A small questionaire for those with MS
Hello! I’m a writer planning on writing a character with MS. This character won’t necessarily be in any published work, but I want to make sure I write him correctly regardless.
I am passionate about including disabled characters in my writing as I have EDS, POTS, and a bunch of other things myself. So, I wanted to reach out to the MS community on tumblr and see if any of you could clue me into the actual experience of having MS and not just the symptoms lists I find with Google searching. If any of your are comfortable, reblog or respond with some answers to any or all of the following questions. Feel free to skip any you aren’t comfortable answering. (also I’ll probably follow you if you do because I love getting insight from fellow spoonies with differing conditions) Also, I encourage anyone with MS to correct me on any wording or things I get wrong.
How old are you?
If comfortable saying, what is your assigned gender at birth and/or are you on hormone therapy? (so that I can see how hormones affect intensity and symptoms)
What is your most prominent symptom that is typically associated with MS or a comorbid condition?
What are your usual pain levels on the average day?
How frequently do you have flares or bad days?
How long do flares typically last?
What are those flares/days like?
What are some assumptions you have had to deal with people around you making about you because you have MS?
What are some hurtful comments people have made about you because you have MS?
What are some comorbid conditions that you have?
How do those mix with MS?
What has your experience with doctors been like?
What are some symptoms of MS that you see as being very common, even if you yourself don’t have them?
Is there anything about your experience with MS that people seem to consistently misunderstand or overlook?
Do you have any further information that you feel is important to know about living with MS?
Thank you all so much in advance for any questions answered. I appreciate them all! If I get a lot of responses, I will reblog this on my professional writing account as a resource for other writers who may want to include someone with MS in their work.
