Isn't Progress a Positive?

Since I’ve been back here, I haven’t mentioned my nemesis – MS. Maybe you thought I was magically cured? Huh! No, I still share a body with that many-headed monster, but not a lot has changed. The only way I notice how much I’ve changed is when I compare myself to a year ago. With such a retrospective vision, I’ll notice if I walked better then or if I could do more at that point. I’m not seeing a great deal of change, even though I know there must be. MS is a progressive disease, so progress it must.
That got me thinking about such terminology. When we talk about progress, it’s usually a good thing. Look at the field of technology! Ten or fifteen years ago, we could only imagine some of the devices that exist today. There’s been so much progress in that area, one can hardly keep up! Look at the cars we drive! They’re a far sight from the ones we once used – that’s progress. Look at our knowledge of the world, large and small, and see how we’ve advanced. These are all examples of progress in a very positive sense. When we talk about MS progression, it takes on frightening images! I prefer to think of it as decline, rather than progress.
At the turn of our latest century, we had cell phones, computers, even the whole “i-“ basket of goodies was emerging. In my world, I was starting to see a weakness in my leg/foot, and heaviness in my gait. Fast forward to the present, and cell phones are de rigueur, every possible i-gadget is available, along with their copies, and everything we use is computer oriented. As for me? Over that same time frame, I went from a slight limp to using a cane, and now I need a walker or a sturdy wall, and many times a wheel chair. That’s progress? If the same “progress” continues, in the next decade, I may not be walking at all!
Have there been any changes or declines? I notice a few subtle differences. My balance has gotten worse (but only a tad,) my hand now serves as a club hanging at my side, my range of motion has decreased, my “good” hand is starting to get weak, and my fatigue is a little more pronounced. However, looking at the larger picture, these declines aren’t as bad as in the past. I’m pretty much holding the course, and for that I’m grateful!
So, in a Dickensian spirit, my Spirit of Christmas Past was better than the Present, and the Future is yet to be known. All in all, I can handle it without a “Bah” to be heard.
Peace,
Muff