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-   -   Life is GOOD!!!! & an Update on me! (https://www.neurotalk.org/multiple-sclerosis/60762-life-update.html)

JoeMac 11-25-2008 02:23 PM

Life is GOOD!!!! & an Update on me!
 
Hi All,

I wanted to start a new thread on something GOOD for a change of pace.

I wanted to update everyone on my status and state of mind...

In September I applied for SSDI, less than 2 months later I was APPROVED, I must really be messed up for them to approve me so quickly!

Yesterday I had my "Port a cath" surgery and so far so good, yay, no more missing my veins that are in horrible shape from all the I.V.'s, CT scans, Infusions and Mri's.......

I am still all messed up from this relapse of TM, BUT I feel so much better that things are moving along with a couple of my other issues....

I have an appt with my pancreas surgeon on Monday to set up THAT surgery.....

My state of mind is GREAT and I feel as though all is going to work out for me...

My goal is to be better by the spring so I don't miss ANY of my sons baseball games....:)

Life IS good, having pity parties on myself just are NOT going to bring ME down any more!!!

If you guys have GOOD things to say here please go ahead, this is a life is good thread!!

:)
Joe

Gazelle 11-25-2008 02:34 PM

Congratulations! :D

And way to go!!

<sigh> I don't want to say congrats for being so messed up you were a slam dunk for SSDI. ;)


Hope things continue to be as good for you and that you keep your positive attitude. :hug: You deserve it after coming through that dark period.

tkrik 11-25-2008 02:50 PM

Congratulations! I am glad to hear things are turning around for you. I will pray that the upward trend continues for you.:hug:

Kitty 11-25-2008 04:54 PM

Congratulations!! All good news!!

I was approved quickly, too, for SSDI. I never thought about it like that, though (that I was so obviously messed up! :p) but it must have been a pretty open and shut case! Oh well, I needed for it to go through quickly and it did. Glad yours did, too!

You'll make all the games....I know you will. Good luck with the future surgery. I'm sure you'll do just fine...your attitude is great and that makes a huge difference in things....especially recovery time.

Hope you have a really nice Thanksgiving!

SallyC 11-25-2008 07:10 PM

Very nice, Jay. I hope the upward trend continues and you recover from the TM attack.

:hug:

lady_express_44 11-25-2008 07:27 PM

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...ess_44/wow.jpg on your quick acceptance, Joe!!

I was approved very quickly too, and I remember thinking the same thing. You gotta' be pretty sick for the government to believe you, no questions asked. :cool:

Really though, you probably have some tips for others . . . don't you? For me, I think it was mostly because I didn't rely on the little spaces on the forms to write my answers, and when they saw "see attached" and 12 pages, they admitted defeat. http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...-animation.gif

I'm glad to hear everything is coming together for you, even if life is not necessarily what you initally planned it to be. It seems like you are trying to keep a good attitude about the whole thing, and that is 1/2 the battle.

I had my surgery, and everything went very well. Seems you are always in my shadow, so hopefully that means all will go well for you too. :hug: Glad to hear the port is in now too.

You're a baseball fan? Me too . . . my daughter plays for a Fastpitch Rep team, and just got back from a college recruiting tournament in Texas. It would be nice if she ends up with a scholarship opportunity, but I'm happy just keeping her busy and out of teenage trouble for now. :D

Cherie

JoeMac 11-26-2008 09:32 AM

Thank you all for the well wishes and prayers, it is amazing how I feel, this has to be one of the LOWEST parts of my life health wise but with the help of a few GREAT friends I have found up here and with the love of God i have figured out that my life truly IS a great one.

The advice I could give any one applying for SSDI online is be etremely thorough and honest with everything you are filling out, they will request all your medical records from all your doctors. It is very important that your doctors are onboard with what you are doing and if SSDI deems that you are truly what you are saying they will figure that out with what your docs are saying, fill out and send in anything they send you in the mail PROMPTLY and then do a follow-up once your application gets sent to the main facility for the approval process to see that they have everything needed, do whatever you need to help them get what they need.

