I promise!

I am CRAZY busy attending a work conference, and have been doing a bit of traveling, both for work and for fun. I am going to answer the question in the comments below about working through the fatigue associated with chronic illness, particularly MS, and I have a couple of other ideas percolating in the brain. So, by the end of the week, when I'm caught up at work and not feeling QUITE so much like a crazy insane person, I will be back with new posts.

In the meantime...good news for those with MS - a possible vaccine.

I heard I was in town.

I'm not dead or anything. Just very, very, very busy. I had to go out of town for work for a few days, and I've been having a lot of MS related fatigue. So, IF I'm able to make it through a work day, I come home and lay on the couch until I go to bed very early. Isn't life fun?

Anyway, not much else going on besides work. The Boy's mom's birthday was yesterday. I made a lemon cake with raspberry filling and lemon buttercream frosting. It was quite delicious if I do say so myself. I also bought pink candles. With glitter. I think she loved them!

Next weekend we're going to see my parents, so I'm getting excited about that. It makes me feel so much better to be around my mom and dad. I wish they'd move closed but I know they won't. They're very attached to Retirement-vile.

So, I just wanted to reassure everyone I'm not dead or anything. But, not much to write about except boring stuff or depressing stuff (Hey guys - my left arm and lower right leg are numb! YAY!).

Sweet revenge

I promised myself I wouldn't talk about work on here, so I won't. Except to say there is no better feeling than knowing you FINALLY have the power to make a truly heinous person's life just slightly more miserable.

Other than that, life has been moving along in that way it does. Fast mostly, with moments of extreme fatigue. Saw the neurologist today...he seems to feel I'm tolerating my meds very well, and will have me back for a checkup and a liver function panel in October. I thought he was doing my first liver panel today so I haven't had a drink for several days...WASTE! Three more months? Think of all the whine opportunities I missed this week!

Anyway, we saw Harry Potter last night. I haven't read the books (for shame, I know!), so the movies are always a big surprise for me. It was good...but slower and darker than the others. I guess they're setting us up for the last two (or three...or whatever).

I'm off to surf the couch. We've recently become addicted to Last Comic Standing, so I have to get ready. And have a drink because, shit, I have THREE WHOLE MONTHS to study for my liver test!

Badonkadonk

Tonight was injection night at the Spatula-Boy house. Because he's so awesome, The Boy has been very helpful right from the beginning with my medication. Normally I do my own injections, but every third time (Thighs, Abdomen, Butt), he has to help me and do my injection for me. Right in the butt. Needless to say, this has caused quite a few chuckles around the house.

"Are you ready to inject me in the butt?"

"Coming dear, just getting the warm washcloth ready!"

Yeah...you have to rub the injection site with a warm washcloth for five minutes after to diminish site reactions. It sorta works. Mostly I have a WHOLE lot of pink polka dots on my thighs, stomach, and butt.

Anyway, tonight was butt injection tonight. We got everything ready and The Boy cleaned off the area with an alcohol wipe. I felt him doing it and then...the following:

"No, that's too high. Move it down!"

"Here?"

"No, to the fat part!"

Silence......

"I mean, the really fat part!"

To his credit, he didn't laugh until after I started. And, I got my injection in the really fat part. Woo!

Who wants a moustache ride?

Here's one great thing about MS. When I got my first brain MRI I discovered something very important about myself. Namely, I might be a TAD claustrophobic. Although, I've gotta tell you, I defy anyone to get into a plastic coffin with the equivalent of a catcher's mask attached to your face and feel really great about it. Add in the disembodied voice in your ear telling you to PLEASE not move and the horrible sound of the giant magnet irradiating your brain cells, and it's really awesome.

BUT, the upside of this situation is that when I was told I needed a second MRI for my spinal cord, I knew just what to say.

Hand over the drugs, biatch! I mean, Dr. Biatch...

