Oklahoma

My Mother will be here Wednesday. I've got to get my room clean!! Do we ever get over wanting to please our Mothers? She will be here for almost a month, booked to go home on the 27th. While she is here we are going to Oklahoma. Nikki is playing in Anadarko on June 12th and we will be going to the show and also visiting with some of Mothers' family that still lives in that area.

I am looking forward to the trip. Some of the family I have met when I was a child, and some I have never met. I feel it might be the last trip that Mother gets to make, she will be 85 on June 29. She is still going strong. Two of her Aunts lived to be 96 and 101 so we have hopes of having her around for a while longer.

To Blog or not to blog

Whatever we put in writing, on the web or not, is permanently recorded. Journaling is a good way to vent your feelings, express yourself and sometimes to solve a problem that has been bugging you. Once it is in written form, it is forever there and cannot be denied. There is the problem. Many things I would like to get out of my system, but do I want them forever available to anyone that might stumble across them.

Our views and feelings change over the years and although they are not chiseled in stone, they can come back to haunt and possibly even hurt ourselves or someone else. Much consideration must go into what we put on paper or send into cyber space.

Not Necessarily Bad.....

but certainly not wonderful. In November of 2008 I had a little health episode that the hospital ER labeled Transient Global Amnesia, or TGA for short. I lost about 20 minutes that I absolutely can't remember. Evidently something happened during that time that was scary, as I called my daughter at work and was scared and crying. The doctors thought I might have had a stroke, but I checked out fine on all the tests, but on a subsequent MRI, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS).



MS is a very confusing and complex disease. There are many different symptoms and no two people seem to experience it exactly the same. I feel that my symptoms are very mild compared to many that I read about. With hindsight being so much better than the moment we are in, I can relate this disease to a few health problems that I have had through the last twenty years or so. I could possibly have had MS for quite a long time and not been aware of it. If this is true and it continues to progress at the same speed. I should be good to go.



I had another MRI at the end of March this year that not only showed all the lesions were still present in my brain, but several were now active. The neurologist decided it was time to try one of the meds that are used in MS. The one we chose is Rebif. It is an Interferon 1a. It is described as a "family of naturally occurring proteins that are produced by eukaryotic cells in response to viral infection and other biological inducers" It does not take care of the symptoms, but is suppose to work to stop or slow the progress of the disease. This is administered in three weekly shots. OUCH!!!



Actually, the shots aren't so bad. A very nice field nurse came out and spent a lot of time with us answering our questions and showing us how to do the shots. There is an auto-injector that I have used and Nikki has just used the syringe. I started out with 8.8mcg and will work my way up to 44mcg which is the largest dose that is known to be safe.



I have two weeks down and two weeks to go on the first shipment of meds. I am suppose to get an automatic shipment. The meds are extremely expensive ($2000.00 to $3000.00 per month), but the company (Pfizer) has a plan for those with no insurance to receive them free for the first year. I am finding there are many resources of which I was never aware. MSAA (Multiple Sclorosis Assoc of America) has a program that paid for my second MRI.



I really hate being in the position that I need to use these resources as I have always been able to take care of myself, but I am certainly glad to find they are available. Sometimes our lives take a turn in a direction that we have not been prepared to take.



Mo

Here we go again

It has been quite a while since posting again. Sometimes life gets in the way of good intentions. I am no longer employed anywhere. We have moved my RV from my Sons' to my Daugters'. It makes more sense with me helping out with the kids after school and through the summer, but I liked the view at my Sons' much better.

Since I last wrote, my life has been turned topsey turvey. First, the good part. In June '08, I finally got to meet my some of my internet friends of 10+years at a get together in Las Cruces, New Mexico. It was delightful. I am so glad I was able to go. I was trying to back out due to medical bills that needed paying, but Nikki booked a non-refundable flight for me....so, I had to go or forfeit the money. It was wonderful finally meeting many friends for the first time. Thanks again to Nikki, I had been able to meet Sarah (our hostess in Las Cruces) a little before then when Highway 101 played in Almagordo, NM and she surprised me with ticket to go along with the band.

I think I will leave the bad part for the next post. Nap time is calling.