One Day at a Time by Ken Lobley

A wise old man once said when you can get to fifty or sixty years old, if anything can happen to you it will.  For that is when your body starts to rebel against all the times you abuse it over the years.  Like going out in all weather with no coat and pushing yourself to the limit.  It all takes its toll. Well I am 61 now (2008) and still fighting fit.  I have taken early retirement to become my wife’s carer.  I thought to myself I’ll get some of the jobs done around the flat and garden.  We will be able to shoot off for the day or two, wherever the car wants to go.

But three months ago, the dreaded curse hit me, my legs started to go.  Now I have to use a walking stick.  Had an x-ray on them, doctor said it came back clear.  There is nothing wrong with them.  My reply, you tell my legs that.  Now my whole body is rebelling, no strength, no energy, and no get up and go in me.

Everything gone out the window, all I can do is take one day at a time.  I think to myself, some carer I turned out to be.  I keep saying to myself each morning it’s all in the mind, but my body says not.  So I have to push myself to do things, even when a job takes ten minutes, it will take me thirty minutes.  Till my body says you can take no more.  Then I know it will be the end.  The three B’s.

Since then I have been rushed to hospital, in there for two weeks getting a complete M.O.T. check, passed most of the tests but the last one I failed on the electric wiring. I was diagnosed with motor neuron and I cannot get new parts, so today I’ve failed my M.O.T. and I am on a downhill until my brain tells my body enough is enough. Until then I take every day one day at a time.

I know there are others who have experienced the same and for longer, how must they and their family feel?

They say in Scotland there are 165 people die of this disease each year and the figure rising every year.  They still say it is a rare disease and nobody yet has a cure for it.  But they have found the faulty gene so they might be able to work from that and hopefully have a cure in 10 or 15 years. Therefore I am intending to donate blood samples for future research.

I would like to thank all the staff in ward 6 PRI and all the back up staff, e.g. O.T, therapy, carers and family. Especially Ann my wife and Stewart my grandson. Also anybody else that has been involved.

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