Multiple Sclerosis in the Services

[Stan Laver]

As a serving RAF helicopter pilot, I've recently been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Faced with the 2 choices of giving up or bucking up, I've chosen the latter and am trying to raise money for MS,and in particular for the tri-Service Mutual Support Group, the MS charity for members and ex-members of the Services and their families.

I know it's cheesy, but I have included a link to a web site below which explains what the challenge I am doing is to raise funds. Please give the site a visit. Give it a stiff ignoring if you want; I won't be offended. But if you can, please do give a little as every little helps. The site is safe to use.

http://www.justgiving.com/monsterski

The Mutual Support Group is an affiliated group of the Multiple Sclerosis Society and has been invaluable to myself and to many others in the early days following diagnosis. It is not overly wealthy and needs help to be able to carry out its excellent work. I'm doing what I can with my monsterski challenge. Please support it if you can; anything would be appreciated.

[[email protected]]

A colleagues' wife at DHFS has been suffering with this for years. It is a most cruel and debilitating condition and I wish you all the best and hope you succeed in your challenge.

I hope many of us visit the website and offer what support we can. :ok:

[airborne_artist]

It's almost exactly 20 years since my wife was diagnosed with MS. Since then she's had three children without any difficulty, and now goes to the gym three times a week. She does have a distinct lack of strength and control on her right side, and a lack of stamina, but most people don't realise she has MS until she tells them.

That said, she's one of the luckier ones, but MS strikes people in a range of way, and I think it is impossible to give an individual an accurate prognosis.

The very best of luck with everything,

AA

[u/sagain]

I have also recently been diagnosed with ms and i'm finding it really hard to cope with, (airbourne_artist) i was woundering if your wife would be able to give me any advice as i am 14 weeks pregnant was told the ms would not affect me and it has done, i also have another child which i need to look after, i have 3 attacks in 3 weeks and i'm not recovering as well as i did from the first one. please can you or anyone help me.

[Green Meat]

u/sagain

If you have been diagnosed recently, do you have MS nurses at the place you were diagnosed that you can go back to (as hospitals should do)? Three attacks in three weeks should galvanise some support for you. Failing which, have you tried the MS Society to see if they have any specialst knowledge on pregancy? The support group for my friend's local area are very good although being a 'he', I don't know what the support for pregnancy is like.

Link to MS Society's relevant pages (http://www.mssociety.org.uk/what_is_ms/faqs/womens_issues/ms_and_pregnancy.html)

GM

[London Mil]

Stan, we met quite a few years back (230 sqn).

My uncle has MS; he has been diagnosed with the condition for 34 years. Whilst it has undoubtedly affected his life, he has not allowed it to rule him.

Credit card details on the way.

Fly Safely

[airborne_artist]

u/sagain

The best advice we acn give is to get as much rest as you can. Have you tried all the formal and informal networks (SSAFA etc, friends, social services) to get your youngster taken care of during the day so you can quite literally put your feet up?

Once you are at your level of attack frequency you have to be in bed as much as possible. I expect your are at your wit's end already, but there's little more we can suggest until you have had plenty of rest.

I'd hope that the "forces family" could work well for you - don't accpt a no!

All the best

AA

[u/sagain]

Green Meat

thanks very much for reply have just had a look on ms society, it says that i shouldn't have any symptoms bar fatigue, i was diagnosed in north wales which is where my ms nurse is and i live 4 hours away doctors where i am don't believe i have ms and won't speak to doctor who diagnosed me so trying to find other people who have had similar experiences.

[Green Meat]

u/s

That's frankly awful! I can only suggest that you contact your MS nurse in N Wales (if you haven't done already) and explain the situation. You've been posted, I take it? It may even be worth contacting the MS nurses at your local hospital and asking their advice. If none of the above works, I would get in touch with the MS Society and enlist their support in getting some help.

