Saturday, April 30, 2016

Something calming about weekends

When I worked before becoming this retired bum that I am I most always worked weekends, as well as most week days, rarely a day off whether working for myself or someone else.
And oddly enough since I have been this non-productive person of questionable substance I still think of weekends as what many working folks do as a time to refresh, gather your thoughts, do as you wish, choose your activities or catch up on homework/ housework depending on school or no school and necessities.
But oddly enough as this time has arrived in my life that my body has chosen a certain resistance to comply with a few of my heartfelt desires to do this or that I think and then I think again that I have to, need to do, or should do...but it has been done already by you all know who...yep Hubby!
Outings are on hold, but during this heat spell of nineties outdoor venues are not in my cards to do.
Indoor events are few and far between now with the Snowbirds back to whence they came.
So many things I have missed that I do hope I can go to once my new wheels arrive.
No, they have not come yet, the time line is longer than originally thought to be.
My neuro's office did fill out and return the fifteen page paperwork to Rick the chair man and he in turn gets it to Medicare and then they look it over and make sure all the t's are crossed and I's are dotted that was a bit of a delay due to my neuro's shorthanded office people so Rick the chair man only got it back this past Monday and then it is his job as I said to turn it over to Medicare for approval, Geez!
Then it takes ten to thirty days.
He had tried to get it done faster but he only can when he gets everything together from the doc OT and whatever else!
Again I find myself at the mercy of others.
I have been a card carrying type A personality all of my life, never a follower always having to be in charge, thus being in management or a business owner of three.
So depending on others is hard for me.
And until I became ill I never ever was anyone's dependent, I started working at age twelve and even bought my own clothes with babysitting money, even as Hubby's dependent sounds so weird and we have been married now for over forty-five years, but it had always been a partnership, ya know?
Now I am truly his dependent.
Even saying it makes me feel so needy and needing to be cared for...
But weekends are for so much re-gathering of thoughts, what to do with your kids, house cleaning, laundry, looking for something fun to do etc. and so go for it! The younger healthier me would.
That was a ridiculous statement!
Since my life expectancy is still about eighty, longer than either of my parents and the average for all Americans, but it's that quality of life that will be less than...

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/What-is-MS/Types-of-MS/Secondary-progressive-MS
Please do me a BIG favor and click on the above site and read about Secondary Progressive Multiple sclerosis, and then I believe you will understand me a bit better? Thank you if you do and I do understand if you don't.

I gotta stop thinking negatively...that's better gal!
Soon as that ride comes in...watch out world; I'm going to be back into the world doing whatever that I can to bring joy into Hubby's and my life again! Ta Da!

On this note of knowing things will be changing... for the better, allow me to be the first one to wish all of you a very happy healthy safe and peaceful good night, and ask you all to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know whom, and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!  

Friday, April 29, 2016

The head of the in home care called me today

A gentleman named John called me and he said that he was the head of the physical therapy department, hmmm, yes that was his name, so he said, ha.
When I originally called after Astrid the OT wanted to come today to give me sitting exercises and one pound weights to exercise my arms, I had foolishly told her yes without thinking. Hubby came in from the garage and we discussed that and both thought that was not going to be quite beneficial or what I really needed. Anyway the name of the top nurse in charge of it all that I had been told was Karen who was to call me back, but she never called, John did.
We consequently cancelled Astrid and Stan, and we're told that next week I would be getting a new PT, one who will do more strengthening type exercises for all three days a week.
YES! That is what I had asked for.
Jean, the nurse, did come today, on time, her last visit.
She agreed that PT is more what I needed.
My vitals were all fine.
The problem is that the diagnosis for my needs was originally incorrect.
They were treating me more for my back issues from the fall that I had had than my Multiple sclerosis, I guess in reality both are not good.
The nurse, Tracie, from my neuro's office finally called back and verified that my MS is now in the Secondary Progressive form and apologized for taking so long getting back to me due to how short handed they're and that from now on they will try to do better. And she also verified that how I handled my upping of the Gabapentin dosage was fine; I thanked her and told her I understood. 

 Even the news anchor responded to my last night's blog and said that she was forwarding my story to Lee Memorial Hospital where their story originated from that was about the elderly man with MS exercising at their facility with all four of his limbs while he was in a manual wheelchair with arms actually being the only parts that he was able to exercise, not his legs that were lifeless.
And the fact that MS programs are different for everyone, since MS is different for everyone, the news anchor seemed to get it!

As we all know assumptions can be nasty.

The point of all this is that we are in charge of our own healthcare as long as we have all our mental faculties; I do know mine are questionable, bud, dump bum...
But truly the issue here is most of us know our own bodies.
And so when, and I don't care if you haven't a medical license, you know what feels right for you like anything else in life, trust your gut and most of all ask questions, never take anything for granted.
Be a motor mouth with your concerns, no shame in people there to help you knowing why!

All in all if all else fails, just say, next!
You are a consumer.
If your TV was broken or any other appliance or someone you hired did shoddy job on your home I bet you surely would say something about that, so don't be shy about your "temple" AKA your body is much more important than any inanimate object you own!
So take charge!

On this note of speaking loudly my mind but trying to be courteous too, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy healthy safe and peaceful good night and ask you all to kindly count all your blessings and share all of your overages with you know whom and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!







Thursday, April 28, 2016

It makes me crazy!

 The fact that people in general know very little about how differently Multiple sclerosis effects each person who acquires it and that the fact exists that you might think it was a different illness for each and every person it touches. So it makes me incensed when they, the general population that does not have it or really knows very little about it lumps all who have it with ways to treat it as if it can be fixed with the same method for everyone! NOPE!

So staying active is a wonderful idea for anyone who is NOT heat sensitive that causes them to end up again on IV steroids due to an exacerbation of MS.
I cannot go to a public swimming pool due to urinary incontinence since 2001, and that is the real reason why I stopped teaching water aerobics and I am a certified Aquacise instructor.  I had squamous cell carcinoma last June and since then I cannot even go into our own pool without fear of more skin cancer, and I had a sail cloth over the whole pool, and wore a floppy hat, sunglasses and zinc oxide on me when I got it for the first time after twenty-nine years of living in Florida back then!

I am the fourth person in my family with MS and no there is still no link hereditarily yet, the belief seems to be more environmentally as well as where in the hemisphere that you lived, in other words where you grew up and were born, colder climates have more prevalence, thus being from New Jersey are all possibilities, but if they knew for sure they would have a cure by now and they don't. Also years ago I read some where if you left before your fifteenth birthday you were less likely to get it, and no they had no reason for that just a fact that had been entered into their data at the time by information of statistics then. Thus moving south when our sons were ten and fourteen.

Why now did I want to discuss this again this evening due to so many things, but first the annoyance that our local NBC-2 news did a blurb about a guy doing exercises for his MS at their local gym in Ft. Myers, he's about my age and in a wheelchair now, but his arms work fine since he is in a manual wheelchair. I say good for him, yay!
But not all workouts are the same for all, especially with MS, he does upper body which is great, they kept saying he was doing lower, but no he never did any in the clip they showed and his legs looked lifeless to me, which they were and they had said that in the beginning of the story, so they goofed.

Sure there is not one way that as of yet a tried and true way that works for any one of us.
If there were we all would be cured!

But folks I am asking as one who has this insidious disease for more than a decade please never ever assume that  there is one way to help us, and that is kinda sweet of you that you want to, but don't assume that one magical snake oil or conventional way will help all of us, because it won't.

Sorry I felt that I just had to say this.
Today I had a premium mistake sent in to me the new OT thought I needed to have a sponge bath since I cannot bathe myself; it was in her notes.
I use my shower seat and hand held shower sprayer daily and bathe me and wash my hair every single day!
It is true that lifting my legs over the edge of the tub is becoming more difficult each day and that is where I think the misinformation may have generated.
But that is why Hubby is fixing his bathroom to be with a barrier free shower for me and my eventual motorized wheelchair!
Any-who I have spoken to the OT and the nurse to change my PT too, to a different way to help me.
Hopefully, by tomorrow I will see those changes.
Speaking my mind has worked for me quite often and so here I go again! Wish me luck.

