ps...sandy, how are jim's legs? i hope he's better. we all have to keep searching for answers to our problems.

i got 6 more PT visits approved for the lymphedema.
in a wk or 2 i'll start the pool therapy.

boy was i tired today. i laid down 3 times. a record for me.
the muscle pain is better but my butt and legs are relentlessly tight.
maybe the pool will help. i hope i can do it. it's 92 degrees. may be too hot.

my friend and i got tickets to see Yo Yo Ma in dec. i got the last 2 tickets for the handicapped section on tier 2. pretty good seats. only thing is it's at 1930. i'll really have to plan to be able to tolerate being up that time of day. doesn't that sound ridiculous? 1930! the shank of the evg and i'm getting ready for bed at 2200. mostly it's the pain so hopefully by then it'll be better. i've already dug on my binocs.

Wow..that sounds great Judy(except for the time)...You will just have to
rest extra the next day....yesterday, we got tickets to see Bill Cosby in
October...its a birthday present for my dh.....Bill Cosby used to play tennis
at the same indoor club (winter club) as my parents. He would always take
time to make the kids, who were waiting on parents, laugh.:)

Well, its too hot to even think about getting some excercise but Ive been
spending the days in the pool as its the only thing that gets rid of my
creepy crawlies that come out in the heat.:(:mad: I guess Im lucky
I have a pool.:);)

Everyone stay cool and painfree!:hug::hug:

it sounds like you're idling away the summer sox.
i'm glad you're doing well.

i had my carpet cleaned this am (whoo hoo) so went out for a bit to let it dry.
then i came home and took a 2 hr nap. (whoo hoo). :D

this wk will be a quiet wk. NO dr appts! :eek: now that's hard to believe!

Sorry I've been MIA everyone. Jim's legs are doing well and he is pleased with the Botox and willing to keep going so far. The spasms are still there but less. The tightness hasn't changed much but nothing a little leg massage can't fix.

He is having some weird facial breakout, rash like. I think he's starting to develop some reaction to the Beta so we're gong to try adding Benedryl when he takes a shot.

Other than that all is quiet around here. I frickin' gained all my weight back and I can't see how since I have been working my butt off all summer. Jim thinks it's muscle weight from lifting all the supplies and building our pond. That's all grand but darnit! my pants are tight! Argh. :rolleyes:

Hope your pain gets under control Judy. :hug:

Hey, guys, I'm still kickin' and eating a little carelessly. I admit to eating one of those awesome cinnamon buns at the HiEx the other day.:eek:

Tonight, I was good, had a salad with shrimp & chicken, but they force fed me two beers. Damn them! My motivating force on this trip is that I didn't bring any fat girl clothes and it could get ugly. :o

Judy, you'll love Yo, he's amazing!

weight, weight, weight. the bain of my existence :(
i'm still stable but i'm still dealing with the same 5#.
so i know what you mean.

sandy, i'm glad jim's legs are better.
you, me, and cindy have to get on the stick and get rid of these stubborn five.

DM might have to mail nappy some of her plaid clothes!

i've been laying pretty low.
the amrix i'm taking (1900) makes me really tired during the day. i get up and go back to bed. tues i did that 3x's and still slept at nite.

i hope in the coming wks i'll become more adjusted.
the bottle says to take it as needed but i don't want the pain to rachet up again if i stop. the pain is much better and i havn't taken any pain pills for 2-3 days!

AND, my walking on the dreadmill is up to 15 MINUTES :eek: i may surprise everyone and try for 30" a day. but, that will take a few months. if the pain stays down i'm going to work on that.

my massage is tomorrow and i'm curious to know if sherie will feel what i feel.

i'm so glad you're making progress in your pain/headaches DM.
i want nothing but the best for you.

i had my massage today and she confirmed what i'd been feeling. LESS, MUCH LESS, muscle tightness. i actually only said owww a few times. i could carry on a conversation. i don't think i've had such news in 18 mos. i pray that this lasts and the medication works.

and, my nerve pain is much better too. i wonder why my MS specialist neuro couldn't have come up with these medication ideas. he does have a Ph.D. in pharmacology. i really may have to force myself to find someone else.

i don't have any particular plans this wk/e but i'm sure something will turn up.

i came home and fell into a dead sleep. and now i'm ready to go to sleep again.

Even though it's a little harder to eat right on the road, I've been doing well and my skinny girl shorts are okay so far. However, I did find one pair of fat girl shorts after all, and it's a good thing because I'm headed into lobstah country tomorrow!

