I hope that Erika is getting help for her pain and will be home soon to see her fur babies.

Barb,

I'm sorry for your pain from the hug.

I am on my sixth day off and managed to get some cleaning done around the house. Next time I take a stay-cation I'll do it in the spring so it might be easier to get motivated to get things done.

Barb, do you have stretches you can do to at least help loosen your back? I used the ones from NMSS and they help a bit…the hug stinks big time because it is so difficult to get it to let go I hope you can get some relief...

Wiz…my dear friend…you remind me of my sweet DH. He cannot for the life of him sit still, even when he is sitting still Sometimes I think you are trying to use as much of your energy and movability available due to fears it'll disappear (my greatest motivation to burn both ends of the candle earlier in the day-the late afternoons are like slogging through concrete). hope you feel better

"Sometimes I think you are trying to use as much of your energy and movability available due to fears it'll disappear"

Boy, that sure hits home Deb.
It seems impossible to remain between the lines of doing too much, then paying for it later, and not doing enough, then loosing ground because of that...especially because those lines don't remain constant.

One day some activity proves to have been too much and the next day, that same activity was not enough, causing more stiffness, spasm and pain.

This morning follows a day of apparently doing too much, although I actually didn't do much (really I didn't), because the joints were too angry yesterday and I had the usual leg spasms, and a headache with neck stiffness.

The MS Sxxxx's are still going on this morning but the one saving grace is that the right wrist is a bit better. I can at least use it to hold the cane on that side, which takes some of the weight off of the left ankle, knee and hip.
On the minus side, overnight the second toe's joints have become inflamed, painful and swollen to the middle of the arch of the right foot. I can walk on the outside of that foot to avoid putting weight on it, but it still makes for a pretty unsteady & gibbled walk. Using the crutch on the left side is out of the question because the left wrist is too painful to even rest it on the hand thingy.

I've smeared Diclofenac on most of the inflamed joints and have taken two 400 mg doses of Ibuprofen since 2:00 AM, so hopefully those drugs will kick in soon. At this point though, I'm just trying to get back between those invisible lines.

There's certainly an abundance of whine here. Passing (on) the cheese...

With love, Erika

Ok, I am off of my low dose estrogen pills per my gyno doctor, and taking the Evista pills each morning. Those are the ones that lessen the chance of breast cancer in people with higher than normal risk factors.

First, the pills are pricey, even with my insurance they are $120 for a 90 day supply.

Now, the side effects, they wake me up at night with not so much sweats but just active dreaming then it takes me up to an hour to get back to sleep.

I'm hoping that will decrease over time though, I have bad sleep patterns as it is.

I will need to take these pills for five years.

not feeling good lately. Walking has been kind of weird. Almost feels like it gets worse every week or so. It's worrying me a lot.

seems like if I say anything to a doctor about it. It gets ignored.

on a brighter note that has nothing really to do with my health. My dad told me I could do a little construction in my bedroom. I'm moving a wall to make it easier to get into my bedroom when I'm using a rollator. Plus, moving the wall will turn my bedroom and bathroom into an ensuite. I'm kind of excited.

I'm going to paint the walls a new color, and possibly get some wallpaper on one wall.

only problem with this plan, is that my room will be a construction zone for a few weeks. Not looking forward to that. Hope it can get done quickly.

Wiz,
I'm hoping that your system settles in with the change in meds and that you get some sleep. Changing hormones and meds will often cause the dreams, and it usually does adapt in a relatively short time. Maybe taking a bit of magnesium, or an Epsom salt bath (if you can get in and out of the tub OK) before bed might help.

Erin,
Sorry that you are having walking problems. That is such a concern, especially with the shoulder problems that you've been having. Please be careful that you don't over use them.

Changing our environments can have an awesome affect on our sense of well being, so doing some remodeling might just be a wonderful boost for you.

With love, Erika

I love doing remodeling. So, that's something to look forward to. I just hope it doesn't take as long as the last time we did some remodeling. At least the contractor I have does good work, and the decorator that we're using seems to have figured out the style of stuff that I like. This is kind of why I'm actually thinking of doing a wallpaper feature wall. Finally starting to feel comfortable enough with actually decorating to do more than just throw paint on a wall and call it good.

Gulp…after reading what I'd posted in bold print, Erika, I hope no one thought I was criticizing Wiz…I just am amazed at how much she does in a day…and you also!! Even with all of your problems you still manage to fit in so much in a day.

Erin, hope you listen to your sore body…take it carefully!!

PT was difficult today..I'm so tight that the PT was having difficulty mauling me both the hamstrings and quads were uncooperative. We discussed the limitations that Medicare has on the total number of PT sessions a patient can have per year, since I was thinking of having surgery on the other knee. If I do, then I'll have to cut back on PT on this knee. But the knee is only straightening to 16 degrees (the "good" knee straightens to 12:roll eyes…she would like to get it to straighten more before I go on vacation, and also to get more bend-it's at 100 degrees now and she'd like it to get to 110 degrees. The MS is impeding progress, though…but she feels we can get more out of it. But still…stupid MS

Deb, I certainly didn't take it as criticism, but rather as loving advice from the voice of experience .

Hoping that the MS quits interfering in your knee rehab. Having one thing to deal with is hard enough, but it is especially so when a couple of them conspire and gang up. (The voice of experience talking here .)

With love, Erika

PT is such a help. I"m hoping I can get away with no surgery on my shoulder. I've been able to put it off for 12 years, but if it isn't hurting I get lazy about doing the "pulling" exercises with the band attached to the wall. Also get lazy about using frozen peas to ice it after exercise. The PT has kept my hips and pelvis in alignment for years, as well. Reason I don't want surgery on shoulder is this: last surgery on L. shoulder (to remove prongs or whatever they are called) was successful, but bad PT following surgery pulled soft tissue in left hip, and I was in hospital and in nursing home two weeks, and then on a waker, and the pulled tissue has always been weak--thus the need for constant exercise (nightly) and PT. And I think I'd have to go to CA to trust anesthesia, as well. To Scripps. Costs too much although I would enjoy the trip.