by Laina
World MS Day 2012 – It’s almost time
May 18, 2012 in Multiple Sclerosis by Laina
World MS Day is coming soon on Wednesday May 30th, 2012. If you’re not familiar please go check the site out and see how you can be one of the 1000 faces.
by Laina
Kiss Goodbye to MS
May 17, 2012 in Multiple Sclerosis by Laina
I came across this amazing site called Kiss Goodbye to MS. It’s an initiative based out of Australia that works with people to raise money to go towards MS research and services for people with MS.
They have some amazing things going on so I encourage you to check them out.
by Laina
by Laina
by Laina
Love My MS Life Finding happiness and hope every day while living with multiple sclerosis.
May 10, 2012 in Multiple Sclerosis, The MS Project by Laina
I Really Need to Pee!
read original post here.
I’ll admit that this isn’t something I love to discuss, but it’s an important issue because so many people with MS deal with it. The National MS Society says at least 80 percent of people with multiple sclerosis have bladder dysfunction. It’s invisible and uncomfortable. And unless you experience it, it’s difficult to comprehend the physical and emotional toll it takes on you.
Before I get into my personal story, here’s a quick explanation of bladder dysfunction — if you don’t mind some nitty gritty details. When people with a normal, healthy bladder feel like they have to pee, they can hold it until they know that they really gotta go. Then they can hurry to the toilet and…read more.
by Laina
Relative MS
May 9, 2012 in Multiple Sclerosis, The MS Project by Laina
A great new blog I found in my search for MS related blogs. Relative MS.
Catharsis
Posted on April 28, 2012 by John
It was interesting that I got some comments back on the post about dignity. For me it was cathartic to write. Since I’m an “old softie,” I found myself tearing up while writing it. We are all raised to think that it’s a parent’s job to take care of the children, not the other way around. There are so many mixed feelings running through your head while it is happening and it’s difficult to sort them out. You are proud that you raised a child willing to do it yet embarrassed, angry, sad, etc that it has to be done. You want to go out everyplace and do everything but are often afraid that there won’t be a bathroom that you can use or that there will be no one available to help you. So here you are a grown man who had a successful career and raised two kids now centering his life on the availability of a bathroom.
When I get thinking this way, it’s really easy to fall into a deep funk, feeling sorry for myself. It’s then when my number one caregiver Linda comes along, “smacks me on the head” and snaps me out of it. She gets me to look at the things I have and not what I’ve lost. The two beautiful grandchildren top that list. Being home and getting to watch them grow and learn is an amazing experience. To them, it doesn’t matter that their grandpa is in a wheelchair. In fact, their friends are jealous that they get to ride on the back. Usually, one is on my shoulders and the other is on the back whenever we go anyplace. It’s an experience that I would never have had if it were not for my condition. I also don’t have the constant angst and tension that I had when I was working. It’s a good thing not to have that tension ball in the middle of your gut 24/7. It was tearing me apart. Oh, I have to include getting to spend more time with Linda. Our kids call us “the Bickersons” since we always seem to be arguing about something but ours is a very special relationship. You hear so many stories about people retiring and then getting to live only a year or two together before one of them passes on. MS has actually given me a present by allowing us to spend more time together.
This list could go on forever. The point is that whenever you feel yourself falling into that funk, put a list together. There are things to enjoy that perhaps you never would have if not for the disease. Sure there are some crummy things too but there is always the other side of that coin.
Read blog here.
by Laina
PasstheMSplease
May 8, 2012 in Multiple Sclerosis, The MS Project by Laina
A great blog I came across - PasstheMSplease
Gibberish
I saw this on Facebook the other day: “Every time I see a math word problem it looks like this: If I have 10 ice cubes and you have 11 apples, how many pancakes will fit on the roof? Answer: Purple, because aliens don’t wear hats.” Unfortunately, this makes sense to me!
When I was in school, math was one of my best subjects. English and Literature were my next best. Now, none of the above makes much sense when I am trying to figure something out.