On this note of speaking your mind most all of the time is important, allow me to wish all of you a very happy healthy safe and peaceful good night and ask you all to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know whom and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Busy day!

This morning I had my six month eye doc appointment and I am fine I guess at least I had minimalistic checking, good for another six months. You see, I can no longer get into the seat that you have to sit in for doing the lighted eye test or for the lenses in that thing that you look through as they change lenses and say is this good or this or is this better? You all know the drill, the one that makes us all want to rip our hair out, and yell I DON'T KNOW! Yay! I am no longer going to have that tortuous test, see I can find the gold ring in even something as mundane as that, hmmm?
I was handed a card instead with little letters on it that I could read with each eye covered from the uncovered eye, lefty that had the cataract lens for reading installed way back in 2010, it sees 20/20, and righty, even with the distance lens circa 2014, nearly does too! I said that wrong, no I do not have x-ray vision, yet, ha!
I was ushered in there via my transporter pushed by Hubby.

From there we went over to Home Depot to look over tile and a window for the shower for the new  enlarged shower in my ADA bathroom. The tile for the walls chosen were subway tiles, the same as in our other bathroom with the tub, but since this will be a no barrier shower, without a ridge to go over, a hexagon tile was chosen for the floor, both in white. The fiberglass shower in it at this time is too small and is not barrier free. The light of a window was needed so we chose glass blocks, six will be there, as well as a lighted fan/vent is necessary since the shower will be halfway behind where Hubby's toilet is now, a four foot by six foot shower is being installed by stealing that additional space from Hubby's workshop storage in the garage. The pipes have been put in on the other side of the wall that has not been knocked down yet. My pedestal sink will be put in there minus the pedestal and his vanity sink will go into my current bathroom and we may be painting the oak wood finish white or another color or leave it as is. Hubby has been taking pictures of its progress. I was going to pick the marble subway tiles and hexagon tiles also in marble, but that would cause the budget to go way up. I do love the white subway tile ones in my current bath and these will be identical and they are gender neutral, hey so will our bathrooms be, take that North Carolina, ha!
Then after Home Depot we went to lunch at a fairly new restaurant Royal India, Stan told me about it, it had opened eight months ago; daily they have an all you can eat buffet for twelve bucks, it was decent, not the too fancy stuff, but mighty tasty.
So we do recommend it if you enjoy curry and you should that is very good for you and since the blue zone areas of where people who live to over one hundred enjoy many components of it such as the turmeric.

After that we came home to relax although Hubby went into the garage back hard at work.
Stan the PT man came at four for a half hour exercise program for me. I did better he said.
Prior to that Number One Son called enroute on his way home from work today to confirm that he will be coming next week to take his Dad to his procedure of his colonoscopy and home again.

On that note of time sure flies when you have things to do, places to go and people to see and hear from, now allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy healthy safe and peaceful good night and ask you all to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know whom and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!



    

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

No show

I thought that today I was supposed to have OT with Astrid the Occupational Therapist, but she did not arrive or call. So when she was twenty minutes late I called the main number to find out what happened. When she did call back she said that Sherry will be seeing me for actual occupational therapy, and that she just determines what you need, okay. Sherry called and is scheduled now for Thursday while we wait for my Copaxone order to arrive and that has to be signed for anyway and I never know at what time it will come. Tomorrow late afternoon is Stan the PT and my six month eye doctor appointment is in the late morning with my eye surgeon. Astrid also was going to try and get Sherry to come before five today, but I felt it was too late.
Friday is Jean the nurse with Stan again, so I've been told. I had called my neuro Friday afternoon about my additional Gabapentin and they never called me back so I called again today, and after I was put on hold two times and got my message through finally, they still did not call back.
Disgusted I called my internist's office to speak with her nurse to verify that what I am doing is the right way and she called back within an appropriate amount of time and verified it was fine, whew!
Next week Hubby goes for his colonoscopy and that schedule we have to figure out surrounding that too. Number One Son is coming down to drive him to the surgery center and home again. It's the same one that we both had gone to for our endoscopy. The staff there was very nice and efficient and before I knew it, I was all done!

Ya know that I think that in business, even medical, especially medical personnel that you should tell your customer/client/patient what is what, true?
Bad day with dealing with people who you depend on to know what they are doing.
Two things, first one: the receptionist at my neuro's office verified I had called Friday at five after three and when I called today she also thought that they should have returned my call by now. At this hour still no call back, about dosage of medication??????
Second one: Astrid wrote on the folder OT 3:00 P.M Tuesday and Thursday, she wrote it and did not show up for my therapy??????
So it is NOT me!
I think; I'm just saying...
Nah...........!

Stress is not good for any of us.
Distraction, distraction, distraction, my latest Mantra, and I should follow through, yep I will!
Do something you enjoy.
Read about people you are interested in, their bios, news makers, theatrical folk, historic beings, etc. etc....
Eating comfort food.
Not a good choice for me, but what if I told you seafood, sweet potatoes, asparagus, a great tossed salad and the like are my idea of a good time?
Yep, sorry to disappoint.
Oh yeah the occasional ice-cream sundae, mine is a soft serve chocolate with strawberry topping and just 230 calories!
Boring!
Oh well.
I am sloth-like all due to lack of motion, due to lack of ability to move more.
Isometric exercises aside, for some reason they elevate my blood pressure, even with my medicine.
I don't recall that happening before, so I have no idea if that is normal or what.
But Stan takes my blood pressure after and it always seems to go up a little too high.
That I think is why after I had also in that exercise program of isometrics and walking a few steps he stopped after only twenty minutes?
I will have to ask him.

That's it for tonight.

My notes are the composition of record of all that I am currently experiencing at this juncture in my illness, and so allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy healthy safe and peaceful good night and ask you all to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know whom and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!


Monday, April 25, 2016

Prince, a vague memory

I have been trying hard to remember more about what we did do with his company during Spring Break in Daytona way back in the early nineteen nineties in either 1991&1992, when I was an entertainment manager for a promotion agency then and that agency I was working for there had been contracted to be involved on the beach back then for a particular musical promotion that he had going on at the time. Sadly I can only remember it had to do with Prince who was not actually there, but his company also named Paisley Park as it is now, was mentioned explicitly, so that is why I remember that it was his.
Something was being promoted, but sadly I am drawing a blank on specifically what it was.
All I recall was that it was his company, Geez, how bad is that!

Any-who, he was, even then quite a talent and well respected and an amazing business man too.
Not dissimilar to so many other people taken too soon in the artist industries so it is understandably why all the fanfare of the loss of him is so prevalent.

That was awful, but I felt I had to say something since everyone else has remembrances of him, but thankfully his music will live on... with him being sorely missed by all!

Moving on...

Today I had PT with Stan the man, and it was only twenty minutes. I was able to take a few more steps than last time!
Hubby went out to pick up rainbow trout for my dinner and his is roast beef; both from our local Cracker Barrel restaurant less than four miles from here, 3.85 miles, and the dinners both come with three sides, my choices are a side salad, sweet potato, sweet baby carrots, his are sweet potato, sweet carrots and would you believe mashed potatoes and extra gravy! He almost got no carrots, meaning no veggies, and macaroni and cheese instead!
My skinny husband at 145 and five foot eleven and a half, with excellent cholesterol and triglycerides and all other tests passed with flying colors!
Oh well... that is great I suspect, yep it is.
I guess I am little jealous, that he can eat things he shouldn't and he is still fine.

