[Judy2]

As they tell us, MS won't kill us.......but the "off-shoots" just might! Last week I felt as though I was coming down with the flu, achier than usual, lots of chills, etc. My temperature got up to 103 degrees so called the home nurses who come here for my legs. They strongly advised I go to the ER. That is one of the hardest decisions for me to make as I hate to leave my home and have to make arrangements for Tasha, my Bichon.

Called my two trusty friends and thankfully they were home. They came up to give me moral support and one of them offered to take Tasha to her house. I was having horrible bladder spasms all the time too so alot of extra pain. Anyway..........went to the new ER at the local hospital, big improvement. Not the flu, but some kind of infection. They weren't sure if it was a bad UTI or a kidney infection since they found some stones in my right kidney with the CAT scan. Also my white blood count was extremely elevated. All the bad thoughts rushed in then seeing as my mother passed from cancer way back in '69 at age 56. Thankfully not that.

So after five days of IV Cipro antibiotic, the infection is gone along with the pain in my back that I'd had for months. Hopefully those "stones" rolled on out! I think having that catheter put in was the final straw.

While there I slept on an air mattress on top of the regular one since I'm so stiff/sore and don't usually lie down in bed......use recliner. A different doctor put me on lasix and it's true....I peed like a racehorse. It wasn't fun being I can't move much so the nurses had to "change things" like a baby....talk about humiliating. My legs were wrapped daily and wonder of wonders, at the end of the five days my lower legs looked like chicken legs!!! Haven't seen them that skinny in years!

But they were really, really sore so when the nurses grabbed them to help turn me on my side...........OUCH!!!! The skin actually was black. Now I'm home, less pain, but still weak. Supposed to set up aides to help me out, do my legs, etc. Haven't done a thing......know it's depression because between this latest "episode" and trying to recover from it, plus my friend passing away, all I do is cry and sleep.

Maybe tomorrow will be a better day.....

Thanks for reading this l-o-n-g whine