OT March Chit Chat

[Howie]

Yes, I put my hand in both looking for my missing underwear, nothing. But no matter, my sister just brought me my new boxers, a pack of five, and I've bravely put them in the washer. Let's just see how many come out. Oh, and I do have both a washer and dryer here. I bought them when I moved in here.

My sister also brought me a meal from Arby's, so I won't be making pasta, but I did make some coleslaw. That should be good with the Arby and fries.

[Virginia]

Howie, you are living it up with a meal from Arby's plus cold slaw and new "drawers" that are not thongs. Your Sister is a good lady.

My computer comes and goes, but I am too tired to do anything about it today.

[Jeanie Z]

:) Hi everyone. Yesterday I received a copy of my high school yearbook in the mail from a classmate who was on the yearbook committee. It is like brand new. She also sent me Sarah Young's book Peace in His Presence. I feel blessed to still have many contacts from my high school days. I will be 77 this week and so they are 60 year friends.

I am having lunch with a friend of over 40 years tomorrow and dinner with the family on Friday night. Today I just got up and am still in pajamas.

Andy came Sunday and did more pressure cleaning on the roof. He is also sealing any cracked tiles. I think I am going to take a nap. Have a great day everyone. Jeanie :)

[Virginia]

Jeanie, you have good friends because you are a good friend to others. You have shown that on here over and over. I am glad Andy is still on the job.

We've been discussing Cherie's Dave and his cognitive problems lately. Well, tonight I was sitting in my living room and I thought of something to get at the store that would be easy to fix and something I had not had in a long time. I thought I would get it next time I go to the store. Ten minutes later I couldn't remember what I thought about. That was an hour and half ago and I still have no idea. I could blame it on MS, but it is happening very often lately.

I did get the house dusted today and linens washed and clean ones put on bed. I also cleaned two toilets in bathrooms. Will try to do some more tomorrow.

Think I'll go sit by the fire for now. There will not be many more nights until next Fall and Winter that I will be able to do that.

[agate]

Virginia, I forget things that I've only recently decided to make a point of remembering. Someone tells me something that I know I should remember, and I promptly forget it.

I'm fairly sure that the more uneasy I am about a situation, the more likely I am to "lose" important information during it. Visits to doctors can be stressful, for instance, and I'm going to try to take a list with me and maybe make notes right afterwards so I can remember what was said.

Some doctors are now giving you a printout summarizing what was discussed in the office visit, and I like that. It's really a neat way of making sure you leave with the information you came for, and it won't just drop out.

[Howie]

I'm the List King these days. I make one before going to the doctor, and he wants you to bring in your meds so he can see what needs new scripts called into CVS.

And I always make a store list that I start 2 days before I go because I always run into things I need, and don't have on the list....yet.

My doctor does a print out of your visit, and your next visit time and date are at the end of it. I take that part, and tape it beside my bed where I stay all day. By the time the date and time get here, I've looked at it 20 times at least.

It's hard to say forgetting something is MS, or age. But either way, I can do simple things to compensate.

[Virginia]

I had been trying to not make too many lists because I wanted to use my mind and memory. I seldom make out a grocery list. However, it might be time to start making a few list of things, even things that need to be done around the house that I forget to tell the lady who helps me about.

[agate]

I had been trying to not make too many lists because I wanted to use my mind and memory. I seldom make out a grocery list. However, it might be time to start making a few list of things, even things that need to be done around the house that I forget to tell the lady who helps me about.

So you can get more mental exercise? I'd never thought of it that way. I always figured that if I was forgetting things too easily, it was a sign my brain needed a rest and I should make everything easier for myself.

I wonder if our brains just get too full of information as we get older. Every day we live, we take in more and more information just by looking and hearing things around us, and it all piles up in our memory. Then maybe we run out of room, and what we try to remember just gets squeezed out by all of that living we've already done?

[Sunshine]

I have lists everywhere. And alarms for dosing. My muscle relaxants erase short term memories

[stillstANNding]

Sunshine, did Tizanidine give you headaches when you started it?

ANN

[Cherie]

Update on Dave:
MRI shows atrophy and small vessel ischemia. Labs show he is mildly anemic and his B12 and D levels are low. He is scheduled for neuro-psych testing the last week of April (soonest they could see him). Till all that is done, we won't know which direction to head. He is already talking about winding down his Real Estate business and turning it over to a young agent he has been mentoring. This time of year is traditionally slow for him but not this slow for this long. No income at all in the first quarter of 2018 and nothing coming down the pike (no current listings or buyers) which is unusual.

ANN,
Tizanidine did give me headaches which never really went away. I think, knowing what I know now, had I concentrated more on good hydration I would have managed that better.

It has been snowing here for the past 2 hours but nothing is sticking because it is 35 degrees but we are getting some vigorous winds intermittently.

[agate]

I'm interested in knowing what effects Tizanidine has and appreciate the comments.

I have a rx for it here thanks to the previous neuro, plus some actual pills, but haven't ever taken them though I've been tempted to at times. The doctor suggested cutting just a sliver of the pill and starting at that lower level of dosage.

[Cherie]

My doc had me cut the 4mg pill in half to start (they are scored in quarters). Eventually I worked up to 6 mg (1.5 pills) at bedtime and really reduced nighttime spasticity and pain with it. There were a couple of times I went to 8 mg (I had permission to go to 12) but each time I had very colorful vivid hallucinations of disneyesque characters flying around the room. My solid color sheets became paisley and the solid color walls were striped. Did not like that at all.

[stillstANNding]

I am feeling "off" today. And my eyes work fine but feel off as well - I have an aversion to doing tax work that I need to do.

I took 2mg last night and did not notice any difference in spasms and 2mg w morning meds. I may stop it and restart when my life is smoother. Flying to Mom's on Sat for her new pacemaker on Monday. Also, up to ankles in kittens. It is a lot of work. One is on eye meds q 8 hours.

Cherie, are they going to correct Dave's B12? That damage can be stopped, as you know, but is not reversible. I wish you both well.

ANN

[Catdancer]

I make grocery lists all during the week as I am cooking, noting what I'm out of, or wish I'd had, or look for but don't find. Then on the day before I go shopping, I sit down with the list and compare it with what might be on sale (grocery sales come as a flyer in our weekly newspaper -- which gets into my mailbox on Thursday.) Then I re-write the list writing on the back of an envelope grouping stuff together according to the layout of the grocery store. This way, when I do shop, I don't miss anything I need, and I don't have to go back and forth through various aisles to get what's on the list. Then, if I have any coupons, I cut them and insert them in the envelope (the one the list is written on.) That way I don't waste a lot of energy running around the store, and also am reasonably assured that I'll come home with the things I really needed or wanted - and haven't filled my cart with impulse buys. I've always done this.

I also make a list of things for TC to do, and things I need to do. My list includes stuff that is not part of a usual routine, like "clean oven", "clean refrigerator", etc.