Have courage and be kind
**Random quotes found on the net that touch my soul…
Category: Health
Holy elephants Batman, which way is up
Right now it is 2:45 PM on Thursday. I just woke the hell up. I guess it’s better than yesterday when I woke up at 3:30 PM. I went to bed at reasonable hours both nights but my body just does not want to wake up. Maybe it’s because I know what it’s waking up to. Maybe after all this time I’m just sick and tired of dealing with it. I’m just not quite sure why it all is hitting me so hard right now, but it’s it’s as if the light at the end of my tunnel is a locomotive coming right at me. I’ve been searching my mind as to why everything is hitting me so badly and I cannot figure it out. Nothing has really changed in the last 4.8 years of being completely bedbound, fuck it the last 5 years ( yes I am rounding up ) to make me feel so lost right now. Or maybe that is the problem, that nothing has changed. I am a grown ass woman who has never been afraid to speak my mind, tell it like it is, or go toe to toe with someone who is a complete dickwad. 😈 But, this piece of shit MonSter that is MS is a different kind of enemy. It is very sneaky and it takes away from your soul not just your body. It not only affects the recipient it affects everyone around them that loves them.
I really am trying to find that blessing. It just seems so out of reach. I know everyone says that I’m lucky because I have the gift of life. And believe me I completely understand that. But is living in a bed every day, every night, every week, every month, really living? I don’t think that people understand that this part of my journey is not going to change. I can’t do any of the treatments so I’m as will continue doing what it does and it will continue to progress. So what does somebody do with that? How do you find that blessing knowing that the help that is out there now for your disease, you are not allowed to do. So I think I just have to say fuck it and be like cookie monster and when it’s unpleasant just eat the fucking cookie. A medicated cookie but you get the idea. 😉
Tomorrow is my pain management appointment with Dr. Nasser. Once a month like clockwork. I have a list of things to ask and the way I’m feeling I’m pretty sure I’m going to end up being a little forceful when I ask. By forceful I mean I will probably be in tears begging for someone to help me. 😭 Yes, ugly tears. I’m already scared to death to go because I know how bad the pain is going to be when I’m lifted in that Hoyer lift and put in my wheelchair. Hell, just rolling me over to fix my clothes and get me in the lift sling is Is making me sick to my stomach. Fuck fuck fuck you multiple sclerosis!
A little bit of advice before I go… If you yourself have MS and are still able bodied, make a list of everything you want to do and do it now! Don’t put anything off because people with our illness we have no idea what the next day will bring. And if you’re Normie, a person with no afflictions, the same goes for you. Make a list and do the things you want to do now, because even though you don’t have an illness, shit can happen in the blink of an eye. So do what you want to do now. Please I beg of you, don’t put it off for another second.
Have courage and be kind
The prison that is my body
To literally and figuratively be trapped in your own body is tantamount to living in a horror movie. Horror movies are my genre and most days I feel like I’m staring in my very own movie. I wonder when I’ll get my star in Hollywood? 😜 That feeling of claustrophobia that feeling of been unable to move is a feeling no person should ever have to endure. Unfortunately many of us have to live this way every day of our lives. The Normies ( people without any type of illness ) go about their day in a bubble. I know, I was there once. While I was always a person to help others, by opening doors for someone in a wheelchair, by reaching things for people who couldn’t, or just to have a kind word for someone, the truth is I never really saw the person. I could feel for them and wish I could help them in other ways but I never quite understood just how it was living that way. Now that I am that person that needs help I realize just how much our country needs to wake up and give love instead of hate. I’ve had people push me aside in my manual wheelchair because they needed to get something and they couldn’t reach reach something with me in front of them. It didn’t matter that I was looking at something to purchase, all that mattered was I was in their way. I was a third class citizen that didn’t even need to be asked if I could please move for a second. Trust me that person never did that to anyone else ever again once I was through with them, but what if I had been someone that didn’t have a voice.