GM

[u/sagain]

Thank you all for advice, RAF not doing anything to help at all does not think ms is serious enough to get Preferential treatment, but have found someone eventually who is willing to exchange so i can be close to family, this will only happen if the drafters accept it. :ugh:

[BoeingMEL]

Good Luck to U/S again and all others affected by MS. I'm ex 737 and JetRanger driver..56 now and diagnosed 9 years ago. Flying all finished now of course but I've been in remission for over 6 years - no new or recurring symptoms. Running 2-3 miles a day and playing squash too. There is a huge amount of information and support out there (my wife has become an MS expert and counsellor) but you sometimes have to dig deep.

Anyone needing a chat with a sufferer or counsellor please mail me for my phone number. God Bless you all. bm

[Stan Laver]

For u/s again. I have posted you a PM. Hope it helps.

[3turnspin]

Stan Laver,

I have tried to email you through Pprune, hopefully you will receive it...
And of course I'll sponsor you! :ok:

3ts

[Stan Laver]

3turnspin. Got the e-mail through PPRuNe. Sent one back to you. Stan

[Tiger_mate]

Wothwhile cause, and target in sight. Back to the top

[[email protected]]

Bump ... keeping it at the top.

[u/sagain]

just keeping it at the top

[jayteeto]

Stan, sorry to hear your news. How is the 'system' reacting to the illness?? Are you staying in?? Will check out the site, good luck fella!! JT

[Stan Laver]

JT

Don't have your e-mail address. Send me a PM and we'll yak. Doing ok.

Stan

[Stan Laver]

Many, many thanks to all of you who have so far contributed to 'monsterski'. I started the appeal less than 3 week ago to help raise funds for the Mutual Support Group, the tri-Service MS charity, and it has already raised (you all, and others, have raised) over £8500 including the gift aid. Absolutely fantastic progress; I take my hat off to you all. Thank you also for the PM of support - they mean a lot.

I am trying to acknowledge all donations individually (as well as the automated thank you message you will get from just-giving). However, I don't have all your personal e-mails or phone numbers, so please take this as a very public thank you to all of you who have donated so far and who haven't yet heard a thank you from me; I am truly humbled by all your generosity; please also rest assured that the money will do some much needed help for MS sufferers in all 3 Services. Thank you all. Stan Laver.

http://www.justgiving.com/monsterski

[ProfessionalStudent]

Back to the top...

Good luck Stan. Mrs PS will be sorting out the donation...

Take care, from us both.

[jollygreenfunmachine]

Back to the top

[[email protected]]

Once more to the top, dear friends.

[Occasional Aviator]

Best of Luck Stan

[Without Care]

Stan, if somebody went along to a Service Med Centre and was diagnosed with MS, does the Service then direct that person to the support group?

WC

[Stan Laver]

WC

No they won't unless they, as the Medical Centre, are aware of the Mutual Support Group's existence and not all are (I suspect most aren't). Even worse, if it is a Civ Med Practice who don't understand the RAF procedures and have to be taken through them by the patient. Most doctors may have a case or 2 of MS in their entire careers, so their understanding of support fror MS is scant at best/completely absent at worst. I found out about the MSG through a good chum who works in the Community Support side of the RAF as a civilian - without her I'd be none the wiser. Once I'd made contact with the MSG, and heard a friendly voice at the end of the telephone whose first response wasn't 'no, now what was the question?', life became a little easier as the sensation about being entirely on my own with MS disappeared.

[airborne_artist]

Stan

Our GP, who we we moved to long after my wife's diagnosis of MS, is an ex-RAF doc whose sister has MS. If you are close to the top secret Oxfordshire RW base I can PM you his info.

AA

[Stan Laver]

AA - In Cheltenham, but came from TS Heli base in Oxfordshire. Please do send PM as info seems to be the most valuable commodity. Stan

[airborne_artist]

Done, check PMs, and contact me if I can do anything else.

[Without Care]

Stan,

It would be nice to think that the Service would automatically point you in the right direction. There are a plethora of other illnesses which have associated support groups and I would hope that Service medical staff are aware of these.

Good luck with your challenge.

