HOW MY COLLABORATION GAME HAS CHANGED IN 12 YEARS

“The purpose of life is not to be happy, but to matter, to be productive, to be useful, to have it make some difference that you lived at all.”

Leo Rosten

So, I’ve been realising that my most recent blog posts have been quite deep and overwhelming in various ways, and over my years of blogging – as I’m NOT Disordered has grown in popularity – I have found that my content which includes tips and advice for budding bloggers also proves fairly popular amongst readers. Having also literally just popped off a new Collaboration Pitch, I felt inspired to put this piece together where I’m going to do a bit of an examination of my ‘collaboration game’ from the very first partnership with the YoungMinds ‘Vs Campaign’ in 2014 to my most recent projects with the Royal College of Emergency Medicine and Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust…

A QUICK CHAT ABOUT NERVES, ANXIETY, & STAGE FRIGHT IN PUBLIC SPEAKING | CELEBRATING THE LAUNCH OF WAYTHROUGH

“There are always three speeches for every one that you give. There’s the one you practiced, the one you gave, and the one you wish you gave.”

Dale Carnegie

A number of months ago, I was in a Working Together Committee meeting with Richmond Fellowship – the organisation who provide my Support Workers – and we were told it would be our penultimate meeting due to their merger with Humankind. I had no clue what they were on about and since Richmond Fellowship are usually good with communication, I was so worried this meant that Humankind had already had a bad influence on things! It wasn’t long later, however, that I received an email from the Humankind Communications and Marketing team, basically saying “we hear you like comms and marketing…?!” And I’ve been involved in the merger’s creation ever since! So, I was absolutely honoured when I was asked to give speeches at two of the launch/reveal events and to even help the Vice Chair with the actual unveiling of the new charity’s identity! With both events now finished, I thought it time I write this blog post...

WHY THERE’S DIFFERENT ANXIETY WITH DIFFERENT SERVICES | MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK 2023 | IN COLLABORATION WITH CUMBRIA, NORTHUMBERLAND, TYNE & WEAR NHS FOUNDATION TRUST

This post is aimed at really highlighting the chosen theme for this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week; Anxiety and talking about how this can look different depending upon the situation and those involved e.g., my anxiety in seeing the Crisis Team can be completely different to that which I experience in speaking to inpatient/ward staff. As a result of the fact I’ll be concentrating on each of the NHS mental health services who were involved in my recent relapse/admission, I thought I’d collaborate with the Trust providing all of them: Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW). And so, throughout the post there’s information on each of the services that led to differing types of anxious thoughts and then, at the end of this piece, there’s a lot of links that include some of the very helpful resources CNTW provides around Anxiety…

BLOGMAS 2019 – POST FIFTEEN : COLOUR YOUR LIFE CLUB | ETSY COLLABORATION | AD

Thanks to a poll on my Twitter back in November, my wonderful followers decided that I should publish a blog post and film a vlog every day for the entirety of December!

So welcome to December 15th…

Today is all about my collaboration with one very special brand on Etsy, in this post I’ll be reviewing the products they sent to me and on December 23rd you can enter a competition to win these products and the remaining three that I’ll be reviewing every other day this month!



I thought for a while about what I’d write on this post and initially, I thought I’d talk about the stigma of mental health meaning that myself – and lots of others – keep it secret and try to hide things when we’re struggling. And then I realized I wrote about that like, seven posts ago and I groaned at the thought of having to create new content for a further ten days! 

So, instead, I’ll be talking about each of the three slogans on the Colour Your Life Club badges you can win in the competition…



‘It’s ok not to be ok’

I think that especially at this time of year there’s a lot of pressure on people to be ok and to enjoy the most festive time of the year; but actually, it can be a particularly difficult time for a lot of people. The happiness and buzz of Christmas can sometimes be overwhelming and seeing everyone else have so much fun and be happy can seem to magnify just how much you’re struggling.