That’s the question in my mind every single day. How will I break free, or will I ever be able to. If I’m truly honest with myself I know that I will not get back what I have lost. I’m not saying that in a sad or depressing way, I’m saying it in a medically proven way. If only one doctor had said this to me I probably would’ve laughed at him, but it’s been several doctors have said this to me. I know they’re not trying to discourage me or hurt me they’re trying to give me reality. They don’t want me to get my hopes up so they’re giving me statistics regarding people with my severity of the disease. With primary progressive multiple sclerosis you constantly progress. There is no remission there is no 10 minute break. 😉 There is no relapse that you will come out of and be OK. You just continue to get worse. So now I’m trying to resign myself to the fact that my future, at this moment, isn’t very bright. As you noticed, I said at this moment. While I am a realist, I am also a dreamer. So I will continue to do my exercises, I will continue to fight this MonSter. But I’m scared. Even those with MS will, I pray, never have to be trapped like this. The disease itself is horrific but the thought of spending the rest of my life trapped in this bed is completely and utterly paralyzing. And I can say, with the upmost truth and honesty… I want to live, not just exist.
Have courage and be kind
…
If only we knew when the darkness would end… Have courage and be kind
Fear!
I try to live my life minute by minute because anything else is overwhelming. I know that every living person wonders about their future and what it will bring. Unfortunately when you live with chronic illness that wonder many times turns into fear. Every night I go to bed knowing that when I wake in the morning nothing will be different and it may possibly be worse. 😢 I will still be trapped in this bed, I will still have pain, and I will still have sorrow. But, I will still wake up and try to get through my day as best as I can.
I am human and I can’t stop thinking about what may happen. Statistically I know exactly what it’s going to happen to me. I have an aggressive form of primary progressive MS and it isn’t going to get better. I have now been bedridden for four years and eight months and it doesn’t look like it’s going to change anytime soon. Unfortunately, for me, rehab aggravated my back fracture that I never knew I had. With that has come so many problems. Whenever my hips are put into the proper aligned position the pain that comes with that seriously makes me not want to move at all or even try to make it through the day. The pain has been going on for a few months now and it is taking over my life. The pain in my lower back is also excruciating to the point where I can’t even sit up straight for a period of time without becoming nauseous. We discussed a facet block but I’m not sure even that will help with my lower hip pain. My husband needs a facet block but unfortunately our crappy insurance has denied it. Even though he’s had them before. So now we must fight the appeals process. I cannot do mine until he gets his done, so I think we’re both shit out of luck.
Again, I know everyone’s future is unsure. Hell the minute we are born we start to die. But most people can look ahead in their future talk about wonderful vacations they may be going on family get together’s etc. I cannot do that because at any given time I may not feel well enough to do anything. Unless they can figure out something with my pain I really have no life to speak of. All my future has in it is this bed in this room surrounded by these four walls. When you’ve been bedridden for as long as I have been you can’t just get up get into a wheelchair and go about your day.
It’s an adventure trying to out to get me dressed, in the Hoyer lift, and then into my wheelchair. After that I’m already down for the count. Just doing that pretty much takes away all my spoons for the day. 🥄🥄. And the pain comes with doing that is like Michelle Pfeiffer in the movie witches of Eastwick. 😳 It’s hitting me hard today because I had a shower Saturday night, two fucking nights ago and it completely wiped me out. The pain was worse than it’s ever been and the nausea was off the charts. So I’m trying to find something and some reason to keep holding on. How do you come to terms with the fact that your future may include you being always trapped in a body that doesn’t work and left in a bed? Lately when I watch movies all I can do is cry. I cried for what might’ve been and what should have been. I also try very hard to understand and live with my new ‘normal’. I’m not trying to get pity or be a Debbie downer, but sometimes this shit just really gets to me. I don’t understand what the fuck I did to deserve such an aggressive form of this disgusting disease. When I was diagnosed I had three babies under three and my life was torn apart.
I’m just so tired. Even Warriors fall apart at times. I’m just not sure how to put myself back together this time. It was just a fucking shower and my whole body feels like it just wants to curl up and die. And the doctors don’t listen. They don’t seem to care about my back fracture, they act like it’s not a big deal. It’s almost as if they feel like, hey she has multiple sclerosis she’s bedridden there’s nothing to do. The way the pain is affecting my life I may just have to do their morphine drops under the tongue. Sadly cannabis isn’t even helping me now. So what, they’re just gonna throw morphine under my tongue and leave me to die in a bed. The worst part is if I wasn’t stricken with multiple sclerosis they would be able to fix my knees, fix my hips, fix my back. But because of my disease it’s not worth it to anyone. Regarding the back fracture, my God, maybe that’s the reason my legs completely stopped working in November 2013. Maybe it wasn’t the MS. But they have no answers for me about that. They basically just said possibly but there’s never any way to tell. So now I am stuck wondering and really wondering what am I gonna do for my future. Have no worries, I will get through this and I will continue to fight. Hell, I’m a fucking MS Warrior! 🖤
Have courage and be kind
Minute by Minute
One day at a time. More like one minute at a time for me. I really need to believe this and follow it. As of late I’m finding myself wondering about my future with this MonSter of a disease. I need to stop torturing myself. All I can see in my future is nothing but this bed and this room. I don’t mean to be a Debbie downer, it’s just what’s been going through my head lately. I know the odds for people with aggressive forms of primary progressive MS. I try so hard not to dwell on what might be, but it’s very hard sometimes. I watched a documentary of Annette Funicello and my heart was broken. I know that she would not have wanted to be remembered that way. I could be way off base and maybe she wanted people to see her like that, but there was nothing in her eyes anymore and I wept for her. I am well aware that this disease is the snowflake disease and no two people are alike, but it’s still hard to watch someone’s struggle with a disease just like yours. Just like I tell people not to google their symptoms, I probably shouldn’t watch movies or documentaries about people like me. 😉 Again, I need to follow my own advice.
I’m just so over this MS thing! I just want to give it back and get a refund. 😊 It’s like, I’ve tried it I don’t like it, please take it back. In a perfect world…
That is all, for now.
Have courage and be kind! ♥️
Bedridden…
bedridden
[bed-rid-n]
1. confined to bed because of illness, injury,etc.
——————————
I’m not sure what’s going on right now. I am starting to have a hard time being confined to my prison that is my body. It’s now been four years and eight months that I have been in this bed 95% of the time. I think I’m going a little mad. 😳 More so than normal. 😉 There are so many things that need to be done in my home and it’s making me crazy that I can’t do any of it. And with this finding of my fracture of my back at L1 my mind can’t stop thinking. Is that fracture what caused my legs to completely stop working or is it the MS? The doctors say there’s no way to tell. Will that fracture make it so I’ll never be able to stand or transfer again? That’s a question I completely forgot to ask at my last pain management doctor appointment. I could just hit myself for forgetting to ask that question. But when I’m there I am so confused and I don’t feel like they even care about it. I mean why should they, right?!
Is it completely futile to keep trying to move? I woke up this morning when my alarm went off and slept right through it. My thoughts were, what’s the point? I might as well just sleep because I can’t do anything else. Around noon I woke up, raised my bed, and my son brought me coffee. I did a few things around Facebook and then came in here to write this blog. I don’t even know what I’m trying to say. I have so many ideas in my head of things I wanna do to help my family. But then reality hits and I can’t really do much to help anyone. I can’t even help myself. I don’t mean that in a pity way. I literally cannot do things for myself. When I talk bedridden that’s exactly what I mean. Maybe bedbound would be better because I am bound to my bed. 🤔
I think the part that makes me crazy is that I know what needs to get done in my home and there’s no way to get it done. My kids work, my husband works 50 hours a week and has a three Hour round-trip drive – sometimes more depending on traffic. We can’t afford someone to come in and clean and help me, so WTF! 😥 Even on the rare occasion that I get up in my wheelchair to go to a doctors appointment, I can’t do anything around the house because the pain is so paralyzing.
The one thing I cannot stress enough people, is if you have the chance to do something and you are able, do it! Don’t wait. I guarantee if you do you have regret for the rest of your life.
I know, I’m kind of all over the place with this blog because, as I stated above, I’m not sure what I’m even trying to say. I’m working so hard about keeping a positive attitude. There are days when it’s very hard to do so. I know that right now I’m just having a few bad days and it’s not a bad life. Right?
I’m trying, I really am! I’m just waiting for the universe to cut us a break. We need help and I’m not sure how to get that help. I’ve always taking care of things even from this bed and now I feel pretty hopeless and helpless. But, I truly am a warrior, and I will fight and I will find a way for my family if it’s the last thing I do! And the reason why, is because I’m the mommy!! 🖤
Have courage and be kind!
