The universe was apparently trying to tell me something when I got MS. The message? Sloooooowwww dowwwwwwn. And I've tried to heed the advice, really. But slow isn't really my style. I'm more a it's-already-finished-and-filed-away-move-onto-the-next-challenge personality type — I feel in my element frenetically zig-zagging from one task to the next. I don't linger. I… Continue reading Life in the poky lane
Month: October 2010
The physics of disability
My life of late has come down to a simple equation explained rather matter of factly by physics. That doesn't make the reality any easier to endure. Tripod (and apparently overweight) dog + stairs to get outside + my general weakness and numbness in arms = Huge fail. Ella, our mutt mix, being the elite… Continue reading The physics of disability
Head case
Went into the narrow tube of magnetic fields (great band) today for another look-see of my innards. I feel like the Alan Shepard of MRIs by now, I've logged so much time. It's gotten somewhat easier, although I always have that last-second panicked breathing before I'm guided into the machine. I've found if I close… Continue reading Head case
Walking contradiction
Anyone who knows me knows that I have a thing for shoes. Love. them. So of course it devastated me to think that I couldn't teeter totter along in silly heels anymore. But so long as my legs aren't all gumby-fied, I'm going to rock the hell out of some sky-high shoes. With my cane… Continue reading Walking contradiction
Bee stings and snake bites and hyperbaric chambers (oh my!)
As I am guessing is the case with most diseases, there are a couple of approaches doctors must take - treating the disease and treating the symptoms. Right now we are in the throes of handling my myriad symptoms, which I elaborated on here. I did the oral steroids thing and tried to tough it… Continue reading Bee stings and snake bites and hyperbaric chambers (oh my!)
My right-hand man
Not that I would ever use my condition to get out of doing something, or to get preferential treatment (other than a better parking spot), but this new ground we're covering here, so Nick and I are feeling our way through things. I don't want him to cater to my every whim, because I pride… Continue reading My right-hand man
Absence noted
How do you prove a negative? In our case, with pregnancy tests. Not long before MS sent shockwaves big and small through our simple life, Nick and I had The Talk about The Future and decided to try to have a baby. It wasn't a high-pressure situation, because we felt no real sense of urgency.… Continue reading Absence noted
72 pills in 72 hours
I am in the middle of a relapse that began mid-October, a little over a month after getting my MS diagnosis. It started in my right hand and quickly colonized my right side - arm, torso and even boob (sorry, breast, for those who prefer the clinical term). The first exacerbation (technical term!) in September… Continue reading 72 pills in 72 hours
Lost in translation
The day we finally went to the ER was the day I couldn't put on my underwear and then face-planted in my kitchen, my body contorted on the floor like some sort of crime-scene chalk outline. I thought about how I might be paralyzed and wondered which of my darling pets would start gnawing me… Continue reading Lost in translation
Same blog, new topic
Disclaimer: If I were to write a school report about my summer, it would go something like this: I lost part of my vision for a spell in June/July. Then I lost the ability to walk. And then I found out I had multiple sclerosis. I'm now ready to talk about that journey. So for… Continue reading Same blog, new topic
One, Wild & Precious 