Tuesday, July 31, 2007

let's all get some lesions - it's the latest thing

Let me quickly bring you up to speed:

Vocab lesson:

Paraesthesia is an extremely common symptom of multiple sclerosis occurring in 87% of people with MS at some point during the course of their disease.
Paraesthesia describes a number of abnormal sensations just about anywhere in the body. These include tingling, prickling, pins and needles, electrical-type buzzing, burning, skin crawling, itching, partial numbness (like feeling through tent-cloth) and a variety of neuropathic pains.

With the onset of this additional symptom, I made an appointment to see my neurologist.

Got scheduled for an MRI and found much to my dismay that two new lesions have appeared since my last MRI. One on the brain, which would account for the dyplopia and one on the neck (the paraesthesia)

This called for a round of IV steroids twice a day for a week.

CHEERS.

My fingers are greatly affected by this and it makes it bloody difficult to type, put in contacts, pick my nose etc. so bear with me.

Later on we can discuss the greater effects of MS and Solumedrol which include and most definitely NOT limited to: bladder control issues, blown veins, and constipation as well firm statements of “I’m right, you are wrong, now get me a glass of water and then piss off.”

That’s right, I get a little British when doped up.

Thursday, July 12, 2007

vacay recap

No man needs a vacation so much as the man who has just had one.” —Mark Twain

Three important facts I learned about Disney World:

1) Florida is hot and humid and it rains at least once a day
2) Shamu….much bigger in person
3) Crocs are the shoes du jour in Disney World. I saw them in every size and every color of the rainbow.

No pictures. I didn’t bring the camera. But I can borrow some from my sister-in-law if anybody desperately needs to see proof that I did go to Orlando.

Because MS and heat don’t really do well together, I passed on the character breakfast and the day-long excursion to Magic Kingdom. Instead, I stayed in the condo and got caught up on my reading and Netflix movies. Because in all honesty, my idea of a vacation is lying around reading and eating food prepared by someone else.

Places I DID get to see: Seaworld, Downtown Disney, MGM and the magnificent fireworks display at MGM on July 4th. There is a LOT of standing around and waiting at Disney. We sat for 45 minutes waiting to see the fireworks which lasted for approximately 7 minutes.

Also, the employees at Disney are preternaturally friendly and, given the fact that I come from New Jersey, I found the friendliness a bit disconcerting.

In other news, upon returning from vacation, the MS returned unbidden in the form of diplopia.

Diplopia = double vision. So basically, I’m seeing doubles of everything unless it is 2 feet in front of me.

At first I thought I thought it was eye strain, punishment for watching the entire 6th cycle of ANTM in reruns on Saturday. But by Tuesday I was seeing double. I bullied my way into the eye doctor’s office Tuesday night and had an emergency eye exam. Whereupon the Dr. told me that what I was experiencing was diplopia. He says he can give me prism glasses to help me see correctly. And he gave me an eye patch. If I put it over one eye, I can see well enough to drive.

I look like a pirate- ARRRGGGHHH!

This would have come in handy last week when the theme for the vacation was pirates.

A final note…when asked “Alex, what do pirates drink?” my husbands 2 year-old nephew has learned to say “RUM”. His mother has Uncle Tommy to thank for that.