An MS Christmas Story

Read  here about Tim Donovan's MS Christmas gift.
Merry Christmas to everyone!!

Another CCSVI Story

Read this article in today's Star. I can so relate to this woman's story since she too is in the "you don't look sick" category. The cost  for CCSVI surgery in Albany, is pretty reasonable compared to going overseas. I have to decide in the NewYear if I'm going there for the surgery or wait to see what happens in Canada. Albany is close enough that if I have any complications I can easily return there.  I still think that the procedure should be available in Canada, and will continue to support the ongoing lawsuit to acheive that, however: Should I wait?

Yesterday during a lunch outing, someone made a comment that they noticed I'm "not on my game"  the way I use to be. They weren't being mean. It's a simple fact and it's true. I'm not right in the head and I know it. The endless up and down of this MS condition is hard to handle some days. Most people don't notice it but those who are close to me see the changes. If I'm not on my game;  then what is my new game and what is my game  plan? 

Stay Informed About CCSVI

Here are some videos  from the Albany Vascular Group, regarding CCSVI and angioplasty surgery.
Stay informed and make up your own mind.

Year End

Here's a few snaps I took with my new phone . You think  it would be a simple thing to do, and it is, so long as you ignore the software that comes with the phone. I wasted a precious hour of my life downloading all this junk, not realizing it is totally unnecessary. If I had a jar that  I could put all the hours in that  I have wasted on technology;  I wonder how many stolen hours that  would be? Best not think about it .

The goalie statue is in front of the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.  It's a tribute to  Jacques Plante, the first goalie to wear a mask. Yes Clint Benedict, did wear a mask in the 1930's, but that was only to protect his face after an injury. Plante is the first to wear one regularly to prevent injury and set the standard.  Now every goalie wears a mask. Yes we humans do progress sometimes to avoid  doing dumb things, even if we resist at first.

 The blurry Christmas tree was taken at the Christmas Market in the Distillery District. They took and old whiskey factory and converted it to condos and retail spaces. Imagine;  candles that cost $36 each  !!


  I was in Toronto finishing my Christmas shopping. I tried hard to avoid the mall, yet had to venture there when the big box electronics store didn't have the item I wanted. That's what I get for procrastinating.
What insanity! Watch out for the people walking in crowds, listening to their IPods,  text messaging,  totally oblivious.  People who can't even sit down for five minues to eat their food;  walking around with  a stinky hot dog in one hand, a coffee in the other,  ignoring the " please no food or drinks" signs. I mean are we really in that much of a hurry?

The remaining  photos are from different art galleries and I can't remeber which. I wasn't supposed to take any pictures, but I didn't know that. I don't get why some galleries are OK with you taking pictures and others aren't. The blue and grey picture is one that I edited in my phone to make it look like a drawing. It's a guy's foot.

Good Grief! Only ten days till Christmas. I'm a little worried about the visiting I have to do over the holidays.
My hot/cold spells are driving me crazy! Not so much because I can't cope. It's  more to do with the reactions I get. I'm  so not in the mood for people who will either  feel sorry for me or tell me to pull up my socks.

Politics, Science, or Compassion ?

Here's an article in today's Star about the New Brunswick government's decision to fund CCSVI surgery. Anyone in that province who pays to  travels abroad for "liberation surgery" can apply for  reimbursement. Not sure if they get all their money  back or not.  A nuerologist is questioning  the fund saying it is a political move and not  scientific; whatever that means, and figures it's always a nuero who complains whenever anyone even tries to do something positive in regards to CCSVI.  Oh! and neurologists aren't political ?

The fund is only $500,000 which isn't much considering patient costs are anywhere from $20-$30 thousand.


No doctor,  it isn't science and it isn't politics. It's compassion.

Hot and Cold

 First I'd like to apologize that I may have deleted some comments by accident. I always publish any and all comments. Usually, I like to go back and read  them  again after  they are published but I don't seem to be able to find  a couple. Have to see if I can retrieve them some how..  
 
 OK all my Christmas decorations are up and they look pretty good !! Bonus, is the ever growing display of Christmas greeting cards and postcards, thanks to my postcard club. I'll post some photos once my card "tree" is filled. I have two stands that are meant for photos but work great for postcards.  One looks like a floor lamp, only instead of a shade there are steel  rectangles with clips. The other looks like a big star with the same type of clips at the end of each point. It should look pretty cool once all the cards are in place. 
 
 I' m experiencing an extreme reaction to the cold ; It totally wipes me out.

 It's different from the way I feel on a hot summer day. During the summer, I have to avoid going out on hot sunny days and when I do, I use frozen cold packs to regulate my body temperature . Even if I'm careful the sun and heat leave me wasted. Now, when I'm out in  the cold weather, even if I'm dressed properly the cold makes me so tired. That really sucks too, because I didn't think it was possible to have more fatigue but yes, it seems there is no bottom to these tired depths.

  Saturday, after walking to the hardware store to buy some plumbing supplies ( Oh! that's a whole other post)   I came home and crashed on the couch. I was able to get up and have dinner but that was about it. The rest of the evening was spent in fron of the t.v. Thank goodness for old movies; they are a blessed distraction. I couldn't even manage to pick up  a pen to work on my puzzle book.

That's the second time this happens. Same thing last week when I went out to do some Christmas shopping. Normally in winter I like to walk places if  I can to  get some exercise, which often is my only exercise.  So looks like that's not going to work out . I can't afford to lose an entire day to feeling like a zombie because of half  an hour of walking. AND I do mean zombie .  I'll have to start using the Wii Fit again and stay with my protien diet.

Trying to think of a place in this world that has moderate temperatures but I don't think it exihists.