2008

Well after my earlier bout of self pity, I pulled myself together, caught a cold/flu (despite having been vaccinated) and got a bit drunk with the wife on NYE.

The cold or whatever it is has caused my MS to flair up and I'm currently experiencing fluctuations in all my previous symptoms, from dodgy hands and feet to piss poor balance and intermittent issues with my vision. I've been taking interferon, though, so following the stats that 60% of flu cases result in the MS sufferer having an attack within 6 weeks, I'm hopeful that any such action will be relatively mild and not brutal and unforgiving!

This is now the first year I've started with my diagnosis on the table. Its hard to say what to make of it all, really. I mean, its a pretty cruel disease, nibbling away and sensation and physical capacity then restoring it just long enough to make you really miss it when it snatches it away again. On the other hand, I'm kinda optimistic that there'll be improved treatments available before it has the chance to properly screw me up. That's not really based on anything except my naive optimism (not usual traits for me, I assure you!) and the exceptional confidence I've had in the people who have been involved in treating me, their honest intellectual curiosity about what is, objectively, a pretty fascinating condition.

I've decided to give getting hold of Sativex a go as I know that most strains of cannabis appear to have some impact on my symptoms and so there's a reasonable chance that Sativex will be close to one of them. I want the beneficial effects of cannabis without the bullshit of smoking it, getting stoned or annoying the wife. That's definitely a goal for me this year.

Anyway that's for the future... for now, Happy New Year!