Keep On Moving Club: June 2018

[Sunshine]

This month I am 5 hours early with Keep on Moving:

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.

[stillstANNding]

Last night, after a day of PT, laundry and walking 6 blocks total, I got up from the couch and felt like I was walking on a ball under my L foot. It felt big and a little numb. Not pins and needles, numb. I was so tired, I went to bed judt after 8 PM.

This morning (I was up at 7)the ball of my L foot was the red and purple of a bad bruise and spread to the top of my foot and up to the great toe. It made no sense but I think it was from the stepper machine. It was the only thing I could think
of.

I went to PT again and showed her the foot and she couldn't fiver it out either. It feels different but I wouldn't call it pain. We agree that nothing is broken or torn. She wanted me to see my PMD before we do more weight bearing exercises. We worked hard for 45 minutes.

I talked to her, again, about MS and fatigue and payback. We changed all of the appointments to once a week. That will give me time to recover. I had to order one of those exercise balls for homework but I don't have to sit on it.

In the car on the way home, I ordered that and got a rare same day appt w my PMD. I walked to the bus late this afternoon and then another two blocks to the office. He agrees it's a weird looking foot but can't figure it out either. I reversed course after the visit - walk, bus, walk then gratefully home.

It's been a busy week. Chocolate for sure.
ANN

[Virginia]

Strange about the foot Ann, but I am hoping it will go down over the week-end and will not give you any further trouble. It does sound like you are still doing good walking as much as you did today. When you feel like it you might want to try soaking it. Hope it feels better tomorrow and is well by the time you return to PT.

I needed some things from the mall today, so I went to Belk's Department Store. I wear the Dear foam bedroom slippers and they hang them up the wall. The small were on the top rack and I could not reach them and if I tried too hard I would loose my balance. There was a girl at the register talking on the phone, so I patiently waited, and patiently waited and patiently waited. I had some other things I needed to get in the store so I asked her if she could put the lady on hold for a minute and get something for me. I could tell it was a customer. She said "no" it was an old lady. I told her I was old too. She said "not this old", she is 98. Well, I agreed that I wasn't that old though I might feel like it some days. A customer shopping helped me get the slippers and I paid as the girl continued to talk to this elderly lady. I had to give her an A+++ for having the patience to talk to her that long, so I was no longer upset.

Then I went on to the next counter where I needed something and had to wait because they were busy, then I went to the 3rd counter and that went well.

I then drove back out my way and went to K-Mart to pick up prescriptions. I also walked across K-Mart looking for a weather thermometer, which I finally found out they didn't have, then to the pharmacy to pick up the rx's.

Then I went to get my nails done. After that I went to Whole Foods to pick up a couple of items that I wanted.

For some reason it just wore me out today. Some days I can do this better than others. If I am up to it I will go to the bank tomorrow and to another grocery store to get a couple of things. If not it will wait.

[agate]

ANN, it sounds as if you had no awareness of an injury but later found your foot looking all bruised --I hope that it will get better soon and that the PT will consider a less intensive workout, maybe?

Virginia, just having to wait can be tiring. And you went to more than one place in one day.

Yesterday I went to the doctor's appointment that replaced the one the clinic lost recently. They had found another doctor to stand in for my regular doctor. I got there on time, checked in, and waited. After 25 minutes I looked around to see if the place had one of those signs saying "If you've waited more than 15 minutes past your appointment time, please let us know."

I didn't find one. I told the people at the desk, who were probably on their lunch break, and they put me in a room inside the Inner Sanctum. I was cheered about this progress I was making, particularly since a nurse came along and weighed me and took my BP, and we had a conversation about adopted babies and my doctor's recent delivery. She has an adopted child but this recent baby's birth was her own child (she's on maternity leave till July).

So that was a nice chat but still no doctor. I waited some more, in one of the examining rooms. After a total of an hour and a half of waiting, I realized that my return ride would be showing up in half an hour, and I needed to be out in the lobby, which is some distance from the doctor's office.

I gave the paratransit people a call to find out if the ride might be arriving late. I didn't want to change its arrival time because often that results in waits of hours. They just can't rearrange their schedule on such short notice, and I found out that they would arrive on time.

I decided that I just wouldn't see the doctor. I needed a diabetic foot exam before seeing the podiatrist in June but I had given up. I told the desk people that I was going to have to cancel the appointment and told them why.

A young man sprang up out of nowhere when he heard that all I really needed was a diabetic foot exam that takes only a few minutes and said he could do the exam. He was a doctor, it seems, and sure enough--he did the exam, and so now it's on my chart for the podiatrist to see.

I've had this kind of thing happen before--a doctor is unavoidably delayed, and sometimes the wait is long. But every time in the past someone from the office has come to me and very apologetically told me what was happening and asked if I wanted to wait or reschedule.

