First update in the 2020s...where does the time go???

 

First of all, please let me humbly apologize for not posting in like 6 years. I'm obviously a terrible human being, BUT I'm so very thankful I have this record to reflect on because there are things that are documented in this blog that I had completely forgotten about until I read through today.

 

So...let's get things up to date regarding family. My son has officially been with a local hospital as a pharmacist, which I'm questioning how that's possible because it seems like just yesterday he was a little boy. Jonathon has remained unmarried, but has dated several women that we really like(d). His son, Matthew, is now a 17 year old, is your typical teenager awaiting graduation, and plans to be married soon after (to the disappointment of quite a few...his dad especially). I've tried explaining to my son that the aliens have landed and taken control of him, but he doesn't understand. Julia, my middle child, has been married for 12 years and is still just as happy as on day one. Her husband, Ethan, is a wonder husband and a fantastic father. He has several businesses and is a good provider for his family. My youngest daughter, Madelyn, completed college and got married this last January to an airman stationed in Clovis, New Mexico. I honestly didn't think she would ever get married, based on statements by her in the past, but they seem to be madly in love. They will have an official ceremony late this fall.

 

Now, on to my MS stuff. I honestly don't remember when my last post was, so I'll give you the Reader's Digest version of the 2020's to date. In early March 2022, I woke up to the room spinning and it didn't end until sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas that same year. It was horrible and I ended up switching neurologists during this time period due to the lack of treatment by the first neurologist. Dr. Hull never acknowledged that the dizziness (or vertigo) was related to MS, but everything else was ruled out. I went to every different kind of specialist recommended who all said it was MS related. I was finally connected to my current neurologist who stated that it was most definitely MS related, but I was past the point where IV steroid would treat the dizziness (vertigo). We were finally able to find a medication that aided in my recovery from that really disturbing event in my life. When I say "really disturbing event"...even my mother at one point said that she didn't know how I was still living with everything that was going on. It was horrible! I truly felt like I lost every shred of independence in that I couldn't drive, I couldn't really look at a computer monitor without closing one eye so I basically lost the ability to work, I couldn't be left alone, etc., etc. I definitely learned humility and had to asked for help instead of being the helper (which is NOT me). My world spun 24-7...every day of the week, month, and almost year. The only time I was able to get relief was when I took too much medication to stop my spasticity. Unfortunately, I ended up taking way too much medication and ended up in the hospital twice, one of which was ICU. My husband thought I was trying to kill myself, but I was truly trying the one thing in my life I could control. Thank God that finally ended!!! Things since 2022 seemed to be going okay until 2024 when I started falling. A LOT. I was tripping over nothing. Oh, loose hair on the ground? Yep, it would take me down. I actually faceplanted at the local mall and Richard thought I had a broken nose. I fractured my right patella in a fall. I've had too many black eyes and bruises to count. My neuro prescribed Ampyra a couple of months ago for the tripping and thankfully I haven't had anymore falls, but that's not to say I haven't tripped. Then we discovered that my MS medication wasn't working as it was supposed to and he immediately stopped it due to my liver enzymes being messed up. I had blood tests in January and again in April of this year to confirm the results. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything I could do to change this due to it being drug related other than change the medication. So now I'm undergoing several tests before the new medication can be prescribed. I've done an EKG and I'm awaiting my second shingles vaccine this month.

 

OH...and to top it all off, my current neuro is retiring in mid September. GRRRR!!!!

Hopefully, I will update more than every 5 or 6 years in the future...but who knows. Again, this is more for my benefit than for anyone else. I've been able to go back through my blog and get some information that I had totally forgotten about. Who know though...Matthew, my grandson, might have kids and Julia might have 2 or 3 more precious babies by then. Uggg...that would make me a great-grandma and I'm just not ready for that!!!

 

Source:  https://www.webmd.com/multiple-sclerosis/secondary-progressive-ms