Yes Cherie, that's the way I saw it, my docs even confirmed that I AM really messed up and that is what SSDI also confirmed. I used to work 40-60 hours a week and then suddenly I got hit with that TM attack and it really messed me up and I have not recovered from it as of yet. I seriously am not able to work and apparently my doctors don't see me recovering from this in their notes and that is also what SSDI saw too........

That is great about your daughter, I hope she gets a good look from the scouts. My son is VERY active in basketball and baseball but him playing baseball is one of my passions and I look forward to every game he plays...it does keep him out o teenage trouble as you say.....

He was offered a spot on a college team a couple years ago but didn't take the opportunity so now he just plays on an adult team up here. He was recruited actually to switch high schools just to play baseball, he was given approx 3500.00 dollars to come play 2nd base for that school at that time and got a good high school education because of it.......then he got a spot on an adult team here playing second base at 17 years old, playing with MEN, college students and coaches and the first year there as their starting second baseman, he batted 2nd in the line-up and actually came in 9th in batting average out of the whole league.......He is a small kid, only 5' 8"s 140 lbs and he was awesome to watch going up against some of the top BB players in our area!

It is winter up here and I can not wait for spring and baseball once again...

My treatments, operations and tests should all be under control by then is my goal.....

Like I say, my spirits are high and I feel good that this WILL happen.

Thanks to all who read my thread, and I wish you ALL good luck in your OWN personal quest with this disease....:grouphug:

Thank you also Cherie, I also wish your daughter good luck in her life and sports quest..

Happy holiday to everyone!!

:)
Joe

lady_express_44 11-26-2008 01:03 PM

I'm going to take the liberty of copying your SSDI "advice" over to another thread that is going right now, Joe. It is so cool that you had no trouble with the process, so it's great to share that knowledge/experience.

It took me about 18 months all up to recover from the first TM attack, and the second one was my unraveling (never did recover enough to go back to the office). No matter what happens in the long run though, Joe, not having the stress on you RIGHT NOW is the most important factor for any kind of recovery. You have the right attitude about this, and I am glad you have the security you need (especially financially) to focus on managing these disease as best you can.

My daughter plays ball all year long, but the winter is slower. She attends a Fastpitch Academy (high school), and does two blocks of ball each day. She plays for the school ball team and her regular Rep team . . . so it's ball, ball, ball . . . all year long. Good thing she picked a sport I like though, cause it's a huge commitment for the whole family! (She's been the head catcher all along, but has changed to 3rd base this last year because of knee problems . . . ALREADY!:eek:)

Good luck on your next infusion, and hope everything falls in place for your surgery coming up.

Cherie

JoeMac 11-27-2008 10:50 AM

Thank you much herekitty, I am happy also you were approved quickly for SSDI, it is very nice that we were approvd quick, now we must get better enough to enjoy the early retirement, I am excited about baseball this spring but I also know that I must take this winter time to HEAL.......happy Thanksgiving to you also!

:)
Joe

Quote:

Originally Posted by herekitty (Post 414287)
Congratulations!! All good news!!

I was approved quickly, too, for SSDI. I never thought about it like that, though (that I was so obviously messed up! :p) but it must have been a pretty open and shut case! Oh well, I needed for it to go through quickly and it did. Glad yours did, too!

You'll make all the games....I know you will. Good luck with the future surgery. I'm sure you'll do just fine...your attitude is great and that makes a huge difference in things....especially recovery time.

Hope you have a really nice Thanksgiving!


AJ49 11-27-2008 04:29 PM

You're right..Life is good!
 
I'm getting a building project on a lake finished this winter and next summer I'll be reclining on the deck with a glass of wine. Cabin will be finished and I'll be so content out there it won't matter that I can bearly walk!

I think having something positive in my life has helped me to feel better.

