Called in at Asda after emotional pilates, grabbed what I needed & left Asda.
Flat tyre! Seriously! MS brain melt down!
Super Deb to the rescue! Quick call to my girly & she talked me through what I had to do!
I managed to inflate the tyre & get to Kwik Fit!
Sit hear & wait I guess! đŠ
megaspecial.me
megaspecial.co.uk
Nice! Had an emotional pilates session, gawd knows why & one of the ladies says to me after…
“Your losing so much weight, what a lovely figure you have even though your big”
Cheers for that! I’m sure there’s a compliment there! Flipping burst into
tears as well whilst laughing! 🙊
Gahhhhh MS, you make my life such fun! 😝
megaspecial.me
megaspecial.co.uk
Can only mean one thing…
Another 
As always my Pilates instructor knows how to motivate!
I’m gonna feel it in the morning! Seriously worth it! đđȘ
I cannot recommend this highly enough to everyone, especially people that have MS!
Pilates is the perfect exercise for me as it challenges my mind as well as my body and I get to say to my MS ‘today I am in control of my body’
This was me today!
May have pushed myself a little too far in pilates as the MS fatigue took my voice & I had to sit for a while in my car with the air conditioning on before I could drive home!
Felt so good though, was well worth it!
I’m proud! Nailed the ‘100’ as well! (I think I did anyway ;))
#Ishapeme #pilates
So last week I was like…
Then last Friday, thanks to being able to return to exercise after having my back procedure-surgery-thingymebob I was all like “let’s…
And I over came another obstacle when my MS anxiety kicked in due to ‘Change’
I knew that my normal pilates instructor wouldn’t be teaching on Friday, a different lady was filling in for Kate!
I’m so glad Kate told me about this!
I had a choice, face up to my anxiety of change or let my MS win and ruin what kept me so positive through the physical pain of the week before….
I did it! I attended pilates and I took my normal space, at the front of the class next to the instructor!
I’m so glad I didn’t let my MS win! The instructor ‘Hannah’ was lovely! It was a different kind of pilates, different is good! Change IS good!
After the class Hannah asked me to hang back and wait for her.
She had been asked by my wonderful pilates instructor/guru to walk with me down the stairs. How lovely!
Due to the combination of my MS tremors after exercise & then the heat from outside of the air conditioned dance hall, I get quite weak so Kate always walks with me to my car. She had asked Hannah to do the same & she did. So kind!
I chatted with Hannah & a friend of hers for quite a while. They wanted to know all about me, my MS & my journey. It was great to share my story with them both, I think I did a good job of raising MS awareness!
That was Friday, a brilliant day that really lifted my spirits!
I had know idea what was planned for the rest of the weekend & neither did my partner.
Neither of us knew that the next day was going to be possibly one of the most exciting days of our lives, well mine for definite!…..
But before I sign off here’s some teasers for you…
My next blog, continuing from this one will contain these
These…
And this person…
Intrigued much?
Back to it today after a week recovering from my back procedure-surgery-thingymebob
Looking forward to it! Just one thing, it’s a different instructor & my MS Anxiety doesn’t like change!
Bring it on! One more thing for me to overcome! I can do this! Sticking my tongue out to the alter ego ‘MegaSpecial’ in me! She will not win!
#strongerthanMS #MegaSpecial #megaspecialinme
I must say, it’s been a MegaSpecial kinda weekend & this week has started off just as good!
Full of awesome peapods & many giggles!
It started at 17:30 on Friday 8th May 2015 with the takeover of a twitter account belonging to an MS charity group called Shift.MS
Every weekend they let a member of the MS community take over their twitter account & this weekend was my turn!
I’d been really looking forward to it since I was first asked at the beginning of the year!
It took me a while to find the right subject to get Tweeps engaged but once I did the response was just brilliant!
I hear u asking what was the top subject?
Exercise & fatigue!
It’s amazing to see the reaction I get when I tell people how much I enjoy working out in the gym, attending pilates classes & even the occasional aqua aerobics!
I was one of those type’s of people that didn’t believe in myself enough to go to the gym or take part in exercise classes. Last July my neuro physiotherapist referred me onto an exercise scheme at my local gym & I’ve never looked back since!
The general chat on the @shiftms Twitter takeover was what sort of exercise people with MS do. I was also made aware that there is large amount of people that don’t agree with exercise & MS because of the amount of energy used and the problem most of us get with MS fatigue!
Very interesting chatter!
