OT December Chit Chat

[Sunshine]

Hello fellow MS warriors:

I just dont seem to be posting. Am not sure why. Maybe just coping with these sudden losses.

The UTI seems resolved, no symptoms. No more spasms for now. Tomorrow is IVIG and will pre med with one Valium tablet, this is new for me. Hope it works well. unsure how one toilets, but am sure my awesome nurses will teach me.

Gotta move hourly, even if to just take a few steps to prevent DVT from the IVIG.

Found the reason why my ankles , feet and toes were swollen and reddish. The angle of R2D2 foot rests wasnt high enough so that the underneath the leg was being pressured, interfering with blood flow, so DH changed the foot plates.. This change has helped.

Later....

[Lazarus]

Linda, I forgot to say that on the plan I now have with Verizon I pay upfront once a year. I pay $100.00 and that more than last me for the whole year. I like to talk on my landline phone and not my cell phone. This is one reason I keep putting off getting another phone. I don't use a cell phone enough to warrant paying for it. Yet, I would like to have one so that if I am ever stuck and need a ride I can call Uber, which I can not do with my flip phone.

Virginia,
Uber is exactly the reason I would switch to a smart phone. I am weary of my inability to go places!

[Howie]

Cherie, I'll start checking it today, and writing it down.

[stillstANNding]

Sunshine,

Good luck tomorrow.

ANN

[Virginia]

Sunshine, hope IVIg day goes well tomorrow. I hope you do not have any problem driving. I assume, if you are going alone, it will be long enough after valium that you will be over the main effects.

As far as posting, I think you and Cat are just having some down time after having so many problems. We do get to hear from you both occasionally and that keeps us in the loop as to what is going on with you both. In case you missed it, Cat is going home so she can cook for TC. He misses her cooking. He will probably have all the menus made out for the next week.

Howie, glad you are listening to Cherie about your BP. Cherie, we are lucky to have our own private nurse.

[Lazarus]

Be well everyone! Good luck to us all.

[Earth Mother 2 Angels]

((((((Hugs to All)))))) ~

I've been following this thread, keeping up with all of you and praying for you. I'm sorry that I haven't had time to respond to each of you, as I've been a bit self-absorbed in posting about Jonathan.

I don't want to miss anyone, so I'll just tell you all that I love you, and my prayers are with you and for you. I talk about you with Jim, so he knows all of you too. He thinks you're all amazing and prays for you.

Blessings upon you and your loved ones ~

Love & Light,



Rose

[Virginia]

Thank you Rose for taking the time to come on and let us at least hear from you. I had been missing you, but knew you had a lot going on.

Linda, I read some about phones earlier and you are right Consumer Cellular does have the best plans it looks like, now to find a smart phone that I like and want to put money into.

AARP has a smart phone that I like the looks of just fine and it has GPS. Also, if you want to pay extra you can have it hooked in so that you can hit a button and call an emergency number, they pin point where you are and send help. The cost of the phone is not all that much, but I am worried about it not being a good phone.

[Cherie]

We got the lights on the tree this evening only to discover we had put all of them on backwards so there was nothing to plug in at the end. 300 lights wrapped then unwrapped and rewrapped only to discover one chain had blown in the initial process to two off and one back on and then fill in the gaps with three extension chains of 50. So glad David was here to help. I was exhausted by the time we got all that finished and corrected...

Tomorrow we meet with our financial advisor then will be putting our home and probably both of the investment properties we own into an irrevocable trust to protect assets for our kids and grandkids in the event we need long term care. David has had two infusions in the clinical trial and I am convinced he is in the placebo arm. He feels nothing. He is not premedicated. He notices no difference before , during or after. So....either it is an innocuous mono-clonal antibody in one of two doses or he is getting saline and I think it is the latter. He is more intentional about routine and writing things down to remember but it takes very little stressor to set him off which is not the personality of the man I married 43 years ago.

Picked up the new license plates for my new car today and they say at the bottom of the plate "Hybrid Electric car" and the plate has a green wave rather than a blue one on it (sustainable). I had the salesman check my fuel consumption today since my gas gauge had not seemingly gone down. I had 9 gallons of gas in the car when I picked it up two weeks ago. I have used a QUART of gas in 236 miles!

[Virginia]

Wow, what a car Cherie. Fantastic!

I would hate to get that many lights on a tree, only to have to redo them.

Could it be that David has not had enough infusions for anything to really happen yet? Two is not many.

[Sunshine]

Today is IVIG and I sure hope nothing bad happens. Uneventful is the hope. DH takes me to IVIG, has been for many months as afterwards, I am not able to do the 5 pm drive home. And now, its just too much between the drive to and fro, getting the R2D2 and wheeling up to the center.

Last time, the nurse had trouble with getting it going: She said there was scar tissue in right arm that was hard to thread by. Said there are plenty of tricks before even thinking about a port....

[stillstANNding]

Safe travel and safe IVIG, Sunshine. You have a true partner in your husband.

ANN

[agate]

Hoping for smooth sailing for you today, Sunshine!

Cherie, your Christmas tree lighting experience reminds me of what a lot of effort goes into a traditional Christmas. I've pretty much withdrawn from that whole scene but still do send out cards--around 80 every year though quite a few of them aren't really sent since I just distribute them here in the building.

My "efforts" towards the holidays so far have consisted of wrapping a few gifts and writing a few cards but I'm getting there. I'm waiting for one more item to arrive before I wrap up those that will be sent out, and then I'll arrange for a postal carrier pickup for those. A nephew and his wife, an old friend and former helper in Tacoma, and my SIL (now 90 years old) in FL--those are the only people I'm sending gifts to this year.

Seems like only a few years ago when I was wrapping and sending gifts to 7 grand-nieces and grand-nephews but they're all adults now, with the youngest just turning 18.

[Cherie]

Could it be that David has not had enough infusions for anything to really happen yet? Two is not many.

I am just thinking that if it were a real monoclonal antibody in either dose, he might sense something as it was being infused whereas with saline he is not likely to. And he has not.

[Virginia]

Cherie, I hope it is just one of those medical things where you say "gee, I didn't feel a thing".

The lady who helps me called and asked if she could come this evening about 5:30 or 6:00 to start on my house. I told her no because I like to watch the news and eat dinner about that time. She said her daughter's school was delayed by 3 hours this morning. I understand that, but her daughter is 14 or 15 years old and now rides the bus to school most of the time.

I finished doing my dusting that I didn't do yesterday and some polishing. So, now I just have to get the energy to mop the master bath and the kitchen. Thankfully, I had already done most of the work and will vacuum tomorrow. But it is just aggravating to be expecting to get some of these things done and then they are not. I am glad we got my little Christmas tree out of the attic last week, so that is up.

Friday will be a lost day because I will be doing errands and getting nails done. Would love to find two really pretty poinsettias, but will see if I have enough time.