So much fodder...

Going on in the big bad world right now - I have a ton of thoughts on all of it but none of it worth blathering about on here... I thought I'd blather about other things that I do want to talk about tonight.

First, I must perform a bow of respect to Herrad over Access Denied for granting me my award...

I promise to find some new blogs to open my horizons and view different perspectives, both about and not-about MS, and pass along the gracious bow to them!! Thank you!!

First of all - It's one of my regular visits and I LOVE the way she's able to put into words all of those "weird" feelings we get:

My Journey with MS
Thank you Kimberly! For you tireless courage to keep on keepin on!!

Crohn'S Disease - Living with Crohn's Disease Blog
Our myelin is not the only thing our immune disease likes to feast on! Scottie Roy puts an athletic face on this disease - which is luckily becoming more common! It's amazing how much the diseases have in common!

Confessions of a CF Husband
The amazing triumph of this family is amazing!! Just drop by there - plenty of good writing and lots of pics of a cute kiddo - what's not to love??!?!

The OTHER mother
Families come in all shapes and sizes and this one happens to have 2 mothers. Can be political but covers a lot of fun stuff, with a unique perspective.

Texas 2 Tennessee
Well, if you can't promote your friends shamelessly, what's the use of having a soapbox??? A member of my family's journey to find herself amid this adventure we call life!!

WoW!! Going through all my blogs that I drop by and visit I wish I had enough room to write a personal note for each one!! I want to say thank you to all of y'all that take the time to share with others online!

Recovery day...

From a non-MS related issue. Nope, this time the issue is Vegas. Sheesh - I'm tired!! Course, when you average going to bed at around 2 in the morning and getting up around 8 or 9, plus a lot of walking aaround and sight-seeing. Luckily, this was not my first time to the city that never sleeps so I didn't have to hit all the main tourist spots that I did last time. Course, I still haven't seen the pirate ship sinking at Treasure Island....

We all gathered in that wonderful sin city for a friend's 50th birthday party. We had a blast!! And, I got to see the divine Miss M up close and personal!! She is so freakin amazing!! I love Bette Midler!!! And her show was soooooo gooooooooood!!! Hilarious and yet very touching, I cried through my laughter throughout my show.

So, today I was able to take off just to rest. And, not because of horrible fatigue but just because I needed it. That's only the 2nd time this year that I have taken a day off not due to vacation or sickness!! I had to tell my supervisor this morning that I was fine, I just wanted to take the day off. She laughed and said that was a new one for me!! And, then granted my request. That's okay - I'll take them donuts tomorrow. They probably know that, too!!

Course, the day I get to be a bit lazy and just do some laundry from the trip and finish unpacking - the cable goes out!! Shnikeys! I hate comcast, I really do. I miss Time Warner Cable. They reset the box and it still doesn't work. I'll wait til the honey gets home and puts her technical mind to work on it - if that doesn't work then I guess we'll have to call a tech out.

I didn't take even close to as many pics on this little trip but I did take a few... including this one of my appetizer of fried green tomatoes topped with goat cheese and chicken salad (made with balsamic vinagrette). I would have never imagined the taste that came from that... here's the picture of the original presentation! Amazing - so, if you ever get to Vegas and want to go where the locals go and don't mind going off strip - The Hash House is the place for you! If you go at lunch - have your leather on cuz that's when the original bikers come out that originally made the place!!

What's not to love about a food with Monkey in it's title....

I love Monkey Bread. I remember waking up to it as a kid, my mom baking it. She did it the real way, making it from scratch - kneading the dough and letting it rise and then roping it around and around the bundt pan. I found the short-cut way to really good Monkey bread that doesn't take all day. So, we enjoyed the hell out of it on a Sunday morning and then I passed along the good cheer this morning to my co-workers.

Course, before you go all thinking I'm a generous sort-of person - my theory is this... If I'm going down then I'm taking as many people with me as possible!! I can't just sneak into Shipleys and buy myself a couple of donuts... I make sure and bring some for other people, too. Again, I want passengers on my short-bus to hell!!!! My co-workers call me evil for this but I know loyalty can be bought with food at work among cubicle buddies!!!!

I survived our heat index of 107 on Saturday. Luckily my little charm played early in the morning and I got to see 3 of the games. The little ones were not excited about this and were not happy to be playing at that time. I wonder if it was us, though, considering they won the next game after I was not there 16-2!!! I didn't even need my terminator vest until the 3rd game. I was tired afterwards but it was so worth it. My little sweetheart did very well and I was so proud of her. I cannot imagine loving a little one so much!!!!

