Lady with the Cane.com

I got my flu shot early this winter. I know I did. My son got his also and we both agreed it was totally painless. We were prepared and we anticipated the dreaded winter illness with our armors on. So far it's worked for him and I pray that continues. As for myself...well, I believe my luck may not be as solid as his. I have had a headache since Friday and awoke with an ear ache, sore throat, and nausea this morning. Thank goodness we had a snow day. I just do not think I can take a "sick day" from school with a clear conscious. We have missed so many days of school this year because of Mother Nature's desire to provide the first real winter we have had in a while. With any luck I will rise tomorrow with no residual effects of today's ickiness.That was two weeks ago. Last week a flu of a different kind ravaged my body. This time the chills were accompanied by diarhea, fever, and nausea; as well as two nights of restless sleep and painful leg aches. Unfortuna

I ran into a fellow MS sufferer today. When she asked about my meds, I admitted that I stopped "using" three years ago this February. She, too, is no longer "shooting up"; We agreed that this was probably the best decision we had made in our individual journeys with Multipled Sclerosis. The symptoms we suffered while self-injecting still plague us, but with little to no progression. We are saving money and free of the chemicals that filled our bodies back then and getting to the bathroom in time is just as difficult now as it was then. We still have MS and we still feel lousy but without the additional side-effects that medication often  creates. I guess that's a good thing; but rather disheartening in the battle against this horrible disease. Another friend halted meds several years ago, mainly because of the expense and the lack of insurance assistance. Her symptoms were and are quite a bit different from mine. She is now in a wheelchair and unable to totally

Fifty-five years ago today God gave my parents a perfect little prize (yep, I'm selling it!). I was born on my paternal grandmother's birthday and spent most of my growing up years attempting (and failing miserably) to emulate that southern grace that demanded immediate attention. She was a lovely lady, and never without her perfectly applied coral or rose hued nail polish. Her shoes always matched her dress and her hair was never out of place. Gurney was the poster person of elegance. Thirteen years ago any hope of growing old gracefully (as did my grandmother) was shot down without warning, nor the consideration of preparation. At that point my closet full of designer high heals joined in a chorus of "mwaa ha ha's" while I was crawling home from my last walk to the public library. (If you don't know my story, it can be read on my How Are You Dealing with the Winter Weather? post.) MS grounded me to the life of flat heals and securely fastened foot wear. Wi