Ahead of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Day, an Oxfordshire man has been sharing how his life has been "radically affected" since being diagnosed with the condition.
James, 50, first visited his GP with bladder issues in 2008 and 2009, but it was eight years before a diagnosis of secondary progressive multiple sclerosis was confirmed.
He said: "My bladder issues never got resolved and thinking back this was probably the start of the MS.
"I was diagnosed with Optic Neuritis back in 2000 which is also a telling symptom of MS, but it wasn’t picked up at the time.
"It was 2017 when I was finally diagnosed and by that time it was secondary progressive MS."
James is a media volunteer for the MS Trust and has shared his story to assist others dealing with the diagnosis, with more information on MS and the charity's support is available at www.mstrust.org.uk.
The three main types of MS are relapsing, primary progressive and secondary progressive.
Secondary progressive MS is when the disabilities tend to get progressively worse, this stage comes after relapsing MS.
James described the impact of MS on his daily life, saying: "The big three symptoms I deal with are mobility and balance, fatigue and bladder issues.
"My bladder issues initially started in 2008, with urgency and frequency.
"People don’t realise that your social activity is seriously affected by bladder issues, you can’t go anywhere, it’s constantly on your mind."
He said the question of "where is the toilet?" is the first thing on his mind whenever he's in a new location.
He has a radar key that provides access to more than 10,000 locked disabled toilets throughout the UK, but as he lives in a rural area, these are not always available.
As he battled with managing bladder issues, James noticed a significant impact on his social life.
He said: "Bladder issues were a big factor when I was more social, now with the disease progression it’s far more tricky to be sociable."
These social barriers were intensified as James' mobility declined, making everyday activities increasingly difficult.
He also shared that his emotional wellbeing is affected by living with MS.
He said: "I do deal with low moods and generally try to be upbeat, but it can get me down.
"You have no choice but to get to a place of acceptance, the disease is chronic but you have to learn to live with it."
He added: "My daily life has been radically affected as I'm now housebound with very little social contact aside from carers that help me to get up and dressed as well as feed me.
“It’s really key that we try to make these issues less of a taboo, if you’ve got issues it’s so important to talk about it and speak to someone about what you’re going through."
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