I refuse to feel guilty when in roam and Maine means only one thing! So, when the drawn buttah drips down my chin, I'll just laugh it off as a casualty of war. ;)

Took a hard fall yesterday, it scared me but no serious injuries aside from a strained muscle and spontaneous weight loss via absent skin here and there.

Glad everyone's doing okay!

I haven't lost, I haven't gained. Nuff said. haha

:hug: to everyone.

cindy....sorry about the fall. i worry about you. can't help it. i don't like any of my friends to fall. did you trip over the bot?

my pain has stayed in the 3-4 meter range. i've only taken 1/2 percoset not even 1x/day. this should be a calm wk. have some appts. did grocery shopping this am so that's over with.

hope you all are well. and, NO more falling anyone.

can't believe we're heading into another wk/e.
the weather here has been pleasant, about 80.

tomorrow is massage day, yay :)
my pain is finally under control. the med changes seem to be working.
i'm up to 15" walking. put back the 5# i lost so same ol, same ol.

no special plans coming up. my friend and i had dinner sunday. she's so busy with sick family members we havn't seen each other much. so, it was good to be together.

hope you're all ok. special thoughts to everyone.

Its nice to hear you had a fun dinner with your friend Judy.

Yay your pain is under control:D

Me...Im just mopey, weepy and not much fun lately. I hope I snap out
'of it soon.:o

Love to everyone!

Yay! i'm back! i somehow got logged off and couldn't get back in.
and yes cin, i knew the password, or i thought i did.
chemar got me a knew one and here i yam :D

sox, i'm sorry you're under the weather. i hope you feel better soon. :hug:

nothing much going on here. i'm in today, waiting for my copaxone delivery.
and by the time he comes i won't feel like going out.

i need to get my car waxed and washed. anyone in my area that wants to work for $$$???? i'll just take it to the car wash and let them do it...for $$$.

i've run out of sitting time so i'll check back later and catch up.

Hey all, not much to report here. Same thing different day. No gains, no losses. Glad you had a nice visit with your friend Judy. Sox, hope your day is better. :hug: Cindy, we all know how much fun your having! Your on vacation, enjoy it and count those calories later. :hug: DM, so glad to hear the meds are helping. :hug:

Jim is doing well. The botox seems to be doing it's job. His booty is still sore but we're working on solutions to that. mom is also doing better and hanging in there.

Have a good Sunday everyone. We're heading to see the cubbies today.

hi all. just checking in. hope you're all ok.

i had my 1st pool therapy today. just about an hr. i did ok with the temperature. and i got in and out ok. by the time i was done i felt like a wet noodle. i sat in the lobby and cooled off for about 10", then went to lunch.

then a haircut and home to bed. i wouldn't have done the HC but i was having trouble scheduling an appt.

massage tomorrow. pain very reasonable.
gained 5, lost 5, gained 7, lost 2.5. what else is new?
still managing to walk 15". great for me.

did i tell you my friend's little long haired miniature daschund had to be put to sleep? my poor friend is a basket case. she's had these 2 little sister dogs 14 1/5 yrs. they've never been apart. streudel got diarrhea and had a UTI and was on meds. she had been to the vet last wk. then, at 0100 sunday she woke jan up and was having trouble breathing.

she rushed both the girls to the vet. they took an x-ray and she had a big mass in her throat. a CAT scan would have been $1000 and jan wasn't going to put her thru surgery anyway. so they started an IV and jan had to put her to sleep right away; she was so air hungry. what a shock.

she's afraid of going to work for 13+hrs and leaving sophie alone all that time. she has to work the entire wk/e. we worked in the same unit. anyway, i told her i'd take sophie this wk/e if she thought it would help. poor thing. she's only 5lbs and hasn't been eatiing a whole lot. if jan lost sophie too she'd just be beside herself. so please say a prayer for them both.

Oh Judy, Im so sorry about your friends little friend.:( I hope the other
dog is okay and can mend her broken heart.:hug:

Enjoy your massage , Im glad your pain is not too bad.:hug:

Me, got my son back to college and the other three are back in school.
whew, I kinda miss the little buggers already.:o

I am feeling a little better due to the nice cool fall air.:D

Now to maybe figure out some way to get some exercise. My feet are
one of my biggest problems so it makes it hard.:(

Anyways , everyone have a wonderful holiday weekend.:hug:

Hi Judy, I am so sorry about your friends furbabies. I too hope she mends her broken heart. :hug:

Nothing much goiing on here. Just like you Judy, I gain, I lose and then I am stable, blah blah blah. :hug: We'll get there!