JoeMac 11-27-2008 08:01 PM

Way to go AJ49, Positive things bring positive results!

Joe

Quote:

Originally Posted by AJ49 (Post 415405)
I'm getting a building project on a lake finished this winter and next summer I'll be reclining on the deck with a glass of wine. Cabin will be finished and I'll be so content out there it won't matter that I can bearly walk!

I think having something positive in my life has helped me to feel better.


SallyC 11-27-2008 11:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SallyC (Post 414338)
Very nice, Jay. I hope the upward trend continues and you recover from the TM attack.

:hug:

I meant Joe...duhhhhh..:o

Desinie 11-28-2008 01:18 AM

:hug:Wishing you continued improvement with the TM and good luck with your surgery,Joe.

JoeMac 11-28-2008 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SallyC (Post 415490)
I meant Joe...duhhhhh..:o

Hahaha, I kinda figured that Sally..;) Thanks for the well wishes.....:)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Desinie (Post 415529)
:hug:Wishing you continued improvement with the TM and good luck with your surgery,Joe.

Thank you Desinie and the hug back with you. :hug:

:)
Joe

braingonebad 11-28-2008 04:55 PM

:Dancing-Chilli::Dancing-Chilli::Dancing-Chilli::Dancing-Chilli::Dancing-Chilli:

Good for you, Joe!

Glad your SSDI was approved and that you're in such a good mood.

Funny how even if things aren't really better, if your attitude is, they seem better. That's all that counts anyway isn't it?

And if you are in a good mood, it tends to be contagious.

CayoKay 11-28-2008 06:53 PM

life is good at my little farm here in the jungle.

my pig is pregnant, my goat is giving milk, I have four pregnant guinea pigs, and three ducks on nests,

the last two batches of eggs we hatched in the incubator came out pretty good, and I can tell my black rooster Klaus has been very busy, as there's half a dozen pretty black chicks,.,

our six geese have paired off, and begun mating, and soon will begin to lay their eggs (note to self, REMEMBER to bug hubby to build nest boxes!)

Thanksgiving dinner was excellent, and our guests from England had their FIRST American-style feast, lol, not even in the US of A... which struck us as pretty funny after the bottle of blackberry wine was finished.

:grouphug::hug::grouphug:

so, all-in-all, all's going well.

:D

4boysmom 11-29-2008 10:18 AM

Way to go Joe!!

My happy positive thought, is that I'M A GRANDMA!!

Yes, my first grandson was born on the 23rd, and of course he is the cutest little guy in the entire world! He has a lot of dark hair, and the tiniest little features.

And I get to have my second grandchild born right after Christmas, a little granddaughter!

So, life is good.

FaithS 11-29-2008 11:41 AM

Joe, I appreciate your upbeat attitude.

Although I was also approved quickly for SSDI, I am struggling with the reality of not being able to be employed.

I am grateful that I received my first SSDI check several days ago, and I am grateful that I am well enough to do some volunteering, and to be able to choose and limit my hours to work around my naps, which I wouldn't be able to do if employed.

But, I don't want to be disabled. I don't want to have MS. I cried when I saw someone at my large extended Thanksgiving reunion who works in a field similar to my previous field, and she asked what I was doing now. She just got a new job, and it was one that I would've enjoyed.

I don't wish to be a downer. Really, again, I want to say that I appreciate your upbeat attitude. I also have a strong faith and a strong support system. i just need to get my head out of my butt. Threads like yours remind me of that. But, I guess I need to allow myself time to grieve, too, and that seems to be the process that I'm currently in.

~ Faith

hjmom 12-04-2008 11:30 PM

Congratulations Joe!! I'm glad things are looking up for you:highfive:

Faith, hopefully you can find some balance soon and something that makes you happy with your situation. Keep praying about it. I'm sure there is some fullfilling thing you can still do, even if it means redefining those dreams. I know you are working on that with your volunteering!! Hang in there! :grouphug:


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