I think I must be about twice as slow as everyone else at doing pretty much everything, because it is amazing to me how little I can get done in a day, when it feels like I'm working all day! Anyone else ever feel like that?
Well, I owe a long update, but this can't be long because I have to get to bed. I found a new neurologist out here and I had an appointment yesterday afternoon. I really like him a lot. He sat and talked with me for almost an hour!!!! Which is just about 60 times longer than any one conversation I've had with my previous neurologists. I got my copaxone prescription refilled and he also prescribed me Provigil, which is actually a narcolepsy drug, but which is also commonly prescribed to MS patients for fatigue. I took one today and I think it actually helped. He did a bunch of physical evaluations, said he didn't see any permanent nerve damage to my left eye which is very good, discovered I no longer have any sensation of cold in either of my feet (which is weird because my feet actually feel like they are freezing all the time), and my left leg is extremely hyperreflexive. He's worried that my left achilles tendon might be starting to shorten due to the spasticity in that leg, so I'm to do stretching exercises every day. I'm also not supposed to carry my kids around anywhere because of my falling down and stuff, which I already knew, but which is nearly impossible when you have a stubborn 3 year old who refuses to get out of the car or into the car or whatever... So I'll have to do my best until my personal assistant arrives I guess!! I've had a few annoying MS episodes recently. Fell down flat on my face when I got up from my computer chair the other day. No idea why, just was up one second, down the next. Got a nasty bruise on my right thigh where I hit the train table on the way down. A few days ago I was at the grocery store, actually coming out of the grocery store with a full cart. Mosey was walking beside the cart. We got to the car, I had parked next to the sidewalk, and I was carefully (I promise!) navigating the cart down the curb, when I somehow just lost control of the cart. It started to tip and I just couldn't make my arms work to stop it, and the darn thing tipped over pinning Mosey against the side of the van, giving him a scrape next to his eye, and scaring the living daylights out of him. I felt really bad about that one. But the worst one was Sunday night, I think. I was taking a bath and I guess I had the water too hot, because when I got up to get out, I discovered that my left leg would not move at all. I mean, not at all. It was the weirdest thing. I couldn't lift it to get out of hte tub and I couldn't put weight on it to use my other leg to get out of the tub. Luckily Ben was right in the bedroom so I called for him and he literally had to lift me out of the tub and carry me to the bed. It scared me a lot since that hasn't happened before, but Ben calmed me down and after probably 30 minutes I could move my leg again. I knew that heat exacerbates symptoms, but this really did confirm to me that we can never move to Phoenix!! So, that's that. My new doctor doesn't treat with oral steroids, which I'm very glad about because I HATE them, and he says that there is no real evidence that they shorten the duration of the flareup or reduce long-term damage. So he will only treat with IV steroids during really extreme episodes. I'm glad to hear this becuase honestly I thought the steroids I took last spring were worse than the symptoms I was having, but I was afraid not to take them because I worried I would be causing permanent damage if I did not. The only thing the doctor said which upset me was that he thought all the issues I'm having now are due to residual nerve damage, and not due to an active flareup. Which of course means that it probably will not go away. But only time will tell, and I'll adjust either way.
I bought a recumbant exercise bike off of Craigslist today. I really want to start exercising again and unless my legs significantly improve, I'm afraid my running days are over. This bike should allow me to exercise with no fear of falling, etc. I don't love exercise bikes, but beggars can't be choosers and maybe I'll learn to like it a lot.
The boys are doing pretty good. Joseph has been doing really well at school, although he had a couple mornings this week when it was really a chore to get him to go into the school. Once in his classroom, he apparently was perfeclty fine, but getting him to go was not fine. But overall, I think I'm seeing some improvement. Mosey discovered the train chest yesterday afternoon, and so for a couple of hours today he and I put together the tracks and had a good time. I made a pretty cool track design in which I used every single track piece except one. We had to get the boys from school finally, so Mosey put the trains into a bag and carried them around until we got back home. At least he didn't insist on carrying the tracks around too!
I found this cool old chair on the side of the road (it was trash, I promise). It has great lines although it is stained and torn in the back and is missing the seat cushion. But I just knew it would photograph well, so I got Ben to go and pick it up for me the other night. I attempted to take Mosey's 3 year old pictures on it, but he was being a crazy man to say the least. I'll attach the results of that photoshoot below. I was a little frustrated until I realized that this is exactly how he is at this age, and a photograph should reflect how someone actually is, so maybe they're not so bad. And I took some pictures of Joseph today too, checking out the light in a couple different areas around the house and yard. I did some of Brigham, too, but the light was too dim by that time and they all turned out too blurry. I'll try again tomorrow when it is brighter out.
Ok, that's it folks. Hope you all have a great Friday.
Squirrelly boy!
I like this pensive look on Joseph. He was nice and let me practice a new focusing method on him.
And just to show that he really wasn't sad...
Under the stairs of our deck.
And my dog, Mister, just for fun. He's looking out the window planning his next escape.
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