Sox, hope you have a good weekend too. :hug:

Hope everyone else is doing well.

Hey, all, I'm home and taking it easy today. I have managed to eat on the road for 3 weeks and stay the same size, so I count that as a good thing.

In fact, last night, on the way to my house, I grabbed a deli sandwich that I love but know better than to get it. The good news on that is it made me sick all night so we're even! LOL, must be nature's way of meting out justice!

Since I was up (chucking) half the night, and I'm pretty much just tired today, it was a lazy day around here and I aim to keep this pace awhile. Fortunately, I have no appetite and there is no food here anyway. ;)

oh, sorry cindy. what a way to end the trip.
i'm glad you're home and taking it easy.
so, where's the next sojourn to?

i had my massage today and my muscles were a lot worse than last wk.
my legs were bad again and so was my back. i came home and slept so i feel better. i might take 2 amrix tonite and hope that will help.

i don't have any plans for the wk/e but i could do some errands like getting my car washed. i'm pretty wasted today from the pool yesterday but i expected that.

what are you guys doing for the holiday?

Meh, don't sweat it, Judy, it happens to everyone once in awhile. I figure that I got to eat something really bad on a free pass! ;)

My weekend will be very quiet and mellow. I made it my mission to get home prior to the holiday weekend so I wouldn't get caught in the madness. I have to unpack, do laundry, take naps, put the car out of travel mode, get some groceries, and write in my journal. Woo hoo. That's about all the excitement I can handle for the next few days.

There's always a party or GTG around here and I might show up at a couple friends' for a bit.

Anyway, I'm really glad you're doing some water movement, isn't it just grand to be so free again in the water? I love it!

i've been having more episodes of my heart arrhythmia. 3 in the last wk.
i get short of breath and my ears hurt. my dr said i could up my dose of medication or try a holter monitor for 48 hrs. i chose the holter monitor because i'd like to identify what exactly the arrhythmia is instead of just throwing a med at it.

but, he said to stop the drug altogether tonite and i get hooked up next friday.
i hope nothing happens over the wk/e. if i get something before friday i can always go into the office for an EKG.

oh joy. always something going on.
otherwise all is stable and boring.

hope you're all doing well.
DM? how are you? are your headaches better?
sandy...how are you and jim? are his legs better?
sox...are you feeling better?

Judy, sorry about the heart and I am praying it's nothing to worry too much about. :hug:

Jim's legs are OK but the Botox is already wearing off. We're hoping as he gets more injections it will build up in his system. Stay tuned for that. Thanks for asking. His bumm is the problem right now. He has three abrasions that I am working hard to keep from becoming a bed sore. He can get on his side for some time but not the whole time without becoming a pretzel. I've been putting antibiotic cream and bandages on it to help from causing more friction. Any ideas on what else I could do? I don't want to use Duoderm because it seems to make things worse. Ugh. He has tried every mattress out there and it's becoming more and more obvious that it's friction from sliding. Every since they left him on that darn bedpan in the hospital he's had nothing but trouble since the area is now compromised. :(

I am hoping everyone is having a good holiday weekend. We're staying low. I've been moving rocks all weekend. The boys called in reinforcements from the fraternity to help yesterday. Here's a few pics of them. They worked very hard to get those rocks out from all around my house.

Attachment 5178 Attachment 5177 Attachment 5176 Attachment 5175

Hey, Sandy, I can empathize with Jim's butt just a bit. When mine gets to me, I kind of build up some pillows under the small of my back and under my thighs so it can rest with less contact.

It's like that hemorrhoid donut thingy concept. I'm wondering if you could set Jim up with some thick material, cut a hole in it for his butt region and have him lie on it for a few hours each day. Between that and the standing machine, he might get some relief.

Also, if any of his sheets or undergarments have synthetic materials in them, you might try pure cotton for awhile.

Finally, I have found more great uses for hand sanitizer gel, I swear by it, even for my pierced ears and my fat girl belly button! Beware, though, it smarts but good if the skin is raw!

Cindy those are great ideas! Thanks, I'll try that tonight!

advice i remember about donuts is to watch the skin on the donut as that can cause pressure.

is there any chance you could get an air mattress?
is there a wound/skin care nurse or program you could access?
and this is a long shot but hyperbaric oxygen chambers are supposed to help with healing.

i wonder about keeping it moist and covered as i thought keeping a wound clean and dry was more helpful.

but, i'm not an expert. anything on the internet about this?
i hope jim will come thru this ok. thanks for updating me on how you all are.