X-ray fun and crazy results
I miss the good old days when I could just walk in jump up on the x-ray table lie back and let them rip. The x-ray machine that is. When I called to make my appointment for x-rays I explained I needed a lift as I am unable to transfer on my own. They told me they don’t have a lift and they’re not required to have a lift. I explained that the ADA says any medical building/facility should have ADA compliant equipment. Not according to them at Renaissance imaging Center. They said they could get four guys to lift me out of my chair and onto the table. 😳 Are you kidding me? Not only is it dangerous for the patient, me, but it’s dangerous for the people lifting me as well. I wonder how many people have been dropped or how many of the medical personnel have hurt themselves dead lifting a patient. Realizing they weren’t going to help me, they explained I would need to go to the hospital for my x-rays because they have a Hoyer lift. So after my doctors appointment on Monday we went to the antelope Valley Hospital to have my x-rays done. Easy Peasy right? Not so much.
When I got to the radiology department I explained I would need a lift for x-rays. She said they didn’t have one and got me her supervisor. He comes out and says, “aren’t you able to stand up and transfer to the table?” I calmly explained to him that I would love to be able to stand up and get on the table but unfortunately I can’t. He got a little nervous and apologized. Then he proceeds to tell me only inpatient clients can use the Hoyer lift. WTF!! So basically because I’m disabled I can’t get the same care as someone who is not. So again I explained about ADA compliant hospitals and rolled away. Within five minutes into our drive home I got a phone call telling me that they could use the Hoyer lift. Well no shit Sherlock! I figured they would fix their fuck up. 😏 We turned the van around and went directly back to the hospital.
Once we got back, the tech came with the Hoyer lift and we went into the x-ray room. My wheelchair can recline in to a bed position, so I asked if we could possibly do them in my chair. Renaissance imaging had told me no, but now these guys said yes they could. I proceeded to recline my chair to an almost flat position and she hooked me up to the Hoyer lift. So all she needed to do was lift me few inches so he could slide the film underneath my back. Easy enough. For those of us that have had a child, think contraction. 😮 That was the pain I was in when I was lifted. I let out a silent scream and had tears streaming down my face. The poor girl working the Hoyer lift and the x-ray tech felt awful and I explained to them, it’s not you it’s just my back. 😥 I let them know that what we were doing was going to help find out why am in so much pain, so it’s a good thing. And thankfully after being lifted three times, he got great x-rays and just like that, it was over.
Yesterday, Thursday, I had my pain management doctor appointment to discuss the x-rays. The doctor walked in and the following dialogue ensued:
Doctor: well aside from your fracture at L1 everything else looks pretty good.
Me: my fracture what, where? What? 😲
Doctor: you didn’t know your back has/had a fracture?
Me: um, no 😢
So now I’m getting an MRI. It has to be done to the hospital because of the pain it causes me so that they can sedate me for it. The minute he mentioned an MRI I started crying because I know how bad it’s going to hurt. (refer to x-ray appointment above) So that’s why they’re choosing the outpatient route.
We are thinking it may have happened when I fell in November 2013 and everyone assumed it was the MS that stopped my legs from working. But we don’t know yet. The MRI will give us more of a timeline of the break. I’m trying to pinpoint any time in the last five years that could’ve caused trauma to my back. 🤔
And while physical therapy was awesome for me the reason the pain has been so intense since then is because it aggravated my already fractured back. In my humble opinion. 😳 Ya think!? So I’m kind of in a daze right now and trying not to overthink anything because it’s making me crazy. I just have to be patient and hope the MRI will give me a clear picture of what’s going on in my back.
But honestly, it’s all good. I’ve got this! ♥️
** for those that had to read some of this already on Facebook, I’m sorry. 😘
Have courage and be kind.
