Even More Snow

We had 20cm of snow pile up. It started last night and finally ended around 6:00 this evening.
Not fun walking home in that blowing snow storm. I'm really tired tonight,so instead of a long post I decided to read other blogs , do some comments and update my blog list.
My hands and feet are mega tingly tonight.

Blog Anniversay

One year ago I began this blog. My symptoms decided to celebrate by flaring up on me. I would have preferred a cake.

As I have stated before, ( first post) my main reason for starting a blog, was to have a day to day journal to record everything that was happening to me with MS. Unlike the photo above, I never thought of it as my own mike to tell the world my story .My own soap box to spew my opinions.
Not that I'm saying you shouldn't do that. That's the beauty of blogging. You can do whatever you want.

One of the benefits of having an MS blog, has been the knowledge I've acquired, and for that I have to thank all the MS bloggers out there. You have helped so much to give me a better understanding of my condition. How to cope with it, what might happen, what won't.

I really helpswith the frustrations of MS And it's So ! frustrating!

So all you MS bloggers out there. Thanks for a great year of helping me survive this crazy MS life. You are a decent bunch.
Oh and Thanks to the folks who take the time to stop and post comments. I've published everyone, so don't be shy . I enjoy all opinions as long as you keep them reasonably clean.

Wonder where we'll all be next year?

Miscellany

Note to myself : Do not buy anymore clothing that needs lots of ironing, even if it looks good .
I wasted 20 minutes tonight fussing over a blouse. No wonder I hardly ever wear it.
I remember when my mother got her first clothes dyer. How happy she was to be able to eliminate hours of ironing. We missed the fresh smell of clothes off the line, but not too much.

I deleted two of my blogs today. It was distressing to read them and realize that I was repeating myself . I do it on this blog too. Have to try and be more careful in the future and avoid old fogey syndrome .
My son has just handed me his weird list of book requests for Santa ( me). I guess I should be glad he's such an avid reader.

That's it for today not much happening except I did a blood pressure reading at the pharmacy while I was waiting for my prescription and it is very low, almost too low. Perhaps I didn't have my arm in the cuff correctly. I'm going to try again later in the week.

Fail

Several times this week I've wanted to blog only I've been too brain dead. My short term memory is, well, getting shorter and my anti fatigue pills only get me part way through the day. Result is I'm useless in the evening.

Can't wait to see the doctor on November 28th. If I have to beg on my hands and knees to convince him that he must, must, write to my employer and make them understand that I:need to work at home!
Friday afternoon at the office I came very close to a break down. Amazing how a tiny little incident( which I can't discuss here otherwise I'll get sacked) can do me in. That's how weak I am now and tired , Oh so very tired. I'd really like to know who came up with the decor scheme of grey walls , grey carpets and grey baffles( spell check: that's how we spell grey in Canada!!!)

The repair work on the side of the house hasn't stopped the water leaking in the basement. Heavy rain today resulted in another leak. I think my original idea to move the eaves trough drain pipe is still right . Tomorrow I might call the one guy who agreed with me and get him to move it. There is only a little bit of water but over time that could be a disaster. Once it's dry again he can get to work building the new stairs. If only they had listened to me three months ago, I could have avoided this and I would have my new stairs by now. It's been that kind of a year,me talking, nobody listening. Hey I don't want anything special. Just a dry basement with decent stairs and to be able to keep working.

Otherwise, I maybe late finding this blog and I think perhaps I've mentioned it before ( short term memory again!!) It's the Fail blog which I will ad to my links. I get a laugh out of it.
Something in short supply around here lately, although I did read an article last week that a good cry can be as therapeutic as laughing . Yeah but laughing doesn't make your eyes get puffy and stuff your nose up.

MS Info

Had an email today from MS Watch about an article in Reader's Digest Women's Issues and MS
I think it's a reprint, still it's worth a look.

Thanks to Anne at Disabled Not Dead I've discovered another MS blog by Linette which I'm adding to my links.
Finally a very good article in the New York Times about Life and Death read it here

Not much else to say I'm really tired and can't think straight Also have more house repair woes to look into.

Amantadine

Starting my drugs tomorrow morning. Amantadine. Funny thing is I already have a bottle of these pills. The last doctor I had prescribed them. I didn't trust him which made me suspicious of anything he recommended. How can you trust a doctor who makes you sit around waiting for an hour and then when you finally do see him he barely has five minutes to spend with you ? And of those five minuted is busy shuffling through your file because he can't remember you.

My new doctor spends lots of time talking to me and even phones ! OK doc I trust you so I'll try this stuff. The side effects are mild at least, except I'm not thrilled about possible insomnia or constipation. I already have enough trouble sleeping.

Yes, if I could have one wish it would be to sleep through the night. I'm not greedy, six hours would do me fine.

Question: How many new blogs are started every day ? 7,000, 30,000 120,00 ?
Answer tomorrow.

Dinosaurs, and Doctor Patient Rules

Here's a couple of pictures from the museum trip this past weekend. The columns are in the subway station called Museum, which is a big improvement. It use to be such a grey ,dismal,
unwelcoming station.
Can't get my head around the creationist idea that humans and dinosaurs existed side by side The guy above looks like he would have enjoyed us as snacks.