Judy, he's had every air mattress out there. The problem is the friction, dry skin, sliding in the bed, sweating, etc. It's healing from what I can tell, I've been changing the dressing twice a day. I have been putting a good cream the doctor prescribed on it too that helps protect the skin. He has a sheep skin cover and we think it may have made him hot and that caused it. I took that off and it seems to be healing faster now. He's using a ROHO air mattress that seems to be one of the better ones out there. He also has one on his chair and he loves it.

We tried the pillow thing too and it's good under the thigh area Cindy. He couldn't do the back though because it hurt. Stay tuned! Ahhhh, the life of spinal cord issues. Ugh.

Yeah, I wondered about that for him. What I meant before is to get a huge hunk of foam material or something similar on which his whole body can lie. Then cut out a patch where his butt could rest kind of suspended from pressure.

Judy will happily volunteer her Tempurpedic mattress for the experiment. ;)

Then you can name it something cool and make your fortune.

Wonderbutt?

SweetCheeks?

Buttless Wonder? (that's what I call myself, for I have none)

Butt-on?

Your***Hole?

Rearview Manger?

BreezyBuns?

The possibilities are endless!!

Haha! That is similar to my idea years ago for pregnant women to lay on their bellies!

Jim said he would call it his Butt Buddy and use the "My Buddy" theme music. lol

In all seriousness, I do have a 3 inch tempurpedic mattress I took off to put the ROHO down. Hmmm, where is my long knife?

sandy, you're so competent. i don't think we could tell you anything you don't already know. you're doing a great job with jim.

i'm actually cooking real food for dinner tonight. my mom's breaded chicken recipe ("frosted chicken") and veggies.

i was in the last few days but will be busy the rest of the wk.
are you guys seeing any signs of cooler weather? it's out of the 90's here and into the 80's. later in the wk it's going to be in the 70's.

Hey, Sandy, this idea for Jim's butt is kind of like weight loss, sort of anti-gravity. LOL!!!! That will make him passive-assgressive! :ROTFLMAO: :ROTFLMAO: :ROTFLMAO: :ROTFLMAO: :ROTFLMAO: :ROTFLMAO:

This is totally crackuppin' me!


I need my nap. :o

whaaaa? does that have to do with the weather?????

Judy it's cooler here too. LOL Today is about 75-80 depending on where your at.

its beautiful here too, about 72 degrees...ahhhhh:)

where could you live in the US where it's 70 all the time?
that's my fav temp too.

well did my pool tx for an hr and came home to bed like a bump on a log.
already time for my massage tomorrow.

boy does time fly. i'm reading a great article from the internet site on interstate movers. i just started but it's very good. i'll have to pick a mover for next yr and find transport for my van.

they'll be much to do and i'm already starting to think about it.
anyone have a tip on interstate moving companies?

After a lot of homework, I've settled on two options and I'm still up in the air about which.

My biggest obstacle was finding someone who would take a smaller load and get it there quickly (semi moving trucks might move 3-4 families in one load, thus taking weeks sometimes).

Option 1: Pods
It's a big cargo container that goes in your driveway/parking lot while it is loaded by your own people, or contracted local movers who just fill it and slap your padlock in place. Then the container is delivered and you bring help or hire at the destination. My estimate came in around $5k and that's before the cost of help.

There are several groups and organizations that help with local moves. They are not traditional, professional movers, but fraternities, churches, and even "rehabilitating" convicts.

Option 2: Two Men and a Truck
I'm leaning towards this one because the same crew packs the truck and stays with your private load during the entire transition. Even with my small load, the estimates are in the area of $7k from MI to NC.

TMT feels a little better to me as it will be a private, dedicated load and I'll work with them the whole way. I've hired them locally to move furniture here and they were courteous, consummate professionals in spite of their youth.

I did mash numbers a bit to see if it might be cheaper to con my friends into a U-haul move and it really isn't that much cheaper. Besides, I can't sue my friends if they mess things up. :rolleyes:

OMG, i think this move is going to be much more expensive than i think.
plus i need to move the car. cathy & her sister offered to drive it to FL.
i may take them up on that.

had my massage. wasn't as painful as usual but still had a lot of tight areas. that hasn't changed. plus all of a sudden the muscle under my foot is really tight. it was last wk too. my bad leg of course. i'm heading for a nap. that should help.

Judy, when Jim and I move we are only taking our clothing and whatever is most precious. The rest will be given to the boys or sold. LOL