I say this all the time, you can’t plan for things because you just don’t know. What doesn’t cause problems one day may be a gigantic obstacle the next day. One day you feel fine the next you can’t get out of bed. People around me always say it’s the weather or may say maybe you’re getting sick, I just know it’s the nature of the disease.

A good example is when I was playing mahjong. I’ve had issues many times by the end of the game that my back and core could barely hold me up. It is difficult for me to do the forward and backward motion for 3-4 hours in a row. Then one day we played at my house in my chairs and my back/core was really was great. The first thought anyone said was maybe it’s the chairs at the place we normally play, but I knew better. Then we played again here and within an hour I started having problems. By the end of the game I could barely walk let alone sit up straight. One week I could one week I couldn’t no rhythm or reason.

In physical therapy I was discussing this fact. There are some exercises I do on a table. I use to be able to do them by myself, now I don’t have ability to pull my leg in on its own. A therapist always has to help with the movement. Yet as those muscles got weaker my hip muscles are doing a little better. Exercises that I do in a standing position are much straighter and slightly easier than they were in the beginning. I haven’t stopped either exercise over the last 6 months yet one I can’t do independently and one I can. No rhyme or reason.

Today I woke up feeling tired after sleeping 9 hours tomorrow I’ll wake up fine after sleeping 6 hours. This is what makes MS so difficult. The unknown of the day to day. Each day I do my best and that’s all I can do. If I need to rest, I rest. If I feel good I get things done that I can. I know others have the same thinking who suffer from any chronic disease. Give yourself a break and do your best. Your disease didn’t come with a manual.