How to Suffer from a Chronic and Incurable Disease without Appearing to be a Total Loser

After being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (usually abbreviated to MS) in February 2001 at age 41, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society was kind enough to send me a glossy book called Incidental Heroes: Disabling the Myths About Multiple Sclerosis (published by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in 1999). It's an impressive book but I'm not a hero and, to tell you the truth, I'm not really interested in heroes. Right from the start I wanted to know how ordinary people cope with MS. What are they thinking? What are they doing? I mean, what are they really thinking?

An alarmingly large fraction of the MS literature that I've read has been serious, sensible, and sanctimonious, and therefore runs the risk of being turgid, tedious, and trite. This website is one man's attempt to change that. I think it is important that MS sufferers and their caregivers maintain a sense of humor. I've read that humor can improve health, and that it improves the quality of life. If you have MS and you're not ready for humor yet - many MS patients will take years to reach that point and some will never get there - then read no further. If you don't have MS and are looking for humor only, I should warn you that MS is a serious subject so if you are squeamish, then likewise, now is a good time to bail out. All joking aside for a moment, the message of this website is that life with MS has no silver linings and no rainbows. A realistic approach to MS (characterized by saying "it sucks") may take you farther than mindless optimism. Hence our logo, which says "No" to the people who would have us believe otherwise. You can browse this website at random using the numbered list of sections in the Table of Contents. Alternatively, you'll find some of the following symbols on the top and bottom of each page. Clicking on them (later, not on this page) will take you to the following sections: Previous section MS Sucks home page (this page) Table of Contents Next section

I should make the standard legal disclaimer. I'm not an expert on MS, I'm not a doctor, and everything that's on this website is at best opinion or hearsay, and at worst satire, hyperbole, or mockery. Some of it, particularly the parts about outré sexual behaviour, can actually hurt you. Some of the belief systems I describe are illegal, immoral, insane, fattening, or (but only the very best parts) all four of these things at once. Get professional advice before the thought of even considering believing or trying any of the things I describe even crosses your mind. Particularly if the preceding sentence actually made any kind of sense to you.

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