I fell off my Travelscoot last night whilst transferring from the toilet.

I have an accessible en-suite bathroom at home with handrails everywhere so it’s usually deliciously easy to transfer. Last night the scooter moved back slightly as I sat down, so I was perched precariously on the edge of the seat. I felt myself slip off and landed with a thud in the canvas basket underneath with my head firmly wedged under the seat.

This was not a good place to end up! The seat needed to be removed to release my head and I was then heaved onto the bed by my long-suffering husband.

I admit I’d had 3 (small) glasses of wine but surely that amount of alcohol shouldn’t have such a dramatic impact on me?

I drink around 16 units of alcohol a week which I don’t think is excessive but maybe alcohol and MS don’t mix?

It makes me need the loo far more than usual, so I exhaust myself going back wards and forwards all evening. It makes my sleep worse and I often wake in the night and find it impossible to get back to sleep again. My children witnessed the drama last night so this must be having a negative impact on them.

So why not just stop drinking?

I use alcohol as a reward and a way to unwind after a week at work. I enjoy the taste of wine and enjoy it with food. It’s also one of the last pleasures MS hasn’t robbed me of so am reluctant to let it go!

Given the bruises to my body and pride this morning though, maybe it’s time to admit defeat and find another way to relax and reward myself.

I used to swim to de-stress myself or go to a body pump class at the gym, but I can’t do that anymore. I can’t go dancing or for a long walk either and anything arty like knitting or drawing is also out due to useless MS hands, so what else can I do?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Well done MS, you win again.

MS 1 – Me 0