Lady with the Cane.com

Okay, it is happening, just as I anticipated; my blogging activity is just as lame as it was before I committed to chronicling (That's an awkward word, if it is even a word at all.) my Tecfidera journey. WVU, my favorite college team and one of my Alma Maters, played in the Liberty Bowl yesterday and demanded my attention. With husband and his good friend (and WVU buddy), we huddled around the big screen downstairs to "tailgate" with our Mountaineers. It was a heart breaking couple of hours, full of ups and downs, nacho chips, cold beer (Yep, I was a bad girl, but did my best to keep things under control.), and comraderry (I have spell checked over and over again and I cannot find the correct spelling of this word, but I know it is a word!) Anyway, here I am again after taking dose thirteen and on the last day of 120mg installments of this new and mysterious MS treatment. I am very nervous about "upping" the dose tomorrow to 240mg twice a day. I want to have fai

Okay, it is happening, just as I anticipated; my blogging activity is just as lame as it was before I committed to chronicling (That's an awkward word, if it is even a word at all.) my Tecfidera journey. WVU, my favorite college team and one of my Alma Maters, played in the Liberty Bowl yesterday and demanded my attention. With husband and his good friend (and WVU buddy), we huddled around the big screen downstairs to "tailgate" with our Mountaineers. It was a heart breaking couple of hours, full of ups and downs, nacho chips, cold beer (Yep, I was a bad girl, but did my best to keep things under control.), and comraderry (I have spell checked over and over again and I cannot find the correct spelling of this word, but I know it is a word!) Anyway, here I am again after taking dose thirteen and on the last day of 120mg installments of this new and mysterious MS treatment. I am very nervous about "upping" the dose tomorrow to 240mg twice a day. I want to have f

I was a little worried this morning when I realized that I had slept until nearly 9:30 because my drug routine scheduled me to take my Tec at 8:00; but I swallowed a baby aspirin and prepared breakfast for my son and husband to give the aspirin a head start. After a bowl of Rice Chex and a cup of coffee I took dose 9 and I have suffered so side effects today. It's been a busy day and I am happy with my little accomplishments. I thoroughly cleaned my laundry room and shampooed the rug where the litter box is located. My cat's "space" is clean again. I hope she appreciates it. When I was younger I used to take on cleaning projects with a vengeance, scrubbing, dusting, vacuuming, shining, tossing old stuff...I have discovered with a few years o me and the inconvenience of MS that I am much more productive taking my tasks in small measure with little rests in between. So, after the basement cleaning, I picked up a borrowed library book and allowed Joy Fielding to suck me

I was a little worried this morning when I realized that I had slept until nearly 9:30 because my drug routine scheduled me to take my Tec at 8:00; but I swallowed a baby aspirin and prepared breakfast for my son and husband to give the aspirin a head start. After a bowl of Rice Chex and a cup of coffee I took dose 9 and I have suffered so side effects today. It's been a busy day and I am happy with my little accomplishments. I thoroughly cleaned my laundry room and shampooed the rug where the litter box is located. My cat's "space" is clean again. I hope she appreciates it. When I was younger I used to take on cleaning projects with a vengeance, scrubbing, dusting, vacuuming, shining, tossing old stuff...I have discovered with a few years o me and the inconvenience of MS that I am much more productive taking my tasks in small measure with little rests in between. So, after the basement cleaning, I picked up a borrowed library book and allowed Joy Fielding to suck m

Well, I am still breathing and am experiencing no weird symptoms other than the horrible flushing  that seems to have abated; possibly due to the bay aspirin; possibly due to multiple doses and my body adapting to this new intrusion of chemicals. Such is the way with MS. Everything is an hypothesis (one of my students favorite vocabulary words as they find it comes in handy at times of class argument). So, to clear up the mud a bit, "Tecfidera [dimethyl fumarate] is a prescription medicine used to treat people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis." Got that? Tells you everything needed, right? Tecfidera is a pill form of MS treatment that is far less painful than the alternating-daily needle of Beta Seron that I once  enjoyed. Just because it is less painful to consume makes it no less scary, though. I mean, putting any alien chemical in one's body is not  and had never been on my bucket list of life experiences. I will admit that I like beer and thoroughly enjoy a

