MS - She Ain't No Picnic!
My name is Jon Wegner aka Scooterjon. I currently live in North Dakota, USA, after being a lifelong Minnesotan. It's hard to believe I've lived in North Dakota now for 15 years with the last ten in West Fargo! Gee, time flies by! I write articles about my disease which is multiple sclerosis (MS).
A life-changing disability
I was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) in 1991 at the age of 33. My MS has steadily worsened every year since that '91 diagnosis. In 2004 my neurologist said I should consider myself to have secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). Then in the fall of 2011, my MS took another turn for the worse and into a real life-changing disability.
After an MRI in October 2011, my neurologist found more MS lesions had developed on my spinal cord. Those lesions are disrupting my body functions below the waist including standing, walking, bowels, bladder, and balance. I stopped walking at the age of 53.
I ride scooters 100% of the time
Luckily, I can still drive my van with the help of hand controls and a ramp inside my mini-van. I also had to teach myself how to do every day things like cooking, cleaning, laundry, showering, etc. while sitting on my three-wheeled scooter.
Since 1996 I've ridden 3-wheeled scooters when I needed to. Nowadays, I ride my scooters 100% of the time hence my nickname. I always thought the loss of my legs was the worst thing MS could do to a person but I was wrong. I explain what I think is the worst in the next paragraph.
I feel like a baby all over again
This is embarrassing to say but I'm an open book and there is nothing I can do about it. In July 2016 I started losing control of my bowels. Losing bowel control has really messed my head up. I feel like a baby all over again.
I've had anxiety problems since the early 1990s, but losing control of my bowels has made my anxiety worse! Not knowing when I'm going to have a BM has also turned me into a part-time recluse. I spent the winter of 2018 inside my apartment which I know isn't good for me, either.
Hard to admit I'm a disabled man
I turn 61 in March of 2019. I hope that I have 20 or more years left. After being a coordinated athlete my entire life sometimes it's hard to admit that I'm now considered a disabled man. My blog at scooterjon58.com is about MS, the symptoms and personal stories. And believe me, I have a lot of personal stories to tell. That being said, it's still hard watching your body falling apart right before your eyes!
Scooterjon
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