THE FIVE MOST OVERUSED MENTAL HEALTH WORDS

So, a little something happened on my recent trip to London for the RichmondFellowship ENRICH Awards 2019… I was in the bathroom on the train when a faulty cabinet cracked me on the head (the LNER staff were incredible and dealt with the whole thing amazingly)! Still suffering from headaches almost two weeks later, I decided to ring my GP but whilst waiting for the return call, I checked with a Pharmacist if I was doing the right thing in ringing the Doctor. I explained that I was worried because when I’d called, the Receptionist had said that I could only get a phone call returned if it was urgent and I thought it urgent so I told them that it was; but whilst waiting for the GP to ring, I was worried they’d think ‘why has this girl wasted our time? Why does she think this is urgent?! It’s nothing!’ I told my Richmond Fellowship support worker that I think it’s all about the fact that ‘urgent’ doesn’t really have a concrete definition. I mean, it might be in the dictionary, but everyone has their own different spin on it. Everyone rates things on a different scale of urgent-ness! It’s like ‘emergency.’ But it’s all based on an individual’s experiences; if you’ve ever had a broken leg, you might think that the pain was so unbearable you wanted immediate help. You might have seen a relative die and believe you don’t call an Ambulance unless you are… dying, I mean.

HOW MY DOGS HAVE HELPED WITH MY MENTAL HEALTH BY CHLOE WINTLE | GUEST POST

I first began experiencing anxiety and depression in my late teens following a string of bad relationships, some emotionally abusive and one physically violent, and then a major emotional trauma at 18.

While at first it would come and go, anxiety and depression eventually became a constant presence in my life. It was like a cough that eventually starts to get better, only to come back worse than before. Only unlike a cough, where usually I am still able to function, anxiety and depression hits like a ton of bricks and even the idea of getting out of bed seems to be a goal that gets to be less and less attainable.

As time passed, more and more of my days started to be spent paralyzed by endless thoughts of regrets of the past and worries for the future and that was when I knew I needed to seek professional advice.

TWO WAYS TO SURVIVE WITH NO SIGNAL | WALLINGTON HALL | NATIONAL TRUST | AD

As you may have guessed by the title, on a recent trip to Wallington Hall (a National Trust site) I was distraught, to discover that being so far out in the countryside meant I had no signal!

1.     UNDERSTAND YOUR ANXIETY

My family made a joke about whether I would survive this situation and whilst, yes – I laughed along; I also found myself feeling anxious at the thought of being unable to tweet.

That sounds bad. But no, it was also about my longstanding phobia of letting people down because I’d promised my followers that they could come along with me for the day and then I was unable to deliver that. I guess it became about the importance that ‘keeping your word’ has for me; when I was poorly I was regularly let down by a lot of people (mostly

24HRS WITH... AUTHOR, CHARLOTTE UNDERWOOD

https://twitter.com/CUnderwoodUK

Good morning!



What time did you wake up?

About 6:45am… I think! But then I never know the answer to this because my brain, first thing in the morning, feels very inebriated, despite being stone cold sober


Why did you wake up at that time?

I have no idea, my body’s been really into waking me up at stupid o’clock recently, long days are the worst but at least I can say goodbye to my husband before he starts work!

MENTAL HEALTH AWARENEESS WEEK 2018 WITH I'M NOT DISORDERED | POST ONE | MY THOUGHTS ON STRESS

https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/campaigns/mental-health-awareness-week

STRESS
(noun)

pressure or tension exerted on a material object.

"the distribution of stress is uniform across the bar"

a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances.

"he's obviously under a lot of stress"

synonyms:		trouble, difficulty, distress, trauma, suffering, pain, grief; informalhassle "he's obviously under a lot of stress"
antonyms:	Relaxation

o    something that causes a state of strain or tension.

plural noun: stresses

"the stresses and strains of public life"

Yes, I know; I cheated and copy and pasted the definition from Google, but I thought it might be nice to have the official one alongside my own idea of stress…

AN OPEN LETTER TO ANYONE FEELING SUICIDAL

I get it.

I get it, ok?

You think everyone will be better off without you.

You’re terrified your hallucinations will get worse.

You feel like self-harm is no longer satisfying enough.

You believe that you don’t deserve the help being offered.

You aren’t being offered any help or support.

You feel hopeless.

HOW TO AVOID DRAMA: FAMILY, WORK, HEALTH, RELATIONSHIPS & FRIENDS

Photography - R J Photography

drama

ˈdrɑːmə/

noun

noun: drama; plural noun: dramas

1. a play for theatre, radio, or television.