Well, I am still breathing and am experiencing no weird symptoms other than the horrible flushing  that seems to have abated; possibly due to the bay aspirin; possibly due to multiple doses and my body adapting to this new intrusion of chemicals. Such is the way with MS. Everything is an hypothesis (one of my students favorite vocabulary words as they find it comes in handy at times of class argument). So, to clear up the mud a bit, "Tecfidera [dimethyl fumarate] is a prescription medicine used to treat people with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis." Got that? Tells you everything needed, right? Tecfidera is a pill form of MS treatment that is far less painful than the alternating-daily needle of Beta Seron that I once  enjoyed. Just because it is less painful to consume makes it no less scary, though. I mean, putting any alien chemical in one's body is not  and had never been on my bucket list of life experiences. I will admit that I like beer and thoroughly enjoy

My son seems to fell a bit better today. The pediatrician advised me to fill him with clear liquids, use Motrin as needed for fever, and adhere to the BRAT diet when his appetite returns. He ate a small ball of chicken broth and noodles for supper and all is going well for now. I, on the other hand, am tolerating dose four with much more success. Thanks to my FB MSers for their advice of using baby aspirin prior to taking my Tec and encouraging me to drink plenty of water. It didn't really help last night, but today I feel more like myself. Of course, each event will undoubtedly result in a differing reaction.  After thirteen years of living with MS, my symptoms are becoming more mainstream and recently I have been introduced to random pains that I had read about but not experienced. My drop foot has been consistent since 2001, but so far it has only affected my right foot. Sometimes lately my left foot seems to want to join the party. I use a can more often than not and even when

My son seems to fell a bit better today. The pediatrician advised me to fill him with clear liquids, use Motrin as needed for fever, and adhere to the BRAT diet when his appetite returns. He ate a small ball of chicken broth and noodles for supper and all is going well for now. I, on the other hand, am tolerating dose four with much more success. Thanks to my FB MSers for their advice of using baby aspirin prior to taking my Tec and encouraging me to drink plenty of water. It didn't really help last night, but today I feel more like myself. Of course, each event will undoubtedly result in a differing reaction.  After thirteen years of living with MS, my symptoms are becoming more mainstream and recently I have been introduced to random pains that I had read about but not experienced. My drop foot has been consistent since 2001, but so far it has only affected my right foot. Sometimes lately my left foot seems to want to join the party. I use a can more often than not and

Merry Christmas to all! The flushing began this afternoon hours after swallowing my third dose of Tecfidera. It was awful. My skin (full body) turned a nice Christmas red and I felt like a swarm of fire ants had taken over as a new skin covering. I was hot to the touch and the chills set in for nearly an hour. It is difficult to separate the sensation from that of what my son is feeling with his holiday bout of the flu. Once the heat diminished and the chills abated, I felt certain it wasn't the flu (not yet, at least) and directed my panic to the internet to question other Tec users about my symptoms. It seems this is nothing unusual and I was gifted with several suggestions. I plan to take a baby aspirin twenty minutes prior to my next dose and was told to drink lots of water. We'll see... Other than my crazy pal MS and my son's flu, this has been a nice family day. I just hope that he didn't give too much of himself to the rest of the family. I am truly sorry that hi

Merry Christmas to all! The flushing began this afternoon hours after swallowing my third dose of Tecfidera. It was awful. My skin (full body) turned a nice Christmas red and I felt like a swarm of fire ants had taken over as a new skin covering. I was hot to the touch and the chills set in for nearly an hour. It is difficult to separate the sensation from that of what my son is feeling with his holiday bout of the flu. Once the heat diminished and the chills abated, I felt certain it wasn't the flu (not yet, at least) and directed my panic to the internet to question other Tec users about my symptoms. It seems this is nothing unusual and I was gifted with several suggestions. I plan to take a baby aspirin twenty minutes prior to my next dose and was told to drink lots of water. We'll see... Other than my crazy pal MS and my son's flu, this has been a nice family day. I just hope that he didn't give too much of himself to the rest of the family. I am truly sorry tha

