I was diagnosed with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis in 2009, after years of different symptoms. After 10 years with the disease I have finally come to terms with my long-term illness. MS can be an invisible disease for some people, I showed no outward sign of having the disease, so people treat me as a normal healthy adult.
This does lead to issues, when no one can see a physical disability they struggle to see that you are suffering. Extreme fatigue cannot really be understood until you have experienced it yourself. I can only describe it as being so tired your arms and legs feel as though you have had lead weights attached, and a simple task like climbing the stairs feels as though you are attempting a mountain expedition!
I was worried about what people would think about me having a stairlift fitted. Would people automatically just call me lazy as they can’t see the disability? Would the stairlift interfere too much with family life? As I have two young boys. Would the stairlift take up too much room?
After talking to various family members and friends, they all agreed this would be something to help me now and in the long term as the illness progresses.
It took me some time to come to terms with getting the stairlift, as at the age of 40 I don’t consider myself old and I only associated stairlifts with an aid for the elderly!
Tackling family life with a stairlift, I thought it would be difficult but after discovering from visiting Direct Stairlifts Show room. I could have a stairlift fitted with a folding seat, arm and foot rest that folds flat to the wall, it was a game changer.
The final decision was made after a family day out to a theme park with my husband and children. Even though I have MS I am still a mum I want to continue to have fun family times together with my children.
After a great day, and a lot of rest breaks were taken around the park. I returned home, but the fatigue had really set in. I wasn’t sure if I could get out of the car and into the house, let alone tackle the stairs to bath the boys and put them to bed!
After slowly making it into the house and having a sit down on the settee for a rest. I admitted to my husband I couldn’t climb the stairs and he would have to carry me. I made out to my little boys this was a fun game, as I didn’t want to spoil this perfect day with bad memories. I was carried up the stairs trying to hold the tears back as I felt so useless and a large cloud of doubt that I was failing at being a good mum and wife.
That week I visited the Direct Stairlifts Showroom and chose a stairlift, also arranging a date for fitting.
The stairlift has given me back my independence, I no longer have to ask for help when using the stairs. I can travel up and down the stairs fetching things like any mother caring for two young children, without the dread of being too tired to make that trip again. It is not far-fetched to really say that having a stairlift installed has totally changed my life for the better. I am once again an independent woman and mother coping with the disease.
