The Top 10 Reasons Why I Hate MS (at least my version of MS)


10. Accessibility problems in general, bathrooms in particular. 

9. MS costs too damn much money. Most years I spend enough out of pocket money on medical expenses to exceed the 7.5% of AGI required to claim medical expenses as a tax deduction, even after insurance payments are taken into account.

8. Because this is a progressive disease, sometimes I don’t know what it is I can’t do until all of a sudden I can’t do it anymore.  I spend a lot of times on the sidelines watching people take part in fun activities.

7.  I miss all the good things that come with working, including income; sense of accomplishment; sense of being engaged in worthy endeavors; spending time with customers, vendors, and coworkers who are some of the nicest people I know.

6. It’s hard to stay healthy and maintain good body weight when I’m so inactive.

5. I miss outdoor activities like snowmobiling, ATV riding, camping, and actually walking in the woods when I hunt (I still hunt from my wheelchair). No thanks, not interested in handicapped skiing.

4.  I am completely reliant on technology. If a disaster struck (nuclear war, asteroid smashes into the Earth, Yankees win another World Series) how would I survive?

The Top 10 Silver Linings of Having MS


Let me be perfectly clear about this- MS sucks! But my life has changed so much due to MS, and some of that change has been for the better.  It’s been a one step forward, ten steps back process.  Here are some of the steps forward:

10. I have time to keep up this blog.

9.  I’ve met so many wonderful people I would have never otherwise met: people with MS, medical professionals, people who just care.

8.  Lifetime, complementary hunting license and state-wide doe permit.

7.  I can now justify the “3 movies at a time” option at Netflix.

6.  Wheelchair accessible tickets for Red Sox, Patriots, and Celtics are so much easier to get than normal tickets.

5.  I physically cannot clean a bathroom, rake leaves, or vacuum the house- three things I hated to do anyway.  Please, do not forward amazing new discoveries that will allow me to do any of these things again.

4.  I’ve become a better person in several ways. I’ve had to adopt Zen perspectives like “living for the moment” and “mindfulness” that I should have adopted anyway, but probably wouldn’t have if not for MS. I keep things in perspective better now. I don’t sweat the small stuff as much.

3.  I get preferential treatment wherever there are long lines: amusement parks, museums, boarding airplanes, etc.

2.  I’m out of the corporate rat race.  I run a lot of “if I had it to do over again” career scenarios in my head.  If I had a do-over, I doubt I would choose the corporate life again.  I missed out on my calling, whatever that was.

And the number 1 silver lining of having MS is…

1.  Handicapped parking.  Enough said?