Hi Debi from Georgia: We lived in Gainesville for 12 years. Lovely part of the country.

And Emory is a GREAT RESOURCE.

I can really identify with: At this point in my condition all I want is to be able to clean my house, grocery shop and cook.

That IS all I can do. And I can't actually clean the house, I just clear everything so a fabulous crew run by the sweetest lady, can come in every other week and really CLEAN the house.

It exhausts me just to move everything to the right places, and out of the way so they can get to the floors, counters, sinks, and stuff.

I gave up getting my 'fancy nails' to help pay for the help and it's so worth it.
My husband does all the remodeling (doing the kitchen right now, and will, for example, install a ceramic tile floor once the granite counter tops are put in professionally) and all the yard work and still teaches part time at 74.

So wonderful to have the house ALL CLEAN once every two weeks. And then to know that it will get ALL CLEAN again.

We just spent three days with family over Christmas, and of course I just sat on the couch while everyone bustled around. I cannot help with preparations because I cannot walk around with other people walking around me. Just getting up from the couch is a great effort.

We went to a Christmas Eve candlelight service at the National Cathedral, and I had to be dropped at the front door. At one point we were near a far parking space and someone said, well you just have to climb those stairs! There were probably three flights of stone stairs going up from the parking lot...maybe 50?

I just said 'no' and they took me to the front door, WHERE, they found an amazing parking spot right by the front door as someone drove away. YAY. So they were even grateful for my disability.

The fact that I look 20 years younger than my age, and the radiant picture of health doesn't help a bit. Nothing about my many conditions shows. Except when I try to walk, which I almost never do.

I cannot take any RX pain medication with any relationship to codeine. So pain management is always a challenge. Right now I'm on Methylprednisolone to counteract a very difficult reaction I have to an IVIG treatment. It is definitely helping with pain. My basic pain medications include Aleve and Cymbalta.

I do all of my shopping 'on line' except for groceries: YAY grocery carts!

No one ever 'Jabbers on long enough'! The talking about what we are doing is CRUCIAL to our well being. And we simply cannot talk to most of those around us.

Hugs, Elaine