Good morning

[Gillette]

Good morning, everyone.

It's a beautifully bright and sunny morning, here in north Manchester.

During the past couple of weeks I have been very shaky, emotionally, and have been in tears, because of my MND, more times than I care to acknowledge. Today, however, I have awoken feeling considerably happier. I don't know how long my cheerfulness will last but I'm enjoying it while it lasts and wanted to share it with you all.

We all know how cr*ppy this condition is but sometimes we just have to seize the moment.

Smiles and hugs to everyone on here, with special hugs for anyone and everyone who is struggling to cope with what MND is throwing at them.

[Doug Carpenter]

Good morning Dina!

Well, not only are you now more cheerful, which is great to hear, but you've also kick started my day and mood with a smile. Thank you!

Good news is scarce in MND as we know. Being able to do less and less has been wearing me down lately, as has the mental effort of not to give up trying. Pinkelle's death cast a shadow too.

But hey, the glass is half full again! We must just press on and do what we can and take pleasure in all the good things around us.

I hope you have a lovely, positive day ahead. And thanks ever so much for sharing!

Big hug

Doug

[Lynne K]

Hi Dina and Dug. A very weary Lynne here but lovely to hear half full glass and smiles. Pinks passing was sad and that feeling lingered last night so I put one of the Netflix series on that I've been watching. I binge on them sometimes. The 3 I watched last night were a good distraction. Hugs to both and trying to smile, Lynne

[Deb]

Hi Dina, Doug, and Lynne.

Thank you Dina for your lovely, positive post. I really hope you have a great day and the sun continues to shine for you.

On a good day I can take the positives and focus on what I can do and appreciate how lucky I am with my fantastic family. However, I have been really low recently due to pain from a bad fall which has really hit me. Like you , Lynne I was thinking about Pink and feeling sad yesterday and had Netflix late into the night as a distraction. It's hard to pull yourself up mentally when you're down with this.

Thanks for your smiles and hugs, Dina. They made me smile too this morning.. Onwards and upwards . It's great to have each other on here.

Love Debbie x

[Sheila]

Hi, Dina, Doug and Lynne,
I had a bad day yesterday as well, so sad about pink also something I read on teletext health news about mnd which made me cry so much. We must try to stay positive.
Best wishes Sheila.

[Gillette]

Hi Doug, Lynne, Deb and Sheila,

I'm glad my post brightened your days a bit. It makes such a difference, knowing that people on here understand how MND affects us, both emotionally and physically.

I'm afraid my sunny mood didn't last long. Oh well, it was great while it lasted.

Like you, Doug, I have been struggling to cope with my deterioration recently. It's not helped by the fact that being hoisted has turned into a nightmare. This morning was so uncomfortable plus I looked and felt totally pathetic, that I crumbled - again.

I hope the four of you haven't used up all those hugs because I need a few for myself.

[Doug Carpenter]

Ah!

Dina, Sheila, Deb and Lynne - I think a communal electronic hug is called for. All together now.....

Try not to be sad Dina and Sheila. I know it doesn't take much to trip us up emotionally any more than physically.

I think Eleanor would be quite pissed off with us if we didn't stay positive.

Hope the rest of Sunday goes better for you.

Doug

[Gillette]

Sorry, Doug and respectful apologies to Eleanor,

I am trying to be positive but all I have been able to come up with is that I'm positive I look like a beached whale in this armchair.

[Ellie]

Dina, people always try to help a beached whale

Do you think there's anything that could improve the hoist experience? Is it the sling?

Big hug to you and don't beat yourself up for having a bad day/week or feeling sorry for yourself - it's par for the course really.

Love Ellie.

[Doug Carpenter]

Hey, hey Dina!

Absolutely no apologies needed.

We're all in your debt for cheering us up this morning remember.

As Ellie says, don't beat yourself.

Try to relax. Here's another hug to help.

Love

Doug

[Terry]

Hi Dina ;

Your post made me feel better and have a smile this morning.

I can't offer much in the way of support but try to do the best you can and smile even though you are not smiling inside.

Hugs Terry

[Sheila]

Hi Dina,
I am still on my feet, well just about. I think a hoist has my name on it soon. I will be getting a powered wheelchair in the next 3 weeks. But losing my leg strength is really affecting me. The wheelchair lady said to me, try and keep walking. I am watching the women's football on the telly, I know what you mean about a beached whale, but let's hope tomorrow will be a better day for us all..
Sending more hugs
Sheila x

[Kayleigh]

Thank you Dina for your very upbeat and encouraging post this morning. It helped me to start the day with positive thoughts, which are not always easy to have with all the challenges we face! Like you, I have had a mixture of emotions this weekend.

There are no words to describe how difficult our lives can get and yesterday was particularly upsetting due to the sad news about our lovely Pinkelle. She was a very special and brave lady and I appreciated her honesty about having meltdowns sometimes.

Thank you to everyone on the forum for your pep talks and also for being honest about how difficult things can get. I try to take one day at a time and try to stay positive about things - but If all posts were 'sugar coated' then I would wonder if it is acceptable that I do struggle emotionally sometimes. I'm often on a rollercoaster of happy and sad emotions - and, no matter how hard I try, sometimes I just can't hold back the tears.

If this is a 'journey' (as some people like to call it), it's definitely not easy being on such a rocky and challenging road! Many thanks to everyone In this forum family for your ongoing understanding and caring words of support.

Love and hugs to you all,
Kayleigh xx

[Lynne K]

Big hugs from me Dina, plus one real one that I owe from when we met at Redbank the other week. Lynne x

[ccinjersey]

For you Dina, and All.

Some uplifting and inspiring words. Sometimes the right quote, seen at the right time, can help a prospective in a person’s life. It can uplift us when we’re down and motivate us when we need it. Maybe one or two of these can help on a bad day

Much love to all living with this illness

CCxox
***

“I often say now I don’t have any choice whether or not I have Parkinson’s, but surrounding that non-choice is a million other choices that I can make.” – Michael J. Fox

“I fight for my health every day in ways that most people don’t understand. I’m not lazy. I’m a warrior!” – unknown

“Courage does not always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.” – Mary Anne Radmacher

“When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this: you haven’t.” – Thomas Edison

“You wake up every morning to fight the same demons that left you so tired the night before, and that, my love, is bravery.” – unknown

“Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think” – A. A. Milne

“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.” – Dale Carnegie

“When the unthinkable happens, the lighthouse is hope. Once we choose hope, everything is possible.” – Christopher Reeve

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to just try one more time.” – Thomas Edison

“Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside of you that is greater than any obstacle.” – Christian D. Larson

“The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have.” – Vince Lombardi

“You can’t calm the storm, so stop trying. What you can do is calm yourself. The storm will pass.” – Timber Hawkeye

“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

“You either get bitter or you get better. It’s that simple. You either take what has been dealt to you and allow it to make you a better person, or you allow it to tear you down. The choice does not belong to fate, it belongs to you.” – Josh Shipp

“The truth is we’re all a bit broken. We must learn to love the broken pieces of ourselves – be gentle and empathetic with ourselves, and others.” – Karen Salmansohn

“Live to inspire, and one day people will say, because of you, I didn’t give up” – unknown

“Nothing is more beautiful than a real smile that has struggled through tears.” – unknown