I will be taking a 120MG capsule twice a day for seven days before graduating to 240 MG twice a day. Tecfidera is very much recommended by my neurologist, but I do not know how excited I am about it. It is frightening knowing of the unanswered questions about  what this drug could do to my brain. Two hours after taking my first dose, I experienced a severe hot flash , which I assume is the flushing  side effect of Tecfidera. Accompanying this sensation my skin started burning and itching, especially the back of my neck and my forearms. The skin on my arms became bright red and splotchy. Then I was overcome with a full body chill . Everything but my face felt cold, probably due to the rise in my body temperature. It was all really quite awful. Supposedly these side effects will lessen with time. I can only hope. I have prayed about my involvement with this drug for some time and I realize that it is wise to "be on something", as my doctor says, but I am still uncomfortable con

I will be taking a 120MG capsule twice a day for seven days before graduating to 240 MG twice a day. Tecfidera is very much recommended by my neurologist, but I do not know how excited I am about it. It is frightening knowing of the unanswered questions about  what this drug could do to my brain. Two hours after taking my first dose, I experienced a severe hot flash , which I assume is the flushing  side effect of Tecfidera. Accompanying this sensation my skin started burning and itching, especially the back of my neck and my forearms. The skin on my arms became bright red and splotchy. Then I was overcome with a full body chill . Everything but my face felt cold, probably due to the rise in my body temperature. It was all really quite awful. Supposedly these side effects will lessen with time. I can only hope. I have prayed about my involvement with this drug for some time and I realize that it is wise to "be on something", as my doctor says, but I am still uncomfortable

Allen Finger, the founder of Yoga Zone, says that yoga is not a "goal oriented pursuit", but I am forced to disagree. When the yogi lives with multiple sclerosis, every little thing is of goal oriented design. I am just happy to accomplish moving through my day with minimal falls, no sudden emotional outbursts, or wetting myself in public settings. There are so many goals to achieve during any given day that adding a yoga session is liked to running the Boston Marathon. In order to accomplish twenty minutes of gentle yoga, I must adopt the proper mindset, physical balance, and proper emotional attitude to reach the conclusion of my evening yoga session. Upon discovering Yoga Zone Gentle Yoga, I have realized that MS doesn't have to rob me of all physical activity. I have experimented with a variety of yoga routines and I truly appreciate the teachings of Sadie on Veria Network, Ellen Barrott from Prevention Magazine productions, and Baron Baptiste from the National Multip

Allen Finger, the founder of Yoga Zone, says that yoga is not a "goal oriented pursuit", but I am forced to disagree. When the yogi lives with multiple sclerosis, every little thing is of goal oriented design. I am just happy to accomplish moving through my day with minimal falls, no sudden emotional outbursts, or wetting myself in public settings. There are so many goals to achieve during any given day that adding a yoga session is liked to running the Boston Marathon. In order to accomplish twenty minutes of gentle yoga, I must adopt the proper mindset, physical balance, and proper emotional attitude to reach the conclusion of my evening yoga session. Upon discovering Yoga Zone Gentle Yoga, I have realized that MS doesn't have to rob me of all physical activity. I have experimented with a variety of yoga routines and I truly appreciate the teachings of Sadie on Veria Network, Ellen Barrott from Prevention Magazine productions, and Baron Baptiste from the National Mult

It's been a week since the memorial. It was two weeks ago when I last talked to her. I think I am ready to talk about it; but I will never be ready to accept it. Kind of counterproductive in the reality department, don't ya think? One cannot die from multiple sclerosis. That's what they tell us, but I believe these words less and less. Ironically her last words to me were " Love you.Thanks for all the goodies!" My last words to her were "we don't do this." Real inspirational, huh? I didn't know what else to say to her. I didn't know this was  my last  opportunity to visit with her. At the memorial service, her family did not wish for anyone besides the pastor to speak. I respect that decision and am actually glad for it. There were so many people there. We had to mourn in our own way. I need to talk about her now, though. She was my friend and little sister; related not in blood but in an age-old bond developed when I was dating her brother y

It's been a week since the memorial. It was two weeks ago when I last talked to her. I think I am ready to talk about it; but I will never be ready to accept it. Kind of counterproductive in the reality department, don't ya think? One cannot die from multiple sclerosis. That's what they tell us, but I believe these words less and less. Ironically her last words to me were " Love you.Thanks for all the goodies!" My last words to her were "we don't do this." Real inspirational, huh? I didn't know what else to say to her. I didn't know this was  my last  opportunity to visit with her. At the memorial service, her family did not wish for anyone besides the pastor to speak. I respect that decision and am actually glad for it. There were so many people there. We had to mourn in our own way. I need to talk about her now, though. She was my friend and little sister; related not in blood but in an age-old bond developed when I was dating her broth

When twelve year old Abigail Van Buren Masterson (yep, named after the infamous advice columnist) is told that she is going to attend the same school and live in the same town FOR-EVER, she is thrilled. This means that her BFF might actually take human form and she will no longer need to rely upon her diary to perform that duty. Wow and viola! She and her younger brother will have their own bedrooms and life might be normal. But, then she discovers that the reason for this magnificent life change is that her mother has an incurable disease. This incurable disease is Multiple Sclerosis. Last night the world lost a wonderful person to the complications of MS. The world is a darker place without the light and joy that my friend Jamie offered with her genuine smile and positive presence. Forty percent of all sales of my YA novel Abby will be donated to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in honor of Jamie (Feltz) Riley.  Thank you, Jamie, for being my friend.

Y'know, there are no guarantees in life. That is not breaking news, but the reality of it just stinks. No one promises that we will grow old to see our children graduate, marry, procreate. There is no security in knowing that our friends will always be only a phone call away. Our favorite authors cannot be depended upon to roll out our favorite characters on a regular schedule nor can we depend on favored entertainers to perform for us. And summer cannot go on "just one more week." Two weeks ago I could never imagine such a drastic change in my own life. When I discovered that one of my oldest (not chronologically; she's actually mush younger than I) friends was vacationing in the hospital for her third visit in a month, I immediately hit the highway in hopes of offering positive energy and words of encouragement. Jamie was diagnosed not long after I was, but with a much more emphatic announcement. I actually felt guilty visiting her, knowing that my MS had never reac

Y'know, there are no guarantees in life. That is not breaking news, but the reality of it just stinks. No one promises that we will grow old to see our children graduate, marry, procreate. There is no security in knowing that our friends will always be only a phone call away. Our favorite authors cannot be depended upon to roll out our favorite characters on a regular schedule nor can we depend on favored entertainers to perform for us. And summer cannot go on "just one more week." Two weeks ago I could never imagine such a drastic change in my own life. When I discovered that one of my oldest (not chronologically; she's actually mush younger than I) friends was vacationing in the hospital for her third visit in a month, I immediately hit the highway in hopes of offering positive energy and words of encouragement. Jamie was diagnosed not long after I was, but with a much more emphatic announcement. I actually felt guilty visiting her, knowing that my MS had never r

I have fallen twice today. Both the same way, in the same room, and injuring the same body parts. The side of my right foot is bruised, swollen and sore. My left knee, still raw and skinned after falling off of my bicycle yesterday (yep, that innocent looking adult trike at the bottom of the page), is now bleeding anew and my elbows are throbbing. I am very, very weary of falling. And I do not just fall, daintily to the ground. When I fall I get my money's worth. One minute I am standing just fine, with not a worry in the world...and in the next second I am propelled through space and am on my knees, my butt, my face, my back...wherever gravitational force takes me. It's as if there is some invisible magnet that draws me to the earth, sometimes in slow motion; often with the speed of sound. It is unpredictable, unnerving, humiliating, and frightening. I never know when it will happen or what my personal response will be. Already NOT looking forward to returning to my teacher jo