WC

[Stan Laver]

You would have thought so. Two aspects: first is routine med care. This is currently done by a Civ Med Practice on camp who ought to be responsible for pointing a patient at the support groups (not the touchy feely gushy drippy do-gooder support groups you might think, but hard working organisations who do some real work at providing information to sufferers and who try to ensure a level playing field when the inevitable exit from the Service occurs). They ought to be but they don't know enough about Mil Service to realise that these support groups exist.

The second is the treatment for MS, which I could have had through the RAF perhaps, but the NHS specialist who diagnosed me was happy to put me onto interferon straight away. Under his care (we, the RAF have no neurology specialist anyway), and amateurish though the NHS may be on occasion, the NHS are far more up to speed than the RAF for this particular condition. I start interferon injections on Thursday for the rest of my life; had the RAF been in charge of my care, I suspect, although I don't know, that a little quirky regulation in the medical APs about going onto interferon would have been invoked and a delay would have occurred until med cats were finally sorted out. A year away at best. Without melodrama, I can't waste time if I am going to get the protection (limited) that interferon provides. The NHS specialist directed me at the MS Society and to a Specialist MS nurse who is responsible for my routine care. However, as I mentioned, it was only a chum who put me in touch with the Mutual Support Group of whom I cannot speak highly enough.

[airborne_artist]

Stan - an idea for more fund-raising. Make a video diary of your trip and then sell that raise money. You could either sell it through your existing JustGiving page for a set amount, or via Ebay and Missionfish, which is what I'm using of the GW1 video sale. The only downside of Ebay is the PayPal charges, which are £0.61 for a £12.50 transaction.

[Stan Laver]

AA

Top idea. I have already had some interest from TV stations in Canada and am going to approach SSVC (better than you might think), and other television companies to see if they want to make 'something' of our venture. We may also get the valedictory 30 seconds worth on local news programmes closer to the time. But a half decent DVD that shows everyone what 150 000 vertical feet is like (a) to do and (b) on me doing it, might well work.

Stan

[CRM Monkey]

For what it's worth could I please encourage those of you who have yet to donate to Stan's cause to do so. The process is quick and easy and there's no need to register or any of that kind of rubbish.

And I know he'll hate me saying this, but for those of you who don't know Stan Laver he is one of the best senor officers I have had the pleasure to work with/for. The personnal qualities which have made him such a poular officer are now being used for such a great funraising effort, and he deserves all the support he can get.

Sir, good luck with the challenge and best wishes

[Without Care]

Stan Laver

Many congratulations on achieving your target. Hope you will not stop there.

WC

[Stan Laver]

Chums

Just to let you all know that I recently surpassed my initial target of raising £10000 for Multiple Sclerosis. With Gift Aid included, the total raised now stands at a little over £12500; this is a fantastic amount of money, that will do some real and tangible good for MS sufferers in the 3 Services. I remain truly humbled by everyone's generosity and selflessness- thank you all.

If you've visited the http://www.justgiving.com/monsterski web site, you will have seen that I recently nudged my target a little higher. I thought long and hard about doing this but reasoned that, as the Mutual Support Group needs as much money as can be raised for it to do its excellent work, a slightly higher target was justifiable.

As I mentioned before, I have been trying to e-mail all those who have donated to thank them personally; I haven't, however, everyone's e-mail address. Please accept this as a very public thank you for your support.

Thank you.

Stan Laver

[[email protected]]

Stan,

Adding my continued support to your cause and wishing you luck with your raised target. :eek:

[Hummingfrog]

My thoughts are with you Stan. My Mum had MS and the NHS at that time was not really up to speed my Dad had to fight for everything. I still remember the relay driven door opener and light switch device she used as the disease progressed that my Dad fought very hard for. I hope your fund raising goes well I will gladly donate to your fund.

HF

[Chainkicker]

Back to the top i think :D

[snaggletooth]

Back to the top anyone?

[Climebear]

Back to the top anyone?
back to the top it is

[Wrathmonk]

Bounce....

[Without Care]

Tip..................TOP

[Mystic Greg]

Back to the top - with my best wishes again, Stan, and further public thanks for my best posting!

[Washington_Irving]

Bump...

Good luck and good luck. :ok: