CHILL&CHAT MONTHLY SOCIAL MEET Contact Cathy on 4634 5281 or 0402 143 826 for more info of where, when and to RSVP. Come along for a purely social and very informative gathering every month talking about whatever is on your mind!

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, MS SUPPORT GROUP BIRTHDAY CELE-BRATION LUNCH Thank you to all who helped us celebrate our 27th birthday!

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 DISABILITY ACTION WEEK TOOWOOMBA COM-MUNITY FESTIVAL10am-3pm Twmba Civic Centre, 155 Herries St (Toowoomba City Library Civic Precinct & City Annex). More info on our facebook site.. Full Info on website http://user.tr.qld.gov.au/events/eventdetail/81884/-/disability-action-week-community-festival or phone 131 872 for more info. SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27 10am FAMILY MORNING OUT The Barn & Scottys Garage, Flagstone Creek Road (11km south east from Picnic Point). Organise your family and carers now, more info soon. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16 TOOWOOMBA MS SWIMATHON Raising funds for local MS QLD services. Donate to our 2019 Support Group Swimathon Fundraiser online www.msqldevents.com.au/champion/2019-Toowoomba-MS-Swimathon or contact our treasurer Mike on 0405 213 352. OLD TIME DANCING SUPPORTING PEOPLE LIVING WITH MS Dancing from 8pm until midnight every Saturday night at the MS Dance Hall, USQ, Toowoomba. Contact Helen for more info on 4634 3119.

GUEST SPEAKER We welcome Rebecca Graham, MSQ host and organ-iser for our upcoming November MS Swimathon (did I just say upcoming?! Where did this year go? See the new swimathon merchandise, prizes and how to get the best for our community from the MS swimathon in 2019! BRING your questions and something to eat and share for lunch!

UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND

Clive Berghofer

Recreational Centre

BAKER ST

X

WEST ST

PLATZ ST

Steele

Rudd

College

Ste

ele

Ru

dd

Dr

NELSON ST

CAR PARK

WHERE DO WE MEET?

Toilets

MS Dance Hall

Next Meeting is on Wed, September 18, 10am Cuppa & Chat 10.30am start

NB Steele Rudd Dr is not on your GPS .

Taxi destination “Steele Rudd College”

The Toowoomba & District MS Support Group turns 27!

MS&PNDMessenger

September 2019

En vision Disability Service Last month, EDS Manager Linda Saunders

gave up her time to join us at our support group

meeting to tell us about her business which began providing sup-

port in July of 2017 with the introduction and roll out of the NDIS.

“I wanted to start a small business that focuses on individual ’s

needs, meeting desired goals and positive outcomes. We are

small, locally owned and provide a quality support service”.

EDS has been providing qualified support workers to only care for

NDIS clients currently. If you prefer to have EDS drive you in your

own vehicle this can be arranged too. Linda says “When meeting a

family, I ask questions, listen to what the family would like, then

match staff that may work well with the family’s need. We also pro-

vide short term respite care in home or at our new Toowoomba ac-

commodation environment depending on what the Individual would

prefer.”

Contact Envision Disability Service to help you live the life you want to!

Joanna– I chose Envision on recommendation their clients who I knew. I now use En-

vision for cleaning, ironing as well as social support to take me to gym, help me with

errands as well helping me to cook recently, they are very flexible to how my health is

on the day as to what we do and most helpful. Linda works well to match you with a

compatible person ideal for the job with minimal staff changes from service to service.

I also like the fact that if there are multiple clients we want to share one car and carer

with to go somewhere, we can travel together.

Nicole– Other than the usual cleaning and social support Envision helps me with, it ’s

important to me to spend time with my grandchildren on my own but I need support to

match their energy so arrange the help of Envision for these days, Envision will take

my grandchild as well as myself out including pre arranged trips to Brisbane to spend

time with my family who live there. When I am not well enough to do much I have

simple recipes out for the carer to prepare the dinner and do baking for me.

Contact Envision to see if Linda and her team can help you or your

family member live the life you want to on 0447 870 875 or find

them on Facebook.

We congratulate Envision on their new improved premises!