You won’t find me stopping my exercise though! It helps me manage my Chronic pain & as long as I pace myself I can generally cope with the fatigue side of it! That does tend to mean I have a lot of short naps!
The twitter takeover finished this morning at 9am. Before I said goodbye I shared some of my inspirational sayings and left people to mull them over.
I met a lovely lady after my first Wednesday pilates class, talking with her I found out that she not only teaches the ‘forever fit’ class (for the more seasoned) Laura also teaches an MS exercise class.
When she heard that I have SPMS (Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis) I exercise at the gym & I was doing pilates she was amazed!
Laura then invited me to her MS class!
She told me the dates & times but with my MeSsy brain I forgot. Luckily my pilates instructor Kate got the dates & times for me again.
That class was today! I felt really nervous about going to the class but the fact that Laura really wanted me to attend was enough of a push to get me there!
I had a lovely reception from everyone when I arrived and a great introduction from Laura.
I’ll be honest, I had thought that all the exercises would be done sitting down and so I wasn’t suprised when the class started and everyone stayed seated!
I did however think that the exercises were a little basic to start. That was until I found myself needing a drink! I suffer with dry mouth so for me to need a lot of liquid isn’t unusual!
I then found myself taking off my t-shirt revealing my exercise top underneath! Then before I knew it I needed the gym towel out of my bag!
I asked every one in the exercise class if they are proud of themselves, they looked at me blank!
Then I pointed out to them how amazing they are for making the commitment to attend that class twice a month! It was a lot harder than I anticipated with the exercises challanging the brain as well as the body! Perfect for anyone with MS!
The instructor is wonderful! I found out that, to start off with she only taught the class whilst covering for someone else. Then ended up taking it up as her own class as it was enjoyed be everyone so much!
I shall definitely be going back to the next one in June!
Next time I shall make sure I have enough time to stop after for coffee & chats! Will be nice to get to know everyone & hear all their stories
Thank you Laura for inviting me to your class & thank you Kate for finding the times & dates out for me!
Yesterday was a really busy day for me!
Lots of people chatting with me about the MS news headlines
‘Miraculous Stem cell treatment’
Such brilliant news but I really don’t want people being misguided into thinking its a cure, I’ve attached a link to what the MS Society have to say
My day started as normal as any would. Knowing in my mind what I had planned for the day, I sat down with my breakfast and my iPad and started checking my notifications I had received the night before.
The first notification I saw was from a close friend ‘Toni’ telling me to turn ITV on. Then another message came through from my Dad telling me that the ‘Good Morning Britain’ show on ITV were about to interview a lady that had undergone Stem cell treatment for her MS and I should put the TV on. As soon as I read this the home phone started to ring! It was my friend ‘Toni’ checking I had received the message about turning the TV on.
Click on this link to watch the video clip
Good Morning Britain ‘Holly Drewry’ interview about multiple sclerosis stem cell treatment walk
That’s when my day started to get really busy!
Social media sites started to buzz with the talk of this ‘wonder cure’ Friends were asking me about it, I said the same to them as what i started this blog with….
‘Miraculous Stem cell treatment’
Such brilliant news but I really don’t want people being misguided into thinking its a cure, I’ve attached a link to what the MS Society have to say
I know I have just repeated the article from the beginning of the blog but I do feel this is a very important message to get across.
Another topic that I was involved with on Facebook was about a photo that had been added to the group ‘Nuneaton memories’Â It was an old photo of my families health food and ethnic fashion shop ‘Way Of Life’ before the business was sold in 2000.
I’ve decided after seeing all the lovely comments about ‘Way Of Life’ that I am going to start a new project. I’m going to write about the business from when it started as a market stall in the early 80’s to the very last day! If I can find photos then I shall add those as well.
If my long-term memory ever fails me like my short-term does then I’ll have a forever memory in my new project!
It was whilst chatting about the family shop, the MS news and researching it in more depth that I realised the time! 12:15!
I was going back to a Pilates class after not going to it or any other fitness classes including the Gym for over a week due to sickness! You can imagine how excited I was to be able to go back!
12:15 I was still in my PJ’s, hadn’t had any lunch and hadn’t checked through my gym bag to make sure everything was in there that I needed! You know like the important things!
I got myself some lunch and mistakenly continued with the social media conversations! This is always a big mistake as I do tend to get lost in them!
13:00 the phone rang, it was my partner calling me whilst on her lunch as she does everyday. I explained I wasn’t dressed for Pilates & at the same time I looked at the clock, 1pm! It was 1pm and the only thing I had done in 45 minutes was have lunch! Oh dear! This was the time I should have left to make sure I arrived at the leisure centre to meet my friend and be in time for the Pilates class.
