Photo: Newcastle group talking and laughing outside

Community blogs

Grab a cup of tea and settle down to hear from people who know MS. Our bloggers write on all sorts of topics, from symptoms to dating, or catheters to the latest on the coronavirus vaccines.

Caz sits in her garden on a sunny day, hugging her dog and smiling.

How I’m feeling as lockdown starts lifting again

Restrictions are starting to lift once again from a lockdown. I’m really excited but I’m also anxious about it.

White candle burns in a china holder next to a glass of spring flowers

Supporting each other this National Day of Reflection

Our Support and Wellbeing Facilitator Barbara blogs her thoughts about the people behind the numbers this National Day of Reflection. And why she'll light a candle to show support.

A nurse gives Nikki the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. They are both wearing face maskes.

Having the jab has given me hope

At the end of February I received my first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.

Emma stands with her son and daughter in a park, the sun setting behid them.

Being a super mum with MS

Emma writes about being mum to her two children, how she talks to them about her MS and finding new ways to enjoy quality time together.

Samantha in a mobility scooter wearing sunglasses and holding her dog

The end of lockdown and why it’s ok to be cautious

The last twelve months have reminded me of when I had to finish work. And I refuse to return to how I felt back then.

Janade smiling to camera wearing a black beanie hat and glasses holding her COVID-19 vaccine card

I was in two minds about getting the COVID-19 vaccine

Like many of us with MS, I had a lot of questions about COVID-19 vaccines. I ended up deciding to get the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine and wanted to share a bit about how it went.

Gillian holds up a copy of her manuscript.

Writing a novel allowed me to explore my MS

I recently finished a doctorate in creative writing. It explores the relationship between object and illness, with specific reference to multiple sclerosis.

Photograph of a vintage television against a white wall

The continuing soap opera of Johnny’s MS

In 2019 I wrote a blog about how disposable and convenient it was to introduce my MS illness of almost 40 years into a made-for-tv storyline...

Laura sits on her sofa at home, a big clock behind her. She has brown hair and wears glasses.

Volunteering to make time to chat in Lanarkshire

Last year our Lanarkshire Project offered a range of support to people in the area living with MS. Laura, a member of our Lanarkshire group, shares her experiences of peer support. Any why she now volunteers to host Time to Chat sessions for people in Lanarkshire.

Me and MS – keeping score

6 November 2019 was quite a bad day. First, I was staying away from home and woke up to realise I hadn’t packed a clean pair of pants so had to just invert yesterday’s set. And second, at four thirty that afternoon I was diagnosed with MS. The pants incident seemed small fry by five.

scrabble tiles spell out the word vaccine

Getting the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination with MS

Dan, who lives with MS, talks us through his experience of getting the vaccine.

JJ sits cross legged on a black and white floor.

Love yourself on Valentine’s Day

For the first time in four years, I will be single on Valentine’s Day…It feels great!

Roxanne pictured at home sitting by a candle and a vase full of pink feathers.

My (gender free) tips to improve sexual sensations and encounters with MS

In the community we regularly talk about fatigue management, bowel troubles and disease modifying therapies (DMTs). But we rarely, if ever, dip our toes into the topic of sex.

Tips for communicating with your partner

Love can be beautiful, but it can also be hard at times - especially when you're trying to explain something that is potentially invisible or difficult to talk about. MS doesn't always make things easy.

Tips for emotional wellbeing

Our Support and Wellbeing Facilitator Barbara Sujecka shares some top tips.

My hero dad inspired my fundraising

Jordan, who works for Diageo, explains why he’s been fundraising for the MS Society since he was in school.

No more shoulds: what lockdown has done for me

I’ve been thinking and I’ve realised what lockdown has done for me. It’s given me freedom. Freedom from my social anxieties, but also the freedom to live how I like to live, without the guilt that I’m not doing it right.

The Hungry Catheter

A defining moment in my early years trying to establish a relationship with MS came right out of left field.

My experience of MS and Deafness

My husband Matthew was born profoundly Deaf and communicates by British Sign Language – BSL. Growing up, he experienced fatigue and loss of sensation amongst other problems.