Thousand
Wounds

You are sat with your loved one,

as I did on many occasions at

the Royal Hallamshire Hospital

with my wife, Donna, in the

neurology consultants’ office.

Your partner has had MRI scans

to determine the extent of their

illness.

The consultant is going

through the results of the

scans with you both, but really,

are you hearing it or looking at

the lightbox, maybe hoping for

a better outcome.

PROGNOSIS!!!

Years without any problems

Attack on the auto-immune system

Can be treated with steroids

LESIONS!!!!

No known cure

Friends think you are pissed

Problems with balance

Relapsing and remitting

Patches on the brain

Look at the lightbox

Tick Tock

Tick Tock

Relapse symptoms 2 to 6 weeks

Damage to the myelin sheath

White matter

REMISSION!!!

Degenerative condition

FRIENDS!!

Yes ‘friends’

Really abandon you

Tick Tock

Tick Tock

Tick Tock

Of the unaffected clock

Look at the lightbox, what do you see

Secondary progressive

More medication

Cognitive impairment

Can be treated with beta interferon

No known cure

Look at the lightbox

Stops the progression

No effect

MORPHINE!!!

Tick Tock

Tick Tock

Of the Unenviable clock

PRIMARY PROGRESSIVE!!!

Treatment with rebif

No effect

Symptoms worsen

No known cure

No recovery

Look at the lightbox, do you see

Even more medication

Degenerative illness

DISABILITY!!!

Managing the illness

No known cure!

Tick Tock

Tick Tock

You are wheelchair bound

Your body is failing you

Scar tissue on the lungs

You can only breathe not eat

You exist not live

DIGNITY!!!

Is that allowed here

Tick Tock

Tick Tock

Of the inevitable clock

Still No known cure

Then finally,

finally,

the infections

stop your heart

But!

You are at peace now,

You’re only cure

Look at the lightbox again

and hope you stay well

and unaffected

This was death

by a

Thousand Wounds