On this note of my love of my life being well no matter what, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy healthy safe and peaceful good night and ask you all to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know whom and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

Sunday, April 24, 2016

Review and more

Tomorrowland was enjoyable for both Hubby and me.
The story line kept us interested enough that if we had to leave the room we paused it and that says a lot for us, some we let go on... a Utopian futurist society was in the story line. I cannot tell you too much, but the New York 1964 World's Fair is also involved in the backdrop of the author's plot. I had been there; that is at the 1964 World's Fair with my X-BFF, we were great buddies then at fourteen or there about.
So it did touch on that personal fond memory as well. But the story is more about what could be and what actually is... if you missed this flick or saw it and also had mixed reviews perhaps it wouldn't hurt to give it another look-see. Darn good CGIs, computer generated imagery, and a lot of action scenes and so Hubby and I gave it two thumbs up! A family oriented film, thought provoking about the power of positive thinking, clean without any double entendre or cursing.

 Moving on...

Sleepiness is engulfing me these last two days, maybe due to the upping of my medication, the Gabapentin now at 1200 mg. a day.
I have been sleeping more than usual at night and napping during the day, probably a great idea, all bodies need rest to heal. Not that I am expecting mine to do that, since Multiple sclerosis is incurable, but rest is helpful and important to emotionally handle things better. I suppose when I lowered it down from the 1800 mg. all the way to 300 mg. it might not have been that great an idea, since this proves I needed the higher dosage.

Well, so I was wrong, I have been wrong before, nothing new there, ha!

Any-who, I did make soup today!
Wow, not just a can, my homemade with stewed tomatoes, emulsified in my mini food processor, I also have a normal sized one, tomato sauce, sautéed onions and garlic, they too were chopped in the food processor, dried oregano, basil, salt and pepper to taste, sodium free chicken bouillon, splash of lemon juice and a pinch of Stevia, my version of tomato soup. Not that long to make, but delish.
I felt so accomplished, since I have not been able to do this for a long time and poor Hubby again has been doing everything for me as well as the household chores, from laundry to cooking, fortunately diners have been picked up from so many of our choice restaurants of every nationality nearby helping the economy is how we like to think of it and gives Hubby a break, but he has been making all breakfasts and lunches until my soup today, so a yay, to cleaning to working on a new house project, thus his garage work!

On this note of that's the way we do life as we have to, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy healthy safe and peaceful good night, and ask you all to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know whom and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

Saturday, April 23, 2016

Movie Night!

Everybody in America has/had a night that they called at one time before access was soooooooo easy to get, we would make it a very special time and we called it, MOVIE NIGHT, not that original, perhaps you too would take the kids out of the house to the drive-in or the theater, movie theater that is!
We did.
When our boys were young like most families made sure they were all together for Sunday dinner we would make sure Saturday night we would have dinner and a movie out, and they could, each son, invite a friend.
Those were the years of the best movies that George Lucas and Stephen Spielberg were producing one after another family oriented masterpieces for all ages and it was a BIG WOW! Many others too.

Time marches on, even then we had HBO, but going out to see them all was a nice way to spend an evening as a family then came rentals in-home.
Before streaming and gluttony of obsessive viewing one after another, VCR and DVDs even before Blue Ray, seeing a great movie in the olden days was something we all could enjoy.
But there was a time, way back when on any Saturday while I was a kid back in the 1950's and 1960's when you had someone drop you off or you took public transportation we too could watch movies one after another, only problem was it would be the same one!
Yep, theaters would have one incredible movie and play it again and again for usually many different crowds, although, some of us just wouldn't leave, ha!

Hubby as a teenager worked as a manager of the Fox theater in Hackensack NJ, and saw repeated many great movies, Sound of Music was one that he remembers most vividly and that he still enjoys. While that one I saw only once in the theater, but many times since when aired on regular TV.

Sure times change and in many ways we can be happy that they do, but some things stay the same, and that is good too.

For the last several years we have not been inside a movie theater for many reasons, back problems, needing too frequent bathroom breaks, unhealthy snack choices, the price, shootings etc.. Okay, poor
excuses and one low blow, since it only happened once in our state and we don't text anyway, oops but truly it is so much easier to have home delivery and reasonably priced too.
No one to walk in front of, or look for handicap locations etc. to see better or temperature control is up to us, as well as cleanliness!
Let's face it all you small screen streamers you do agree!

Tonight we are going to be watching Tomorrowland with George Clooney that had gotten mixed reviews, but we have watched others that had gotten really bad reviews, and found them to be horrible. So mixed is a maybe, maybe not too bad one, sometimes even movies can be subjective, nah, sounded good.
We are in that mode of get my attention and please entertain me, ha!
Sure it's all a pleasant distraction that we all look for, a respite from reality, true?
Maybe not you, but me these days...Movies take me away! Sorry Calgon:
http://calgon.pdcbrandsusa.com/
That's for the kids who might not have a clue of what that means, ha.

On that note of we will let you know what we thought, not that it matters much, but you know me, allow me now to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy healthy safe and peaceful good night and ask you all to count all your blessings and share all those overages with you know whom and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

Friday, April 22, 2016

OT PT both!

Working to get me moving a little bit.
But oh darn, prior to the exercises my pain level was off the charts!
I done did it!
I upped my ingestion of that Gabapentin medication, 900 mg. so far three doses of 300 mg. a couple of hours apart and another 300mg will be at bedtime.
Proudly I had lowered my dosage all the way to 300 mg. from 1800mg. for a few years, but a couple of years ago when I herniated a disk I was told to increase it, and it is for pain, but non narcotic, powerful though in its own right, it's also used for epilepsy.
The thing is I can tolerate it very well compared to other medications used  for pain, not lethal for me!
What had happened is that I have been experiencing that burning sensation that had been generating only in my legs but today it was happening to my entire body, NASTY!
Dysesthesia is what it is called and not uncommon with Multiple sclerosis, and the appropriate treatment for it is Neurontin/Gabapentin that is the generic name of the same medication, fortunately I had just gotten my prescription refilled for three months' worth.
The ice packs still were used, but didn't work anymore.
http://www.nationalmssociety.org/Symptoms-Diagnosis/MS-Symptoms/Pain

I hate that I had to give into drug use.
I have very mixed emotions about having to use any drugs to help me.
When offered pain management treatments I refused due to what they do, injected into your spine numbing or narcotic pain meds that last only temporarily.

At least with the Gabapentin I can use it at the higher dosages while I need it and hopefully wean myself off of it eventually again, like I had before.

Moving on...

This time Astrid the OT, occupational therapist, was early, fifteen minutes.
I know today is cliffhanger Friday and my only left soap opera that I do enjoy watching is General Hospital.
I was temped to leave it on for its last fifteen minutes and not say anything and watch it, but I politely turned it off.
She was here about forty-five minutes as Stan the man PT, physical therapist arrived she left after they greeted each other. Astrid had brought me a commode that sits higher above my toilet and has sides/handles; it also can be used as a night potty alongside the bed in an emergency.
She will be seeing me twice a week and Stan will be here the other three.
I had trouble walking after my isometric exercises, Stan is determined to get me to walk better longer and without my legs collapsing under me, like they had today.
Stan was here for just a half hour.

Hubby and his sidekick, Gus, the Havanese mix rescue pup/son, were again working in the garage nearby, but not in the midst of the therapies.

 Moving on to the future!

Coming soon, check it out! https://www.babcockranchflorida.com/

Here is something exciting a solar town of nineteen thousand plus people, plot of land the size of Manhattan NYC, with schools, homes, hospital, businesses, a real modern community in the works; all info at the above sight.
And not far from here.

On this note of some times we just have to look towards the future, and with that thought allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy healthy safe and peaceful good night and ask you all to kindly count your blessings and share all your overages with you know whom and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

Thursday, April 21, 2016

OT

Had a call around three thirty P.M. today from Astrid my OT, occupational therapist, a Spanish woman that I had mistaken her accent for some crazy reason on the phone as India Indian, but I did not say a word, cause either way it doesn't matter to me.
She stated that she would be here by four, and so when four twenty came and went, I thought perhaps that she meant tomorrow?
So I gave her a call, and her voice mail picked it up and she called me back.
The issue was traffic on I75 and that she was coming here today from Venice.
That's usually more than a half hour's drive even when the traffic isn't too bad; so consequently she got here at nearly four forty-five, Hubby admonished her at the door. I tried not to act too embarrassed, but he was right, after all it was forty-minutes late! De Jevu with my doctor's appointment in Sarasota, but we were only ten minutes late.
And like a robot I repeated that we eat breakfast at nine, lunch at noon, and dinner at five, over and over, as well as my personal TV show is on from two to three M-F, please schedule accordingly.
Quirky, yep you bet!
So little is ours anymore, time-wise.( Not so much time on my hands anymore, odd thinking about that how quickly things change.)
They are indirectly getting paid by us via our insurances so they are somewhat considered employees, true?
Hubby's logical logic.
Our rules, for a change.
It does seem with all the doctors' appointments we are at their mercy i.e. appointment wise.
Now in our home on our turf we should have our rights for our rules!
Any-who, she stayed till nearly twenty to six, and while here she determined that I needed certain equipment to help me manage better that she will be bringing tomorrow at three, Stan is at four, PT Guy.
Oh and a correction, Gene the nurse is Jean the nurse. I have no idea why I thought otherwise; it was on the folder that she gave me.

Silly or ridiculous as it may seem to some I truly believe it is a control issue with us being able to decide appropriate times on scheduling for ourselves.
Isn't it in an unwritten law/ right for all Americans!
Ha!
Come on folks some of you have been here, everyone from physician offices to cable guys telling you what time is good for them not you!
I am as mad as hell and I am not going to take it anymore, sound familiar? (Slight overstatement, but you get the idea.)
The movie, Network circa 1976.
We are consumers even of healthcare, so stand your ground.
Did I mention I received a lovely letter of apology from the director of the ER of the hospital where they almost killed me and I had called to tell them so it shouldn't happen to anyone else, not to sue. The hospital interim director also had called too last week.
She had thanked me for that too, but I had mentioned that in my blog last week.
Balance in all things.
Not being unreasonable, but working together for resolution in each problem to solve, as civilized people.

On that note of come on folks we can do this, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy healthy safe and peaceful good night and ask you all to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know whom and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Being sooooooooooooo cared for...

I feel soooooo cared for by the goodness of strangers...huh?
Okay, Hubby has been taking marvelous care of his lump of a wife, moi, that has been so needy lately.
These afore mentioned "strangers" are the people sent by my facilitator, chronic care mediator, telephonic advisor who apparently has a fleet, not a fleet, but a staff, that's it, of people to care for my every need.
Gene, that is how she spelt it, was my RN that interviewed me and checked my vitals and was here about an hour evaluating my needs. Her results were that she would release me from nursing need after her next visit.
And she also determined that physical therapy as well as occupational therapy were what I do need regularly.
Next was the man Stan who is a BIG GUY, six foot three and large all over, my physical therapist.
He was here about forty-five minutes and had me doing isometric type exercises as I sat, pushing up and squeezing that sort of thing.
He determined that my ability to do standing ones was not possible.
They both took my blood pressure while here, with the nurse it was 122/60, with the PT Guy it was 146/80, he said due to the exercise, okay...not that strenuous I thought, but these days I guess for me.

I hate to be sexist but I truly think that since I have enlarged, bodily wise that they believe I need a male PT person to help me, that does ring true in my opinion.
A thinner female I might hurt if I fell and they had to pick me up.
But Stan the man PT said nah it was the luck of the draw, no, he didn't actually say that but that's the way I interpreted it.
Meanwhile he will be back Friday and she will be back next week, oh joy.

Moving on...

Hubby was busy in the garage with Gus, our Havanese mix rescue dog/child, as his sidekick keeping both of them out of the way.
Easy peesy for with the door left unlocked that so when they knocked on the door or rang the bell all I had to do was say, "come in", as I reclined in my recliner!
See "lump", yep I call 'em as I see 'em!

I am able to walk still about ten feet, but then I have to rest.
And the more I do that the more tired I become.
This is a test I keep failing, DAMN NAGGET!
Thus the above reasoning... oh so I guess I didn't actually move on.

Let me try it again, please. Moving on...

Today is the birthday of a lovely old friend and I wished her a very happy day today.
She is a very family oriented generous young woman who goes the extra mile to prove that for any of her family or friends and she is a police officer by profession, good choice.
She is the ex-girlfriend of Number One Son, and they too are still friends since both have moved on with their current love interests, she is now married to a fine young man and they have an adorable daughter and our Number One Son has already a long time relationship with his gal for over five years now.
We all were invited to the old flames wedding those years ago, so staying friends was a given.

I think I nailed it! The moving on thingy that is.

On that note of trying to change topic not as flawlessly as I wanted to, allow me anyway to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy healthy safe and peaceful good night and ask you all to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know whom and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!


Tuesday, April 19, 2016

PT

I finally saw the light.
Yes, the one on my laptop connected to Google and realized after some additional research that NOT having physical therapy is probably the worse thing anyone in my condition could do to themselves, causing quicker muscle atrophy; duh, logically I knew this.
So, I bit the bullet, hate that expression, but I called my chronic care facilitator, or how she calls herself, my telephonic advisor, the person who then contacts my internist who then in turn contacted the in-home health care worker who then called me to tell me they will be having a physical therapist call me back this evening to set up my appointments! Ta Da! PS all fully covered 100% by Medicare.
So now I have something to do while waiting for my new ride and after that too I suspect.

Gus is going next week for his first doggie playdate at the home of the woman that is with the organization we had adopted him from, Canine Castaways, and she is the one who had checked us out for his new home approval. A NJ gal too.
Hopefully he will enjoy her dogs too, Hubby will be dropping him off.

You see, with my lack of motion ability getting surprisingly weirder in its comings and goings my derriere has sizably increased its volume and so I am now tight in my transporter, so very embarrassing.
But when Hubby called Rick, the chair man, to get the measurement of the chair for my tush to fit comfortably for increasing the bathroom door width for my new ride, shockingly they add four more inches to the size of me for comfort.
And consequently I am stuck here having no means of transportation at this time.
My good ole scooter's battery needs replacing, which is not cheap, and Hubby feels that it would be unnecessary with the motorized wheelchair that we will be buying a ramp for the van and that will make it easier for both of us to get from point "A" to point "B" the chair and me and for Hubby's sake so that would  be us all.

There is a lot going on that I have not mentioned too.
Perhaps when I make other major decisions I will inform you all, but until then...

On that note of a bit of mystery, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy healthy safe and peaceful good night and ask you all to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know whom and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!



Monday, April 18, 2016

I don't know...

...I have considered those three words over my lifetime on this planet and what they have been associated with the volume that they have been said/used in my vocabulary over the years. Books could be filled with the amount of times that I recall saying them and all they represent in my lack of knowledge of things.
Although, quite a few times, too many to count, I have taken it upon myself to research the undeniable missing information from my actual interests and education.
And it reminds me of when I was a youngster in the fact that it is not unlike when I would access my white leather and gold embossed trimmed set of the World Book Encyclopedia that matched my French Provincial set of my pre-teen bedroom of the same two distinctive colors and that I would look up one thing and how that would make me look into an obvious connective topic to that original one, and on and on I would go; for hours of fun.
But no, there is still plenty I do not know and may never ever will.
And yes, I was one of those parents that told their children to look up anything they had thought I would have the answers for them, nah too easy. I thought that for them taking that personal initiative would spur their curiosity as it had mine all those years before, and in the end it did.

Sometimes I wonder, as I watch the TV game trivia shows of Jeopardy and Millionaire where my correct answers come from; osmosis, absorption, is how I interpret what I have retained in the deep recesses of my brain that surprisingly to me appear when I least expect them to, and my feelings of this glorious bonus in life is that at least something still works!

Life truly does go on.

That said, as many grown ups know that when they were teenagers they truly did believe they knew everything, but as any adult will have to admit that as we get older we realize that we know very little and that there is so much more to learn!

So each day that is what I do, by reading current events, decorating ideas, and biographies of people either in the news or on TV or from whatever walk of life or any topic that I decide.
That's the best part of being older is having the ability to make decisions for oneself!

Keeping my brain busy also keeps me out of trouble, ha!
   
On that note of yeah sure, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy healthy safe and peaceful good night and ask you all to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know whom and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear! 

Sunday, April 17, 2016

San Andreas... makes one wonder

Was it prophetic?
With earthquakes in Japan and Ecuador and seismologists discussing all the worldwide faults it makes one pause and wonder.
The dialogue on the recent news was not that dissimilar than the movie above, about that notorious fault in California with saying not if, but when these massive earthquakes will be happening.
Frightening as that statement may seem the reality is that they are saying when more often than not, but still random, no rhyme or reason.
Sure we cannot harp on that which appears to be a definitive reality, since now the people in the field say that they can determine better before when and where, but in enough time?
Although, it has to make one wonder why weren't the people of Japan and Ecuador notified if it could be possible, and where should we go/run to, what can we do to prepare ahead of time and I still have so many questions that keep going unanswered!
The death toll horrendously for those earthquakes is nearing three hundred with thousands of more people injured!
 
Tornadoes are still the one natural disaster that we have the least ability to be informed on ahead of time. Our local station is quite happy that they were able to give people an eighteen minute heads up on local tornadoes in Cape Coral Florida back in January, and yes those eighteen significant minutes for a tornado warning was/is a matter of life or death and it worked! But there were safe places to go.
Supposedly earthquakes and volcanic eruptions as well as tsunamis are predictable within fairly workable time spans to evacuate, but to where.

So much concerns us all these days from terrorism to these natural disasters to drive-bys (shootings), home invasions, you name it the world can be terrifying!

Apathy can be mentally healthy, but not logical when in a part of the world where any of the above mentioned things fall all too regularly and let's face it that means most all of us.
Albeit, I agree that it is something that we must step back from and think of ways to handle the "what ifs" with cool calm composure and to realize that being knowledgeable in any situation is the smart way to go; ignorance is never bliss in my opinion!

Our hearts and prayers must be with all the people including our own who also have had to deal with deadly weather across the USA with recent more tornadoes, floods continuing, and for the people in Japan and Ecuador while having to search for survivors in the rubble and their injured survivors and of course prayers for their dead and those families.

On this note of heart aching for all who suffer, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy healthy safe and peaceful good night and ask you all to kindly count all your blessings and share all those overages with you know whom and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

 

Saturday, April 16, 2016

Room

Since Netflix was kind enough to send two flicks as they promised after the one that had been sent San Andreas had a crack in its DVD, we decided to have an afternoon matinee viewing of Room circa 2015, from the book Room circa 2010, and based on that true story.
Sadly similar to an American  story of another kidnapping.
This story is about a twenty-four year old woman, Joy Newsome, played brilliantly by Brie Larson, the best actress Oscar recipient that was well deserved, who had been kidnapped at the age of seventeen, falling for the story to help the man look for his lost dog... She is sexually abused during a seven year period and her five year old son, Jack, played by a superb young actor, Jacob Tremblay, with an amazing career ahead,  is the product of those horrid experiences. But he is her one and only shinning light and only beautiful goodness of the story and reason for going on... a poignant story that makes you laugh and cry, and makes you want to hold the ones you love that much closer. Two thumbs up from Hubby and me!

Moving on...

In other news today is how they say "the status quo", not much new.

Since this is rather late I will end this as a shorty.

On this note of short and sweet, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy healthy safe and peaceful good night, and ask you all to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know whom and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

Friday, April 15, 2016

Try harder, pep talk, come on ole gal...

Anyone who has played any organized sports knows that a coach is an asset to get you to be the best that you can be.
Unfortunately, I never did, played any team sports that is that I can recall, except for fun and that was as a child and only occasionally.
Softball was one that I did enjoy and I always liked being the catcher, for obvious reasons.
Oh you don't know?
You stay at home plate don't have to run and the ball usually always comes to you, easy peesy, especially when you are a ten year old girl. That stopped when my fifth grade teacher threw a pitch right at my throat, ouch!
I tried playing catch with a  friend and a football and got my finger broken by a bestie girl friend that knew her stuff better than me and she had a lot of power behind the toss, I was twelve then.
For me I did a little bit safer sports dance, a little bit of tennis, horseback riding, swimming, bicycling, hiking, mini golf, boating, fishing all those sorts of non competitive level sports were more my thing, so no coaches involved.

So in life I have had to be my own coach and whenever, over these several decades I needed to be encouraged to go on it has been myself or Hubby and way back when my bestie, BFF, who is no longer around. Sure Mom and Dad were too, I think as a child, but sadly I have forgotten, I'm sure they were, self motivation is always the best though.

The bottom line is dealing with life on any level needs for a clear head and a desire to get it done!
Now what "it"  is, is different for different people.
From making lotsa money to being able to get out of bed on their own, and "it" sure does run the gamut.

Getting off track is ok as long as it is not for too long and you don't let it get the best of you, ya know, sure you do.
I'm one of those.
Derailing is a more usual than not.
Although, I somehow find my way back, because when your brain starts to work logically again what choice do you really have?
Sort of like not getting older, the only alternative to not getting older that is becoming dead!
Not a choice for me, yet.

Just wanted to neutralize my last night's post with my comeback one tonight.

Moving on...

Hubby cooked again tonight and he chose to make something that we have not had for a long time store bought or homemade but tonight he made from scratch calzones.
Mine was loaded with spinach, mushrooms, onions, garlic, a turkey sausage, his was just the sausage both with part skim mozzarella and low fat cottage cheese in lieu of ricotta, and home made dough, yep had to rise and all.
Yep all the things that cause my tummy to ache.
For quite some time we used to always make homemade pizzas on any given Friday.

It was fun and easy.

I was scheduled to see the gastro doc again this week, but I cancelled.
You see, I am on those two stomach medications and when I don't eat what I shouldn't they work fine, but if I misbehave they don't.
Although, when I experimented without them at all for a while my stomach hurt all of the time.
The endoscopy and colonoscopy both showed nothing seriously wrong was amiss, so I am fine, it is definitely what I consume, was my conclusion, as well as the doc's.

As far as my back goes, my x-rays and CT scans from the hospital did not show any broken bones only that my disk bulges that I have between my vertebrae have multiplied significantly, as has my spondylosis and stenosis in my cervical region, the neck, and the lumbar region, the lower back have gotten worse, but no broken bones, yay! And yes, there is nerve impingement in several locations, thus the pain to add to the MS pain too and numbness.
Actually, the numbness works well for giving my shots of the Copaxone three days a week; I have noticed each location now does not feel the injection, today was my right arm, a bonus who needs those bee sting pains.
You see, the shots go in like doing the Macarena, weekly, right arm, left arm, right thigh, left thigh, right hip, left hip, tummy and then again and again!
Don't worry they give you a diagram to keep track, yep being on track seems to be tonight's theme...
And with arriving back there full circle, allow me now to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy healthy safe and peaceful good night and ask you all to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know whom and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

    

Thursday, April 14, 2016

Bitterness

At times I have to admonish myself.
Why what, one might ask, I know I can't hear you, but still...
For falling backwards on things that have happened in the past and remembering things that were not always great, too many and they flow out into my thoughts too vividly, nearly tangibly.
I used to believe, but not as often as I used to, but even now that due to some of those "bad" instances that is why the almighty is punishing me these days with all this pain and diminished capacity and that I deserve it, Karma! How many times have we all heard that term? What comes around goes around.
Sure I know that is not necessarily how it works, and any supreme being that is in any organized religious beliefs is not the type to punish you; we all want to think that the he/she in that position is more forgiving than judgmental!
These feelings seem to surface whenever I feel bad and allow me to hit the bottom with negative thinking.
Most of us actually punish ourselves in the way we handle guilt for things beyond our control and when examined more closely.
No one can change the past we all know that is a given.