Now for anyone that knows me personally you will know how stressed I get when I have to be anywhere for appointments, it’s all down to the time restrictions. This is also the case for classes, so Pilates, I leave early to allow for any traffic delays, Aqua fit is further away so I leave extra early and usually end up sitting in my car for ages!
So imagine how I was! I always say I’m getting ‘in a flap’ Well, if I was in any more of a flap my feet would have left the floor!
I finished the phone call with my partner and rushed around like I was on fire! I always think that the more you rush the slower you are as you make more mistakes! When I’m in a flap I never think to slow down & remember this!
I got my self ready, sorted the dogs and grabbed my gym bag… oh no! My membership card that I need to enter the gym, wasn’t where it normally is! I hadn’t checked when I first got up!
I emptied all my bags & different purses looking for my card. I couldn’t find it anywhere!
13:25 The Pilates class starts at 13:30! I had 5 minutes to get to the leisure centre which is easily a 10 minute drive without traffic! This was so not me! I’m like Sheldon from ‘The Big Bang Theory’ when it comes to situations like this! How could I get there and to the class in time! Knowing it was impossible I still continued to make my way out of our Bungalow!
13:30Â It always happens when you’re in a rush, the refuge bin collectors where on their routes which just happened to be the same direction that I was going! Well, if I had no chance of getting there in time 5 minutes ago then I was most definitely going to be late! I remember thinking, what do I do? This was a whole new experience to me, remember ‘I am Sheldon’ shall I pull over & phone the leisure centre so I don’t get charged for not turning up?
I carried on! Again a new experience, not phoning to tell them about my lateness! What a rebel!
13:40 I finally arrived in the leisure centre car park! 10 minutes late! I’m never late for anything! I felt like crying, I was already feeling sensitive because of going down memory lane earlier on with the comments about our old shop.
My friend’s car was there, she must have gone straight in.
I stood at the ticket machine for the car parking & felt my eyes well up! Something incredible happened next, I started to asses the situation. For the first time I actually changed my thoughts from feeling angry with myself to deciding how I could make better this situation. I was definitely too late for the class, I wouldn’t be joining in with Pilates today, that was for sure. I still had to go in to the centre to explain about being late, I had to apologize at the very least plus I needed a new gym card after losing the original! I may even have to pay for the session (I am a member so the cost of session is all in with my monthly charge. Unless you fail to attend the class without warning)
Decided then, I would go inside! I got my car park ticket and made my way into the centre all the time thinking about Shift.ms
13:45 Yep I really was late, I explained to the lady at reception that I was late and I needed a new card. She offered for me to carry on into the class at which I declined, the class was by now 15 Â minutes into the session. Me walking in so late would have been very distracting, something I know I wouldn’t appreciate if it happened to me.
The receptionist said I wouldn’t have to pay and she didn’t charge me for a new card either *hush-hush*
This is when #GOOB happened!
I thanked the lady on reception, what a lovely kind thing to do for me. I then asked her if the card was active? It was, perfect!
I then made my way up the stairs and into the changing room to put my bag in a locker. I then left the changing room, straight past the dance hall where Pilates was and into the gym!
I spent 45 minutes in the gym working on my balance and then made my way back to my car where I sat and waited for my friend to come out.
When I saw ‘Mummy Crispie’ walk towards the car, the look on her face was just brilliant! She was obviously confused about why I was sitting in my car and hadn’t gone into Pilates. I explained everything to her and we sat chatting for at least 20-30 minutes. When I say we ‘sat chatting’, Crispie was in her car with window down & I was in my car with window down of course. This really tickled me and kept me smiling during the journey home.
(Crispie is a nickname for my friend Christine who I have known since I was 4! She is my best friends Mum!)
Crispie seemed really impressed when I told her I went into the gym instead. I felt really proud of myself!
This was definitely my #GOOB! Making Good Out Of Bad!
Thank you Shift.ms for reminding me that it only takes a small change to the way you think to make
good out of a bad moment
Here are some visuals from the Shift.ms web page that I really like and help me to stay positive…
Just change the Yoga for Pilates and this is perfect for me!
I have done this but i think I may to look at it again, maybe that way I won’t be late in future!
Shift.ms aims to create a positive, enabling community for MSers which empowers them to acknowledge their MS, rethink how to achieve their ambitions and get on with their lives.
Living life the MegaSpecial way! 