Disturbed dropped plates; DJs drop the bass. I just drop anything.

     Dropping things is a common event in my life. But MS has given me some good examples (a lot of them are quite funny in retrospect) of how often and oddly I drop things. Other times, this MesS has prevented me from even trying to hold valuables or babies.

     Using the cliche, "Dropped the ball," fits this MesS very well. I have forgotten things, remembered the wrong information, and at times missed very important events. In fact, I'm sure that I've forgotten something already while I'm typing this. Usually, I have to rely on my phone and my reminders to keep me on task. Yet, that only works IF I remember to set a reminder not to forget to do what I needed to remember. So, here's a few mishaps and their resulting adaptations I've had to make.

     I have dropped so many keys so many times that I now make sure that I know where to find a spare set before I leave. My van is a conversion with elevated passenger and driver seats. I have actually dropped my keys on the floor and under the raised seat so that I needed someone to reach under the seat and retrieve the keys. Then, I've also managed to drop not only my keys, but also remotes, plates, bowls, and cups in the void that is the couch. If you can, then imagine me using my walker for balance as I, with very little success, try to search under the couch for a dropped set of keys. Yet, the most frustrating place in which I have dropped my keys is my own pocket. Thanks to lack of feeling and poor coordination, it can add anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes just to find my keys in my pockets.

     Now, I LOVE coffee. Who doesn't, right? But at times the liquid of joy, cradle of my life, can also be a pain thanks to MS. From unsteady hands, to missing my cup, to sudden spasms, the mere task of holding a cup of hot coffee can be monumental.

     But, the most frustrating aspect is being afraid to hold babies. Please don't think that I slip into the pseudo-macho, "I ain't holdin' no baby," type. My reluctance to hold a baby stems from my fear of dropping the child, literally. From spasticity to spasms to sudden weakness, I simply do not trust myself. It was most painful when we traveled to see my brother and his wife shortly after their first baby was born.

     I drop A LOT of things, but sometimes I just have to pick up the pieces, clean up the mess and get another plate, or glass, or key, or just ask my wife to hold the baby beside me.