I have fallen twice today. Both the same way, in the same room, and injuring the same body parts. The side of my right foot is bruised, swollen and sore. My left knee, still raw and skinned after falling off of my bicycle yesterday (yep, that innocent looking adult trike at the bottom of the page), is now bleeding anew and my elbows are throbbing. I am very, very weary of falling. And I do not just fall, daintily to the ground. When I fall I get my money's worth. One minute I am standing just fine, with not a worry in the world...and in the next second I am propelled through space and am on my knees, my butt, my face, my back...wherever gravitational force takes me. It's as if there is some invisible magnet that draws me to the earth, sometimes in slow motion; often with the speed of sound. It is unpredictable, unnerving, humiliating, and frightening. I never know when it will happen or what my personal response will be. Already NOT looking forward to returning to my teach

A French neurologist named Jean Martin Charcot was the first person that actually recognized  Multiple Sclerosis  as a disease in the year of 1868. That was probably a very forward thing to do, considering that as recently as the 1950's individuals were still being institutionalized for their inexplicable symptoms. I can only imagine the number of men and women who were condemned as witches during those days in Salem. (This actually sounds like a good research topic. Hmmm...) I thank Jean Martin Charcot, though, for stepping up to the plate and announcing to the world that Multiple Sclerosis is a documented disease. For anyone who was aware of this proclamation at the time,   I am certain that their appreciation was strongly felt. Unfortunately, even with medical documentation, MS is still ridiculed as a "catch-all" for all of the unexplained symptoms and actions associated with the mysteries of the condition. I am so excited to be seeing my original neurologist in a few

A French neurologist named Jean Martin Charcot was the first person that actually recognized  Multiple Sclerosis  as a disease in the year of 1868. That was probably a very forward thing to do, considering that as recently as the 1950's individuals were still being institutionalized for their inexplicable symptoms. I can only imagine the number of men and women who were condemned as witches during those days in Salem. (This actually sounds like a good research topic. Hmmm...) I thank Jean Martin Charcot, though, for stepping up to the plate and announcing to the world that Multiple Sclerosis is a documented disease. For anyone who was aware of this proclamation at the time,   I am certain that their appreciation was strongly felt. Unfortunately, even with medical documentation, MS is still ridiculed as a "catch-all" for all of the unexplained symptoms and actions associated with the mysteries of the condition. I am so excited to be seeing my original neurologist in a

This morning I awoke with the same gluey eyes that  greet me every morning. Between allergies, age, an over active sinus condition, and macular degeneration in the left eye that plays with the cataract in the right eye, it is not surprising that my vision is not totally clear. But today it was different. Even after applying liquid tears and blinking to cover every nanno section of my eye balls, my eyesight was still incredibly fuzzy. I put on my eye glasses for reinforcement and found no improvement what so ever. When I closed my left eye, I had a fairly good clear view with my right eye; but when I alternated this little exercise, my left eye absolutely refused to clear at all. This just figured. My prescription changes yearly if not more frequently, but I just acquired new glasses two weeks ago in preparation for the new school year; plus it was time for the yearly change. My insurance would NOT agree to another eye exam without me even inquiring. And the deal I got on my new frames

This morning I awoke with the same gluey eyes that  greet me every morning. Between allergies, age, an over active sinus condition, and macular degeneration in the left eye that plays with the cataract in the right eye, it is not surprising that my vision is not totally clear. But today it was different. Even after applying liquid tears and blinking to cover every nanno section of my eye balls, my eyesight was still incredibly fuzzy. I put on my eye glasses for reinforcement and found no improvement what so ever. When I closed my left eye, I had a fairly good clear view with my right eye; but when I alternated this little exercise, my left eye absolutely refused to clear at all. This just figured. My prescription changes yearly if not more frequently, but I just acquired new glasses two weeks ago in preparation for the new school year; plus it was time for the yearly change. My insurance would NOT agree to another eye exam without me even inquiring. And the deal I got on my new fr