Debee's page
Debbie Brooks is raising money for Multiple Sclerosis Society
Participants: Ed Russell, Hannah Beck, Faye Mapleson-House,
Story
On 24 September 2017 I will be walking 6km through London starting and finishing at Battersea Park in aid of the MS Society UK - and this is my story.
Very recently my little world changed. My fiancé and partner of 10 years and I bought our very own house and began to unpack and make our beautiful new home everything we could possibly want it to be. All of a sudden I became unwell. Within that first week, I found myself extremely weak and in much pain. At times I could not see or open my eyes at all, I could just about string a sentence together but when I did it was slurred and very confused. I was delirious and felt as though I was going crazy. I had pains in my body and face and experienced pins and needles which became almost unbearable very quickly. I lost my ability to taste, use my hands properly, and hear well but what really frightened me was my inability to sit up, stand and walk. My balance disappeared and I was incredibly dizzy. Little did I know that the terrible headache I had been experiencing for the last week or so was about to stay with me for another month, at least. I have, in recent years, experienced some unfortunate situations with regard to my health but this shook my family and myself to the core. Once admitted to hospital and after being very well taken care of, my first MRI scan showed that I had swelling to the base of my brain. What also showed was that there were other 'spots' and 'legions' which could very well have been as a result of previous attacks. I was monitored and the care I received at the Queen Alexander hospital in Cosham was incredible and after 2 weeks I was allowed to go home (with my very own walking stick). Unfortunately, 2 hours after I arrived home I relapsed. Everything that I felt I was getting back, my ability to stand and walk – albeit wobbly and very slow, my speech, my motor skills - it was all slipping away from me. I was re-admitted to hospital where I underwent further testing. One lumber puncture and two more MRI scans showed that the swelling to my brain had increased and sadly all my symptoms returned, on quite a significant scale. My second admittance to hospital was the Neurology Ward at Southampton General and I could not be more thankful for the care I received there and the people I have met, some of whom will now be a part of my life going forward. I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at the age of 30 and in the first few weeks of moving into my beautiful home. It was completely out of the blue and the day I received my diagnosis my heart completely shattered. My little world has changed but it is not over and I am strong and focussed and I know that I will get through this because I am blessed and I have the most incredible support system in the MS staff, Doctors and Nurses, Physiotherapists and my wonderful friends and family.
Something that myself and my family are all in agreement of is how little we knew about MS before my diagnosis, and equally how quickly we have learnt what we know now. It's an extremely fast educator and myself, along with some very special friends and family of mine will be taking some time out to walk through London in aid of MS and hope that you will find it in yourself to take the time to learn a little about this condition. I now have MS. I walk differently and will live differently, but I will walk and I will live and ask kindly that you support my 'walking challenge' with even a just few pennies if that's all that you can manage and help me raise awareness of my condition. For the rest of my life I will be on medication and I live in hope that I will continue to get stronger but I understand that this can be limiting. I understand that I have to be careful, take things a little easier and go a little more slowly. I read somewhere that it takes up to five times more energy for a person with MS to complete even the most simple task than it does a person without MS and this could not be more accurate – you can feel cheated of the energy you know you once had but this is not a death sentence. Our plan was to move into our home, buy a puppy, hope for a baby and look forward to our wedding. We have got our home and our puppy and we will plan our baby but unfortunately this is something that we may not now see for some time. I look forward to my future and I count my blessings every single day. This is my story now and I look forward to watching each new chapter unfold.
Thank you for reading and I wish you all the health and happiness in the world.
Very recently my little world changed. My fiancé and partner of 10 years and I bought our very own house and began to unpack and make our beautiful new home everything we could possibly want it to be. All of a sudden I became unwell. Within that first week, I found myself extremely weak and in much pain. At times I could not see or open my eyes at all, I could just about string a sentence together but when I did it was slurred and very confused. I was delirious and felt as though I was going crazy. I had pains in my body and face and experienced pins and needles which became almost unbearable very quickly. I lost my ability to taste, use my hands properly, and hear well but what really frightened me was my inability to sit up, stand and walk. My balance disappeared and I was incredibly dizzy. Little did I know that the terrible headache I had been experiencing for the last week or so was about to stay with me for another month, at least. I have, in recent years, experienced some unfortunate situations with regard to my health but this shook my family and myself to the core. Once admitted to hospital and after being very well taken care of, my first MRI scan showed that I had swelling to the base of my brain. What also showed was that there were other 'spots' and 'legions' which could very well have been as a result of previous attacks. I was monitored and the care I received at the Queen Alexander hospital in Cosham was incredible and after 2 weeks I was allowed to go home (with my very own walking stick). Unfortunately, 2 hours after I arrived home I relapsed. Everything that I felt I was getting back, my ability to stand and walk – albeit wobbly and very slow, my speech, my motor skills - it was all slipping away from me. I was re-admitted to hospital where I underwent further testing. One lumber puncture and two more MRI scans showed that the swelling to my brain had increased and sadly all my symptoms returned, on quite a significant scale. My second admittance to hospital was the Neurology Ward at Southampton General and I could not be more thankful for the care I received there and the people I have met, some of whom will now be a part of my life going forward. I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at the age of 30 and in the first few weeks of moving into my beautiful home. It was completely out of the blue and the day I received my diagnosis my heart completely shattered. My little world has changed but it is not over and I am strong and focussed and I know that I will get through this because I am blessed and I have the most incredible support system in the MS staff, Doctors and Nurses, Physiotherapists and my wonderful friends and family.
Something that myself and my family are all in agreement of is how little we knew about MS before my diagnosis, and equally how quickly we have learnt what we know now. It's an extremely fast educator and myself, along with some very special friends and family of mine will be taking some time out to walk through London in aid of MS and hope that you will find it in yourself to take the time to learn a little about this condition. I now have MS. I walk differently and will live differently, but I will walk and I will live and ask kindly that you support my 'walking challenge' with even a just few pennies if that's all that you can manage and help me raise awareness of my condition. For the rest of my life I will be on medication and I live in hope that I will continue to get stronger but I understand that this can be limiting. I understand that I have to be careful, take things a little easier and go a little more slowly. I read somewhere that it takes up to five times more energy for a person with MS to complete even the most simple task than it does a person without MS and this could not be more accurate – you can feel cheated of the energy you know you once had but this is not a death sentence. Our plan was to move into our home, buy a puppy, hope for a baby and look forward to our wedding. We have got our home and our puppy and we will plan our baby but unfortunately this is something that we may not now see for some time. I look forward to my future and I count my blessings every single day. This is my story now and I look forward to watching each new chapter unfold.
Thank you for reading and I wish you all the health and happiness in the world.