Goodbye, Goodbye, I'm leaving you goodbye !!!

Seconded!

Dear Tosh I have come to this rather late and send my best wishes to you all. You are being a brave lady and will have to continue to be so for the sake of your DH and your children. It is very sad to think that this might be the last happy Christmas as you know it, but that does give the opportunity to make it special, to create golden moments which will sustain you in darker days to come. We should ALL live "each day as if our last" but of course we don't and many of us live for a future which sadly never comes. I do wish you courage and fortitude but also the love and blessings of a very special Christmas. I hope your grief and worries will not prevent you from living every moment to the full. xx - you deserve these

harrigran, Stephen Hawking is very much the exception to the rule. We had one patient who had a similar condition... amyotrophic lateral sclerosis that in those individuals had not proved fatal to date, although I'm out of the loop now and he may have passed away. Motor Neurone Disease is a term used to describe a group or cluster of disease states, with each disease or condition bringing its own problems and outcomes. One of them is Progressive Bulbar Palsy which affects speech and swallowing and the muscles of the diaphragm and it is not usual for that process to be halted, but in Hawking's case it has. In the 80s we spoke of Pseudo Bulbar Palsy in those cases. Most MND patients are diagnosed in their 5th decade or later, however Stephen Hawking was diagnosed in his early twenties, once again showing him to be an exceptional individual in many ways. I organised a MND conference here in South Australia in the late 80s and he was kind enough to record a piece on his Living Centre Speech Plus system wishing we lay people as well as the health professionals well in our efforts to help those afflicted with MND and their families and carers. His message was very much to make the most of life, enjoy every moment especially those spent with loved ones and friends, and not to waste precious time worrying about the things that can't be changed. Good advice for everyone, not just those affected by what my mate Terry who roped me into getting our MND group started called "this bastard of a disease".

Hello Tosh really nice to see you pop back in gransnet
Don't think that you are just here to moan lol (we have all done our share)
we all know it's a place we can come and "unload" and like the saying goes "an apple a day keeps the Doctor away"
well! (a moan a day keeps the gremlins at bay)
hope you can try and have as pleasant a Christmas as poss..

I would like to send you some calm and peace..and i hope dear lady ..plenty of help

Sending love Tosh and best wishes

It is an unpredictable beast that's for sure. It is how my mother met her end.

Hear Hear Harrigran. He's my grandson's hero.

I would just like to say two words about MND this morning :- Stephen Hawking

Hi Tosh. I lost a very good friend to MND back in the 80s and had some involvement setting up a support group for MND here in South Australia. There is no good news to be had (unless perchance it isn't MND) but I'm sure you already know that. The progression from one stage to another can be quite rapid, with plateaus of sorts in between, so liaise with the neurologist and your local doctor regularly, but even more importantly ask for help from physiotherapists, speech pathologists, occupational therapists and dieticians to try to keep in front of the progression of this utter bastard of a disease. There's a lot that can be done to ease the burden on carers which puts them in a better frame of mind to support the patient. My sincerest supportive thoughts are with you mate!

Thank you so much you lovely , lovely people and who I consider to be true friends. I love all the virtual hugs xx
I have been to see the GP today about my anxiety and she has doubled my Fluoxetine !!!!! It was good to have a chat with her about DH.
We WILL have a good Christmas .
Wishing you all a wonderful, peaceful Christmas and a happy and healthy 2012 xxxx
Cheers xxx

Tosh sending you all my love and hope you have a fantastic Christmas, you know where we are if you need to off load a little.

I can`t really add to what`s already been said Tosh, so just sending my best wishes to you all x

I echo elderflower and say love to everyone who is having a difficult time at the moment.

Unless she knows your password etc how does she know what you are saying - or do you tell her? Why not put her on touch with Mumsnet and she can moan about you!! Shame really as this is such a good way to vent our feelings.

I too will be thinking of you over Christmas, and to everyone else who is facing a difficult time - Peace and love for Christmas. xxx

Just sending lots of love. xxxxx

Thinking of you, especially at Christmas

Tosh I too send you all my support as I can hardly imagine how you must be struggling through this heartbreaking time. If anyone deserves a loving and peaceful Christmas, you and your family do. x

Dear Tosh just to add my thoughts and prayers to everyone else's. Whatever the medical verdict I do hope you will find much to comfort and delight you this Christmas. xxx

Have a lovely, loving time with your family, tosh. You are in my thoughts too. xx

Just need to add my support to you tosh, all the messages here say it so well, there's no more I can say except we're thinking of you

Happy Christmas wishes to youTosh and lots of hugs. Thanks too to biker for getting this going!

Thinking of you all Tosh, we have missed you. Sending much love and best wishes for a peaceful ,happy Christmas with your family around you both. ((Hugs))

Tosh big ((((hugs)))) You will always be in my thoughts and prayers