Toowoomba MS Swimathon

Saturday, November 16 6am-6pm

The Toowoomba MS Swimathon is a fundraising event where teams of at least 6 peo-

ple are sponsored by friends, family and work colleagues to swim in a 12 hour relay;

raising vital funds for Queenslanders living with multiple sclerosis (MS).

You don’t need to be a ‘competitive’ swimmer to participate – people of all abilities

can join in and take part. You can swim any style or distance that suits you;

whether it be 1 or 100 laps in freestyle, breaststroke, sidestroke, or doggy

paddle – it is all about participation and raising funds to help beat MS!

Healthy competition is important but raising dollars for people with MS is

the reason we hold these events, so….we award your efforts in and out of the pool!

Awards and prizes are given to the highest fundraising team, highest fundraising indi-

vidual, best-dressed team and more!

The day is not just about swimming laps. We provide entertainment, food options and

novelty activities to help your team conquer this 12hour challenge!

• Raise over $100 and receive a MS Swimathon t-shirt

• Raise over $250 and receive a limited edition towel

• The funds you raise will provide much needed services and sup port to people

living with MS in the local area

Swim for Team MS if you have MS or someone you know wants to

swim for you! If you would like to fundraise but cannot swim on

the day, please donate on our support group fundraiser page

online www.msqldevents.com.au/champion/2019-Toowoomba-MS-

Swimathon or contact our treasurer Mike on 0405 213 352.

TOOWOOMBA NEUROLOGISTS,

LESS TIME, STRESS & EXPENSE, SEE A LOCAL!

Ask your GP for a referral to Dr Grant Kleinschmidt

Specialises in Neuromuscular Inflammatory Disease, Demyelinating Disease & Multi-

ple Sclerosis ● Offers Private Practice Consultations & Telehealth for Eligible Patients

(worth the wait). Email triage@myneurologist.com.au or Phone 07 4688 6000

TIP Once you have begun on your treatment and if your script

runs out before you see your Neurologist again, yes, you can

ask your GP for future script renewals in Queensland. If you are

on a health care card and government bulkbilled treatment,

seeing a GP will cost you nothing. Seeing your Neurologist

when you only need a script renewal could cost you a Neurolo-

gist visitation fee of approximately $170.

Blood Clot Symptoms: How to Tell if You Have One Ever get a paper cut or nick yourself while shaving? When that

happens, a blood clot saves the day. It quickly stops the bleeding,

and when it's done its job, it usually breaks up. Sometimes, though,

things can go wrong.

When blood clots don't fall apart, they can be dangerous and lead to serious medical

conditions. You can get them in blood vessels in just about any part of your body.

They’re most likely to affect a leg, especially if you sit for long periods of time.

You might get a clot in your arteries, which carry oxygen in your blood from your heart

to all the cells of your body. The result can be really serious. It can keep oxygen from

getting to your heart, lungs, or brain, and cause a life-threatening emergency, like a

heart attack or stroke.

You could also get a clot in the veins that carry blood back to your heart. When that

happens, symptoms usually come on more gradually, but can still mean trouble.

If you learn the warning signs, you'll know when to get quick medical help that can

make a huge difference in keeping you out of the danger zone.

Arms, Legs

When a blood clot forms in one of the deep veins

in your arm or leg, way beneath your skin's sur-

face, it could be something called a deep vein

thrombosis (DVT). That's dangerous because

the clot could travel to your heart or lungs.

You're more likely to get a DVT if you haven't

moved around for a long time, say after surgery

or during a long plane trip. Get medical help right

away if you notice any of these symptoms:

• Swelling. This can happen in the exact spot where the blood clot forms, or your

entire leg or arm could puff up.

• Change in colour. You might notice that your arm or leg takes on a red or blue

tinge, or gets warm or itchy.

• Pain. As the clot gets worse, you may hurt or get sore. The feeling can range

from a dull ache to intense pain.

• Trouble breathing. If this happens, it could mean that the clot has moved from

your arm or leg to your lungs. You may also get a bad cough, and might even

cough up blood. You may get pain in your chest or feel dizzy. Call 000 to get

medical help right away.

• Lower leg cramp: If the clot is in your calf or lower leg, you may feel like you

have a cramp or charley horse.

