From setbacks to comebacks: Niti copes with MS through running

Niti finds resilience and strength through running, whilst living with relapsing remitting MS and endometriosis.

I’m 41 and married to the most loving, supportive husband for 14 years. We have a beautiful son aged 10. I used to be a keen runner. For me, running was always my stress relief.

10 years ago, my life changed. I was diagnosed with relapsing remitting MS (RRMS).

By now, I’ve had so many MRI scans that I fall asleep during them. I’ve had several relapses, been on corticosteroids multiple times, suffered from optic neuritis and sported an eye patch. 

Also, I’ve lost my voice a few times and undergone speech therapy due to MS. I even went eight months without speaking.

Now, I have to have a walking aid on standby, so I’m trying to find a stylish stick.

That sounds like a lot in a nutshell, doesn’t it?

It took several months for my diagnosis to sink in as I had no idea about MS. Since my diagnosis, I’ve learnt to embrace living with this condition as it’s a part of me now and it’s not going away.

I’ve deliberatively been open with my son about MS. He’s seen me on my best and worst days. There’s no point hiding it. I’d say that it’s made him an even more caring and loving person.

Living with MS isn’t easy, I won’t sugar-coat it.

I have a lesion on my spine that affects my whole body. This means I have numbness, pins and needles, spasms and pain in my legs, arms, feet, back and part of my face. At the end of every day, I’m in so much pain, but I’ve learnt to deal with it.

Every day is different. Some days are totally fine. I carry on with my schedule, school run and work. 

However, I’ve also woken up with blurry, grey vision. I’ve had days where I can’t put my arms up in the air, so my husband has had to wash my hair and dress me. 

I fear losing the use of my legs.

Recently I’ve had issues with my right leg, which was new for me as I always had issues in my left leg. Having problems with both legs scared me. So, I thought, “I need to do something about this.”

They say exercise is so good for MS, so I decided to start running again. It’d been a while, but I was ready to don those running shorts!

Just when I thought I was getting somewhere, I was diagnosed with stage 4 endometriosis – another condition with no cure, lucky me. This led to a total abdominal hysterectomy which took a while to recover from.

With it came surgical menopause and I began HRT. Like many others in this situation, I began gaining weight. 

I now run 3 to 4 miles daily. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not easy. Sometimes by the end of my run, my legs and bum are numb and tingling. 

Some days I limp, but I feel so much better for exercising. It sets me up for the day and I have more energy.

I have no choice but to be positive as my condition is always going to be here. All I can do is be there for others going through similar things.

I’m all for raising awareness. I post updates on social media and used to write a blog. My son and I even did a charity run and raised a great deal for MS charities. 

I’m blessed to have a wonderful support system of family and friends who are always there to support me.
 

As the evenings are getting lighter, you might be thinking of giving running a try too. Why not set yourself a target and sign up for one of our events?