The weather in Scotland can affect even the strongest people. In the winter time, we all get soaked and frozen, desperate for the warmer weather to arrive. By Spring, we look like weather hardened souls but we are lavishing in the warmer air, the new life outside as the trees start to blossom again. When you have MS, most types of weather bring their own challenges.

Winter of 2013 was cold and wet, but in Edinburgh, we missed a lot of the drama thankfully! There was extensive flooding throughout the UK that was destroying homes and memories, snow on higher grounds that was trapping people in their own property, but in Edinburgh we were just cold, wet and miserable!

When you use a walking stick, it is particularly tricky to walk when it is icy. You would think it would be easier, an extra support to stop you sliding about, but no. There I am striding incredibly cautiously when my stick is the one to slide! Thankfully, both my feet were planted solidly so I didn’t land with a thud on the cold, wet ground. Though that has happened before and I swear to you, I fell over absolutely nothing!

Another problem is the grit that is used. If it doesn’t melt into a salty goop and stays as a solid stone, my dropped foot catches on it and I trip! That’s right, I manage to trip over a tiny stone! Hopefully the FES will prevent this from happening this year but you never know!

But the worst type of wintry weather for me is the wind, though this can catch me unaware in the summer too! I can walk on the spot for a few minutes as the wind stops me from actually moving. It can knock me off balance as it gusts, pushing and pulling me, acquainting me with a nearby bush! But the most embarrassing experience that I have had was when the wind was blowing from various directions so that I completely lost control and looked like I was pole dancing in the middle of the pavement! Not my proudest moment…

The summer can be a relief, but the heat for many people with MS is not welcome! For me, I am left completely exhausted, my body refusing to listen to any of the instructions that I give it. The levels of fatigue that I suffer increase hugely and all I want is a cold, dark place to hide! There are ways to control this – specifically designed clothing, usually sportswear, fans etc. But my favourite is ice-cream! This is only a temporary solution but it is a great one and for just a few blissful minutes, the heat is forgotten.

Of course, with the heat comes the storms. The forgotten victims of my MS are my two cats. They dislike the wind as much as I do and are terrified of thunder and lightning. If you think about it, thunder and lightning can be very loud to us so imagine how loud this is to creatures with sensitive hearing. It must sound like their world is crumbling apart!

The only other time that I see them disappear under the couch as fast as they do when there is thunder and lightning is when I rise to my feet. They are conditioned now, I rise, they run. Like I say, the forgotten victims! I still feel a little offended at this reaction though…

So remember, when you look at the weather forecast to see if you have sun or rain, there is someone with MS looking at the forecast saying “right, what challenge do I need to prepare for tomorrow?”