My own stupidity amazes me......

The only term for what I did is, “Dumbass.”

I have been trying Yoga for several weeks. The yoga has been kicking my backside but I think in the long run it will really help my MS. I have fallen a few times and pulled a few muscles and defenently made my hip sore. I have spent the last week lying on a heating pad at night to help the stiffness. Progress and recovery seemed to be happening slowly but I saw improvement.

Last night, I did the same thing I always have done while getting ready for bed but, evidently I did something very wrong. I woke up at about 3:32 am and felt like I had be lying on a cord or something and had a raised whelp on my hip. I rubbed it and rolled the other way to go back to sleep. I rubbed it again and it was wet. The thought that maybe I really was getting old, wetting the bed entered my mind. Only my hand was wet.

I stumbled into the rest room and looked in the mirror and could not believe what I saw. A burn as big as my palm and fingers was on my skin along with several large blisters. Here is when that whole dizzy state started again. Lying down on the bathroom floor, I asked my husband to come help me. He thought that maybe I had an allergic reaction but it was only my own stupidity that had given me a burn.

A doctor’s visit, three prescriptions, a visit to the pharmacy and a ten year tetanus shot later and now lots of people know that I am STUPID. The nurse kept trying to tell me that people do things like this all the time but it did not help as she is wrapping my burn, pulling skin and telling me how to make sure this does not get infected.

I have definitely learned that I have lost some feeling in that leg and need to be more careful. I am blessed that I did not do more damage. How major burn victims endure their injuries is not in my realm of understanding. This one small hand-size mild burn hurts and is uncomfortable so lots of prayers are sent out for all those in the world who are dealing with this type of pain. My burn will be gone in a short amount of time with no lasting scars except for my ego.

Just remember when you think you have done something silly or stupid, there is ALWAYS someone else out there who is out scoring you on the “dumb-o-meter.”

Joy

Funny Pages

I am sorry it has been so long since my last blog. Life is going by me in a flash. So much has happened in a short period of time.

I have been fortunate and found another job. I am working in a collision shop in the front office, answering the phone and doing some computer work. I like the job very much and the other people who work there are very nice to me. Again I am astounded by my good fortune.

Overall my health has been very good. I went to my youngest son’s football game the other night and a friend commented about my not using a cane. I really have not had to use it very often in the last 3 months.

Life has at times put me in difficult situations. I can laugh about them now but at times I want to cry. Laughing is easier. I had a very bad kidney infection a month ago. I was in so much pain that a few times I went down to the floor because my back hurt so badly; very different prospective from down there. I finally got to the doctor and got some medication. I went to work on Monday when I probably should have stayed home. Monday night I had taken the medication and the two different types of pain medications. I went to the rest room during the night and after washing my hands I felt light headed so I sat down at the vanity in the bathroom. Putting your head between your legs is probably not the best idea when you are on medications but more importantly putting your head between your knees is not a good idea when you have balance issues.

Before I could stop myself or even realize how stupid I was going to look, I fell forward off the stool and hit my head on the cabinets below my sink. Being the quick contortionist that I am, I caught myself. You may start laughing!!!!!!!!! I now have the back of my head up against the bathroom cabinets, my palms on the floor; I am still on my feet so my backside is sticking straight out. My husband calls from the bedroom and asks if I am alright and I say yes. What else am I supposed to say? The only thought running through my head is, “there is no way I can get up from this position.” A few quick ideas went in and out of my mind but I knew that going down to the floor was the only way out for me. I tipped over sideways on the rug making sure not to go back and hit my head on the stool. This brought my husband into the bathroom to see what all the noise was.

Now I am lying on the floor in a fetal position pouring sweat. He asks if he can help me up and I tell him, “ no, I am sweating too much and just want to stay there for a while.” I guess he has learned to leave me alone in those situations and I was fine after a while. I eventually stopped sweating and returned to bed. Thankfully I was off on Tuesday and spent most of the day in bed sleeping. By Wednesday I was well on my way to a full recovery with the exception of the visual image I had in my head of being stuck up against the cabinet with my backside in the air.

I enjoyed telling the boys about my late night adventure and how I scared their father. My sister got a good laugh out of my adventure, but she is used to me falling a lot.

One of my funny children put a sign on my iPod-touch that says, “It takes skill to trip on flat surfaces.” Well I must be one of the most skilled people around. I use my gifts to the fullest of my abilities. Next time I will tell you about being trapped under a chair at work. Please laugh with me so I have company!

See you in the funny pages,

Joy

Bad Turned GREAT!!!!

I was “let go” at my job recently. It hurt my feelings to think that they did not need me. How could they survive without me? More importantly, where would I ever find a job in my condition? Sounds like a cry-baby to me and, that is exactly what I was doing. But that all changed really quickly.

