You can't always get what you want

I saw my neurologist on Wednesday.

It was the day we woke up to the previously unthinkable news that an orange-faced, insanely-coiffured, intolerant misogynist had been voted into The White House.

And while I leave the political commentating on this almighty mess to people far better qualified than me, I felt it didn’t bode well for the meeting.

But we had the usual chit chat, review of the past few months and those tests that only happen in a neurologist’s office and are, I suspect, designed simply for their amusement.

Nowhere else would you get a person struggling with their balance to be told to close their eyes, put their feet together - and not fall over.

Or with eye damage to put your finger on their finger and touch your nose – without poking yourself in your good eye.

So after the serious medical exam/free comedy sideshow I brought out my list of questions and he went through them all very patiently and calmly.

No, he knows I don’t usually ask this but can’t give an idea of life expectancy and really I need the view of a financial adviser to decide whether to leave my pensions where they are or take them out and go mad on an overseas tour (although possibly not to see our American cousins.)

No, that odd waterfall feeling I have isn’t nerves regenerating but is more likely to be a migraine phenomena (phenomenon? phenomenal? pheremone?) – although part of me is still liking the original explanation so I may hang on to that one.

No, the thing we’re vaguely thinking of doing won’t necessarily be affected by my MS.

Yes, I need to change – and by change, he means upgrade - my medication.

I’ve really, really struggled with this decision. Firstly whether to change, although all the advice and evidence points to the fact I should. And secondly, whether it should be Tecfidera or Gilenya.

In the end – after a few months of research and/or looking for signs from the universe - I’ve gone for Tecfidera – on the basis that it’s almost as effective as Gilenya but doesn’t have quite as many side effects that quite honestly scare me half to death.

So now it’s off the Avonex for four weeks and, assuming my bloods are okay, onto the tablets.

I just need to work out a timetable of when to start – especially as we’re heading towards Christmas and although I’ll be off work for the first tablets and potential side effects, it does run the risk of impacting festivities.

Like the news we woke up to it isn’t necessarily the situation I want to be in, but quite clearly we can’t always get what we want.

:: You can’t always get what you want – The Rolling Stones