When Patricia stopped working recently, her neurologist suggested she apply for the NDIS. Patricia was hesitant, until she spoke with someone already accessing the service.
‘My neurologist had been suggesting for a few years that I apply for NDIS and I just didn’t want to — it sounded like such a horrible experience. I then started chatting with someone down at my local dog park who uses NDIS and he said, “you have to think of it as almost an audit, everything you ask for you have to have someone or something to back it up.” That’s when I started understanding what needed to happen.’
Patricia reached out straight away and made contact with MS Plus, who then guided her through the process of accessing support.
‘The Plus Connect staff member was fantastic. She explained things well, gave me advice, was really very respectful and compassionate and listened to what my needs were.
‘She told me what services she thought I might benefit from, based on the reports from my neurologist, supports like physiotherapy, exercise physiology, incontinence support.
‘If it wasn’t for MS Plus, I probably would have just given up,’ Patricia said.
Patricia was diagnosed with MS 10 years ago, after a significant episode.
‘I went to New Zealand for work and woke up one morning with the worst headache I’d ever had. Suddenly my balance was an issue and I couldn’t work. I was getting spasticity and I temporarily lost my sight — everything was just shadows, so I ended up in emergency. I sort of fell in a heap and couldn’t work for a few months.
‘I was diagnosed relatively quickly after my MRI. My GP got me in to see a neurologist who did some testing and found that I had lesions in my spine and my brain. My neurologist believed I had probably had episodes before, based on my scan,’ Patricia said.
Like most people who are newly-diagnosed, the news was a shock.
‘I was terrified at first,’ Patricia said.
‘But then I was talking to a neurologist and I said to her, “Tell me if I’m looking at this the wrong way but I think I’ve got two choices. I can have a good life with MS or a bad life with MS. Am I thinking of this too simplistically?” And she said quite definitively, “No”, so I thought to myself, “I’m going to have a good life with MS”.’
‘Yes, there are some difficulties and some bad days, but you can still have a really, wonderful, fulfilling life.
‘For instance, I haven’t gone out in the evening for 5 years because of fatigue but that’s okay, I catch up with my friends or go to the movies during the day. There’s always a way to make it work.’
One thing Patricia has learned since her diagnosis is the importance of asking for help.
‘It’s been difficult and I’m not very good at it but learning to put your hand up and ask for help is so important. I’m slowly getting better at it,’ Patricia said.
‘One of my friends also has MS, she was diagnosed quite a long time before me. She was a wonderful support in managing those early stages and it helped me to see that she is a very happy, functioning woman who is having a wonderful life.
‘Ever since then, if I’ve heard of someone who is recently diagnosed, I’ve always offered for them to call me. Because I know that having that friend and being able to talk to her was absolutely wonderful.
Reach out to us on 1800 042 138 or email [email protected]