needs an update but a lot is still how I track my #MS https://stephaniezihms.blog/2017/07/22/keeping-track-of-my-ms/

It’s #MSAwarenessWeek next week (24-30 April) and I might use the opportunity to write an update or maybe make a start on the paper about myself given I’ve been collecting data for 6 years now…