Feeling a little better tonight. The plan is to get to work tomorrow Just have to see how things go in the morning.

Here's a blog I ran across in the New York Times health section by Dr. Rob. Read his six rule for doctors and patients. Yeah maybe in a perfect world or alternate universe.

MS Society

Here's the Hamilton chapter of the MS Society of Canada. Yeah not very impressive looking, but a good place. I've been there a couple of times, once when I was first diagnosed, and another time when I started having serious problems at work. The volunteers are nice enough, good listeners and answered most of my questions, and I had lots of questions. They suggested I join a group, I guess it's like therapy sessions, people getting together to share their stories, but I'm not interested. I'm not one much for joining groups anyway.

Had a message at MS Watch asking be to take a look at this MS site. Lots of good articles there including one about yoga .

I'm finding it hard to write this tonight. I have hit the fatigue wall and my brain is cloggging up. Maybe it's time to go check out some more prolific blogs.

Lazy girl that I am I ordered a pizza for dinner . For me to be too tired to cook is really, really, tired .

Plants, Smarter Than We Think

Another day of thunderstorms and heat.I 'm stuffed up with allergies. Haven't had that happen in ages. Darn pollen and high winds ! Yet I can't get mad at plants because, they might know what I'm thinking and feeling.

According to scientists at McMaster University, right here in Hamilton , plants
recognize their kin and are even nice to them. Read about it here

This is a response that besides plants, only humans have.

I forgot to mention I had a minor black out on Sunday. I put my head back to taste some rain drops and blacked out, my legs gave out . Luckily I was leaning against a railing and it was very brief so I didn't fall down. Only mentioning it because I have to see the neurologist next Monday.

I have removed a couple of MS blogs from my links . When I tried to access them the last couple of days, I got a message that I wasn't invited to read them, even though I have before. Didn't know blogging was like the country club.

Now I think I'll go water my plants and have a little chat with them. I wonder if they talk about me ?

Started another blog !

Not much to say tonight I've started a new blog about movies. I thought it would be fun to dabble in a topic about one of my favourite past times: watching movies and do some brief reviews. . If I keep going with it I'll post a link here .

On the MS front: I did some research on the neurologist I'll be seeing in June. From want I've found out so far, he seems like a good doctor and a decent guy. Really knows his MS stuff and is open to alternative therapies. I'm actually looking forward to meeting him.

Other than that I'm feeling pretty good. At least I was tired for a good reason today . I managed to go shopping for fabric, a task I've put off for so long. The ride on the bus wasn't so great . Almost had me wanting a car, although I can't imagine myself ever driving again . With this fatigue I would be too worried about getting into an accident.

Two more lovely days off and the weather has been good . lots of sunshine which always makes me feel better.

I'm not a Bloody Fool !

Last night I posted a link to Images of MS, a photo project about different people who have MS.
It seems that my fellow bloggers feel the need to educate me about the links this site has to a certain drug company.
Hey! I'm not a Bloody Fool ! I'm well aware of the drug sponsorship.

When I was first diagnosed with MS I didn't know a thing about it. So what did I do? I turned to the internet to find out all I could . First stop The MS Society of Canada, who's website is sponsored by Biogen Idec, makers of Avonex , as is the MS Alliance. Next I tried MS Watch, proudly connected with Teva, makers of Betaseron. In the meantime my mother bought me Montel Williams book " Climbing Higher", him turning out to be one of the biggest drug pushers. Oh ! and the MSAA, are also pretty good at spreading the drug message.

Site after site with very little info about alternatives Like maybe a massage might be better than more, stronger, pain killers?
Next I went on some forums,asked for advice and what did I get ? People telling me about this drug and that drug. I decided to stay away from the forums after a person recommended Symbalta, a highly addictive anti depressant, with a lovely side effect to boot. Psychotic
episodes !

Are the bloggers any different ? No I'd say the vast majority discuss all the drugs they shoot up every day even though they are vocal critics of the very companies that make said drugs.

Over and over I am told that these drugs work and yet I'm not convinced. How does anybody know that they really work ? You haven't had a relapse ? or it wasn't as bad as last time ? Can you say for certain that it was thanks to your medication ?
And what about long term effects ? I'm planning to be around for at least another 20 years or more . Am I really supposed to fill my body up everyday with medication and think it won't catch up with me ? That I won't end up like the HIV people ?

And I can get as much drugs as I want because I have a very good drug plan . My union is even saying that soon I will have a drug "credit card" Take it to the pharmacy and I only have to pay the 20% deductible. Wow ! just imagine when the doctors , the supreme drug pushers, find out about that.

I take Advil and a couple of measly sleeping pills every week .That's it. I don't take Allectec for my fatigue because that just gives me fake energy. And I don't take anti depressants because they don't work . And I don't take Amantadine for my spasms because it's an anti viral drug that is used to fight flu. So if I get the flu will that stuff work if I've been using it for years ? And is it really a good idea to mess around with your immune system ?

Answer me this ? Where exactly was I supposed to go to get info about MS without bumping into a drug company ? Isn't " Images of MS" at least trying to promote some public awareness of
MS ? Awareness that I could have used, instead of being scared out of my pants because I didn't know what the heck was the matter with me.