"a gritty urban drama about growing up in Harlem"

2. an exciting, emotional, or unexpected event or circumstance.

"a hostage drama"

It’s an understatement to say that while I was being abused, my behaviour changed dramatically - I think it’s an obvious one though… Keeping abuse a secret can cause a lot of conflicting thoughts and feelings; a lot of pent up anger and frustration.

For me, I was angry that no one could see what was going on. How could no one see beyond my actions? My behaviour? It was labelled ‘dramatic.’ I, was labelled a ‘drama queen.’ Since then if anyone has called me that in jest or in banter then I’ve thought straight back to that bullying in High School while I was abused. Back to when I took my anger out on the teachers who were meant to have the authority to stop this sort of thing. On everyone in the one place that is meant to be safe for children and young people.

'Beware of self-care' by Twitter-Verified Rebecca Lombardo, Author, Blogger & Podcast Co-Host | GUEST POST | Ad

Rebecca Lombardo (the author of this guest post) is best known for her book: It's Not Your Journey, her writing for The Huffington Post and The Mighty and the podcast she Co-Hosts: Voices for Change.

This post will be one of three that Rebecca has kindly submitted in celebration of I'm NOT Disordered exceeding a quarter of a million readers! THANK YOU EVERYONE!
ENJOY...

Rebecca Lombardo: http://www.rebeccalombardo.com/

Rebecca's Twitter: https://twitter.com/BekaLombardo

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bekalombardo/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEoyO6kjuytYquAmZLWt7MQ

I’ve been going over and over again in my head, trying to figure out why I feel so damn guilty every time I attempt to practice self-care. I advise others to do it, but when it comes to me, I’m almost entirely overwhelmed by the idea. So overwhelmed in fact, that the only thing I can do is lie down and take a rest.

The last few months have been incredibly rough for me, but the winter months usually are. After a leak in our house left us living in a hotel for a month, we then had to come home and put everything back together. Both the bathroom and the dining room had to be remodelled, the bathroom being much worse than the dining room.

We had no dining room for Thanksgiving. We ordered carry out turkey meals and ate them sitting on our bed. I know it sounds weird, but it wasn’t that bad. No family drama, just us hanging out, watching movies and relaxing. The only downside was that neither of us saw our families. We were concerned we would be spending Christmas in the hotel as well, but luckily we got out just in time. It was December 23rd when we returned, and we were barely able to throw some tissue paper into gift bags for Christmas gifts.

I left the hotel room once the entire time we were there. I was too afraid the staff would come in and let one of our cats out, never mind the agoraphobia and social anxiety. I went to the laundry room. My heart was racing the entire time, and I dissolved into tears when I got back to the room.

COPING WITH TRAUMA TRIGGERS | IN PARTNERSHIP WITH GREATER MANCHESTER MENTAL HEALTH NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | Ad

Note: although this post is part of my partnership with Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust following the recent terror attack at Manchester Arena; the entire contents of it can apply to anyone who has suffered from any trauma

Image created by the GMMH_NHS Twitter staff

trigger

ˈtrɪɡə/

verb

verb: trigger; 3rd person present: triggers; past tense: triggered; past participle: triggered; gerund or present participle: triggering

1. 

cause (an event or situation) to happen or exist.

• 
  

  "an allergy can be triggered by stress or overwork"

  
  

  synonyms:

  precipitate, prompt, trigger off, set off, spark (off), provoke, stir up,  cause, give rise to, lead to, set in motion, occasion, be the cause of, bring about, begin, start, initiate; "the incident triggered an acrimonious debate"

• (of an event or situation) cause (someone) to do something.

  
  

  "the death of Helen's father triggered her to follow a childhood dream and become a falconer"
• (especially of something read, seen, or heard) distress (someone), typically as a result of arousing feelings or memories associated with a particular traumatic experience.

  
  

  "she started crying and told me that my news had really triggered her"

It’ll sometimes feel like the trauma is never going to be over. You'll find that you are always come across things in life that remind you of what has happened to you.
Personally, I suffered abuse when I was younger and it's hard for me to discuss my triggers because, for legal reasons, I can't go into details about the trauma; and some of my triggers are really specific to it... I feel like there are two types of triggers: 'specific' ones and 'obvious' ones but I don't think that one is worse than another.