I went to the doctor a few days later and got some very encouraging news. The Dr. told me that he would not change anything I was doing or medications I was taking. I have now been over a year without a major exacerbation, my balance has improved, and my coordination is not getting worse. My mild vertigo seems to have faded away. WHAT GREAT NEWS! To me this was almost like getting a clean bill of health. I am not cured but it is not progressing at a fast rate. Again, I am blessed.

After the doctor left, I spoke with his wonderful nurse about what he said to me during the appointment. She told me that I was so positive about my MS, and she thought that is where I was making the biggest difference in my own treatment. I left the office on cloud nine and finally felt a small bit of proof that my hard work was paying off. I can do this and I will win!

My day got even better. I know you are having a hard time believing I could have gotten more good news in one day. On the way home from the doctor’s office, I received a call from the veterinarian our family pets use. I won a drawing for a free year of Sentinel, heart worm preventative. Voicing concern that she must have called the wrong person, I was quickly reassured that I had registered and won. I told her that I always register and never win but I would pick it up before she changed her mind.

I recently visited my sister in another state and stayed 3 days longer than planned since my schedule is flexible now. I have also revisited my “project” list here at home, and I have plenty of things to keep me busy for a long while. My renewed belief in my exercise and physical therapy efforts will also take some additional time since I know that it is one of my top priorities.

A secret hope of mine is that when my older son has his senior night for Basketball in 3 more years, I will be able to accompany him to mid-court without any trouble. Once I meet this first goal, then I will work on doing the same with my younger son 3 years after that. I will keep all of you posted on my progress.

Walking with a twinkle in my eye,

Joy

Life From a Different Perspective:

Because of some special circumstances, my oldest son has been able to feel first hand some of the effects I deal with having multiple sclerosis. Not that I wish my symptoms on anyone, but it is easier for him to understand some of my daily struggles. This is my oldest son who wrote the essay about his mom having MS. I would like to see a rewrite of it the same essay now to see if any of his views have changed.

Since it is summer vacation, my son is going to the gym with me early so he can work out. He has even gotten up extra early and opened up the gym with me at 5:00am so I am not alone. His new dedication to his physical condition has paid off and he is even working with a trainer for increased strength and endurance. The trainer and he worked especially hard one day on legs. Then next day my son said how much his legs hurt and how sore he was. He worked out again and could not stop commenting on how much it hurt to move or basically do anything.

While we were running errands later that day he once again commented on his legs and I said, “You are going to be sore from time to time.” He said, “But, Mom you don’t understand, my legs are so heavy.” Well, it did not take me long to tell him that is how I feel every day. I told him the same story I have shared with all of you about how I start off the day feeling normal and it changes as the day goes on. It feels like every hour another ankle weight is added to my legs and by the end of the day, it takes everything I have to walk, much less walk up steps or try to carry anything other than my own body weight. He said he understood a little more how I felt but I hope he will remember that in another few months while he is waiting on me to catch up with him while we are walking somewhere.

The next event was not funny but we take understanding where we can get it. This is an event I do not want to happen to him again, but he is young and I hope he does not feel the effects of this later in life.

Again this is my oldest son who is now almost 6’3” tall. Being that tall, your head is already a good length from the floor and add to that your vertical leap in a basketball game and the impact of falling to the floor after breaking your nose gives you a pretty bad concussion. I was already thinking that the fractured nose would be enough to make me retire from the sport but the concussion is what really put him out of commission for the next 4 weeks.

He experienced some very dramatic personality differences almost immediately. The next day he explained to me that he felt like he was in an “alternate reality”. It was later discussed that he sometimes knows someone is talking to him but he can’t understand if they are really talking to him. It was explained to me that he had cellophane on his head and it took longer for him to process everything and figure out what was being said. He even had some problems, very minor, with his vision. An x-ray and Cat scan later and it was determined that he did fracture his nose and suffer a grade 3 concussion, but there was no threatening swelling at this time. The decision was made that, for some time, he should not participate in any activities that may have physical contact.

On the car ride home I decided it would be a good time to tell him that sometimes when my MS is acting up that I feel like I am in that same “thinking” fog. I hear people, I process what they are saying and I say something back but it is all just a hair slower than normal. I am in the fog and my lights are not working real well. I then told him that now he understands what I face from time to time.

I will say that my timing was not the best. His nose hurt, he had a bad headache and had just been told that he could not be able to play basketball for the next four weeks. While I was pleased that we could use the opportunity to bond on a different level, he was trying to say that this whole new episode in our lives was not about me and my MS. I will give him that one but in a few more weeks when his headaches are gone and he is playing basketball again, I will save this information to bring up again.

As always keep a smile on your face,

Joy