Lady with the Cane.com

Before leaving for the center of the universe, I have some exciting events that I hope you will attend. My third  book Opening Pandora's Box  is a hot ticket item so make sure you hook up with me soon to get your copy and find out what happened at the conclusion of Raspberry Beret ! Thursday, June 20, 4-?: Downtown Fairmont at The Artisan's Shop tables                 HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WEST VIRGINIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Saturday, June 22, 1-3 at Barnes and Noble in Morgantown                 C'mon, all you Mo-Town readers, I would love to see you there! Saturday, June 22, 4-5, at The Artisan Shop Grand Reopening in Fairmont.                  This is an AWESOME new business that carries all area crafted items. Beautiful jewelry and fantastic gift items! (Oh, and my books:)

Before leaving for the center of the universe, I have some exciting events that I hope you will attend. My third  book Opening Pandora's Box  is a hot ticket item so make sure you hook up with me soon to get your copy and find out what happened at the conclusion of Raspberry Beret ! Thursday, June 20, 4-?: Downtown Fairmont at The Artisan's Shop tables                 HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WEST VIRGINIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Saturday, June 22, 1-3 at Barnes and Noble in Morgantown                 C'mon, all you Mo-Town readers, I would love to see you there! Saturday, June 22, 4-5, at The Artisan Shop Grand Reopening in Fairmont.                  This is an AWESOME new business that carries all area crafted items. Beautiful jewelry and fantastic gift items! (Oh, and my books:)

     Ten steps...that's all...maybe not even that many.  I could almost touch the door knob to the sterile tile bathroom located near my hospital bed. So, why wouldn't my legs cooperate and take me there? And where was a nurse when you needed one?      After two day of relative solitary confinement being prodded, probed, and pinched I was ready for a little independence.      But that was not to be.      And I really had no one to talk to about what was happening to me.      My husband didn't seem too concerned about my condition. He blamed it on an over consumption of alcohol. (I was the mother of a six month old nursing child. When did I have the time or desire to "tie one on"?)      My baby was in the care of a good friend who had graciously taken time off work to be a surrogate mother. (She later became my husband's fourth wife. Go figure.)      My mother was on vacation with her sisters somewhere in Tennessee. I was afraid to call Dad because I didn't

     Ten steps...that's all...maybe not even that many.  I could almost touch the door knob to the sterile tile bathroom located near my hospital bed. So, why wouldn't my legs cooperate and take me there? And where was a nurse when you needed one?      After two day of relative solitary confinement being prodded, probed, and pinched I was ready for a little independence.      But that was not to be.      And I really had no one to talk to about what was happening to me.      My husband didn't seem too concerned about my condition. He blamed it on an over consumption of alcohol. (I was the mother of a six month old nursing child. When did I have the time or desire to "tie one on"?)      My baby was in the care of a good friend who had graciously taken time off work to be a surrogate mother. (She later became my husband's fourth wife. Go figure.)      My mother was on vacation with her sisters somewhere in Tennessee. I was afraid to call Dad because I didn

Incontinence      A friend of mine used this word once in describing strange physical symptoms she was experiencing. Due to her tendency to being the definitive hypochondriac, I really didn't think much about that particular word or its meaning and just nodded in requisite agreement.      When the word popped up again during D-Day (Diagnosis Day) my mind raced to recall the first time I had ever heard it. I immediately cringed in sympathy for anyone who experienced such a degrading, animalistic situation.      And then I realized that I HAD experienced incontinence; but I had associated it with a probably urinary tract infection for which I was prone.      Pre-diagnosis, I can remember sitting in traffic and being mortified to feel my bladder totally empty onto the plush, black upholstery of my snazzy l'il sports car. It was a warm day. I had driven several miles aware of a need to relieve myself, but confident that I could and I would make it to the next fast food rest room ri

Incontinence      A friend of mine used this word once in describing strange physical symptoms she was experiencing. Due to her tendency to being the definitive hypochondriac, I really didn't think much about that particular word or its meaning and just nodded in requisite agreement.      When the word popped up again during D-Day (Diagnosis Day) my mind raced to recall the first time I had ever heard it. I immediately cringed in sympathy for anyone who experienced such a degrading, animalistic situation.      And then I realized that I HAD experienced incontinence; but I had associated it with a probably urinary tract infection for which I was prone.      Pre-diagnosis, I can remember sitting in traffic and being mortified to feel my bladder totally empty onto the plush, black upholstery of my snazzy l'il sports car. It was a warm day. I had driven several miles aware of a need to relieve myself, but confident that I could and I would make it to the next fast food rest roo

So, this afternoon my son and I were eating at Subway in our neighborhood Walmart, when a turbaned lady (and her shopping cart) was led shakily to the seat next to us. She immediately  dropped her turquoise covered head to her lap and quietly threw up on the floor. Her face was covered in a faint sheen of perspiration and she did not raise her eyes even when a kindly Walmart employee came to tell her that her husband was being paged. He approached quickly and gently wiped her face with a napkin before the Subway manager brought her a wet paper towel and invited her to wash her hands. I did my best not to give the situation much obvious attention, but my heart went out to them. Of course my imagination filled in as many blanks as possible, what with her head wrapped in a colorful cloth and the evidence of her physical condition. I silently prayed that the chemo/radiation  was helping and that her nausea will disappear soon. What is the proper attitude to have when confronted with an obv

So, this afternoon my son and I were eating at Subway in our neighborhood Walmart, when a turbaned lady (and her shopping cart) was led shakily to the seat next to us. She immediately  dropped her turquoise covered head to her lap and quietly threw up on the floor. Her face was covered in a faint sheen of perspiration and she did not raise her eyes even when a kindly Walmart employee came to tell her that her husband was being paged. He approached quickly and gently wiped her face with a napkin before the Subway manager brought her a wet paper towel and invited her to wash her hands. I did my best not to give the situation much obvious attention, but my heart went out to them. Of course my imagination filled in as many blanks as possible, what with her head wrapped in a colorful cloth and the evidence of her physical condition. I silently prayed that the chemo/radiation  was helping and that her nausea will disappear soon. What is the proper attitude to have when confronted with an

Not long ago, a colleague of mine suggested that it would be great for me to write about my relationship with multiple sclerosis. At first I thought that was a silly idea. Who wants to read about someone else's disease? Since then I have had the privilege of reading several personal experiences with life altering conditions and have found them extremely interesting, inspiring and helpful. So, here is my first installment in what I plan to write here over the summer. We'll see if it draws a crowd or if it simply serves to help me vent:) *********************************************************************************     So... this morning I woke up with heavy, dark pouches under my eyes. I went to bed before 11 PM, I was not partying, I did my daily exercise and even added an extra ten minutes of yoga. I've been a good girl lately. Low fat diet (okay, I did put cheese on my burger last night...but I did not  snack). My weight is below 130 and my BMI averages at 22. Not b