This wasn’t good. I went to play mahjong for the second time yesterday. It is a game like rummy cube with Asian tiles. Your hands must match to an approved hand on a card. You play with four people around a square table taking turns picking and throwing tiles. Not very strenuous unless you have some type of multiple sclerosis symptom making it difficult. I had that MS symptom.

At first I was fine, other than my game itself. However after the second hour I was fighting from keeping my body from falling over. If got harder and harder to keep myself upright in those lousy bridge chairs. The constant movement of forward and backward picking the tiles over the course of two hours didn’t give my back a much needed relief. By the end of hour three I left because we had an extra person and I was able to go home. By this point I was almost shaking holding myself up and was scared if I leaned over again I’d actually fall over.

As always with MS when one symptom acts up so does another. Walking became extremely difficult. I even had problems when I tried to go to the bathroom. When I finally made it home I collapsed into my chair. My back needed the relief. The sad part was I was exhausted. Exhausted from playing mahjong and sitting all day. Such a simple thing still affected yet another part of my MS. It actually happened the first time I played as well but I just thought that it had something to do with the fact I walked in that day and up two flights of steps. That was a difficulty in itself. This time I took my wheelchair in so I know it was the game and the movement.

I see my doctor next week but what can we say anymore. The question of me getting worse is known and there isn’t much I can do about it. Next time I will try a pillow. It might also be easier when I get my handicap van and I’m able to use my other wheelchair. I could play at the table with that chair and it is higher support for my back. I can try one of those posture corrector braces but i used them once when i was exercising and found them unhelpful. It was once again a disheartening moment with my MS. Thankfully once rested my back felt ok and I didn’t feel that way anymore. Now I need to find a solution because I like playing mahjong, it’s fun.