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CLEANING UP YOUR ACT HELPS PUT THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE, by Kyleelise Thomas Once you have experienced that major flare-up, more often than not, there are obvious signs of impairment. Maybe you walk oddly, your speech is slurred, or you have difficulty finding the right words in conversation. Some of us experience all of these inconveniences and more. But there is another thing that can change drastically-an MS patient’s personal appearance.

Face it, being less than you were can really stifle your desire to pay attention now. Often it begins with those post-hospitalization comfy clothes-usually pajamas. Then, there is that temporary wardrobe of stretchy and loose-fitting garments. You cancel your appointment with your stylist, even though you know you lack the energy to do anything with your hair.

Over time, those comfy clothes become a way of life. And, these no-iron new friends-that look as good on day three as they did when you first put them on-give you a reason to forego the daily shower routine. Now you have bad hair and a hygiene problem. What the heck. You don’t get out much these days, anyway. Besides, who could possibly be paying attention to the way you look? After all, you have MS.

Really?

What a jolt I got, while accompanying my husband on a business trip last month. We traveled to a lovely east coast Florida community, where I had planned to do nothing but lounge at the hotel, while he labored through two days of corporate training. Naively and without shame, I dressed for the trip as badly as I had since my big and debilitating attack three years ago-comfy and minimally attended. But it didn’t take long before my fantasy getaway turned into a nightmarish revelation-I was a mess! First, it was the three-way mirror view in the elevator, then the bright and direct lighting over the vanity in our hotel suite, and, finally, there were those other hotel guests, who knew that they were on vacation and had dressed for the occasion. Like a boulder falling from atop the Empire State building, the truth came fast and forceful. After taking a good, hard, and public look at myself, I finally admitted, “real people don’t go out this way in public!”

I was no cute poster child, that’s for sure. Jagged finger and toenails, unshaven legs, and, again the bad hair. Not to mention that I was a walking fashion faux pas. My entire collection of clothing was an assortment of 80-percent discounted, mismatched markdowns. What had I been thinking? I was 200 miles from home, when I finally understood why my 12-year old daughter doesn’t want me to drive her to her school bus stop. I looked icky. And I vowed then that I would never, ever, ever go out in public like that again.

Of course, reality set in after I returned home. That’s when I realized it’s all right to look messy, sometimes. We just cannot let it become a way of life.

Having MS doesn’t give us a free pass on personal hygiene and appearance. It does mean we must try harder than we might have in the past. It takes a lot of work. I know. While I still haven’t fully transformed myself into a fashion diva; at the very least, I now make sure that my clothes fit, match, and are reasonably fashionable, my hair is combed, and I smell of a subtle hint of perfume every time I go out in public. Sometime soon, I will even schedule a visit with my hairdresser. Because I’ve come to realize that living with a chronic illness does not mean I must give up on my good looks. After all, dressing like a slob is not a symptom of Multiple Sclerosis.