I wanted to let you all know that I have made a lot of progress the last few weeks. Mayo sent me home with a prescription for 4 weeks of physical therapy. While I can't say it's done anything at all for the sitting pain in the left hip, it has given me some strength, balance and much needed confidence that I'm still a person. I'm driving now. I still haven't ventured out of town by myself and I am careful to let my husband know where I am and carry my cell phone with me. But I feel that I can drive anywhere in our little city. I even put gas in my car today.

Yesterday I got up, got dressed and went to the grocery store. Walmart is a biggggg place. Pharmacy (where I needed things) and the dairy counter (where I needed things) seemed 40 miles apart. But I did my grocery shopping, loaded it all in the car and drove home just like a real person. You know...one of the most demoralizing aspects of this insidious disease is what it does to you as a person. I've spent a year and a half in my pj's, and a robe. Nothing done to my hair but a haircut every now and then. No makeup, no nothing. And could have cared less. But every now and then I'd look in a mirror and think, who is that person?

I came home from Mayo with hope for a better quality of life. This week I walked into my beauty shop and said dye my hair back to the copper red it had been for the last 20 years. I wanted me back. I wanted the familiar spicy hair on my head. So now the Redhead's back!! She's spicy too to go with the hair and she also talks a lot.

Yes Mayo was worth it. I've still got lots of aches, still got the pain in my how do I say it?....b*tt, still got Sjogrens, and still got neuropathy. But I've got some of my life back. Hope you guys can put up with me.

Billye

You go girl!

Thats just fantastic Billye, i couldn't believe what i was reading, i had to read your post again to make sure before it really sunk in properly, i am really happy for you

Look out Greenville... The woman will have her cowboy boots or dancing shoes on next... Wow!!!

Cathie

YIPPEE!

Cause for hope for all of us! HUGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - j

With sunglasses and behind the wheel of a convertible, of course.

Hey you guys,
Thanks for all the support. Bob, I've got my tall dark and handsome already. Been married to him for a lonnnng time.

I'm not posting a picture unless I can find one of Rita Hayworth.

Mrs. D, I'm so glad you're getting rid of that terrible job. It has turned out to be more than you expected, I know. I've read your posts and thought Geez, they're working her too hard. The light visor is something new I haven't heard of. I understand the light therapy but I've never seen this. Can you post a link?

Billye

Fabulous! Keep it up.

rose

http://www.feelbrightlight.com/Feel_...ight.48.0.html

That crappy job was trying to force me into a 3pm to 11:30 shift... I just could not handle that everyday. I did it for them for a while..as a temp..but it was very
destructive to my health. So they are making it hard on me..removing other
shifts to force me to take this one. So I am out of THERE! (the place is facing a major reorganization, and the future there for me is clouded anyway). Handling 3000+ items/shift was becoming obscene anyway.

The visor is on the way... and I hope to see some improvements with it.
I finally decided on it, after looking around comparing light boxes to visors.

I'm looking forward to you using it so I can ask some questions. The problem with my eyes makes sunlight difficult to get because of the photosensitivity. So I avoid sunlight if I can and when I have to be out in it, I'm shaded as much as possible. Please post when you can about it.

Billye