Eh!
Better move on from these vague depressing commentaries.
Perpetuating my own mental anguish again.
My father is the only person that I ever met who never had any regrets.
What a legacy to live up to, way too late for me though, as they say the deeds are done.
I have closed way too many doors.

Remember not to do that!

That is all for now.

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Are any of us actually interested in politics?

THIS BLANK AREA IS APPROVED FOR ALL THE MOMENTS OF HEAD SCRATCHING THAT HAS LOOMED AS LARGE AS THIS NON-UTILIZED SPACE...
TIME TO IMAGINE,YES HOW JOHN LENNON DID IN HIS ICONIC SONG: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRhq-yO1KN8 ........

That should fill this void!
Then I recommend you scroll down for additional rhetoric...

 

"Dictionary


  Definition of politics

  1. the profession devoted to governing and to political affairs
  2. the study of government of states and other political units
  3. the opinion you hold with respect to political questions
  4. social relations involving authority or power
Similar Words: political science, government, political sympathies, political relation"


OMG, what we have been watching has nothing to do with politics!


It is truly shocking, but if you read the definition that I chose specifically for children so it would be easy for me to understand of what the political picture is supposed to be we have been hoodwinked!
All these wasted months of being told this is what should be swaying our votes one way or another and sure enough the rules have not been followed!


Have any of you heard the words expressed in any of the town halls or debates anywhere close to what the simplistic definition above says that is what its perimeters are or should be in a discussion forum.

Okay, maybe not a forum, but at anytime during the last year?

Staying on topic has proven to be difficult for all the candidates.
And quoting the proper ways to uphold our decreed providences historically maintained has too.
No!
None have been known to dignify knowing the way our government actually runs. At least their interpretations have be contrary!

This is so disappointing.
If we cannot rely on our officials knowing what is the protocol in running our country this is a very sad state of affairs!   

I am very concerned... oh wait have I misinterpreted the above definition?

Perhaps.
Never mind.

Vagueness and non-defined lines for a game or contest is why it seems as if chaotic most every day I suspect.

What if the rules for the competition were held out and spelled out for every American to have at a moments request and than we all could be as if referees to control the chaos! And we could have score cards to give them numbers of distinction based on staying on topic and answering the questions that are near and dear to all of us Americans!

Just an idea.
I'm thinking again, uh oh this could be dangerous!

BIG SMILE inserted here with a wink too.

On this note of what a joke allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy healthy safe and peaceful good night and ask you all to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know whom and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!
 
 
    
 

 

 
 


 
   
   
   
   

   

   
   
   
              







Tuesday, April 12, 2016

I reiterate people can be quite ...

...amazing, no, understanding, not quite right, commiserative, okay that adjective will do. 
The head interim director of the hospital called early today, yes at eight A.M.
He asked for me to tell him what had happened and was quite the above adjective definition: commiserative: to feel or express sorrow or compassion, for what I had experienced and apologized profusely and felt that my information would be helpful as a learning tool, minus me being named, anonymously used, to better learn how to change the lack of proper treatment in listening to-handling patients a teaching aid.
He also said that when a patient has that much pain they will forgo any possible contraindications with instead monitoring the effects when the benefits might very well outweigh the negative outcome and since the patient is in a controlled care environment they have the ability to treat a negative outcome!
Still scary, but exactly what did happen to me.
He assured me that the overcrowding issue i.e. about available beds being lacking will metamorphous into a staging situation where they will be able to more often release patients with at-home care being the usual that is meaning that they will have healthcare professionals support patients in those familiar surroundings at home when possible.
And so most ambulatory patients or non-critical care patients can be maintained at home!
Sounds like a win-win plan, and I do hope that it will be initiated sooner, rather than later. He also gave me his cell number, WOW!

Moving on...

My body is compensating for its need to adjust.
I seriously believe that my sporadic overwhelming weighted inability to lift myself up could be an aberration, which is a hopeful prayer at this time.
Although, my legs and feet numbness has not diminished and that is hard to deal with at any given time. 
I never know when it will happen though that I cannot move at all, unnerving.
I am pushing myself to try harder.
But now my eyes have been misbehaving again with eye socket pain, and so I am trying to believe that it is just my severe dry eyes NOT another bought of Optic Neuritis!
I have initiated using my dry eye drops more than I had been neglecting their use, forgetting.
I have had ON four out of the five times that I was put on the IV SoluMedrol 1000 mg. for the least amount of days, only three.
But still not something anyone would want.
Stress is the enemy for us all but it is definitely the culprit in many exacerbations of MS!
And sure I have been under it, stress that is but so are most people.
Handling it better should be a goal.
So distraction, distraction, yes distraction is redundant, but yes that is the BEST way for any of us to cope.
I recall the story of Norman Cousins who had ankylosing spondylosis and suffered terribly in pain and he found old comedy movies and laughing helped him deal and cure his pain!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Cousins
Reading the above article is worth the read, and Prof. Cousins method was non-invasive and oddly enough worked! He called it laugh therapy.
In his own right he was quite an interesting person, a journalist, an author, a professor and a world peace advocate and much, much more, my kind of person, a mensch!

On that note of sharing, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy healthy safe and peaceful good night and ask you all to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know whom and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

Monday, April 11, 2016

Blogging

Many might wonder if there are any rules to "blogging", not to my knowledge, but that doesn't mean a thing, ha! There could be some somewhere, but I really don't think so...
Most I believe feel that pretty much anything goes, freedom of speech and all.
But common sense tells most of us that the concept should be tempered with civil verbal restraint.
Name facts that you have the ability to back up and do not use names of people/businesses etc. unless you are more than sure what you are saying is much more than an angry opinion and is factual, since legally you could be sued, at the very least you will receive a firm reprimand or be unfriended, yep been there.
Accolades also should be part of the over all concept too.
Who doesn't appreciate being appreciated.
In situations of such as those name names!
This form of communication and self expression has proven to me to have become a habitual obsession!
But look at it this way, it is not fattening, except when writing some recipes, or illegal, perhaps when I might rush and name names that are truly aggravating me, but still NOT illegal as long as you say in my opinion, harmful, could be at times when sensitivity to peoples occasional reactions aren't what you expected, and so try not to hurt others feelings either, a rare occurrence here not much feedback here, so basically a safe place to play/say what you think and feel!
That is why I love it.
I recommend it highly to everyone.

I have noticed over the nearly eight years that I have been doing this that many stick to one topic of their interest.
Unfortunately, my mind can be way too scattered and so I rather like to call my way of doing this as that my interests can be quite diverse; sounds good to me!

I suppose that when my MS gets bad I have a tendency to harp on that topic, but when I feel better I can, I so do hope some day to be,  and I will go places to share here as well as crafts, and home projects and so much more movies and on and on and on...
Politics are easy for anyone to be opinionated on due to the fact in my opinion that it being not that dissimilar to that oldie but goodie expression of being an armchair quarterback, ha!
You're a voter, so therefore you are qualified!
But homework is fun that is trying to actually have the ability to give intelligent information to share.
I particularly love when you can share useful things about safety procedures in weather situations,  or around the home, or with children or with pets.
Yep experience does qualify any of us to share any of those personal experiences, for sure. Like the ancients did in the tribe...

So on this note, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy healthy safe and peaceful good night and ask you all to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know whom and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

Sunday, April 10, 2016

Days trying to do...

