Well done!

Hi all,

Just a quick message to let you all know that my Auntie and friends completed their 60km (38 mile) walk for the MS society on Saturday on one of the hottest days of the year. A superb effort by all involved and many kind thanks from me. I am sure that the MS society will be extremely grateful for the money raised. If you haven't sponsored them yet and still wish to (you have about 90 days to do it!) then follow this link:

http://www.justgiving.com/trisharedgrave

Baby bump is expanding nicely and my trousers are getting a little bit tight around my middle. It's probably the only time you don't mind feeling fat! We are off to see the midwife on Friday morning to hear baby's heartbeat which is very exciting. I am sure I felt baby move last week as well - strange bubbling from my stomach. Hubby Nath was listening to bump last night and was convinced he could hear the bubbles - very strange!

The hot weather does not help my MS. My legs feel even more like lead than they did before! I think with the pregnancy and the MS combined it's a double whammy of fatigue! Well I got a stick from my Physio today which should help if I'm having a wobbly day.

Right I must dash as I have about 50 SATS papers to mark tonight!
Em xxx

Baby Richards!

Hi all,
I'm sorry I have not written for ages but I don't think I could have written on here without spilling the news about baby Richards! I am expecting my first baby on October 31st (and no we are not calling the baby Damian!). The picture above is the baby at the scan at 12 weeks, for those who cannot tell what is what - the head is on the right and that's it's leg up in the air on the left. We have another scan in about 6 weeks in which we can find out the sex of the baby if we want to but we want a surprise so will just keep guessing! I have a small bump expanding, well I know that's what it is, I probably just look fat to everyone else! My trousers are definitely getting tighter but I don't mind, it's all for a good cause.

My MS has not really changed with the pregnancy. I finally managed to shake off the hug (or the little elf got bored squeezing me!) which was a relief. My legs still get very tired, but that could be down to baby, being back at work full time or just the MS. So, I'm back at work teaching full time, which is hard work but I am just about coping. I think it makes it easier to cope knowing I don't have much teaching time left until I go on maternity leave. Access to Work have been so supportive and have provided me with 7 hours of support in the classroom. The support is entirely for me, someone to do my photocopying, put my displays up for me etc. My very own personal assistant! The other teachers at school are very jealous.

Well not long now until we have a nice week away in France. I am just hoping the weather is going to be better than it was when we went last year - it was colder and wetter in Bordeaux than it was in Bristol. We are supposed to be going away to Spain in August but I will be 30 wks pregnant by then and I am not sure I am happy about leaving the country in case this baby decides to make an early appearance, we will see.......

I will keep you updated on bump and how my MS reacts to the pregnancy.
Em x

Is it really British Summertime?

Hello avid readers,
I have not written for some time as again my life is very boring! I am officially on my school 'Easter' holidays and have had my first lie in of the holidays. I do feel sorry for Nathan who is getting up at 530 at the moment and having to leave me in bed sleeping.

So what is going on weather? Last week it was so mild it was beginning to feel like summer and now we have snow? This time last year it was so warm people were heading to the beach! The weather is going crazy.

I have just been to balance group and I'm having a little rest on the sofa, trying to summon up some energy from somewhere to go swimming tonight. My legs still seem to be cramping up at night, and I wake up and walk like a robot for half an hour or so. I seem to be crampy in different parts of my leg each day and I'm still no wiser as to the reasoning behind it!

Well it is not long now (about 7 weeks or so) until we head to France for a week with the family. We are both looking forward to a break away from work and this country. We have got a couple of weekends away coming up with friends we don't get to see as often as we'd like, so we are looking forward to those too.
Take care
Emma x

Happy belated Easter!

Hi everyone,

Well it's been a while again as I have had very little to report. My MS symptoms have stayed relatively stable since the last dose of steroids. My legs seem to get worse throughout the day, but I think that is just due to tiredness because when I get up in the morning they are better again!

Well our Y6's are off to PGL next week on their adventure holiday to deepest darkest Wales and I'm not going :-( I accept that it would probably be far too much for me, but it won't stop me sulking because I am not going, ha ha. Well it's a funny time at school just now - we've just had a 4 day weekend, then we've got 4 days this week, a full week next week and then we are off on our proper school holidays for 2 weeks!

