Author: Stax

Work…work…and more work!

I’ve been working my ass off or as we would say at home “wuk in meh rookoongkootoongkung!!!! (sp)”…so i haven’t had any time to come here and say hi 🙂

I havent forgotten about you; i just really havent had the time…everything’s going well with me and as soon as i get over this hump at work (hopefully next week) I’LL BE BACK!!

Living Well

I signed up to attend a wellness seminar being offered by the Multiple Sclerosis Society, Georgia Chapter titled, “Living a Healthy Life with Chronic Conditions”.  It’s a 6 week program that is not specifically for MS patients but geared toward teaching people with chronic diseases how to self manage their disease so that life just becomes easier all round.  Of course, since it’s being offered by the MS Society, all the attendees actually do have MS.
It’s the first time that I’ve ever been around other “people like me” and i have to say that i am enjoying it thoroughly.  It’s a small “class” and so everyone’s been very open and honest and even though i always knew that there are other people going thru the same thing that i’m going thru, being in these sessions has driven home the fact that I am not “alone”.  Sharing stories etc, has also driven home the fact that MS is, I think, an incredible disease.  Whereas many of our syptoms are similar, the way our bodies react can be quite different!  It’s actually been amazing to me and i have to think, it’s no wonder there is no cure for it.  Scientists must be so confused about how it will affect 1 person to another.  One person told me last nite that she refers to MS as a designer disease; everyone has their own “one of a kind” story to tell.
I’ve been to 2 sessions so far and in each they’ve gone go thru different techniques that we can use to overcome what might be bothering us at any given point in time.  Last nite’s class focused on Physical Activity and the pros of (u guessed it!) exercising.  We were given a book at the first session to use as a reference and in this book are different stregth building and stretching exercises that we can focus on to assist with our various weaknesses…I will be incorporating some of them into my exercise routine and hopefully i will see an improvement in the weakness i feel in my feet/legs.  More to come on this….

MS in the News

Before i get into the story for this post, I’ve got to share.  I’ve fallen more times than i’d like to keep count; i think it’s quite amazing.  I do remember when i was growing up, i used to say that i would fall on flat ground with shoes with the most grips and it was a joke, but who knew…anyhoo, so I was exercising last nite (yea!), doing yoga and i was in the middle of the Warrior 2 pose, when i thought that i should adjust my stance. 

I didn’t think that i was doing it properly.  Well who tell me do that…i lost my balance and FELL FLAT ON MY ASS!!!!!  Again, no injuries – just a slightly bruised behind – but WTF?!?!?

Anyways, so onto my news…yesterday, the FDA approved a new drug! This drug is ORAL (WOOHOO) and is the first drug ever approved that specifically treats a symptom of MS – the symptom?  walking and gait problems! 

This is FANTASTIC news for patients like me who suffer thru this regularly…it is actually my biggest complaint right now.  The other good news is that it can be used in conjunction with any treatment that we might be on right now.  As with any drug, there are side effects, but I’ll be honest, the side effects are not the worst that I’ve seen/heard about (would u believe tho that in the clinical testing, some patients reported INCREASED falling?!?!?! – is that even possible with me?) and I have decided that i will definitely be talking to my doctor as soon as possible (it is scheduled to be available by prescription in March) about going on this new drug. 

Here’s hoping that my insurance will cover the drug and it will help me in the long run…take a read on the National Multiple Sclerosis Society webpage.

My Car & Me

I had to go to the dentist (the devil) this morning.  I parked my car in a 1 hour short term parking zone – I knew that i was taking a chance – and went into the office.  4 hours later, i made the trek back to the car, that was still there (with no boot/ticket, etc) and it occurred to me that I could tell this story. 

The place i feel safest and most comfortable is driving (speeding) in my car!  I actually own my “dream car” (of sorts).  Years ago, my then boyfriend, C and I used to talk about owning a manual Civic EX with a sunroof..at the time we were driving a Buick Skyhawk that we lovingly referrred to as Betsy (of course).  He paid $500 for Betsy and we drove $5,000,000 worth of that car.  Betsy took us where we needed to go, when we need to go – no questions asked, until the day that she just died!  I’ve stepped up from that and I actually own the Civic EX with sunroof.  It’s automatic because G can’t drive a stick…WTH???  anyhoo…i digress…

I feel safest and most comfortable in my car.  If i’m out somewhere and have to walk to it, i can’t wait to get to it.  It’s the one place that i don’t feel affected by this disease AT ALL!  

  • When I can hardly walk/stand, I can drive – no problem
  • I will NEVER fall while IN the car (maybe coming out or going in but never while sitting in it)
  • No-one can see me struggling to get by
  • I can still drive “like a bat out of hell” if I want to (i have to take my time when i’m walking esp if i’m on my own) 

On top of all that, i actually LIKE my car and never once regretted buying it!

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