OT November Chit Chat

[Lazarus]

Sunshine, I have developed this separation with this recent illness. “I” am fine but my body is ill. I wonder if it’s an automatic self-preservation thing. It has never happened to me before.

ANN

Interesting what you and Sunshine do. For years I have been separating my body’s problems from MY problems. I will say my eyes are crying when they weep from optic nerve pain. I say my legs are misbehaving...my neck is misreading my words...etc. sort of the same idea.

[Earth Mother 2 Angels]

((((((Howie)))))) ~

Darn! I missed the clucking session. Is it too late? Ummm ... no.

Howie, if you don't hear from the doctor's office or CVS by tomorrow morning, call them. Be a nuisance and insist on a speedy resolution to the missing gabapentin. A sudden, drastic reduction could cause you some serious problems.

We cluck, because we love you.

Love & Light,



Rose

[agate]

Maybe some of us are in a sort of denial...?

All along it's been as if I'd rather not have MS. I prefer not to blame anything on it, prefer not to think about it as something I'm dealing with. Maybe it's just too depressing. I see myself as someone whose body acts up in various unpredictable ways. I try not to think too much about the cause of an eye problem, hearing problem, speech problem, memory problem, fatigue problem, bladder or bowel problem, mobility problem. I just concentrate on finding ways around whatever it is--how to make it stop, how to prevent it from happening again.

Those two ideas keep me occupied. If the problem is due to MS, there's no known remedy yet for MS, and so what else is new? The trick is to get along in spite of whatever problem is acting up, as I see it--to try to squeeze some usable time out of the day in spite of the problems MS puts in the way.

--Yesterday I was at the primary care doctor's for a routine followup visit after the lab work that was done about a week ago. My HbA1C was 5.1, which she was very happy about (and so am I), and BP was 100/50. I'm decreasing my daily hydrochlorothiazide slilghtly because the potassium was a bit low.

When I told her that if I even started having the kidney stone pain I used to have, I'd be apt to increase the HCTZ again because in the past, increasing it was the only way I ever found to prevent more pain attacks, she told me that that drug is used to prevent kidney stones. The standard dosage is 50-100 mg/day for kidney stone prevention. I've been taking 100 mg/day and now I'm down to 87.5. I'll reduce it some more soon, I hope.

I thought I'd be getting the improved shingles vaccine but they're out of it. She mentioned going to a pharmacy but said that many pharmacies are out of it too.

The fires in California look catastrophic and tragic. Whole communities gone, families left with nothing and feeling lucky to have escaped alive....

It's good to know that Rose and nuthatch haven't been near the dangerous areas.

[Howie]

((((((Howie))))))
We cluck, because we love you.

Love & Light,



Rose

Awwwww shucks he says as he stands with his hands in his pockets, looking down, and kicking at the ground.

I didn't hear from anyone today, but I did call rather late. I'll see what tomorrow brings, then I'll call again. I'm also going to check my car again, just to make sure it didn't fall out of the bag.

[agate]

Good idea about double-checking to make sure you didn't drop part of the Gabapentin rx, Howie. It's really scary how many things turn up under seat cushions and in other odd places.

Cluck.

[Howie]

I'll check the car tomorrow. It's going to be clear tomorrow, then rain again the day after, then clear again. What a strange weather month it's turning out to be.

[Virginia]

Agate, we can't get the shingles vaccine around here anywhere. It comes in two parts and there are a lot of people who got their first shot and now can't get the second one. I don't know what happened. Maybe everyone in the world heard I had shingles and figured they better run get a vaccine, so they gave out. Seriously, I think people have found out how bad this stuff can be and now want the vaccine.


I guess all of you have seen all the advertising about the movie that is coming out about Gary Hart and what happened to him back in 1987. I guess you know that was a set-up, and it ruined his political career. I would like to see the movie. Hugh Jackman, who I like a lot is going to play Gary Hart. They say that Gary Hart is really a nice man. He had Hugh Jackman come and stay with him and get to know him before the movie was shot.

[agate]

Virginia, I told the doctor that maybe a lot of people knew people who had shingles and found out from them how bad it could be--and went running for the latest shingles shot.

People like you and Catdancer--with your shingles-- you scared some of us into requesting the vaccine.

Since I had the Zostavax shot back in 2008, the doctor pointed out that I'm still moderately well protected. I'm relieved in a way that I can't get the Shingrix just now. Two shots, and they can have unpleasant side effects, by all accounts--I'm glad I have to wait a while.

[Catdancer]

I'm here. But both TC and I have a bug...stomach, bowels, headache, body aches, severe fatigue. He got it first and is now mending. I'm still mending. Blah. I've not eaten more than a couple of English muffins and some soup for the last three days although today I did manage a BLT. I've been drinking a lot of tea. We're hoping I am well by Friday because he wants to go to a town about an hour away to visit his sister before the show flies...she is 83. His health isn't good, her age is a worry. If I can't make it I'll encourage him to go without me. But for now I'm in bed...

[agate]

Feel better soon! There are times when you just have to eat anything that appeals to you.

[Sunshine]

IVIG all day today. Move starts Friday morning.

[Sunshine]

Virginia, I told the doctor that maybe a lot of people knew people who had shingles and found out from them how bad it could be--and went running for the latest shingles shot.

People like you and Catdancer--with your shingles-- you scared some of us into requesting the vaccine.

Since I had the Zostavax shot back in 2008, the doctor pointed out that I'm still moderately well protected. I'm relieved in a way that I can't get the Shingrix just now. Two shots, and they can have unpleasant side effects, by all accounts--I'm glad I have to wait a while.

Your doc might be wrong. Local docs say get the Shingrix, even though got the Zostavax several years ago in 2011

[stillstANNding]

Cat, sorry you are down with a bug. Get well soon.

ANN

[Cherie]

Program in RI went well last night and Dave and I are off to Norwood MA this afternoon for the next one. ANN, wish you could be there. 800 invites sent out and only 25 RSVPs. We had 60 last evening. Dave spoke about his role as care partner and how he had to really listen to what I was saying in both my words and tone....like not wanting to talk about my exercise routine because he wanted to hear glowing reports and I am doing it because I need to but don't enjoy it so he has changed the way he brings up that topic. Several of the guys in the room gravitated to him afterwards and we were there for a good half hour after things were over and packed up before we could get away.

[stillstANNding]

Very glad things went well, Cherie. I hope you come back again. I hope the venue worked well for you.

ANN