Well Happy belated Easter to you all. We managed to have a nice quite relaxing weekend (shame about the school work). We didn't get much snow over here, looks like we missed out on the fun and games that the rest of the country had.

Oooh and before I forget: my auntie's walk is getting closer so I'm just going to re-post the link as it has dropped off the first page and I wouldn't want you to all miss out on sponsoring her!
http://www.justgiving.com/trisharedgrave

Thanks
Take care,
Em x

I'm alive!

Hello,

I'm back! It is so much harder to find the time to write on here as I'm back at work pretty much full time now. Occupational health have given me permission to go back full time if I am feeling up to it, so I think I'll keep supply on hand for the next couple of weeks until our school holidays and come back in the summer term and have my class back! I would be lying if I said teaching full time again was easy - it is a challenge, but one I am determined to try and overcome. I have got great support at school and they are taking extra duties away from me (such as playground duty) to get me back into work.

I have got parents evenings this week, one part of the job that I dread. I wonder if parents dread it as much as teachers do? Luckily this is the only one now before the end of the year, just their final reports to go now!

Well, we had a lovely weekend with our friends coming to stay and catching up with my brother in law and his wife. It was Nathan's gramps 90th birthday on Sunday and we surprised him with a little party, which he appeared delighted with. I haven't really been up to much else as I've been shattered!

I have been to balance group today and am now quite tired. My legs are quite often shaky when I come out of there- shows I've been doing something he he! They were mean and made me try and stand on a wobble board on one leg - not something that comes easy to me! I still have good days and bad days with my legs (even though they are all good days compared to before) and I still can't put my finger on the reasoning for the difference. Perhaps one day I will figure it out!

Will try not to leave it so long next time!
Emma

The weekend is here!

Hi guys,

Well I've just about made it through another week where I taught 3 mornings, an afternoon and a whole day. I'm very impressed with my achievements this week. Am finally feeling much stronger after my horrible relapse over Christmas.

I started my second balance group with our lovely neuro - physios on Monday this week. I have attended one before but I wasn't supposed to be on it (someone pulled out) so I didn't do the first session. In this session they test your balance skills (standing to sitting without using hands, standing on one leg, standing with your eyes closed), and how fast you can walk to someone and how many steps you use. The idea being that on the last session of the 8 week course they test you again to see how much you have improved (well hopefully have improved!). I do feel a little bit like a fraud because there are some other people there who obviously struggle more than I do. Then I remember that the Physio's asked me to go for a reason - they obviously think they can help me. I am just grateful for the all the help I am being offered and will grab it all with both hands.

Well my mother is off galavanting at swimming camp in Lanzarote for the week, I'm not at all jealous or anything (Mum, stop sending me texts about how hot it is and how much of a good time you are having!). Our swimming club goes every year, but I have only managed to get out there twice in my lifetime because they go during the first week of March and for the last 5 years I have been teaching and obviously can't just leave my class! They will all come back tanned and super fit after swimming for 4 hours a day (well some of them do 4 hrs!!!) as well as all the free exercise classes they attend. Training is very quiet without you all, but I managed to gatecrash poor Bob's (quite a bit older than me!) lane on Thursday because everyone else squashed in the other lanes. Enjoy yourselves!

Well I'd better love you and leave you as my mini-reports for forthcoming parents evenings are calling my name, take care xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

MS Awareness, Blogging Friends and a little Link Love

There are at least 137 MS Bloggers out there actively discussing whatever suits their fancy. Below you will find many of these suspects....wait... I mean lovely blogger friends who happen to have multiple sclerosis.I'd like your help in spreading the word, and in doing so we will strengthen the bonds of our own little Multiple Sclerosis Blogging Web (and share some linkie love with each other). If you are not an MS Blogger, but are a regular reader here, please feel free to help spread the word too.

Here are some bloggers to check out:
A Stellarlife (Diane)
Multiple Synchronicities & Sclerosis (Merelyme)
Friday's Child
My Journey - Living Well with MS (Diana)
Sunshine and Moonlight (Kim)
The MonSter Ate My Branes! (Natalie)
Queen Mediocretia of Suburbia
Brass and Ivory (Lisa)
Brain Cheese (Linda)
Maybe I'm Just Lazy (Julie)
Carole's MS Blog (Carole)
Great Mastications (Orla)
Movin' On with MS (Sammie)


Thank you for helping to build a stronger MS Community.