FIRST STEPS IN COPING WITH TRAUMA | IN PARTNERSHIP WITH GREATER MANCHESTER MENTAL HEALTH NHS FOUNDATION TRUST | Ad

Note: although this post is part of my partnership with Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust following the recent terror attack at Manchester Arena; the entire contents of it can apply to anyone who has suffered from any trauma

Image created by the GMMH_NHS Twitter staff

trauma

ˈtrɔːmə,ˈtraʊmə/

noun

1. 1. 

   a deeply distressing or disturbing experience.

   
   

   "a personal trauma like the death of a child"

The reason for this post is obviously those who were affected in anyway by the terror attack in Manchester Arena and especially in the wake of Ariana Grande (the singer who's concert had just finished when the attack took place) putting on a charity concert (One Love Manchester) featuring a number of artists; to raise money for victims, survivors, and their families. Those who'd attended her

concert on the night of Monday 22nd May, were given free tickets to also attend the event.

Note: you can watch One Love Manchester here


Ideally, I'd have published this piece before the One Love concert to give people 'advice' and 'warning.' I believe, though, that for up to a month after a trauma; there's no space in a person's head to take such information in. There's not enough room to accept more information when this experience this trauma; has consumed your entire life. Every minute seems to be about it. Every conversation. Every phone call. Every appointment.

POST FIVE: MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK 2017 | Ad

IN COLLABORATION WITH

THE WORSLEY CENTRE

FOR MORE INFORMATION SEE: http://theworsleycentre.com/living-with-anxiety/

Northumberland, Tyne & Wear NHS Foundation Trust Staff Excellence Awards 2017 | Ad

#NTWStars

I'm not going to lie; when I received an e'mail to say that I was a finalist for the Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (NTW) Staff Excellence Awards, I did send some messages, make some phone calls and do some Google searches to check it was genuine. I hadn't heard of the awards; and so I had no idea how I could possibly be shortlisted for one, or who would even nominate me for one... But I was in the category 'Positive Impact'; defined as being 'for someone who is not paid by NTW but has made a remarkable contribution to the Trust or to mental health and disability awareness in their community.'

The nomination:

Aimee was diagnosed with a personality disorder after being sectioned aged 18. Forced to fight against a downward spiral in her health, she began to blog and has been looking forward ever since. Only six months after being discharged, aged 23, she got her own flat and really grabbed the future with both hands. Her blog, I’m Not Disordered, has a huge following and helps other people struggling with their mental health to know they are not alone and people can fight back from the brink. Aimee speaks openly and frankly about her background, as well as her bright future, balancing the two to inspire others and encourage improvements in the system. She now works closely with NTW, Time to Change and Northumbria Police to turn her experiences into positives for those who come after her.

You CAN Get Through Reporting Your Trauma

Note: This post discusses aspects of sexual abuse and rape; some parts may be triggering or upsetting.

Some photography credits to RJ Photography - with all editing done by me via Moldiv

The reason I wrote this post is to illustrate that you can overcome the fear and tell someone - anyone, about what has happened to you. And even if you're battling against the fear that no one will believe you or that nothing will be done - that the person will get away with it; then know that even if that happens you can and will still get through it. 

As is typical in a lot of sexual abuse stories, one of my main reasons to go for three years before disclosing it to anyone; was the fear - conviction, almost - that I wouldn't be believed.

In the late part of 2009 I was in a Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), and after having just come out of the seclusion room that I had been restrained and sedated in, I was sat in a room with a nurse; about to tell her my deepest, darkest secret. Immediately after returning to the female part of the PICU I had sat with a woman - an amazing, special, and kind woman who I'm forever thankful I had the chance to meet; in the walled outdoor area and she was asking if I was ok and what'd happened because she was in the next room to mine and had heard the emergency assistance alarms and other commotion.
She told me some of her own trauma story, (which hadn't been disclosed until that moment) and how she thought that if she'd reported it things mightn't have got so bad; and she might not be in the position she is, feeling that it was too late now. Telling people now wouldn't make a difference. "Nothing, could make a difference," she said. And then she told me a, LOT of her mental health story. The things she'd done. The things Services had done. The things Services hadn't done. The Hospitals she'd been in. The treatments she'd had, and the amount of years this has all been going on for.

