Surviving Christmas

Living with MS and family time takes commitment and effort. As Patti has progressed we have to adapt activities to be inclusive.

 

Movies for example are especially fun outings to Patti. While Hollywood magic is fun for most people it is particularly appealing to Patti in light of many of her MS symptoms.

 

Visual impairment – She can actually SEE what is happening because of the mega screen size. To those of us who are not ‘legally blind’ and take vision for granted to be able to experience the visual aspects for a couple hours is a major treat!

 

Mental confusion – We have to pick a film that is light almost screwball in plot. Patti cannot ‘remember’ plot details as it plays out or character development. Suspense or twist endings are lost on her. When we involve Patti we keep the films fun for her.

 

Escape – When the lights go down and the screen whisks you off into the film, everyone in the theatre is the same. There are no wheelchairs; there is no MS for a couple hours. Just popcorn, candy, soda and magic.

 

Even though yesterday was Halloween we got a jump start on Christmas. <grin> We saw “Surviving Christmas”. Patti chuckled, cackled, and laughed her way through a bag of popcorn and two wacky hours of a Christmas comedy.

 

It’s somewhat weird but Patti always seems to get a positive bump in her health after a good time. Much has been debated about the placebo effect, or the effect of laughter. Yet when Patti has a fun couple of hours she seems “better” for a couple hours afterwards.