I was diagnosed with MS four years ago and my MS nurse was brilliant at helping me to adjust; nurses have been a lifeline for me. When you are first told you have this horrible thing with you, you hear these horror stories from some parts of the country where they are told to go away, look it up and get on with it, but the support I got was fantastic.
If I’ve got an issue I know I can pick up the phone or drop my nurse an email. They don’t just give you advice on drugs and things like that, it’s all the other things you can do to help yourself.
Pauline is almost like a mum to me; I can speak to her openly and honestly which is something I find difficult to do with a lot of people. Laying yourself bare and really getting down to the nitty gritty can be quite difficult sometimes, but you have that trust with your MS nurse.
I’ve got two teenage daughters and a big fear for me was how I could tell them about MS. How could I not scare them and put their minds at rest? My MS nurse gave me the information and advice I needed to handle that quite effectively.
They give you the facts - and I’m from an engineering background so I like the facts! If I have the facts I can make an informed decision. You know you’re never going to get a patronising response and when you come in and you’re feeling quite down and a bit sorry for yourself, you get a pat on the back and a ‘You’ll be alright but pull yourself together’.
It’s straight-talking and that’s exactly what you need.