So after my first blog ages ago I have been a bit swamped with stuff in the real world, mainly changing jobs and all the admin that comes with doing that when you’re a contractor. I’ve also been adjusting to new shifts which has actually worked out much better for me; I get more time to rest and more time at home while still doing the same hours at work over the course of a month. Doing longer days but having more days off really works for me. I feel more human than I have for a very long time!

So, on to the main reason for this blog post. Following an exchange with a friend earlier this week regarding the relationship between vitamin D levels and MS I’ve decided that I’m going to start taking a vitamin D supplement again. I took a daily supplement a few years ago but my life was in a bit of turmoil at the time and I couldn’t say whether it had any positive impact on how I felt or the behaviour of my MS. It certainly didn’t seem to have a negative one. So I’m going to start again and try to be a bit more organised in noting any effects.

So, today is the 29th of August. I’m going to start taking 25µg of vitamin D3 in the form of one tablet per day. This may not be the best dosage, I’m going to do some further research and seek some advice and adjust the dosage if necessary. Both the UK MS Society and MS Trust say that there’s no conclusive information on an effective dosage of Vitamin D for MS patients. As someone who works long hours indoors and frequent night shifts I certainly don’t get as much daylight exposure as I should. Outside of work I do spend a lot of time outdoors, camping, walking and running but I burn very easily in the sun, meaning that when I am outdoors I cover up quite a bit with hats, scarves and sunblock. This probably doesn’t help matters.

So, my symptoms today are:

• Numbness/paraesthesia on the soles of both of my feet. This has been a permanent fixture for the last 5 years or so. It varies in severity but is always present to some extent.
• Numbness in the tip of my thumb and forefinger of my left hand. As above, the intensity varies but it’s always there.
• Tightness/spasms in the hamstring on my left leg. This has been there about ten days, I think it was caused by not stretching properly after a run (naughty of me but I was in a rush!) but the MS is making it linger.
• Fatigue. This is another constant that again varies from day to day. Today isn’t a great day, I am feeling pretty wiped out. Not physically, but my eyes just want to close the whole time and my brain feels foggy.MS is different for each and every sufferer, and every day is different for each person. This is just really a daft experiment for me to do for my own amusement and curiosity.One final thing, I’ve signed up to do MS Walk on September 27th. It’s a 20km walk through London to raise money for the MS society. I’m hoping my 5k runs a couple of times a week will be enough to get me prepared for it! I have a JustGiving page here if anyone is interested in donating.

  Thanks for reading 🙂
  <{{{><