MS vs The Common Cold

I have been feeling amazing lately.  Physically.  Yeah, you heard me.  No fatigue fog (sucks, sucks, sucks) No cognitive issues.  (well, no more than my normal ditzy self) No bad numbness creeping down the side of my body and sending me into a panic attack (hate those)

Nothing.  Except a common cold.   Seriously???   I feel great and you throw me a freakin cold????   I don't have time for that shit.  I really don't.   And it's the first day of winter break.  A day I love.  The high fiving with the teen boyos when I pick them up from exams.  The dramatic turning off the alarm for next 3 weeks ritual.   Watching old Christmas movies. Drinking hot cocoa.  Not getting dressed......   You get my picture.

It's rather humorous.   You throw me MS.  Give me symptoms and issues all the time at the drop of a hat.  Then out of the blue you make me feel great.  And boom the next morning you give me a cold.    

The ugly red nose, snuffling, Vicks Vapor Rub smelling kind of cold. 

But,  I still feel better than MS makes me.  So take that MS.   :)

Always Have Sweat Pants

Isn't it nice when you have a great week?  You feel good. The future looks good etc.   That has been my week and I hope it keeps on going.  

I don't know about everyone else but December is always a busy month.  Having kids means December explodes with events, parties, exams, practices. You name it.   My days are spent driving, dropping off and picking up.  My gas is already double than normal months.  

And you know what?  I love it.  Wouldn't trade it. EVER.   Even when I blew up because both of my teens was running in a 5k Saturday morning and youngest zombie  realized he had no sweat pants. None. Nothing even close.  That morning.  30 minutes before we had to be there. And it was 20 degrees outside. (I really don't know if that's accurate but, it was freakin cold)   Seriously??  How could he (I) miss that???   

Who the hell doesn't have a pair of sweats laying around???   And he's the youngest.  He should have 10 years worth of hand me downs from 2 brothers.

I offered a pair of my warmest yoga pants.  Crap, their black no one will notice I said.  You would have thought I was asking him to wear my panties the way he reacted.

So, I jumped in my car and verbally blistered both boys about responsibility, thinking ahead, I'm not going to always be able to come to the last minute rescue....(yeah, right)

 blah blah blah and drove to corner drugstore.  They have crappy sweat pants all freakin year except Saturday.

Onward to Wal-Mart.  I'm really on a roll by then.  

Pay $20 for a pair of sweatpants.  Told youngest they were a Christmas gift and don't expect anything else.   (Hey, they all know without enough coffee I will turn into psycho  Mom)

Later this week an acquaintance told me she was thrilled to see my boys at the run and how nice and polite they were and so helpful and how much $$ was raised........

Made me feel like an asshole Mom. Teen boys don't think ahead. Maybe it was my fault for not checking his closet.   So, maybe I should back it up and get him the matching sweatshirt for Christmas.........

Change In Climate

I don't know what it is about traveling north for the holidays.  I'm not sure if it's the effing cold (15 degrees the morning we left)  or the super darkness.  But, all I wanted to do over Thanksgiving was stay in my toasty hotel room and stay under the covers.

Depression was my best friend this week.   Maybe it was a combination of my frozen, stiff muscles or that I was at my husband's family.  I haven't been in a number of years and I don't see me going again any time soon.  The spasticity and stiffness in my leg muscles was so bad that I got in the hotel hot tub.  Something I never ever do.  (I think all those foaming bubbles are harboring nasty bacteria or some kind of social diseases).  

Now that I'm home to 50 & 60 degree weather I'm back to normal.  Go figure.

Super Hero MS Vision?

What is with my MS vision lately???    Although that sounds rather Super Hero-ish I don't think it is.  I went early today to do some grocery/Christmas shopping at Sam's and Wal-mart.  When I walked in to both stores the brightness or something about the lights almost dropped me to my knees.

Am I a vampire??  no, that's the sun.   Is the bright fluorescent lighting messing with my head??  Maybe all the wide-open space? 

Whatever it is when I go to those stores of that type my vision gets rather swirly and I just want to cover my eyes.  Throw in some vertigo and instant panic and my shopping mood comes to a halt.   

Maybe it's not MS.  Maybe it's just me. Maybe I have some kind of allergy to discount shopping.  

If anyone else with MS has this issue then whew!  I feel better.  I would google this symptom but I'm not a fan of all thousands of other ailments it might say I have!!

My Target Military Meltdown

After my teen fool incident yesterday (yes, he came home and apologized and found his Star Wars pen in the bushes.. see last post)  I felt some retail therapy was in order.  Maybe some some special Christmas gifts for the teen fool.  Lol.   I can't stay mad at them long.  They are so darn funny and cute!

I needed to mail my Christmas gifts to my sweet oldest baby boy overseas. He's in the Navy and if I don't send it this week he won't get it til February. (Lesson learned the hard way last year)  I wanted to pick up one more thing. Maybe something Christmasy.


Well, there I am in Target when I am struck by the Christmas spirit in the form of a glittery snowball.  That played music!!  That had a little 2013 stamped into the base!  That suddenly reminded me that my Navy baby will not be back home until next July just briefly.   Yes. I will get this for him.  So he will hear a little Christmas tune and think of cold weather and snow. And maybe he will think of his family and especially his Mom who cries every week and misses him so much and OMG I have lost it completely in Target.  In the Christmas Dept.  

