Needles and Pins

"But still they begin
Needles and pins
Because of all my pride
The tears I gotta hide..."

by The Searchers

This song is so very appropriate (well the title anyway) at the moment. I am very familiar with the old needles and pins and I get them randomly and often enough for it to be pretty annoying. The MS variety of the pins and needles is not quite the same (for me anyway) as when you sit awkwardly for too long: your leg goes to sleep and your first step makes you yelp. It's a strange sensation and it's very intense sometimes. During the onset of MS I experienced the ol' P&Ns (or N&Ps, whichever you fancy) pretty much everywhere and it was always the precursor to worsening symptoms. For some time now, however, I have been woken many times during the night with intense P&N in my hands. It used to happen sporadically but it is happening every night lately and it's waking me up every couple of hours. It's a frigging pain in the arse! I need sleep, people! Argggh F&*$##*)@

***Intermission for technical repairs ***

Sorry about that, folks. Must remember to count to 10. Where was I? Oh yeah. So it's really easy to blame every twitch I ever have on MS but I know that there is always the chance it's something else. My neck is a bit of a mess after several whiplash injuries in my teens so I asked my Chiropractor about it today. Of course, nothing is that simple or black and white, and he agrees it's hard to know for sure what is causing it. So we discussed my pillow height and sleeping positions and he adjusted my spine. I always feel brighter after an adjustment, like a dusty lightbulb that's been wiped clean. BING! A friend of mine, who also sees my chiro, agrees that as well as being a great chiro, he is very easy on the eyes (Sassy Buttlick, I am looking at you). In fact she always jokes about how he touched her bum or hugged her during her adjustment and giggles like a teenager. It's pretty funny. But, I digress. The long and short of it is that I may never know what the cause is.

MS has given me a great deal of paranoia and uncertainty when it comes to my health and my future. It's not good or bad, it just is. So I'll just take it as it comes and "get down on my knees and pray that they'd go away" and probably try the pillow thing too as I'm not into god and stuff. You get the idea. Anyway...I am starting to annoy myself so you are probably OVER IT. Poor thing.

THE SONG...

The likes of Joan Jett and The Ramones (both of whom I love) have attempted covers of this song but they are appallingly bad. Do yourself a favour and have a listen to the original, it's a cracker:

The times, they are a-changin'

"Come gather 'round people, Wherever you roam, And admit that the waters, Around you have grown, And accept it that soon, You'll be drenched to the bone. If your time to you, Is worth savin', Then you better start swimmin', Or you'll sink like a stone, For the times they are a-changin'" Bob Dylan

So if you have been following my blog you will notice a lot of changes. I've been thinking of a better way to express myself through this blog and last night, around a scrumptious Thai meal with my loved ones, we brainstormed a makeover for my blog site. It's hard to tell my stories without sounding a bit depressing. Let's face it, MS is bloody depressing - but there is so much good to tell too! We agreed that my blog name should be changed to something a bit more irreverent and more creative: MS! The Musical was born. From this point on, all of my posts will be based on a relevant song that helps my readers better understand my message and provide them with some more context. I also get to revisit some of my favourite tracks in the process!

This week, being the anniversary of two major life-changing events I immediately thought of this Bob Dylan classic. You see, this week is one year since I was formally diagnosed with MS, and that same week my brand-new family home was inundated with flood waters in Brisbane. My life was literally and metaphorically being drowned by tragic events. But I had a choice: sink, or swim. Together, my family and I swam out, dried ourselves off and started rebuilding a new life, in more ways than one. Sounds pretty epic, huh? Well it was!

Today I am happy to report that despite feeling a twinge of melancholy and sentimentality over the year's events, my life has never been better. I have my health (relatively speaking) and the love of a wonderful man. I have four beautiful step kids and amazing family and friends. MS is a new house guest, and the times are a-changing for us, but the outlook is sunny today!