Besides fatigue, cognition (knowledge acquired through reasoning, intuition, or perception) is my biggest problem. Without the ability to use the knowledge that we have acquired during our lifetime, we are at a standstill with normal activities.
We use cognition for every aspect of life. When cooking, we need to know how to read and interpret a recipe. When writing a check, we need to know not only how to write it, but how to add and/or subtract the amount of the check. When driving, we need to be able to quickly react to the other drivers around us and know the route we are taking. These are just a few examples of everyday life where cognition is important.
To those who do not have MS or other diseases that make “thinking” difficult, these things seem so natural that they often lose patience with our bumbling around and trying to do things. I would not ever wish our problems on anyone else. But sometimes I do wish some of these people could spend a few hours in our shoes so they could better understand our struggles and know that we are not purposely trying to “upset the apple cart”.
I have not driven or written a check in about two years. This may not seem like a big deal to some people, but it is a major thing to me. It means that I am giving up a part of my life because I can no longer do these things, not because I just want to give them up and let someone else handle them. To those of you that are having to give up a part of yourselves and your independence each day, my heart goes out to you. I know how you feel. It is not easy and without the love and support of my husband, I would live on that pity pot I have talked about in previous blogs. As it is, I do visit it more often than I would like!
I realized a few weeks ago that I need to write these blogs when the idea comes to mind. If not, it is lost in that hole of “never to be found again”. With the slowness of my thoughts and typing abilities at this time, writing one of these can take anywhere from an hour, to writing a little bit at a time over several days. I try to stay one or two ahead for those days I am in that nothing zone that MSers get in sometime.
I do love purple and think it is a good answer to the question asked in the first paragraph of this blog………….and aliens DO wear hats…….but I am pretty sure they are usually green……….. 
Read original post here.
by Laina
Scrambled Egg Multiple Sclerosis, being young, and other things that come to my mind.
May 7, 2012 in Multiple Sclerosis, The MS Project by Laina
Read full blog post here.
Good news and bad news
So the good news is that my medicine finally came today! It’s a shot for five days of a hormone that will make my body produce more of it’s own natural steroid. In turn, hopefully making me feel like a new woman! Fingers are crossed.
Another good thing about the medicine is that it was completely free for me. It has been so stressful with all of these medical bills rolling in everyday. Last week, when I checked the mail, I said something to Vince about how there was no mail and I couldn’t believe it was a day without medical bills! Then about an hour later we heard the mail come, (the mail man must of been running late) and of course there were bills! I guess I spoke too soon.
Read full blog post here
by Laina
What does MS equal to you?
May 6, 2012 in Multiple Sclerosis by Laina
by Lisa Emrich
What Does MS Equal To You?
MS = a twisted roller coaster, spiraling and without brakes.
I can’t recall the last “real” roller coaster I rode. Honestly, I’m trying to rack my brain. Was it during a visit to Disney World in 1985? Or could it have been in a car driven by a speed demon? (That would be a figurative roller coaster, of course.)
During one ride, the anticipation and excitement about being strapped into a seat and allowing your body to be whirled through the air is intoxicating. During the other ride, eyes are closed, feet are trying to push the imaginary brake pedal in the passenger seat, and the adrenaline rush is exhausting rather than exhilarating….read more
Related articles
- What Does MS Equal To You? (brassandivory.org)
by Laina
Looking Forward on my own – or with a changed support system
May 5, 2012 in Multiple Sclerosis, The MS Project by Laina
by Pamela Bascio
I came across this blog post and although it is almost a year old I just felt it was right from the heart and you would find it meaningful……..
After ten years – not all happy, my husband and I are going to divorce. It’s ok. We still get along – for our kids, for my step-kids.
He’s a good person, just not a care-taker. I’m a good person, just not used to having to need someone to take care of me. And I KNOW I’ve been really more bitter since I was diagnosed with MS. But the support wasn’t always there, which led us to this point. Read More
Download The MS Project iPhone app
