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I’m late. I schedule meetings and forget about them. I double book myself for coffee dates. I overcommit to events clinging to the unrealistic expectation that I can do it all. My life is a perpetual cycle of semi-organised chaos. Time management is my Achilles heel, a mirage glittering in the distance, just within reach but somehow unobtainable. I have always found it incredibly hard to stick to schedules, but brain fog means it’s become substantially worse. I have taken living for the now to the extreme believing that every day I wake up feeling well is limited and I’m on borrowed time. This urge to do all of the things all of the time is accompanied by latent procrastination which just adds an extra dose of panic to my entire existence. This inevitably leads to punishing guilt.

To celebrate World MS Day, MS Ireland has been given the exciting opportunity of a radio takeover on Galway’s Flirt FM/101.3 

Lift your voice for World MS Day

From loss of workplace comradery and friends that seem to fade away, to forgotten invitations and last-minute cancellations, MS can make keeping in touch more difficult.  Our host Trevis L Gleason and a panel with Dr Rebecca Maguire (Assoc Professor of Psychology Dept Maynooth), Emma Rogan and Joan Jordan will talk about “Mending Broken Connections” on MS Ireland's The Unspeakable Bits Webinar on Monday, 29th May at 8pm as part of World MS Day events. Free registration here

Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Motor Neurons Disease (MND), Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein Antibody Disease (MOGAD), Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder (NMOSD), Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS)…an array of chronic illnesses, with varying abbreviations, different treatments, trajectories and yet a multitude of similarities.

All of these illnesses involve damage to the Central Nervous System (CNS) in some shape or form and the initial presentations of weakness, pins and needles, double vision and fatigue can be the workings of any and all of these conditions. Is it any wonder that MS take its time in a diagnosis? There are so many other options to be ruled out before MS can be ruled in. So many opportunities for both a missed diagnosis and a mis-diagnosis. I have always considered my MS to have been somewhat of an evolutionary diagnosis – a process of elimination by which to reach a final conclusion.

MS Ireland launched their May 50k challenge and fundraising campaign this week with Tipp Today host Fran Curry on Tipp FM. Sally Spearman from MS Ireland launched the May 50K Challenge on Tipp FM’s Tipp Today Show. To highlight and support this great fundraiser, host Fran Curry will be taking up this healthy challenge in May. Speaking of the upcoming challenge Fran Curry, the host of Tipperary’s most listened to radio show said “I'm delighted to be taking part in the May 50K Challenge for MS Ireland. Not only will it help support the vital services provided by MS Ireland, but from a health viewpoint it will also really benefit those taking part. I would encourage as many people as possible to take part in the May 50K Challenge by registering on their website https://www.themay50k.ie”. Listen to the interview here and register to take part here.  

Body image and its association with well-being in people with and without multiple sclerosis

Researchers from UCD and St Vincents University Hospital are inviting people living with MS, as well as those who are not living with the condition to take part in a study which aims to explore the attitudes people with multiple sclerosis (MS) have towards their bodies. The research will also investigate interoceptive awareness which refers to an awareness of what is going on inside your body at any given time. Additionally, researchers aim to assess the high prevalence of sexual dysfunction in people living with MS and examine its relationship with other dimensions of body image, depression and interoceptive awareness.

From pre-nups to divorce proceedings, from minor marriage hiccups to raising children while relapsing, we'll talk about all the Unspeakable Bits - on the MS and Relationships Webinar in April. Register now for free here.

Our host Trevis L. Gleason who will be joined by Couples Counsellor Pauline Macey and Family Law Solicitor Gillian O'Mahony from Lynch Solicitors to talk with about working through MS-related relationship issues and what to do if those issues can't be worked through. Ireland has come a long way in the past few decades when it comes to issues of marriage, divorce, adoption, surrogacy, and inclusion. When a disease like multiple sclerosis is part of the relationship equation, however, society seems to be slower in advancing. We'll talk about all the Unspeakable Bits on the MS and Relationships Webinar on Thursday, 27th April from 8pm. 

Things are revving up as we launch The May 50k campaign 2023. The May 50K is a global fitness and fundraising challenge to raise money for MS research worldwide and also support MS Ireland projects and services. MS Ireland is calling on participants of all ages and abilities to take up the month long challenge in the run up to World MS Day on 30th May. All fundraising is done through our website here where you can log your KM’s hook up to your fitness devices and blog your way through the month. 

MS Ireland wants to employ nine specialist physiotherapists throughout Ireland to reach more people with MS and other neurological conditions. Setting up a national physiotherapy programme could save the state €19 million. MS Ireland, which has called for State funding to run a countrywide physiotherapy service, has said that delivering regular specialist physiotherapy to people with MS would significantly reduce GP and emergency department (ED) visits and hospital stays for this group of patients. Dr. Susan Coote, MS Ireland’s Exercise and Physiotherapy Co-Ordinator launched the campaign this week with AVA Battles, CEO MS Ireland, Senator Martin Conway and Deputy Colm Burke from the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health at MS Ireland’s Bushy Park Campus in Dublin.