Page 14 - W M Donald Newsletter - Edition Eleven

Simon Bedwell
14
Simon on his digger
Simon Bedwell has worked as a contractor for W M Donald for around fifteen years. He has operated his JCB digger on W M Donald sites across the North East of Scotland. What sets Simon apart from his fellow operatives is that, in January 2019, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS).
In this brief interview for the newsletter, Simon talks about his diagnosis, the medication that keeps him active, and the role work plays on keeping him positive.
What were the symptoms that made you realise something wasn’t quite right?
Although I was finally diagnosed in 2019, the first signs that I had picked up MS happened way back in 2008/9. I had a really, really painful back and was eventually taken to hospital by ambulance. Despite being dosed up on morphine and other painkillers I was still in pain; apparently that was a signal that wasn’t picked up by the doctors. I also lost feeling in my left leg from my knee to my ankle.
At the time, I was told I had sciatica. The pain became more tolerable and I just resigned myself to living with a bad back.
In 2018, I started having dizzy spells and feeling light- headed. The doctor diagnosed acute vertigo and I went back to work after four days. I then started experiencing a tingling feeling in my feet. I went back to my local doctor who diagnosed a viral/fungal infection. The tingling persisted so I went back the following week and saw a locum who, thankfully, booked me in for an MRI scan.
For various NHS internal reasons it took fourteen weeks for me to have the scan. Before the scan I met the neurologist who, I found out later, knew straight away what the problem was. He even sent for some blood samples for testing which, it turned out, was to determine my suitability for MS medication.
I drove down to Perth to get the results of the scan. When I walked in, the neurologist looked a little concerned and asked: ‘Are you on your own?!’ I knew that the prognosis was not good!
What treatment did the neurologist prescribe?
At the time, I’d just ordered an £80,000 digger so I was really concerned as to what I should do. To his credit, the neurologist said: ‘Just keep on doing, what you’re doing. If we get your treatment right, there’s no reason you won’t be able to work for another fifteen to twenty years.’
I was prescribed a drug called Tecfidera. It’s a disease modifying drug that reduces the number of relapses and the progress of MS. I take a Tecfidera pill twice a day, with each dose being as close to twelve hours apart as possible. It’s very toxic and potentially dangerous if, for example, you take two at the same time by accident.
A positive side-effect of the diagnosis is that I’ve been able to keep my golf handicap down to 5! The neurologist told me to keep exercising to strengthen my back and keep it mobile. He suggested playing more golf.
What has been the impact of MS on your life and, in particular, your work?
When I wake up in the morning, all my joints are stiff. It’s as though I’ve been laying on a hard board all night. I’ll often have to take the stairs one at a time and then, after five or ten minutes, it’s as though the body has woken up and I’m mobile again. Don’t get me wrong, some mornings are worse than others.