Of course I’m a positive person, but I found myself in a place last Monday morning where I could comfortably shed my glass-is-half-full outlook.
I was in the Mount Pleasant Health Park and was just told I had a 45-minute wait to get a blood test for my potential new Multiple Sclerosis disease-modifying therapy. Forty five minutes? No problem! I’ve waited longer for a table at Cheers Neighborhood Grill here in town.
See? Positive person, right?
It was when I found a seat socially distant from the throngs of others in the waiting room that I pulled out my cellphone and got all honest with a community that gets it.
I immediately went to myMSteam bookmarked on my Safari browser and opened the feature I use the most: just clicking the pen icon that kindly asks, “How is your day?” and I check either “Good,” “Bad” or “So-So” and then share my day.
Mine was “So-So,” and here’s how I described why it wasn’t the 45 minute wait throwing me off my game:
A bit frustrated. Taking Jennifer in for her Rituxan treatment. She needs me and her caregiver to help with restroom transfers. Even though we told them this when we confirmed the appointment and they said it was no problem, they are only allowing one of us to join her in the infusion room at a time. When she needs help, we can both be there, but only to help. I get it with COVID and stuff, but we got preapproved for us both to be with her. Oh yeah, and then there’s the whole MS bladder thing that isn’t going to wait around for both caregivers to be present. Kind of annoying…
I quickly had a couple comments and several virtual likes and hugs to remind me that other people understand what I’m dealing with and remind me I’m not dealing with this alone. This is why I am so grateful I looked into myMSteam and why I’m so proud to be in a partnership with this free online social network for people living with MS.
For real. Take a few minutes to explore everything it has to offer and join this free online community today.
Yes, I’m a huge fan of the “How is your day” feature because it’s a great way to touch base with others who can share in your excitement or relate to your MS realities on any given day. Like a quick “How are you” as you’re passing by a colleague in the office. A friend in the store. A fellow parishioner in church. Sometimes a “Fine, how are you doing?” is enough of a response, but other times call for stopping, listening and having a meaningful conversation.
And there are so many other resources that help make myMSteam a gamechanger for the MS community, including:
My Team Activity
This enables you to make stronger connections with others who share your interests and your MS experiences.
Meet Others
Here’s a great way to find others who live close to you, have the same type of MS, deal with similar symptom and more.
Q+A
Ask a question relating to your MS. Any question. You’ll soon get other people’s perspectives and engage in conversations to get the answers you were looking for.
Resources
Here’s essentially a digital library of sorts that address pretty much everything you want and need to know about MS.
It was through the Resources feature on myMSteam that Jennifer and I found two incredible articles that are helping us with two of our respective health-related goals for the new year: while she is working to lose the weight she’s gained throughout the pandemic, I am striving to get at least seven hours of sleep each night:
• Maintaining a Healthy Weight With MS
• MS Fatigue: How To Fight Fatigue with MS
All of these resources and all of these features are available for us to connect with any time, any place. From the comfort of our homes to, yes, even the waiting room at in the Mount Pleasant Health Park or your local doctor’s office. See what I mean by myMSteam being a gamechanger for the MS community?
I encourage you to join this free community today.
*This is a sponsored post on behalf of myMSteam.