Thank you guys. I've been reading here briefly for the last few days, but haven't been posting because I'm not feeling well.

My sink is fixed. I want to go in to see the manager, but I've been reviewing the lease, etc. first. I'm going to notify them in writing of my displeasure.

Good news at the eye doc.... I don't have to change my lenses (SO expensive) because I can get away without the slight adjustment. Also, my optic nerve looks good! I may need reading glasses or bifocals soon tho.

My fevers have been getting higher. When I came home from the eye doc I took my temp cuz I wasn't feeling well. It was 100.2, so I took tylenol. I re-checked 2 hrs. later and it was 101.7!!!
I took some aleve and got a same-day appt. with the NP. I really don't have any symptoms of infection aside from exhausting. Since the temps are probably from the Tysabri, she held off on antibiotics (good call). But if the temps continue after the tysabri has been out of my system for a while, she gave me the number for an infectious disease doc.
The NP is also worried because of my swallowing problems, and I have a swallowing study next week. If there is crap I inhaled into my lungs, it could cause a temp increase.

I went to my evaluation before pool therapy. The PT was really thorough- she is very worried about my knees and thinks I need a brace for the left one which is spastic and gives out on me constantly during walking. She was doing a lot to test joints and I'm still very sore today.
I have another appointment to see an orthopedist next week.

I'm so sick of doctor appointments, but I have to do what I have to do to keep healthy....
This week: eye doc Monday, PT and NP Tuesday,and IV steroids Friday.
For next week: tdoc Monday, swallowing study Tuesday, knee doc Wednesday, and colposcopy Friday.
This also means a lot of $$$

This is all a whopping reminder of what a friggen mess I am!!!
I'm trying not to get overwhelmed. I'm watching and treating the fevers

I have to get off-line because I can't put off the laundry anymore. UGH!

Hugs to all!
Kay

wow! kay you have so much on your plate...so much going on how do you keep it all straight? You must have a good planner.
I wish you much success in all of your appointments and that they give you some support and guidance in order for you to live as normal and safely and pain free as possible.
hugs to you today!
(((((HUGS)))))
bizi

Dear Bizi,

Thank you! :hug:

I have a mac laptop and an iphone. I can sync my phone and computer easily. All appointments go in one of those calenders ASAP. I also put my medlist on my computer so I can easily edit it (husband's idea).
I also have a little notebook in my purse where I can write lists, jot things down quickly, and write passwords, etc.
Without these things, I'd be lost. So, everything gets backed up.
I still have a hard time taking my pills- even though day/night are 2 different colors, say am/pm, and I wrote night/day on them in magic marker. I've taken night pills during the day, day pills at night, and the wrong day's pills several times :eek:

I am feeling TERRIBLE today. I've stopped taking my temp cuz I always have one. I just take the effin tylenol every 8 hours. I am in A LOT of pain and have a massive headache.

At the start of the week, my husband and I each had $5. I had already bought him a carton of cigarettes & send him to work with lunch every day. I told him not to touch the bank acct. because he screwed us by spending $300 last week, not including his beer...
I kept $10 in checking & $1 in savings. All checks were cashed & nothing was due to be automatically withdrawn. I wanted to avoid bank fees for insufficient funds....
Wouldn't you know it, the a-hole bought himself a $10 6-pack of beer on Tuesday :eek: With the tax, we're in the red again. He said I never told him how low the account was and bitched because he got a big check- half of which goes to our rent.
Yesterday,I went to one store and bought 99 cent paper towels with a roll of dimes, then drove through to get coffee and paid with another roll of dimes. I cashed the money into quarters at the laundry mat so I could afford to do laundry. Hauling and folding clothes didn't help with the pain.

Thankfully, my husband gets paid tomorrow, and my SSDI check comes next Wednesday. But I'll be playing catch-up for the rest of the month, and will probably come up short again around the 1st :o

I have IV steroids tomorrow and need to do some food shopping.
But for today, I'm relaxing and doing NOTHING!!!!

Dear Kay,
I'm sorry that you are in pain and w/ a fever.

I really really want an iphone. I have a mac desktop so it would work just fine w/ an iphone. I want to be as organized as you! :) Hubby does not use his cell phone except on very rare occasions so I am not even going to have a conversation with him about an iphone. When he did buy kind of decent phone for me, he got only texting and voice --- no internet access. So I feel like I am living in the dark ages with my phone.

That's cool that you can keep a notebook in your purse. I start one, then write in random places in it, then tear out pages, then loose the notebook, then find it and can't make sense of my handwriting.

I'm guessing that you have separate pill minders. Did you a different type / shape / color for the am and pm? Maybe try decorating the night one with beads / bottons and glue gun so your fingers can help you remember what which one is which.
Also you could try putting them in a totally different room -- Night meds in the kitchen and am meds near the computer -- or something like that. You get the idea.

My hubby and I have different attitudes about keeping bank accounts. He gets a little uptight (he has anxiety) when I mess up and overdraw on mine.

My parents are happy together but it took them years to learn how to communicate about money. Recently I asked my dad how their communication works. He said he ignores her for a while and then eventually tells her she can pay for what she needs -- usually something serious for the house that needs to be repaired. I'm saying that you and your husband will get better at money -- it's like everything else we do -- we can get better at it.