I'm just chillin at home right now - after 40 minutes on the bike at home. It felt wonderful. My legs didn't spasm too much even. I need to get a fan for that room cuz it seemed a little warm but I kept the water in me. Life is pretty good right now. Even better - we're going to Vegas this weekend AND AND AND AND I get to see Bette Midler at Caesar's!!! WOOOO HOOOOO!!!

One of those summers...

In Texas... In SE Texas... Below sea-level... Surrounded by water.. (we have bayous)....

We've already had 3 days with a heat index over 100 this week. Not even normal by our standards. We're supposed to hit 98 tomorrow with a heat index possibly over 110!

Can you do the math? I can (even though I suck at it and was more of the English nerd). Heat+MS=SUCKS ASS!!

My niece, who I must brag about --- is only 8 1/4 and she's playing softball with a 10/11 year-old team --- is playing a softball tournament in the town I'm living in. I haven't been able to really see her recently (I don't see how my brother does it with 3 kiddos!) with her schedule. I'm sooooo psyched to see her play.

Yet, I'm still very crabby right now. Extremely crabby. Why? Because I hate the heat because I might not be able to sit out there for 2 measley games at 9 and 11 am. Without my cooling vest I might not be able to make it through 1 game.

Seriously, I have to "plan" to see my nieces and nephews and friends and friends' kids play anything outside. Because, had the games been at 11 and 1 then I would only be able to make 1 game and have to meet them later for lunch. Because of my fucking MS I have to check the heat index now starting 4 days ago until around, well, November now with this type of Indian summer (and, considering I'm 1/32nd Cherokee I can say that).

WTF? I mean, seriously, I'm worse off than all those other children out there in the hot sun playing baseball and softball that need to drink a ton of gatorade and keep in the shade. Remember as a kid when we did all that? And then went to our bff house and stayed up til 4 am watching who's the boss and hoped to catch a glimpse of Tomcat before he had the cat (and lost his mind?!?!)

I'll have to apologize now for the rambling, no-sense making muck coming from my fingers tonight. I got pissy this evening when the other half made me promise that I would leave the game if she felt I was getting over-heated. Really... no, my niece is not going to have a missing Aunt. I had a favorite aunt growing up and she meant a lot more to me than my mother and other family members sometimes. I'm this aunt with this niece. And, I'm not just bragging. Her dad (my brother) and his wife and my step-mom and dad and other brother have said how much my niece talks about me and worships me... I can't let that down. I'm her Aunt... I'm the one she's going to call/text/cyber-chat at 3 am from her soroirity house at 2 am after she's gotten way too drunk over some stupid jock that cheated on her... me, not anyone else...

Yet, if I can't make a few fucking games now - because of this stupid disease - will I still get that?? I know, there's a lot of gray in that area when she's only 8 1/4 now... but, but, BUTTT-shnickeys limoney-cricket mfucks... it still sucks.

SIGH.

I'll wear my terminator vest and take my coolor to the stands with my 2nd set of ice-packs and hug the shit out of the cutest little blonde that'll hopefully grow out of her scary resemblence to me very soon!!! Not even thinking about the possibilities of not being able to pick her up and twirl her around me with the greatest face.... That'll at least remind me of why I do those damn shots every night, right?

Whopping 100!!...

I cannot believe this is my 100th posting!!! WOW - I know I'm full of it but damn! Good thing I put a filter on... just kidding!!

I was going to get to this post last week but just when you think you've snuck around the corner from your MS... It pops out behind you and scares the pee out of you!!! And I use that analogy because that's exactly what my MS is NOT doing to me!!!

I have noticed that those of us in this MS universe have no problem discussing our bodily functions. We can't - it's too much of our daily vocabulary to ignore it. Then, even if we try - our lovely doctors, nurses, PA's, NP's, and all those other lovely medical professions potty-mouth train us early on...

Last Saturday - normal visit to the in-laws in Jamaica Beach. Didn't feel as active as I normally did but it was the first day of all relaxation since returning from the wedding/honeymoon trip. Didn't think anything of it. Spent all day there and got home and was tired. Normal. Then, Sunday morning happened. I thought I'd been run over by a Mack truck towing a yacht followed by an 18 wheeler moving van. And, on top of that - running a fever. Nothing too high but fear initiated!