Too Disabled…
Well those are not the words that were used, but that’s exactly what was meant. I’m too disabled for the DMD’s. That unfortunately in my current situation I am more susceptible to the side effects. Because of my bedridden status my body is at higher-risk of infection. With my constant bladder infections it could easily lead to sepsis. Because of the cancer that runs in my family I’m more apt to the cancer side effect of Ocrevus. And, in a nutshell, it’s not really meant for the primary progressive form of multiple sclerosis. I hate being right. I knew that the big hype that this was the first medication for the progressive forms would not mean primary progressive. If I want to be on the medication they will classify me as secondary progressive… and that’s not happening. I’m numb right now and I’m trying to come to terms with this. I’m angry too. There are people out there going med free thinking that they’re beating the monster that is MS. In the background MS is still progressing and doing its MS thing. I’m scared for them because when the relapse hits, and it will hit, it will be too late for them. They are blessed to be able to be on one of the many medications out there now, and they’re not doing it. I understand it’s a personal choice, I get that. But MS is not stopping because they’re eating right and exercising. That’s not going to slow or stop the progression. That’s not opinion, that is fact! I’m angry because I want to be on one of the medications and I am not able to take one. And for me the side effects aren’t nearly as awful as the MS. I’ve had to be med free, I’ve done the good healthy eating, I do the exercise as much as I can, and I still progressed to being bedridden. I’ll trade anyone of you people to be on those medications. Do you want to trade your MS for mine? Yeah I didn’t think so.
Before anyone says get a second opinion, this is the second neurologist opinion. He did say to keep doing what I’m doing regarding exercise and eating properly. But he also explained that I shouldn’t get my hopes up because I probably will not get back the use of my legs to transfer etc.. The good thing is with exercising I’m getting what’s called muscle memory. That’s pretty awesome because it’s much better than atrophy. But it really is kind of a second gut punch to me. I know in my intelligent brain that I can’t really get back everything I’ve lost, but in my hopeful mind I wanted to believe I could. So I will keep exercising the best I can and continue on. I have to, there is no other option. I will not fall back into my negative mind. I will keep my new positive outlook going and fight through this as I have fought through everything for the last two decades.
The main thing I have to do now is to let go of the what ifs. What if I had gotten into a physical therapy straightaway when I fell November 2013? What if my doctors had been more proactive with me? I can’t go back and change any of it and I need to let it go. I need to move on from here and continue doing what I’m doing.
On in a bit of a positive note I did finally get my x-rays done. That fiasco is for another blog. LOL I’m hopeful this will give them some more information in combating my pain. Right now that’s my focus. If we can figure out what’s causing my pain and get it under control I may be able to be in my wheelchair more. So that will be my next journey, the journey for pain relief.
If you’re able, go out and seize the day, because you never know what tomorrow will bring.
Have courage and be kind…
Some days…
Seriously, some days I wonder why the hell I even bother waking up. No, I don’t mean the alternative. It just gets harder and harder it seems, to be trapped in this bed. Three months ago I was at the point where I didn’t care anymore. I kept my self medicated so I didn’t have to think about being in this prison. But then, I got help. My mind set changed and I saw that there was some hope left. In a perfect world I would’ve been able to remain there until I could actually get up on my own. And no, I don’t mean up being a dancing fool, just able to transfer myself from my bed to my wheelchair. In this world, insurance would have none of that. 😳
So I’ve been lying here for the last two days, angry and a little bit lost. It seems that since I had a glimpse of what might happen, I am not handling being trapped very well anymore. Hell, without the help I need, nothing is going to change. I feel like I’m fooling myself in a sense when I say that I can do this on my own. I want to keep that positive facade going so everyone thinks everything’s great… but it’s not. And no, I’m not giving up, but I am looking for alternatives. 🤔
I’ve been mindlessly watching movies for the last two days. Anything to keep my mind off of everything that I cannot do anymore. As I’m watching I constantly wiggle my butt 😏 move my arms 💪🏻 and try and strengthen myself. But in all honesty, that’s not going to change very much for me. Right now while I’m talk typing, I’m wiggling my hips back-and-forth. Just keep moving is my new motto, and moving is what I will keep doing as much as I can. If only my dogs 🐶 had opposable thumbs and could understand me and be able to talk and be strong enough to lift me up, everything would be aces. 😂 It could happen.
Okay, back to the real world. I think the worst part for me is that in my mind I can see myself moving my legs enough to be able to get transferred to my wheelchair. I can’t explain it properly. Sometimes as I’m lying here I can almost feel my body move on its own. I know that sounds like some crazy psychotic shit. LOL I wish I had the proper words for it. But I am literally drawing a blank. It’s like I can see myself outside of myself. Okay, now I’m really going in to the realms of crazy psycho woman. 🤣 And I think I just said back to the real world. Welcome to my mind. 😳
I am now going to bid you farewell for the night. You can thank me later. 💋
Have courage and be kind 🖤
Making it Through the Rain 