Yep, I am finally doing it! The 30 Day Squat Challenge

Okay, I have finally given in!  I am doing the 30 Day Squat Challenge.  You know the one that made its way around social media last spring......Hey! Better late than never!  When this started going around Facebook last spring, I had numerous Facebook contacts who were participating and offering each other encouragement and accountability.  I wanted to try it then but was pretty sure that I could not keep up with the progressive nature of it at that time.  Sticking to one of my New Year's Resolutions however, I did do something.  I quietly and without any fan-fair began doing a few squats every day.  I think I actually started with five.  Over the summer I worked my way up to 25 every morning.  Now I can do those 25 without even blinking an eye so I decided it was time to start the actual challenge.   Exercise is so important to people with Multiple Sclerosis and aside from the physical limitations that may prevent us from performing certain exercises we also suffer from just plain lack of motivation!  Even though the "rush" of doing this challenge seems to have passed in my social media circles, hopefully there are a few of you out there that can keep me accountable and help me stick with it.  I am proud of myself for consistently working up to the point where I feel like I can even attempt it!  Anyone want to do it with me?

Happy New Year! Are you making any changes this year?

New Year's is always a time for new beginnings!  My resolutions for this year are to:

• Enjoy more time with my kids and husband.

• Get more exercise.

• Improve my diet.

• Lose 5 pounds.

• Manage my time better.

• Manage my finances better.

Wish me luck and I wish you luck in all that you wish to accomplish!

Happy 2013!

Flu season is upon us!

Avoiding getting sick is a new hobby of mine.  My kiddos are older so this is easier now than it used to be.  Although, they are getting sick of  me, due to my constantly reminding them to wash their hands.  Of course, if you are around people you are going to be exposed to germs, so other than becoming a recluse, here are some suggestions from the CDC:

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Germs spread this way.
• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
• If you are sick with flu-like illness, CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.)
• While sick, limit contact with others as much as possible to keep from infecting them.

I don't think I have ever taken the flu vaccine.  However, I am thinking about it this year.  I really don't like to be sick in general and a fever tends to affect my walking ability these days.  The National MS Society posted an article recently regarding which flu vaccine MS patients should take.  You can read it here.

In short the article states that MS patient's SHOULD take the INACTIVE VERSION in the shot form.  They should AVOID the FLUMIST.  The mist contains the live version of the virus and is NOT recommended for people with MS.

So shot, not mist, got it?  What's one more shot in the grand scheme of things, right?  (Yes, that is sarcasm.)

Have a great day and don't forget to wash your hands!

It's all in your head.....errrrr face!

Today is a PET PEEVE post! 

Aside from the obvious issues that we have to deal with fighting MS, such as the cognitive deficits that we have to compensate for, the walking troubles, dropping random things, etc  there are the weird skin sensations and pains!  Yes pains! 

Prior to being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis I would have bouts of odd "skin pain".  For months I had pain in my right hip/groin area that was excruciating.  It was painful for ANYTHING to touch me including the softest, lightest bed sheets.  The only thing that offered me any relief was to wear tight blue jeans.  I know, it sounds ridiculous but it helped.  I think because rather than any garment touching me in a specific spot in the painful area, it spread the "touch" over a wider area and made it more bearable.  No one could explain to me what it was or give me anything that could make it stop.  It made me begin to think I was crazy(er).  :)   I did try Lidoderm with limited success, but as with all of the other junk that comes with MS......it finally just went away.  (THANK GOD!)

So fast forward to yesterday.......The left side of my face and my scalp began to hurt.  The kind of hurt like you have had your hair up too long in a pony tail and finally let it down hurt.  Not comfortable but not the end of the world either.......only it doesn't go away after a few minutes.  It stays and seems to intensify.  It wakes you up when you turn over on your pillow at night.  It makes you wince when you brush your hair.  It brings you to tears to clean your face or put on makeup.  In general it just wears you down! 

I am hoping that this does not last months like the other did.  I am whiny when I am in pain and I hate to be whiny.  It makes everything else worse!   So if you see me with half a face of makeup you know why......or this week I can just play it off as my Halloween look!

Thanks for letting me vent!  I try to keep a positive outlook but sometimes I just need to let it out!

How am I going to pay all these medical bills? Some practical advice.

After the initial shock of a diagnosis with Multiple Sclerosis wears off you realize that this is a very expensive disease.  If you are lucky you have good insurance and a healthy savings to help with the expenses associated with diagnosis and treatment.  If the previous sentence describes you, you can stop reading now.....this post is not for you.

You may also be behind on other bills as a result of trying to maintain your medical coverage.   If you are still reading you have already probably begun to wonder what to do with the mounting medical bills that are flooding your mailbox.   Kindling?  No, just kidding.  The answers are going to vary depending on your situation which can include but likely are not limited to the following:

• No insurance.
• Medical insurance with high deductible.
• Medical insurance but still just finding it hard to cover all of the bills.
• Medical insurance with prescription drug limitations.

Over the course of the next few weeks I am going to share tips for each of the above scenarios. 

If you know of additional ways to help please feel free to add comments or helpful advice as appropriate!

You mean not every health issue I have is related to MS?

When I start to feel "not right", I automatically assume that I am experiencing a relapse or an exacerbation of existing symptoms.  But guess what?  Sometimes I have the flu or a cold or low blood sugar, or high blood pressure.  Or better yet, (and the one I like the least) is I am just aging!?  

The truth is that people with MS have just as much likelihood of catching the same bugs that everyone else does.  They also have the same odds of having coronary artery disease, diabetes, cancer, etc. as the general population.  

So what does that mean?  It means that MS is not responsible for everything that goes wrong with your health!  Here is what you need to do: 

• If you have a new symptom, no matter what it may be, let your doctor know.  
• Maintain a good relationship with not only your neurologist, but also your General Practitioner.  Visit them when you are well so they have a baseline for your overall health.  
• Get yearly health screenings just like you should, including physicals and blood work.  
• If you are a woman don't forget (or avoid) your annual well woman exam.  

Keeping a handle on your overall general health will be beneficial in your maintenance of your Multiple Sclerosis as well.