Kicking The Habit

Hello dear readers!

You join me today in a veritable whirlwind of barely controllable excitement.

There are reasons for this, very normal, and entirely relatable reasons, on the whole. Reasons that could well provide the meat, and possibly the drink of future instalments of this epic epistle to the masses (or at least the unlucky individuals) and upon which I will expand a little later. First of all though, I would like to spend a little time explaining a less obvious reason for my somewhat giddy demeanour.

After a short period of soul searching, I’ve finally kicked the habit.

Getting The Needle
No not booze. Never that. It’s far too much fun and never a substance that, hangovers aside, I’ve had any issues with (thankfully. No, I’m talking about another drug, one that I have been injecting regularly for the last year.

I’m talking about Plegridy.

For those to whom the name means sweet diddly-squat, Plegridy is the brand name of Peginterferon Beta 1a (and that probably means even less), which is a drug used in the management of MS. A condition I was diagnosed with in July of last year.

Hydey Hole
It is said that the drug, which is self administered by means of sub-cutaneous injection, can reduce the frequency and severity of MS relapses by up to 30% compared to placebo. Reading up on this, however shows that the word ‘may’ crops up from time to time when describing this effect. Never the most convincing word to read in such a write-up.

So, you might think, why would anyone want to give up such a simple and (perhaps) effective treatment? Well, to put it bluntly, because of the side effects.

No, there’s no growing of a second head, or breasts (other that the pre-existing moobs). There’s no sickness, or diarrhoea (A word I knew I was going to spell wrongly), and there’s no falling to the floor behind a conveniently place lab table only to emerge as the frothing, loon-eyed Mr Hyde.

The Yuck Of Revelations
What there is however is a couple of days of really quite severe flu-like symptoms, including pounding headaches, extreme lethargy (and this from a man who is already B12 deficient), general achy and indeed breakiness, a down-turn in mood, and an inability to, well, think. In short. Bleurgh!

It’s a bold claim but I think the bi-weekly combination of the above is actually worse than the dreaded Man-Flu, a disease that really should get more coverage, and perhaps some charitable foundation set up to provide support for it. It’s certainly enough to drive my recent decision.

Now this is not something that I’ve arrived at easily. In fact it’s possible that I wouldn’t have arrived at it at all if, due to my usual forgetfulness, I hadn’t blipped on one ‘Plegridy weekend’. By some twist of fate though that is what happened and the following week was a revelation.

On Song
Not only, did I save myself two or three days of Man-Flu hell, but the rest of the week was filled with an energy, clarity, and focus, that I forgot I possessed. I felt motivated to do things, to accomplish things, even it it was just the washing up. I actually managed to do things without having to force myself, and mostly that was with a song in my heart, and, unfortunately for my wife, Tina, sometimes on my lips. 

That week soon turned into two, and then three, and I think this would have been weekend number four. I probably need to speak to the MS nurse about this but at the moment it feels right. It feels like an increase in the quality of my life. Something which I’m enjoying, and would quite like to keep enjoying.

Doc Holiday
The timing couldn’t be better, assuming that I remain off the Plegridy. There are exciting and heady times ahead. This time next week for instance, I will be a mess of a giddy fan-boy as I count down the hours until the first episode of Doctor Who and the advent of a female Doctor from less than ten miles down the road from the spot I’m writing in. A couple of beers, or a spot of Jack Daniels and that could very well be a perfect day, especially as Tina has promised to watch it alongside me without the distraction of Facebook, (Yes, you did!)

After that? Well after that it’s holiday time. A week in the last of the Turkish sun, as Tina and I use up the refunded credit generated by the forced cancellation of the surprise anniversary trip to Paris, there to relive our engagement. It’s a long awaited, and I’m going to say very much deserved trip, one in which I intend to do an awful lot of not a lot at all, pretty much all day, every day. Bliss. The flights, and hotel were sorted out a while back and, as far as possible all was vetted for wheelchair friendliness. Hopefully, as long as the MS doesn’t up the insurance too much and we can prevail on the kindness of someone to take us to Manchester Airport, then we are looking at a long and fantastically stress free time away.

Play Away
If that week can also be free of Plegridy, MS, and any other complication then that would also be kind of fantastic. Being able to be fully present, fully able to relish the wonder of a stress free time away from hospitals, injections, and the other countless annoyances of a life limiting illness. Well that would just put the cherry on it.

Until next time.