Dizzycast is a podcast run by Heather, of Dinosaurs, Donkeys and MS that discusses all things MS. I’ve enjoyed taking part, adding my thoughts to the discussion segments. Please find all episodes detailed below, in Heather’s words. To listen to the podcast, just click on the podcast title and it will take you straight there 🙂
Episode 1 – A Daydreaming Dizzy
Here’s our very first episode of Dizzycast! (which is a bit scary but also super exciting!)
Please head over to Dizzy’s Dotty Team page where you can find out about Meg, Jen and Robert, who all feature in this episode. Or click on their names to potter over to their websites.
Episode 2 – A Diagnostic Dizzy
Episode 2 of Dizzycast is here! A Diagnostic Dizzy.
In this month’s episode, we have a chat with Christian Rolfe about his journey from RRMS to SPMS, and a recent trial that he has been on for this.
Then for Dizzy Discussion, we are joined again by the wonderful Jen and Robert to discuss advice for people newly diagnosed. We will be sharing our own experiences and what advice we would now give to people.
Episode 3 – A Disclosing Dizzy
This month Dizzy and I have been thinking about disclosing to others when you’re diagnosed with a chronic condition such as MS.
In this episode, we chat to Jen and Robert about their views and opinions on telling others. We’re also joined by Michael who talks to us about life with primary progressive MS.
Dizzycast this month is all about diet! Which Dizzy and I know doesn’t exactly sound the most exciting topic ever… Dizzy just keeps saying her diet is the Ginger Nut Biscuit Diet… which unfortunately we’re not discussing in this episode. We’re focusing instead on three diets that are designed for people with MS.
Firstly, we’re joined by Robin to talk about the Wahls Protocol, explaining what this is and the results that she is seeing from it. Then Jen, Robert and I discuss the OMS programme and the Swank diet, and our experiences with these.
Episode 5 – A Driving Awareness Dizzy
This week is MS Awareness week in the UK, so Dizzycast this month is about all things awareness! Dizzy’s taking this week very seriously and is pottering out telling people all about MS.
While Dizzy’s out and about, in this episode, Trishna chats to me about all the amazing work she is doing to raise awareness and also shares ideas for how people can get involved themselves if they would like to (like Dizzy!) :). Then Jen, Robert and I discuss whether we think awareness is increasing, what we would like people to be most aware of and how we think awareness can be raised.
Episode 6 – A De-Stressing Dizzy
This month Dizzy and I have been thinking about all things stress! Life is stressful anyway but can be even more so when you live with a chronic illness, so me and Dizzy, with the help of Ami, Jen and Robert, have been thinking about how stress affects us and ways to help combat it.
Firstly we chat with Ami about her life, experiences with MS, and how she has got onto her path with Bach flowers. She’ll also be telling us what they do and different ones which are good for helping to deal with stress. :). Then Jen, Robert and I discuss how stress affects our MS and the ways in which we manage stress.
Episode 7 – A Distracted – By the Heat – Dizzy
This month Dizzy and I have been contemplating all things heat! It’s super hot at the moment, and heat is known for affecting a lot of people with MS. So Jen, Robert and I have been considering lots of ideas for how to help combat this!
Before that though, we chat with Cynthia about her life, pregnancy and having a young child with the challenges of MS.
This month Dizzy and I have been thinking about the down days that we all get in life and in particular the down days when living with a chronic illness. In this episode Jen, Robert and I share our own experiences with these days, what we do to get through those days, and what we can learn from them.
Before that, we chat with Hannah about internet support for people with MS, and the exciting things that she is getting up to within the MS community.
This month Dizzy and I have been thinking about getting active with MS! First of we’re very lucky to be joined by Dr Julie Latchem-Hastings from Cardiff University. Julie is currently working on the study ‘LEAP-MS‘ – Lifestyle, Exercise and Activity Package for people with Multiple Sclerosis – which is a three-year study funded by the Multiple Sclerosis Society. In this Dizzycast, Julie tells us all about the study and how she is being helped by a new member of the LEAP-MS team – Giddy.
We are then joined by Jen and Robert for this episode’s Dizzy Discussion, which is all about exercise! We’re chatting about how we have had to change the types of exercises that we do since having MS, and the best types of exercises we have since found for us.
Episode 10 – A Defrosting Dizzy
It’s getting rather chilly out! Which has got Dizzy thinking about how to keep her little ears and ginger nut biscuits warm over the winter months. In this episode, she’s even enlisted the help of Jen and Robert with the task.
This episode is a short and sweet one from us (mostly because of my lack of organisation the last month and having no internet) considering the weird things MS gets up to in the winter, and all the ways in which to keep ourselves warm and snug during the coming months.
Episode 11 – A Christmassy Dizzy
It’s only a week till Christmas, and Dizzy is now officially in her Christmassy mood! For the festive period, we have a short episode with Jen and Robert talking about all things Christmas! We’ll be sharing our Christmassy plans and our top 10 tips for surviving the festive period.
Happy Valentine’s Day! I would love to say we had planned to release this episode today, but we hadn’t, and it really is a coincidence that today’s episode is also all about relationships!
To start with we are joined by Vicky, who chats to us about what it is like to be in a close relationship with someone with MS, and then Dizzy and I are joined by Jen and Robert to chat about our relationship experiences since having MS, including with our family, friends, partners and work colleagues.
This month Dizzy has been a deep thinking donkey, and has been contemplating both dating and working with MS!
To start with we are joined by Katie, who is chatting to us all about dating with MS. And then Dizzy and I are joined by Jen and Robert to talk about working with MS, the positives, negatives and everything in between.
Episode 14 – A Destination Dizzy
Dizzy and I are off on our hollybobs today! And Dizzy is feeling very excited! So you can probably guess that this episode is about going on summer holiday adventures!
To start with though we are joined by John, who is chatting to us about keeping fit, and how to manage exercise during the summer. Then Dizzy and I are joined by Jen and Robert to talk about holidaying with MS!
Episode 15 – A Social-Distancing Dizzy
Dizzy and I are, like most of the country, social distancing/isolating! And Dizzy is feeling a little bit bored having to stay in all the time. Dizzy is a donkey who likes her little adventures! So we have been joined by Jen and Robert to think of lots of ways in which we can keep ourselves busy during this difficult time.
To start with though we are joined by Jessie, who is chatting to us about her journey so far with MS, and all the amazing work that she is currently doing. Then Dizzy and I are joined by Jen and Robert to talk about ideas for pottering around at home!
Episode 16: A Discovering Dizzy
With the current coronavirus, it can be difficult to look after our mental health. Dizzy and I have definitely noticed it having an impact on ours! So this episode is all about mental health. With lots of tips on how you can also look after yours.
To start, we are joined by Sabina, who is chatting to us about brain health, and the importance of looking after our minds. Then Dizzy and I are joined by Jen and Robert to talk about the impact the coronavirus has been having on our mental health and our ideas for looking after our mental well-being!
Dizzy is feeling very festive, as it is nearly Christmas! This year has felt very strange, and Dizzy wanted to do a little light-hearted episode for the holiday season. We are also joined by wonderful Jen and Robert for little ponderings about easy ways to spend Christmas, Christmas gift ideas, and a Christmassy themed quiz (which is Dizzy’s favourite section)!
