I just saw on fons/porter today a tip on putting a piece of pool noodle on the stick you use with a knee/leg control, so its more comfortable and easier to use if the handle it too short for some people to reach. MAybe you can do something like that w/ your foot pedal to make it easier to press. sharet

I'm glad you can laugh about your troubles - and that you shared it with us. Your dog is very patient LOL.

HI, I also have MS. I went fishing with my husband on Sunday and fell out of the large fishing boat.. I was trying to rinse my fingers in the water. I guess I was top heavy...

Great attitude, if we can't make fun of ourselves who can and get away with it.

My youngest son has had leg problems all his life and he learned to sew on an older machine that has a knee pedal instad of a foot one. Might be something you look into as a possiblity.

It's a joy to hear someone with all of your challenges be able to have and share a sense of humor about it all. God bless you for your wonderful attitude, which is a beautiful inspiration to others.

OMG!

How frightening. How were you saved? Did you then have to sit in wet clothes until the trip was over? I guess you won't try that again. Will you?

Keep your sense of humor - it helps to get you through the rough days

I held on to the rear of the boat. My husband used our trolling motor to guide the boat to shore. There I was able to walk to a pier and get back in the boat. Yes, my clothes were soaked but I had a towel in the truck to keep warm. My husband was so upset and could not figure out why I fell in.. He made me sit and do nothing until we were home. He took good care of me.. I won't do that again!!

Several years ago I was taking classes on my new Viking Designer 1 and there was a woman who was taking the class for her new quilters edition. She said that she had purchased this machine because it had stop and start push buttons. She said she was planning for the day that her MS progressed to the point where she could no longer use the foot control. I'm sure there are other machines in all price ranges that have this feature.

Keep your sense of humor. It will help get you through it all

me too.... a real chuckle there with the dog...I have several family members with MS....not an easy disease! keep your spirits up and keep sewing.....

My youngest sister was born with cerebral palsy and then was diagnosed with MS about 15 yr. ago. She still just goes and goes, lives on her own, does everything for herself. She is such an inspiration when I'm feeling sorry for myself. Keep up your sewing.

Thank you for the humor!!!!!! LOL funny!!

I also laughed, Ive had MS for awhile now. I understand everything you are going thru. DH is moving my pedal to the side of the table and am going to be using the side of my knee instead of my foot. If one who has MS doesn't laugh, you'd cry. I find myself laughing like crazy when I fall or knock something over.Keep on quilting!!!!

I have MS too. If we don't laugh at life and keep on-keeping on it would be sad.
I "quilt" everyday--some days longer than others.
It is my best activity.

Glad to see you are keeping your sense of humor!

HUGS

:-D

I love this thread! Ya'll are such an inspiration!!!!Your sense of humor & determination to keep going (ie: quilting) are inspiring!!

Haaaaaaaa!

It's nice you have kept your sense of humor in the midst of your physical challenges. Thanks for sharing a chuckle. :)

Can't count the number of times I have tapped tapped tapped and realized the plug must be IN the outlet not laying next to it for it to work.

You have to laugh sometime just to keep from crying...Being able to laugh "with " your illness is a big step in the right direction....Don't have MS but do have leukemia...

I have MS too and sometimes laughter is the best medicine.

Thanks for sharing your story and your sense of humor. I've always said that if I lose my sense of humor, I'm in deep doodoo. Funny about the dog. While I don't have MS, I do have fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, spinal stenosis and rheumatoid arthritis, so I can definitely relate. It's frustrating when your body won't do what you want it to do, especially walking. One day at a time, keep on truckin' girl and keep sewing, keeping the mind active keeps us going. Here's to happier days.

How brave you are to find humor in the situation. I have a twelve year old student with MS. My heart goes out to you. Blessings on your days...

Oh No LMBO
It is good that you have a wonderful sense of humor. I do not have MS but I find that having a sense of humor makes my Fibro easier to work with too :D:D:D

What an amazing attitude you have! My puppywog won't move unless you gently nudge him and say "move." He is with me in the sewing room always and I must say I love having him there with me. Stay positive and keep that wonderful sense of humor.

Love the fact that your sense of humor is still intact...

It's a must have with any challenge!

Thank you for the chuckle. :lol:

Funny, made me laugh. My dog has to be on her pillow right up on my sewing table.

Your dog story made me laugh, too, and I didn't feel even a little bit guilty. You see, I have NMS, also. I feel lucky in that it has not affected the use of my feet and legs. My p-roblems are with my hands. My right hand shakes and some times jerks. I can be showing someone how to line up some quilt blocks. I mnight say, "you match them like this", and about that time my hand will jerk and one or both of the quilt pieces will go flying across the room. How about that blind quilter in Austin? I could never do what she does. Amazing!

I wonder how many there are of us quilters with MS. We should have our oiwn club.

I too, have MS and am no stranger to the challenges that we face on a daily basis to do even the most essential things. Would it help you any to relocate your foot pedal so that the side of your knee pushes the pedal instead? Some of us MS'ers even put the pedal on our table and use a hand to press it.

Another possible option that is only available on some sewing machines is to use the "Start" and "Stop" button which makes the machine sew and stop without the use of a foot pedal. I tried this out, and decided it was pretty handy for the longer seams, but not so much for the shorter ones or where my precision is required.

Heat affects most of us with MS to some degree or another, to the point of making some activities very difficult to do due to loss of coordination, problems with vision, even mental acuity. If you are bothered by the heat, you might try any of a variety of things to make your sewing time more enjoyable. I use a fan in my room when I'm too warm. I also keep ice water or iced tea nearby and drink often to help keep my core temp as low as possible.

There are also those "cool collars" and even the vests that use special ice packs in them that really work to keep your core body temp down. Sometimes, I have to wait to sew til the evening when it is much cooler.

You probably know too, that having an iron on heats up the sewing space significantly, as do many household light fixtures. I use my Ott-Lites to help cut down on the heat and to give me better light to see by.

Anything you can do to minimize how the heat affects you should help. Hope you've found some of these suggestions helpful.

I also have MS and for the most part I'm doing well considering. As long as I'm in remission I do fine but when I have episodes life is a bit rough.

What I get most stressed out when I have an episode is having very little mobility from the waist and in my legs.

I can so relate to this and gave me a great chuckle.

Fortunately the sewing/quilting machine I use I don't have to use the foot pedal and just push the button to get it going.

I totally agree with this!

I agree! Folks say I keep them in stitches as well and many find it hard to believe I have MS because of my spirit and attitude.

My oldest sister laughs at me when I have an episode and I tell her that the Lord and I are on an adventure.

There is no need to dwell on what we can't do. I know my limitations and I just work around it.

I also have MS so I can relate to all the stories!

Happy quilting to all of you and may you have more better days than not ♥

You are giving us a laugh, I hope you have more better days than not.

Thank you!!!!

I have neuropathy in my legs/feet, so I can relate. I've stepped on my dog, a Catahoula who loves to park under the computer desk when I'm on line - OK for him to nap there if he were a fox terrior or poodle, but he is a 75 lb. baby!

I'm sorry for your MS, but it seems you have a can do attitude and now your dog knows it too.