Feel better. :hug: :hug: :hug:
M.

Dear Kay

i am so impressed with how you managed to stay after your finances in spite of your hubby's ehhhh... welll... what he does. i was comforted by Mari's post that folks can improve over things like this - it makes sense. have you ever thought about couples counseling to help you in this area?

anyway, hang in there. i do hope you find some relief soon, for the pain and the fever. i really hope it comes down to the Tysabri then at least you will be through with that.

Elsewhere you mentioned you haven't been hydrating as well as usual... no need to remind you i guess, but i will, nonetheless ;) ... with the fever gone up... that's even more important! set timers, leave random glasses of water in different rooms... whatever it takes. glug glug. :D ((( hug hug))))

Dear Mari

those were some good ideas about the pillminders. i might have to start using a second for my vitamins because i have been forgetting them.

~ waves ~

I don't use the internet much on my iphone. We have a family plan with x number of minutes & unlimited testing, then I have a child-type data plan :) which is obviously pretty cheap. My husband uses his a lot, so he has unlimited data access- sooooo expensive!

I have to leave my pills in the same place so I won't forget to take them. I'm thinking about purchasing a different kind of pill case where I can better distinguish the day and night sections.

Waves, it's especially important for me to be hydrated right now! I just had IV steroids and they're very dehydrating. Plus, the fever... prior to having the IV yesterday my bp was also a lil low at 106/50 (pulse 66).
I'm trying to push the fluids. I wish I could leave a water by my bed, but it's impossible with 3 cats!!!

I've been in a lot more pain the last 2 days. I've been trying to put my feet up when I'm home. No food shopping yesterday. It just wasn't going to happen. We ordered out.

I don't like to waste money ordering out. I do a good job mishandling money myself much of the time. I got Quicken, but everything needs to be "tagged" properly for it to sync properly with my accounts. I really wanted something that would let me pre-plan for deposits and debits, but it hasn't worked out very well.
My husband will not submit to any kind of counseling, so that's out. And he just doesn't want anything to do with the financial stuff. Bizi, I hope you're right and this gets easier as we age :)

Well, I guess I'm off to the grocery store UGH:mad:

Kay

Dear Kay

when i've been ill enough that getting out of bed for water every so often was well... not practical, what i started doing was take a 1.5 or 2 Liter bottle and keep that by my bed. cap screwed on. on the floor works for me too - it's tall enough to grab. i drink right from the bottle - just wash the bottle with detergent when you refill it, for the sake of hygiene.

you could instead keep several 16oz type bev bottles - easier to lift if weak or in an awkward position. again wash after each use. i discard/replace them after a while, and always after illness.

i don't know if this will be cat-proof, but i thought i'd mention it.

hope you feel better soon.

~ waves ~

yesterday i watched the dvd eating..in it it said that a plant based diet can help MS. I wanted to pass this along. the dvd didn't give any research studies about it. It constantly said that a plant based diet helps the immune system whereas a diet with meat does the opposite.it was an interesting dvd...
bobby
http://www.drmcdougall.com/stars/donna_mcfarland.htm

Kay

I hope the fever and feeling ill gets better soon. I can relate to the
not feeling good. I can't seem to lose this headache I've got. But
I think its a sinus headache.

So I need to work it out to were I can go to either the doctor, or find
something that will work.

I drink two or three bottles of water as much as possible.

Donna

Waves, I usually drink 2- 1 liter bottles of water a day (right out of the bottle) in addition to coffee, etc. They are cat-proof, unless they get the caps before I can get them back on. Forget about anything they can get their faces or paws into! I think I need some gatorade because the water isn't cutting it. I'm so dry that I'm using eye drops, mouth moisturizer, and saline for my nose and sinuses.

Donna, I think a lot of people are having an especially hard time with sinuses and allergies right now. I hate those headaches! I try to avoid anything too drying because it's harder to clear the crap out of there. I irrigate with saline instead. My asthma has been acting up as well. I hope you start feeling better soon!!!

Bobby, thank you for the link. There are lots of diets for MS. the most famous is the Swank Diet. Humans are designed to be omnivorous- but with diets mainly consisting of veg, as you mentioned. I seldom ate meat before I moved in with my husband. Now, I eat more because that's what I'm cooking. I do get quite a bit of veg in tho.

I'm still feeling off. After a couple of days with no bleeding, I'm back to it again :( Pain is still up. Still not checking temps. I'm exhausted!

I did my food shopping yesterday UGH. I made it but I'm very irritable lately and that didn't help. I'm having waves of anxiety and s/s thoughts (I'm safe now) d/t all the upcoming doc appointments next week and constant financial shortages.
Two days in a row I forgot my am pills! That doesn't help! I have no idea how I managed to do that because I filled my whole pill case yesterday. I didnt realize until I went to take my pm pills. I am going to get a new pill case, keep it out in full view, and start setting med reminders on my phone again....

I'm going to do some dishes now and take a nap. I have only been up for 4 hours, but I absolutely have to lay down.

Thanks:grouphug:
Kay