Continued Over….

Heart

A blood clot that forms in or around your ticker may cause a heart attack. Watch out

for symptoms like these:

• Severe pain in your chest and arm

• Sweating

• Trouble breathing

Lungs

A blood clot in your lung usually starts out in a deep vein in your arm or leg, then

breaks off and travels to your lung. When this happens, you get what's called a pul-

monary embolism, an extremely dangerous condition.

Get medical help right away if you:

• Feel short of breath or have problems breathing

• Get pain in your chest

• Start to cough

• Begin to sweat

• Feel dizzy

Brain

Blood clots here may be caused by fatty deposits in the walls of the blood vessels

that bring blood to your brain. Or sometimes, they may form because of a blow to

your head that leads to a concussion.

In other cases, a clot that starts out in a different part of your body, like your chest or

neck, might enter your bloodstream and travel to your brain, where it can cause a

stroke.

Watch out for these symptoms:

• Problems with your vision or speech

• A seizure

• General feeling of weakness

Source. Excerpt from WebMD Medical Reference | Reviewed by James Beckerman, MD, FACC on July 05, 2018

Medical Alert Check Recently we heard about a fall that did not trigger the medical alert

alarm and the user was hurt. Check your medical alert routinely to

make sure it is working as it should and understand how your alert

detects a fall so it will work for you when needed.

Another story was of a home break in last month while the medical alert user was in

the home. Her phones were stolen but thankfully her medical alert could be used to

get emergency assistance.

D id you miss the SBS Insight Program on living with MS?

The focus of the discussion was how people live with and manage

their multiple sclerosis (MS). Visit the following weblink for full info.

https://msra.org.au/news/sbs-insight-program-living-with-ms/

President Sue 4564 9318 email wulee52@gmail.com

Vice President Daryl 4636 0406 email dconnell57@dodo.com.au

Secretary Trish 0422 361 622 email pmschultz02@gmail.com

Treasurer Mike 0405 213 352 email mikecodyre@hotmail.com

Facebook Manda 0435 185 435 email manda2jane@gmail.com

Newsletter & PR Joanna 4635 3281 email tjleane@bigpond.com

Chill & Chat Social Meet Cathy 0402 143 826 email catherineupton@bigpond.com

SMAC Twmba Carers Rep Jon 4635 5481 email carajon2@bigpond.com

Services, Management & Advisory Committee “A conduit between MSQ management and people

with MS, their families and carers.“

On the Web search “MS Toowoomba”

FACEBOOK “MS Support Group Toowoomba”

Toowoomba MS Wellness Centre

Easternwell Building, 8-10 Russell St, Toowoomba

MS QLD Neuro Physiotherapy

Colorplast Care Incontinence Clinic visiting monthly

Phone Irene on 0423 422 318

MS QLD/Neuro Assist Appointments and Infoline 1800 177 591

www.msqld.org.au

Spark NeuroCare Regional Service Co-ordinators

Janice Wheeler P 1800 875 244 or M 0408 186 690

Andrea Meehan P 1800 875 244 or M 0439 484 148

TOOWOOMBA MS SUPPORT GROUP CONTACTS

S iponimod under consideration for

treatment of secondary progressive MS 04 September, 2019, Excerpt from MS Research Australia

Secondary progressive MS, a form of MS that can follow on from relapsing re-

mitting MS, currently has no approved treatment options available in Australia.

A large clinical trial in people with secondary progressive MS showed that

siponimod can reduce the risk of disability progression in those with secondary progressive

MS. The Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) will be meeting in Novem-

ber to assess the use of siponimod, brand name Mayzent, in people with secondary pro-

gressive MS and submissions in support of these applications are invited from the MS com-

munity.

Secondary progressive MS is a type of MS that can follow on from the most common form

of MS, relapsing remitting MS. Currently, there are no approved treatments available for

secondary progressive MS in Australia.

Siponimod is an oral treatment from the same class as fingolimod (Gilenya), a medication

already approved in Australia for the treatment of relapsing remitting MS. It acts by target-

ing immune cells and preventing them from moving into the areas of inflammation in MS

(the brain and spinal cord).