I haven't heard his sweet voice in months.   We have been able to email about once every two weeks and that's it. 

To everyone who witnessed the crazy blonde clutching two snow globes while crying and pretending she wasn't.   Who was wiping the snot on her sleeve because she didn't have any tissues on her. I am sorry for my messy display.

And to all my fellow Military Moms out there, Thank you for understanding.  It sucks.

Teen Fools

Teen Fool

Let me start by saying I love my teens.  Surprisingly they don't drive me crazy.  Yet.   I've been on guard waiting, watching for them to turn into teen fools. You know, belligerent, forgetful, obnoxious, smelly etc. ie. Fools.   My oldest did that somewhat so I am prepared.

My 14& 15 are either delayed in that department or heaven forbid not going to become teen fools.......HaHa   That's a good one.  I'm delusional.  Of course they will.  It's just a matter of time.

My 15 year old didn't want to turn in Dr. note this morning from being sick yesterday.  To me it's a $110 piece of paper saying he didn't feel good yesterday so don't turn us in to the truancy dept.....

  Why didn't he want to turn it in?   Good question.  Who the hell knows.  He said he'd do it Monday.  Nope, I said "you'll do it today and then you won't have to worry about it". 

He got pissed and slammed out the door.  Threw his new cereal box toy pen in the bushes. (who knew that teens still love those cheap toys in cereal??) 

Now he's texting me saying he doesn't know why it was a big deal (it wasn't. He made it a big deal.)  And that maybe he shouldn't go on overnight camping trip tonight.  His attempt at reverse psychology?  Silly boy.  I've got years of that ahead of him.   What a twit.  I think I'll call his bluff on that one.  That will make him think a little and maybe just maybe the almighty Mom is a tad on to him.  



Hmmmmm.  I don't have girls so I'm putting this one in the "Drama" category.

Or better yet Let The TEEN FOOL games begin..........

Cold Snap

I just came home from sunny warm Florida this weekend to an unexpected cold snap in the old Tennessee Valley.   Brrrrrr.  Not a fan.

I know heat aggravates most MS'ers but cold weather is my personal nemesis. It makes my muscles tighten and makes my body hurt.  Like brittle snap hurt.

So, fall/winter are not my fav seasons physically.  Luckily with my shiny new attitude this week (I'm sure will be gone by Friday)  I am taking a couple of hot yoga classes which really make my muscles smile and then it's couch/resty time (curse you fatigue) with my favorite heating blanket and Netflix.

I know this is only the beginning of cold weather but I will do everything not to let it touch me.  And if I look like a layered bag lady then so be it.            

After my diagnosis 5 years ago  MS has been a re-learning of my own body. MY body. My own body that I knew so well.  And now I don't.  

But that's ok.  I'm getting the hang of the "new" me.  I don't try and push through the pain, fatigue, numbness.  It will only bite me in the ass and put me in bed for days.   I store up my energy.  Use it when it is most important.

Pain In My Neck

  Does anyone have that one MS symptom that keeps coming back over and over that sends you over the edge??  This week for me it is the pain (literally) that starts in my neck and radiates up the side of my face to my cheek and down my left arm to the tip of my thumb.   And while most symptoms are annoying to me this one absolutely kills me.   It's a burning, stinging pain in the neck with numbness and shock waves that go to my hand.   Such a pain.   I never know if ice or heat is better.  Heat feels better but who knows which is better.

Wrapping my hand with a elastic bandage feels good too.  Since my arm and hand are numb they feel cold.  And the compression helps with the tingling and jarring shock waves. 

Well, that's my whining for the week.  :)

Just Be Nice

My boys school has a new slogan called Just Be Nice.  JBN is posted everywhere.   I think it's one of the better slogans in life to teach and pass on to our kids.  In fact,  I felt like I should incorporate some JBN in my life. 

Does it seem like everytime you turn around someone is telling you about their sister-in-law just got diagnosed with MS. Or someone thinks they have MS and corners you with all their symptoms to see what you think.  Does every 3rd person have MS now???   Or think they do???

As a peer for the National MS Society I actually get a lot of emails from people who think they have MS.  I understand if you have scary ailments and the internet suggests MS.  But please go see a Dr and get a firm diagnosis of what you have.  Don't try and diagnose your self. 

Who on earth would want to go through the stress and anxiety of NOT KNOWING what is wrong with them.   I know testing can take a while and their are A LOT of diseases and problems out there.  

Getting a firm MS diagnosis can give you the determination to start taking disease modifying meds and taking care of your self while moving forward.

With so many people asking me if I think they have MS or someone they know maybe has it I have really had to pull out my Just Be Nice card.   

Fall. Love It or Leave It

Ahhh,  Fall is in the air.  Well, for us in the South that means the temps are starting to dip below 85.  And a nippy 65 at night.  Brrrrr  Not a cool weather kinda Gal.

Fall to me signifies the season changing and for some of us with MS that is an apprehensive time of year.  Weather and temp changes mess with my head.
The coolness makes numb areas hurt and the brightness outside is different and makes my vision squirrley.    (Not a medical term to be sure)

And my biggest baddest MS flare-up was in the fall (and well into winter) so it makes me a little nervous.  Psychological?   Probably.