There were days when I wanted to get up and go, but these days my get up and go got up and went!
Bud dump bum...
Take today for instance we had this thing going on less than two miles from our home and ordinarily, the old me, would have said let's go!
https://www.charlottecountyfl.gov/news/Pages/Celebrate-Fun-Day-Sunday-at-Promenades-at-Parkside-April-10.aspx
I even posted it on my Facebook page.
But the thought of Hubby having to push me all around there in my transporter stopped me and add in the fact that the thermometer was hovering not far from ninety degrees!
Yep, this is Florida, USA!
Early even for us though.
Too hot, hot, hot!
More like a beach/ pool day for the old me...
Pitiful Pearl me, too depressing, forgive please.
I must have myself snap out of this too sad behavior!
Distraction is working slightly.
Harping on what was, is not at all attractive...forgive!
Just venting.
If not to you than to who, or is it whom?

Movies on the TV today still on i.e. Space Cowboys circa 2000, primo cast: Clint Eastwood, James Garner, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland with Marcia Gay Harding and so many more.
Old astronauts asked to get save a satellite plummeting, but it turns out to be a Russian ballistic missile system, oops.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Cowboys

Oldies, Gosh this one is sixteen years old!

Had some bad luck last night with our movie from Netflix, San Andreas, when we went to put it into the DVD player it wouldn't load, yep it was cracked!
First time with them, with Blockbuster it used to happen way too often!
I called their 800 number and now they will be sending out another one plus the next movie in our queue which is Room.
That's nice.

On that note allow me to wish all of you a very happy healthy safe and peaceful good night and ask you all to kindly count all your blessings and share all of your overages with you know whom and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

Saturday, April 9, 2016

Thank you!

It is very very very hard for me or I suspect most people to accept help for everything being done for them for any reason but imagine if you had to ask regularly due to having a debilitating chronic illness that effects your ability to do things for yourself and it could more than likely be forever after...not temporary!
The guilt that goes along with the need for the care can at times be overwhelming.
I started out ten years ago sporadically needing help with a few things, why even a month or two ago I was still cooking, making the bed, dusting and doing the laundry, but not anymore.
As the days of self sufficiency slowly have gotten less and less and now have seemed to all but diminished with my inability to walk from here to there and there to here and add to it the hazard of dropping things all too often; it is with great sadness that I must be waited on.
If I was a healthy wealthy spoiled socialite I would expect it, but alas I am not!
And the embarrassment of the having to ask is not all that easy and it makes me at times seem that I am sounding demanding to myself, needy way too needy.
We as we grow through our time here on this planet try hard to learn how to cope in life with births, deaths and so many other difficulties, but being a "burden" is not  one of those things to be to our loved ones is something we never ever want to be and somehow try to not think about it ever happening.
Spasms are more forthcoming in my ribcage like when rolling on my side to get comfy during the night while sleeping, or just before while writing this in my right hand and arm, upsetting.
How does one pace themselves when it seems like you have more stops than starts?
I do not know for sure but I do wonder if others with Multiple sclerosis have staccato hand movements like typing on this keyboard or pushing buttons on a phone?
Sort of like a tap tap tap, when you only mean to do a tap? Referring to tapping on the letters or numbers too many involuntarily come out.
That too is occurring more frequently.
Consistency in MS is something none of us strive for that is meaning being more symptomatic daily!
Distractions still work for my coping mechanism.
Games on the phone these days Spider Solitaire and now Dominoes once again; how I missed that!
And of course the TV, movies, and research online for bios and other questions I think of to keep me learning mind wise.
Hubby at times seems overworked by my needing him soooooooooooooooooooo much!
And that brings me back to my title so all I keep doing is saying to my soulmate for nearly fifty years is THANK YOU!
Love him too, and that is also chanted as much as I can, as often as I can!
Sorry I chose this topic to tell tonight, but to me it is important to document.
Perhaps others can relate since I have a strong feeling I am not the only one who feels this way!
Good night to all, be well and tell others too how you feel we all need to know that we are not alone...
PLEASE and thank you to all of you too!

Friday, April 8, 2016

Converging on NYC

Yes!
All the candidates are experiencing my old stomping grounds! When I grew up just a stone throw from Manhattan, and resided nearby for twenty-two of my many years on this planet, plus fourteen more within driving distance, and ice skated at the age of four at Rockefeller Center, went to the Radio City Music Hall where the Rockettes perform, when we were home from the Catskills during the holidays to see their holiday shows, as well as other Broadway shows, such as Funny Girl 1966, the King and I 1954 and Annie 1980! The museums of all types the largest library that any young college student has ever seen with her own card to use New York Public, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Cloisters, Central Park, the zoo and ice rink, the delis, the fancier ones too like the Russian Tea Room and all delish, the hotels, Hilton, the Carlisle, and more... the stores, Saks, Bonwit Tellers, Lord and Taylors, and on and on...  Why LIM at 12 east 53rd street between Fifth and Madison Ave. where I went to college across from Paley Park and Hamburger Haven, Madison Avenue being the advertising Phenom in its day, and Fifth Avenue being where the classy stores reside, also the city is spotted with gastrostomy of foods from street vendors of all kinds  and they will try to sell you anything from hot dogs to chestnuts to pretzels and retail goods, sunglasses, bags, you name it, the garment district is a world in itself, as is the diamond district, China town, Little Italy, any ethnicity you can think of has an eatery for your joyous palate to try and shopping too, you name it and so much, much more!
Out of the five finalists three consider themselves New Yorkers, but actually one is a self imposed transplant and the other two can honestly own up to it!
The taste of New York is multicultural and the most diverse as they come, no wonder most of us liberals truly do wholeheartedly LOVE NEW YORK!
While two of the non-NYC candidates that have been rubbing elbows with the real deal honest speaking folk there might be less than their cup of tea, and a bit unusual for Cruz and Kasich.
But that's how we of that ilk roll!
Always letting people know where we are coming from, and if you have the time even the when why and how we got there!
Open books that most pride themselves on.
No, pretense, upfront honesty, is so refreshing I bet to those who haven't gotten there yet they might give the whole concept mixed reviews!
Anyway we looking in on the next few days in NYC should be very interesting...

On this note of waiting for all the gaffs, flubs and oops to delight and entertain minus the throwing of  meanness of slanderous repartee over the next several days, allow me now to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy healthy safe and peaceful good night and ask you all to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know whom and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!  

Thursday, April 7, 2016

Dear Diary...

Why oh why do I worry!
People by nature are all truly good!
Caring is not only for people you know personally and therefore love.
Strangers do say they care too.
They care about mistakes that were made under their umbrella of their house of security, reputation etc.
And promise to rectify them.
They eventually call back and reassure you to that fact of the nature of business called regaining trust.
Common ground is established.
Why oh why should I worry when no legalities were suggested, hinted at but not blatantly said for sure.
After all I am alive.
Yes, the director of the ER called me back to let me know that they will take care of the issue in their ER of not listening to their patients and giving them harmful drugs they are charted to be allergic too!
Another entitled higher up person will be told about my plighted experience of a week ago and call me also to reassure me next week some time.
And that there will be a safe place to go in an emergency! I was also assured of that!
I feel so much better speaking my mind to people who hear me.

Oh dear diary I will now move on to more sillier things, sort of, thankfully.
Only property not people were harmed in this story, thank heavens.
The lunch time news said that there was a tornado in Tampa.
I then went all motherly concern and realized Number One Son was at work there in Tampa today and so I quickly called his cell while he was at work! (I rarely do that! Really.)
He was fine.
Although, Tampa is only a city on the large size in area of 170.6 square miles, including water ways, but he does work there and so anything was possible.
Nothing wrong with making sure, true?
Come on people we give birth to them and so that gives us that right to worry about them as long as we  are here!
Again I am sticking my adult tongue out at any of you that might foolishly disagree!

On this ending of a silly note of true caring of someone I do know personally and love, allow me now to be the very first to wish you all a very happy healthy safe and peaceful good night and to ask you all to kindly to count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know whom and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!


