Michelle Lasche “You can also live a good life with MS”

I lost feeling in my legs

At the end of 2019, Michel developed complaints of multiple sclerosis. At first, there is inexplicable fatigue and fog in his head. I didn’t know the answer to the simplest question from a colleague. We celebrated Christmas with family at a house in Germany and I was not feeling well. I felt like I was walking on a bed of nails and I was so confused. When I got home I lost feeling in my legs and it crept down my chest. It felt like there was a warm towel on my legs and I had a sensory imbalance in my feet.

At the beginning of 2020, an MRI shows what has been hanging over Michelle’s head for years. He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. “Of course it was already known that something was happening, which made the shock less severe. I already felt afraid. A few months after the diagnosis I started rehabilitation. I have benefited most from contact with my fellow sufferers. When I say to someone who does not have MS : “I can’t, because I’m tired,” I often get the comment: “I feel tired sometimes too.”

When I say that to someone with MS, they know what I mean. This is good. I got help from social work to give things a place. I can really recommend this to everyone. She also sought help with intimacy. It’s hard when I can’t do everything I want with my partner physically. A conversation with a sexologist helped. “You don’t have to do it alone, that’s what I would say to anyone who is struggling.”

Another Job

Every six weeks, Michel goes to the hospital to receive intravenous medication. MS is stable, but it makes Michelle more forgetful and tired more quickly. He could no longer continue his job as a nuclear power plant inspector with work weeks of 70 to 80 hours per week. The employer marginalizes him, which has a huge impact.

Michel now works 32 hours a week as an engineer at a company that develops virtual reality training. “I’ve always been a quick thinker with hyperfocus, but because of MS I’ve had problems concentrating. Muscle spasms cause pain in my legs, and when I go to a party or a birthday, I often have to pay for it afterwards with tremendous fatigue. This It forces me to make more conscious choices. In addition to my job, I’m studying social work. Very different from my current job, but I can also be good at it. I want to work in mental health care long term. I work where I can really contribute something, and where it’s Planning my day is a little easier.’

MS has opened even more new doors for Michelle. “I went sailing on the weekend twice. It was really nice to be with like-minded people. With people who have the same complaints and who, like me, also enjoy life and want to do fun things. I still keep in touch with some of them. I’ve learned over the course of Years to stop worrying about things I can’t control. I have positive people around me, like my girlfriend, my parents, and my sister Marilyn, who I share a house with for a year. It helps you stay in that flow yourself. Even with MS you can live A very good and normal life. There is no point in giving up, it will get you nowhere.