Clumsy Me

By happygolucky

1 min read

I think about my M.S. every day. Now that my husband is retired, I think about it much more. He's very active, gets up early, and starts working on home improvements, our financial stuff, our garden – you name it.

I need more sleep

I am woken up early, too, mainly because when he goes in for a he wakes up our dog who can't wait to see me. I can get up early. Given the circumstances, I don't really have a choice. My dog is overjoyed to see me, even if I'm grumpy because I need more sleep. Then there is coffee and reading the news, and other arrivals.

I feel like a giant couch potato

While I'm spending several hours just sitting on the couch my husband is a whirling dervish and I feel like a giant couch potato. The truth is I can make it through about half of a day. I choose the later half so that I can make dinner. When my husband was at work, I could just relax when I needed to. Even just too much conversation wears me out.

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Erin Rush Community Admin
Hi <inline-mention user-id="3975552" username="happygolucky"/> ! I am so glad you took the time to share some of what was on your mind. I know retirement can be a big adjustment for a couple! If one person is used to having the home to themselves, it can be hard to adjust to having someone in your space all the time. And it can be hard for the retiree to adjust to a different pace. I hope that you and your husband are able to enjoy his retirement, even if it wears you out a bit! And I hope you are able to let go of the 'couch potato' feelings. I thought you could relate to this piece (and the many reader comments at the end of the piece) about how it feels to live with MS -- <a href='https://multiplesclerosis.net/living-with-ms/muddy/' target='_blank'>https://multiplesclerosis.net/living-with-ms/muddy/</a>. Someone once said that living with MS is like wearing a suit of armor that weighs a hundred and trying to run a marathon in the summer heat . . . when you've had no sleep. I think that about sums it up. You can't hold yourself to the same standards as your husband when he is able to function without a 'suit of armor'. You just do what you can each day and I hope your husband understands that you are doing your best with what each day brings. If necessary, maybe you could schedule some 'quiet time' for yourself each day, where your husband gives you some space to nap, read, watch TV, or do whatever you want, without interruption or additional company 😉 . Must know that no one here thinks you're a couch potato! Living with MS is a challenge that requires some pretty super human strength and endurance. Thank you again for sharing and I hope you feel comfortable sharing more of your thoughts here in the future! Best, Erin, <a href='http://MultipleSclerosis.net' target='_blank'>MultipleSclerosis.net</a> Team Member.
f5hwo4 Member
Do you have a crystal ball and looked into my life? My husband retired 2 years ago and has been the whirling dervish ever since. I hate to admit it but the errands he wants to run all over town have been good for me. I spend a lot of time listening to the radio in the car but I get fresh air and watch a interesting and a peculiar world go by. We went too Oklahoma City on a shopping trip yesterday. I know 150 mile is quite the drive but we needed a day trip. I manage to make it through the tile store we were shopping at. My husband knew I was done so he went in and out of 6 more stores while I listened to the radio. He finally decided that he was done so we found a Greek restaurant to eat at. They were were just locking the doors and decided we looked safe enough to eat inside. We sat in a large empty restaurant and had a wonderful Covid free dinner. Your husband will start calming down but it may take some time. Potter

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