24 Months with Dolly (my Cat)

This special post is in celebration of my cat's second Birthday!

Read about when Dolly first came home

And the special post for her First Birthday

ONE. that when I first met Dolly at six weeks old, the lady selling her showed me how she liked to have her tummy tickled; and she still does!

TWO. when she insists on having a little wee in her litter tray when I've just cleaned it out!
THREE. knowing that her favourite flavour of any kind of food (wet, dry, treats) was fish; and that she's gone off that and now prefers chicken, cheese or beef flavoured food

FOUR. that even though she's a tabby, I know her markings exactly

FIVE. that she's taught me what unconditional love is
SIX. that I can predict what she's about to do
SEVEN. that having to buy numerous duvets, mattresses and bedding to replace the ones she's just wee'd on doesn't really bother me because she's worth it!

EIGHT. that when she sits looking up at my wardrobe door I know she wants me to open it so she can go sleep on my pyjamas
NINE. when she doesn't realise that I've closed the window and leaps through the blind and then there's a thud
TEN. when she first came home and she'd cry when I'd go into another room so I'd have to pop my head into the corridor and be like, "I'm here!"
ELEVEN. when the nurse at the Vets told me she (Dolly) had been put in a cage covered by a blanket because she'd been so aggressive but I put my hand in, took her out, cuddled her in and she started purring. The nurses were like, "that is not the same kitten that we've just had!"
TWELVE. when she began to climb, initially it was onto my bed or the settee (previously I'd have to lift her up onto it), then the kitchen counters, then the rail of the shower curtain, then the top of my walk-in wardrobe door, and now; the tree outside our home
THIRTEEN. that I have to pay no attention to her when she brings me 'gifts' from outside because then she gets very proud and either: doesn't kill it, or tries to bring it closer to me (including putting it in my bed!)
FOURTEEN. when she gets that curious look on her face
FIFTEEN. that she (like me) gets completely thrown off if there's even just the slightest change to our morning routine
SIXTEEN. when we have full-on five minute conversations

SEVENTEEN. that she prefers the empty Primark bag to her brand new, fancy, bed
EIGHTEEN. when she would silently sit on the rail of the shower curtain watching me wash and I'd mess myself when I saw her out the corner of my eye
NINETEEN. that whenever something gets too much for her, she looks to me
TWENTY. that even when I don't move or make a sound, she knows when I'm awake
TWENTY ONE. when others constantly dismissed her behaviour as 'normal for a cat' but I trusted my instincts and took her to the Vets; where she was diagnosed with Anxiety
TWENTY TWO. that everytime a negative comment was made regarding Dolly's behaviour/anxiety/mental health/medication/behaviour therapist I took them on with the same courage and conviction that I use when it's regarding my own behaviour/BPD/mental health/medication/therapy. Something that took over 9 years to learn and develop

TWENTY THREE. when she's being given food and/or treats she rubs her face against your hand and/or the packet to say thank you, and then sits and waits for you to finish putting it in her bowl

TWENTY FOUR. the realisation that she doesn't know how famous and important she is - having been featured not only all over my social media and blog; (with its 160k+ readers) but also in starring in a piece for Take A Break magazine

To see more of our adventures together, make sure you're following me on Twitter and Instagram: @aimes_wilson
And subscribed to my YouTube channel

Four HUGE Updates!!!

Why No Posts?

I think that for at least the last month now, I've been having difficulty in... Making things happen, I guess? It's hard to describe it because I feel like I do have the motivation; I do want to get up and do these things, I just... Don't. I guess procrastination is the right word... It's been - and still is - really frustrating because I'm having all of these ideas and inspiration and I'm just not getting them out there for you guys. I've been vlogging a lot but I know that if it weren't for I'm NOT Disordered and you awesome readers, then I wouldn't be where I am; I'm a Blogger. And so, not putting posts up for a while makes me feel like I'm doing you all a disservice and I worry that the reader numbers will dwindle. And even though the number has continued to rise without a lot of new content, and you guys probably don't feel the way I worry that you do, I still feel the same. It's one of those things where no one can convince you otherwise. And so, I'm sorry.
BIG Mental Health Changes !!!EXCLUSIVE!!!
I'm actually surprised at myself for not spilling this news sooner - it's not even on my private Facebook!!! That, is how exclusive this is!!
So, first BIG change... I no longer require antipsychotic medication! And for the first time in seven years!!! As with most medications it had to be slowly decreased but when the day finally came that I picked up my dosette box and there was NO Quetiapine in it; it was still a shock!