Wednesday, April 6, 2016

So now I'm tired!

I have not slept since 1:24 A.M. in the middle of the night, yup!
Odd how sleep seems so important when you cannot seem to acquire this free commodity!
Sporadically I have tried on and off all day today to catch a few winks, and I have.
In total perhaps two or three hours worth were attained, but you know something... it was not enough!
My body doesn't work very well to begin with and so, starving it of rest appears to create havoc with my motor skills and strength.
I feel as if I were hit by a Mac truck!
And due to my logical findings of exhaustion...so, I will bid you all adieu for now.

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Hillary on The View

Geez, impressive, doesn't seem to be the right adjective to describe her personal appearance on the show.
She seemed approachable, knowledgeable, and real.
Why am I supposed to NOT consider her as another possibility?
People keep saying she is dishonest, and has done things that makes her undesirable to become our next leader and chief.
Unfortunately, she spoke so plainly and confidently with her non-waffling straight talk when accosted by the cast with hardcore questions, on matters that concern all of us.
Roe V. Wade was discussed and her feelings and what the Frothy Orange Haired guy said about women being punished for choosing abortion. And her firm belief that Roe V. Wade should be upheld,  my feelings as well and what he said was wrong. Freedom of religion, and also those ridiculous emails were discussed that I had thought by now those emails had gone the way of the dinosaurs!
But she smiled and was attentive and polite with each question and its person's doing the asking.
The abortion question and religion ones were asked by Candace Cameron Burre, she also expressed in those why should people of her ilk vote for her Hillary thus the reasoning of the Hill stating she is a Christian and believes that our country was founded on freedom of religion and due to her travels she has seen when that was taken away what could happen, and she would never try to impose her religion on anyone else, and I liked her saying that. She spoke out on that guy above attitude about the way he treats women and minorities, when asked about those topics too, and how we all agree that he has a serious issue.
So many have preconceived reasons, and many are able to back up those reasons with justified commentary on the why that we should not vote for Hillary.
Truthfulness, past wrong decision making in major situations, all backed up with very logical reasoning.
But, and this is me playing devil's advocate, in the horrid possibility in what if Bernie doesn't get the nomination?
I'm just saying...
None of my sane friends would ever vote for that Frothy Orange Haired guy, and so then what?
Not vote at all or do as some are suggesting, write in someone they hold in high regard or even their own names? Where would that get us as a nation, truly?
Come on folks we have got to get real, realistic, what will you do if that should happen, I am speaking if your candidate doesn't get the nomination????
Throw the towel in and not vote at all???????????
That would be ridiculous!
Although, you must admit the possibility exists we might end up with only two choices, Frothy Orange Haired guy or Hillary, and if that were the case who would you chose, seriously?
No one can deny the fact that as a first lady, senator, and secretary of state that she has the most governmental experience, true?
You know what I find interesting is that of the two democratic candidates we talk about them and call them by their first names, so familiar, as if friends or family, but when the republican candidates are discussed it is always by their last names, as strangers, rather intriguing and telling, I think.
Definitely not a respect issue, since if I could acquire all the horrid things the GOP candidates have said on a daily basis about almost any topic, and about each other or other people or our current commander and chief, there is no question that any of them gives a figs' ass whether they have our R-E-S-P-E-C-T or anyone else's, how truly very sad!
I cannot in my truest feelings say that I have given up on Bernie, because I have not.
It is just my consideration of a back up plan.
That in life, I have found out is a very necessary thing to cope with any of those glitches that happen to make us all at times have to rethink our ways of handling things.
It is called compromise. 
At this point just suppositions on my part.
But such is life...
Thinking again, my bad or good or what else do I have to do, really?

On this note of taking our future seriously, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy healthy safe and peaceful good night and ask you all to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know whom and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!


Monday, April 4, 2016

Hold My Horses! A bit of this and thats too!

No, I will not be getting my new ride this week, it will take at least until the end of this month or there about.
Yep, I am speaking about my motorized wheelchair.
According to Rick, the chair man, motorized species i.e. wheelchairs, said that it usually takes six weeks, but that I am on a faster track since mine is coming from the VA, a demo model, with more bells and whistles that have been determined that I do and will need.
Today was measuring day and finishing up what had been started last week before I fell.


Moving on...

What is it with people?
Just because you live in a fancy gated community does not mean that you should leave your car unlocked!
Twenty-five vehicles in gated communities were not broken into locally, only due to the fact the thieves did not have to break into them, because people were nice enough to leave their cars unlocked, so all they had to do was open the doors and take whatever they wanted!
People, people this is the twenty-first century, not the nineteen fifties you, so be diligent and you must lock your car and your home too!
Too bad the world isn't more honest, but sadly it is not, best advice is to grow up to that not nice reality!

While I am at it, does anyone out there live today in an area where they can leave their homes or cars open without anything bad happening, really?
I'm curious, I would love to know there is such a place.

We had spring-like weather this morning in the high fifties to low sixties, but quickly warmed up to our norms of low eighties!
All week long it appears that will be the case.

Moving on again...

Hubby installed a diamond patterned metal plate at the end of my ramp 1'X3' to the front door; the rest of the ramp is treated lumber, but the part that meets the walkway to the front door had splintered, so now it looks and functions much better. Thank you Hubby!
He is also in organizational mode getting together the parts for the van ramp to rest on, padding and plywood that we already had, but had to be located in our vast storage areas, and so Hubby did assemble those items too!

On this note of that is what's what these days in my small world, and so now allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy healthy safe and peaceful good night and ask you all to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know whom and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!






Sunday, April 3, 2016

Ex...cuse... me!

Hubby has been doing research and I will more than likely be going back to PT, physical therapy, even with my ride, it appears to be recommended to prevent muscle atrophy.
Sadly, I do know what that is, since I very nearly did have it back in 1997 when I could not walk for those six months, but I did go to physical, occupational and neuro muscular massage therapy then and so it was somewhat prevented, but it was a very close call. I have been eighteen times since then.
I knew I was in trouble when they put me in the swimming pool there at the rehab and asked me to try to walk backwards in the water, and my legs wouldn't go.
Yep, a truly close call!
But after appropriate therapy for six months and after going to Aquacise class after, then as a student; and I  had loved it so much, it was taught by an adorable eighty-five year old with an musical accompaniment, her tapes!
We did the Macarena, Chicken dance, Hokey Pokey etc. as well as moving our individual body parts in all different directions, the water allowed for all those sweet maneuvers without pain and quite a bit of  amazing fluidity, pun intended; not able to do on land.
They recruited me to teach, and set me up with the proper people to become certified, and so I taught there first as a substitute and then for five days a week, all volunteering!
It was through the Arthritis Foundation that it all came about, and at the time it was a free program for all, a fifty minute class. I was in my late forties then and my students' mean age was about seventy-five or there about. They soon became my surrogate parents, all those cuties!
I also started teaching at a fancy retirement village called South Port Square with an indoor Olympic sized pool, I taught a total of four years.
Until my own medical issues stopped me.
I had surgery.
And then I never returned.
Although, what I had learned stayed with me to help myself, to do my own regime in my own swimming pool; until I had gotten Squamous cell carcinoma on my left facial cheek last June and had MOHS surgery circa 2015, causing me to then become sun shy.
The indoor pool at the rehab is kept too warm for me anyway, at over ninety degrees most days, the recommendation is for an eighty-five degree pool, coincidentally the same number of the age of that sassy senior that initially got me interested in teaching the class.
Heat is my enemy and causes spasms in Multiple sclerosis.
So that is my dilemma with utilizing their pool.
Any-who, I have been reconditioned in my mind to know that I will have to be more open minded about my future with each and every aspect of this insidious disease that can be self-willed to do what it may, but some intervention might slow it a bit if I do not give up!

On that note of retraining my mindset, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy healthy safe and peaceful good night and ask you all to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know whom and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!








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