April 2021: Keep on Moving

[Sunshine 2]

MS creates some real challenges to keep on moving. It helps to inspire each other on how to find ways to move.

Did you stretch in your bed, swing your arms, roll side to side today? Or perhaps you did housework? Or exercised in a pool? Tracked your count of steps? Chased your cat around the home? Pushed the wheelchair wheels with your arms at the store? Post them here and we can support and egg each other on.

REMEMBER: this is a keep on moving thread, not keep on exercising! Any moving is important it doesnt have to be exercise! Even Science proves that

[agate]

So glad you felt up to posting this thread, Sunshine!

I can't say I'm doing much moving today aside from putting away groceries for a week but in the last two days I did two loads of laundry and put all of it away.

But I did lift a book off a shelf--the book on exercise I was in here promoting a while back, a freebie that a person can order. I had marked some pages in it, intending to do those exercises in addition to my usual ones, but somehow that book migrated to a shelf and stayed there for months.

I now have every intention of getting on with those extra routines.

[Virginia]

I think you could say I moved just a little today. I went to see my Doctor, then left there and went to the grocery store and stayed in there for about 1 1/2 hours. I looked at everything they had I think. So I walked and walked all that time, slow but nevertheless I walked. Then when I got home I had to make 4 trips down my walk carrying all those groceries and I had to put everything away. I considered calling a neighbor to help me carry groceries in, but she always likes to stand in my kitchen and talk to me while I put everything away. I was too tired tonight for conversation.

I actually think I was in there a little longer than that because I got there at about 5PM and left about 6:35PM. It was well after 7 before I got everything in and put away and I needed to eat.

Today when I left for the Doctor's office I was wearing a pull over sweater and a jacket. The jacket was a little warm and I almost left it in the car when I got to the grocery store, but I decided it my be a little cool in the store so I wore it. I was so glad I did. When I came out the wind was whipping and it dropped to 45 degrees while I was in the store. It was the wind that made it so cold.

[agate]

I don't know about other people but I find that what I wear really matters. I can understand being glad you thought to wear a jacket. Every time I've had something to on the patio in connection with the plants out there, I've tried to be careful not to be too cold or too warm. It makes a huge difference in how long I can spend out there.

[Sunshine 2]

Where is the “Like” button, the one that replaced “Thanks”?

[agate]

It's gone but only temporarily, I think. The people who know about the inner workings of this board are working on bringing it back.

There may be changes happening over time as they try to get the parts working together right. What we're looking at now may be the bare bones version, and things that are missing now may turn up later.

If you look at the smilies, you'll see that many aren't there, especially the older ones. They might come back eventually too.

I don't know much but I've noticed that it takes a lot of tinkering just to get one part of a message board (or any Website) to work OK with the other parts, and then there's the huge issue of how to get it work with everyone's device. We're no longer in a world where everyone on the Internet is in front of a desktop. They could be on a phone or other mobile device or .... Sometimes what works on one device won't work on another.

At least that's my impression but I'm looking at it from the vantage point of someone very much on the outskirts of this whole scene. Family members have been working in IT but what they're doing is fairly mysterious to me.

[agate]

Recent step counts:

March 30 - 1141 steps
March 31 - 3409 "
April 1 - 1036 "
April 2 - 2546 "
April 3 - 1375 "

Part of this day has been occupied wrestling with a new gadget, a spray mop that seemed like a good way to avoid trotting out a bucket of water and a sponge mop. I think I finally got it assembled.

Now I'm ready to rest.

[Virginia]

Great, great step count Agate. I did one load of wash, put clean linens on bed, polished the dinning room and the living room. So managed to get a little done in spite of not feeling well.

[agate]

That is so impressive, Virginia. I find polishing to be a task I dislike doing. It sounds as if you just did quite a bit of it.

[Virginia]

I pushed myself to get all dressed up yesterday to meet two brothers and their wives for dinner. We went to a place close to my house that is real nice. It has always been one of our favorites. I actually paid for all of our dinners. They protested, but they have gotten groceries for me and taken me to get my vaccinations and a number of little things this past year, so I wanted them to know that I appreciated what they have done.

After going there I went grocery shopping. I didn't buy as many groceries as usual but I did walk over a large part of the store, which is a big one. I made 3 trips in from the car when I got home and unloaded and put away groceries. It was about 9:15PM before I got to sit down and I still had not washed my face and all that stuff that a woman does. I was very tired this morning and stayed in bed really late.

Ann, I had the crab cakes and they were really good last night. Manager has seen my brothers, but not me since this was my first time in. When he saw me he came over to talk. Nice evening except that my brothers looked at my car and asked if I had gotten it painted. I think they do not care for "pollen green". My car is light beige.

[Sunshine 2]

Great jobs agate and Virginia.

I swam today, second time in one week: I Had stopped because I have trouble with cold mornings, and because DH had been unavailable many days, and I cannot swim on enema mornings; And, when I have to cook for 3 days for IVIG week, there is no time for a swim.

My walking this past week was:
4/6: 1225
4/7 306: IVIG day
4/8 1012
4/9 1026
4/10 1043
4/11 1058
4/12 1243

Most of the walking occurs between 4:25 and 7:30 pm, likely due to Klonopin timing. Klonopin early morning allows the swimming and allows me to walk 90 steps to and fro the bathroom to the pool steps, into the bathroom, shower, and dressing and pushing the wet clothes into the room with a dehumidifier.

Between noon and 2:30pm is my worst spasticity and I lay low waiting it out.

We all do what we can do.

[agate]

Sunshine, any thoughts on why the spasticity acts up so badly between 12 and 2:30 PM?

It's amazing that you do as much as you do, what with a demanding schedule involving procedures that aren't any fun.

[Virginia]

Sunshine your walking is truly great.

[Sunshine 2]

I swam this morning even though I really wanted to linger over breakfast. But I have to swim and shower while the Klonopin and Tizanidine are at a perfect timing.
Yes, my walking at the end f the day is due to taking the Klonopin only 3 hours after the prior one rather than 4.5 hours. To mimic this all day, Iwould have to take 5 per day, would want to sleep all day, and also would develop more tolerance than already.

Still waiting for surgery. It’s complicated:and still not scheduled.

[Sunshine 2]

Late yesterday, a swim day, I walked a total of 1211 steps: 90 of them were affiliated with going to the pool steps and back, into the shower, out of the shower, hanging up wet clothes in the other bathroom.

No swim today: the Baclofen backs up my intestinal plumbing so on my twice weekly enema, I cannot swim too. Everything has to be done prior to 7:30am, when the spasticity starts to increase. And of course on doctor days, no swim, and on the days I have to cook for 3 nights (IVIG week), no swim so I can cook starting around 7 am.