These people did nothing of the sort.

But I got home, and now I've made another appointment to see my regular doctor when she gets back in July. That's for the rest of the appointment that I didn't have twice now--to go over the lab test results.

When I got home, I was so tired I could hardly get through the rest of the day, and today I was still in the mood to take it easy. And all I did yesterday was wait.

It was the anxiety of the waiting, maybe. I knew I couldn't postpone the podiatrist. I've been bothered by corns on the soles of my feet for months now. I treated them myself, which helped considerably, but of course they're coming back, and I suspect they will be there until the footwear problem is addressed. The diabetic shoes I'm wearing must be wrong, somehow. I've never had corns before and in fact had to look them up on the Internet before I knew what they were.

There is a corn remover that is sold OTC, but it's a fairly strong acid, and I had my doubts about using it but used it anyway. I'm hoping that the podiatrist will have some other answer. They have been painful.

[Howie]

You were overheard by just the right person. I'm glad he was able to take care of you. My doctor is getting better at keeping the waiting time down. I think everyone hates to wait, I know I do.

I'm waiting on time to do my payday running around. I went to bed about 8, and woke up just after 1:00. That will do me for now, and I can always nap later.

CVS called today that my ready-fill meds were ready, then I have to call back and tell them to call my doctor for the other med I need. So tomorrow, I will get my food and meds, and take the trash to the dump. Then the weekend is mine!

Have a great day, and new month.

[stillstANNding]

Agate and Virginia, waiting can be very tiring. I think it is as tiring as walking which is why I sometimes choose to walk instead of wait for a bus.

Shopgirls should not spend that much time on the phone if they are also supposed to be "on the floor."

And Agate, I know you are a calm person, but that sounds maddening. They left you in an exam room with no information for over an hour? That is terrible. Shame on them! Of course you went to bed early!

Howie, you are about to have your busy day. Enjoy! I am resting today.
ANN

[Sunshine]

ANN, I am still concerned about the judgement of your PT ... also, should we start a PT thread, dedicated to our experiences of PT. I might would like a place to compare and contrast ...anyway, yes, plenty of chocolate!

If I am in an exam room more than 5-10 minutes, I open the door. It helps a lot. The wait at the store is why I on,y go to stores with wheelchairs available now, or very small boutique stores with few patrons.,, which is limiting.

I keep getting better. Swam 22 minutes today, 720 Yards.

[stillstANNding]

Great on the swimming, Sunshine. 22 minutes would have been a dream when you struggled to even get close to 15. Very happy for you!

ANN

[Virginia]

Sunshine, 22 minutes!!!! WOW! You honestly have worked for every bit of this and I am very happy for you.

Agate, that must have been a very frustrating day for you. That kind of waiting wears me out more than the standing I was doing yesterday. I hate that everything could not get done in a reasonable time. I don't know how you have been doing all the walking you have been doing with corns on your feet. I think that would be extremely painful.

Ann, glad you have a day to take it easy.

[agate]

It's possible to overdo the exercising. Montel Williams seems to have done that:

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[Sunshine]

It's possible to overdo the exercising. Montel Williams seems to have done that:

Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...

The details will be interesting. Must be serious to be in hospital.

I wonder if it is Rhabdomyolysis
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Or cardiac.

[Virginia]

I went to drug store to get several items this afternoon, then to bank, then to grocery store. I walked all over grocery store. I came home and brought groceries in and put them away. Then I took out trash and two trips to get recycling out. I accidentally put some news papers and catalogues in the trash rather than recycling container. I had to turn the trash container on it's side in order to get them out and put where they needed to be. It was in the mid to high 90s here today.

I came in and put a large load of laundry in the washing machine and by then it was 5:45P.M. I had intended to have one of my chicken breast dinners, but instead just settled for a peanut butter and banana sandwich. I was too tired to fix the chicken and I didn't want to wait for it to cook. Two days in a row is too much.

I am hoping Montel is alright and that this is nothing real serious. He does exercise an awful lot and he has lost almost too much weight the last time I saw him. He appeared to be very thin.

[stillstANNding]

Virginia, thst was quite a lot for any day but definitely for a very hot day. Is it humid there?

I took the day off. Still in pajama bottoms and one of Peter's V-necks.

ANN

[agate]

Virginia, I hope you were making those trips to the trash containers in some shade at least.

Howie, I'm glad to hear that the money came through for you and that you were able to stock up on provisions.

ANN, is your foot looking and feeling any better?

No more word on Montel except that one report states that he's been hospitalized because of "an overabundance of caution."

[stillstANNding]

Foot is less purple, thank you. As you know, it never did hurt.

ANN