Woke up Monday and no better - even worse because later Sunday I developed some horridly horrible stomach cramps and nothing was staying inside the body. And, when I try to empty the bladder, it wants to hold onto it a little longer before releasing it. Fever still there = staying home curled in a ball with the heating pad. Which, was not fun considering I was burning up!! Tuesday was an exact repeat of Monday. Plus, the wonderfully new symptom of a burn where the sun don't shine and there should never be a burn!! When I woke up Wednesday to nothing changed - I finally broke down and called the doc.

Got in later that morning and they suspected what I suspected... the dreaded UTI, possible bladder infection. I peed in their damn cup and gave it back to them. The doc prescribed Macrobid and ordered me without caffeine and chocolate. Let me just pause and give you the image of me while finding out that news: I am a police officer, therefore I own guns. It was also that time of the month for me... SOOOO telling me no chocolate AND caffeine - I warned the doc there might be dire consequences to that order.... I mean, I was planning on going right home after the doc visit but I did have to be in traffic!!! She told me I needed to do that while on the antibiotics. Sigh - let living hell begin.

I go home and start the damn pills. I give up my damn caffeine and chocolate. I still feel like crap the next morning but the fever starts to break. I'm going to the bathroom 80 times an hour due to all the water and cranberry juice I'm drinking. By mid-day I can't look at the TV or my computer or my book because my head starts hurting so bad. I'm thinking it's a major caffeine withdrawal headache - I think I probably drink too much caffeine. I suck it up and take a pain pill and chill. Until Friday when the headache only gets worse and worse and fever starts to become an issue again... I finally break down and call the doc back and let her nurse know how my head's about to explode all over my newly painted walls. She says the doc will call me back..

The doc calls me back and tells me that if the headache doesn't get any better by tomorrow morning she would suggest going to the emergency care clinic. She also tells me to stop the antibiotics - apparently there was not enough bacteria in my pee-pee to make me keep taking such a strong antibiotic. I can also drink a smaller amount of caffeine. I try the caffeine and the headache eases slightly but still have no tolerance for looking at anything. The doc then calls me again Sat morning and tells me that she wants me to come back to the clinic to get some blood drawn for a kidney function test. She knows I have MS and knows that minor bladder issues can cause big MS issues if left un-figured-out. I appreciate her effort and can tell she doesn't like to not have a diagnosis. ( I don't think she's equal to House since I wasn't in an ER with all sorts of crap hooked up to me and besides, I don't have big enough boobs for him.)

I go and let them draw one of the big tubes of blood from me. The first outing from my house since the previous Saturday. We stop for a quick wally-world visit and I'm beat. Literally, almost passing out from exhaustion and nausea has set in. The headache has become a dull roar and manageable. I can watch TV but no reading. I figure I'm going to wait to see what doc says about my blood. The fever has broken and I'm not in the fetal position anymore. Sunday was not too bad. Still not feeling better than 80-85% but that's better than the 5% from Wednesday.

Doc called this morning and now wants me to pee in the bucket for 24 hours. Still working on how I can do that and go to work - I'm thinking that's not going to happen... Hopefully it can be done on the weekend. I can't afford to miss anymore work. Her nurse was supposed to call me back to tell me what clinic to pick up the wonderful supplies for that one... Apparently my creatinine was slightly elevated. And, when I say slightly - mine's apparently 1.04 on a .5 to 1.00 scale. I found one site that said anything between .2 to 1.5 was normal for an adult female... so wondering...

Oh, I did forget to tell y'all about the hot flashes that started around Saturday morning... I feel like I'm burning up and start sweating like I've just run a couple of miles but my temp will be normal - even a low-grade (lowest was around 97.6). And, when I stand up or bend over I get a wonderful head rush full of dizziness and not knowing if I'm going to be able to stand back up or fall flat on my hind-quarters!!! FUN!

You know, I was wondering what the hell I was going to write about for my 100th post... Here I was thinking I was going to write about my MS here lately - and how it had fallen slightly off edge (it's never really in the back of my mind). Doc's nurse said they were concerned because apparently extra creatinine means muscle wasting... and that's not good since my lazy ass has not been doing anything using my muscles lately. And, I have to admit - everything about that phrase scares the holy living crap outta me.

Holy crappola! Maybe I should have tried to limit this post to 100 words. Round 4,287 vs. MS - dammit - no KO for me (and the TKO is a long long long LONG LONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNG time coming!)