SECOND BIG change... I am officially discharged from the Community Mental Health Team; whose care I have been under since 2009! It's been one of my recovery goals for a very long time and so it was at my request; so we did a trial-run for six weeks to see how I would do without them. The thing is, a big reason for me wanting to be discharged, was that I didn't feel as though I was benefiting from the Team; I only had a Psychiatrist to monitor my medication, I never needed to call them for support with a current situation, and I barely knew, or saw, my CPN. And the fact that everyone has supported the discharge - and particularly my request of it - has reassured me that it was the sensible and responsible thing to do.

MS & my Mental Health
The most recent struggle has been experiencing my first fall - difficulty with mobility and balance are two of the more debilitating symptoms. I decided to vlog myself just after it, when I was crying hysterically because I was so scared and I just needed to voice those fears. After the fall, I've seen an Occupational Therapist, who has provided me with many aids to use so as to keep my independence. And it all made me cry because there'd been some things that I'd just accepted I could no longer do. However, the sheer amount of tools I've been given, and the size of some of them, has made for a lack of storage and having such equipment in my home has started to make it feel less like a home, and more like a Hospital.  I've also been allocated a Social Worker who's  organised personal alarms, key safes and carers; so that I can feel safer in my home. And the new painkiller, that's more effective in MS patients, is working so well that on good days, I can walk further, and for longer, without using my walking stick. For me, that's a very good thing, because I get so paranoid when I use my stick in public; it makes me feel as though I stand-out for using a walking aid at my age. I'm working on it though!!
Dolly Update
Dolly has completed her trial month of medication and I saw changes in her on day FIVE (It's usually not until three or four weeks!) and so she's taking another month of the same dosage and then it's likely we can start reducing them! The changes have been so so lovely! She's being so much more friendly; with less aggression towards visitors and is now bestfriends with the granddaughter of my next-door-neighbour. I've also been allowing her more freedom to go out and come home whenever she likes and it seems to really be improving her confidence.

I Have A Type of MS

Yes, you read right.
This is a tricky post for me to write because for a while now I haven't wanted to, or felt ready to, publicize this.
I'd gone for the MRI scan when I began experiencing regular, bad headaches, a tingling feeling in the tip of my nose and across my right cheek, and flashes of white light out of the corner of my eye. When I saw the Neurosurgeon, he showed me the scan of my brain on his computer... I thought it'd be interesting but it actually terrified me a little bit to see all of these things on my brain!
Since then, I've developed a few more symptoms: joint pain- very bad joint pain and a shake/twitch/spasm thing in my right leg. I saw my GP today because the Pharmacist called me on Tuesday about my pain medication and it was decided that I needed to be on something a lot stronger and to take it more on a regular basis than a PRN one (when required). I've also been referred to Physio for exercises and a walking aid and when I developed the joint pain (a couple of weeks ago) I was referred back to the Neurosurgeon for another MRI to check if the type of MS is changing, and so when I told the one today about my leg twitches he said he was going to chase that up.
I got quite upset after the GP appointment at the fact I needed such strong painkillers and might end up with a walking stick but I'm trying to look at it with the mindset that the pain will be better (hopefully gone!) and I'll feel more mobile.
So, this is it.
I also just want to say that Bloggers and YouTubers constantly say that their followers think they know everything about your life but really, they see what you choose to show them. And so, bear in mind that I'm NOT Disordered is similar. I'm always honest with you guys, but I don't blog about everything that's going on in my life. I guess this is just further evidence not to judge a book by its cover, because a lot of people see a person behave or act in a particular way and make assumptions of these people. When really, they have no idea as to what is actually going on.
If you are to take anything from this then please let it be that and so, if you want to show your support, don't message me; share this post so that it reaches the most people possible.

If you'd like any more information about MS then please visit: http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Multiple-sclerosis/Pages/Symptoms.aspx