So, because of MS I got to have my very first drug experience. I admit it, I'm a big old goody two shoes. Between that and never having been sick before so not having access to prescription meds, I had never really had a truly great high before. Enter...my new best friend Valium.

Before my spinal MRI I took a couple Valiums and The Boy carted me off to the hospital. By the time we got there I was in a full-on giggle fit. The radiology tech gave me the form to fill out before the MRI and I had a FINE time. It has a little drawing of the front and back of a person. You're supposed to circle where it hurts. I drew antennae, pointy ears, a smile, and a tail. Oh yeah...totally stoned.

Then, the best part happened. As I was getting situated on the little board they use to shove you into the coffin tube, The Boy leaned over to look in the machine. Since I wasn't *IN* the MRI machine, he thought it was off. Yeah. Not so much. The giant magnet is ON. Always. It literally sucked the glasses off his face. Right. Off. His. Face. I laughed so hard I almost died, the radiology tech had to go in the machine to retrieve his glasses, and he was, I think, happy to have provided me that level of comic relief.

So, anyway. If you have to get an MRI anytime soon I highly recommend the taking the Valium train to Happy Town. Really.

In other news...The Boy and I just went on vacation to Puerto Rico. Here's a pic of paradise. We stayed on Vieques Island. Sigh. It was...heavenly. PS: Please keep your crabs off the island. Geez.

I dropped my keys. Again.

Hello!

Long time, no write...I know! But, I discussed it with my trusted advisors and decided to come back, at least in limited supply. And there is a reason...

I am still living with The Boy. We moved in together in February. He's still wonderful and awesome and great. It's bliss! We're considering buying our own place in the next year or so. Woo!

Work is still great. I definitely still believe I made the right decision not going to a "traditional" legal job. What I am doing is exciting, fun, and lucrative. What more could a girl ask for?

Well, I didn't ask for anything else, but I got it. After an episode of numb feet in law school that was attributed to a pinched nerve, another episode of facial numbness also attributed to a pinched nerve, and a series of key droppings so widespread as to require an entirely new blog just to describe them in greater detail, I have been diagnosed with MS.

I know. I was shocked too. I thought I was just clutzy and fell down and dropped stuff a lot. Which, frankly, is probably still true. But, in addition, my immune system seems to be waging war on my central nervous system. FUN! Rather than explain the entire history and etiology of multiple sclerosis, I think I'll just direct you to the National Society. Let me say though that I am happily injecting myself with the disease modifying drug Rebif three times a week (works better if you've got more fat...hell yeah!), which may or may not work to modify the course of the disease, but definitely satisfies my Type-A need to do something proactive.

And, to pre-answer the inevitable question: Yes, I am doing fine. My latest exacerbation, the one which caused me to seek an answer to why my nerves were so pinchy, consisted of a numb right arm from shoulder to fingertips, numb spots on my scalp, partial tongue and mouth numbness, and various other sensory symptoms. This has mostly gone away and I am left with occasional hand numbness, fingertip numbness, and some mouth numbness if I get overheated. I am very lucky to be manifesting extremely mild symptoms up to this point and to have insurance which allows me to start disease modifying drugs right away. I have had no mobility impairment at this time, for which I am eternally grateful. Every day that I can walk unassisted seems like a gift now!

Which brings me to my next point. You may be asking yourself why I decided to write this. Well, it's because some people apparently believe that if you're sick you probably brought it upon yourself by being a lazy fatass. I know that most people who read this blog don't "know" me, but I hope knowing that real people really get diseases that they really didn't bring upon themselves might be informative for anyone out there who still believes that not everyone deserves quality medical care.

So, I have been missing writing, but I still lack time to post on a daily basis. I think I will attempt to post more now though because lots of funny stuff has been happening both in my life and in the lives of others who I can make fun of anonymously, so I feel compelled to get those observations out of my system somehow.

And don't worry - when that MS Walk comes up next March I'll be expecting ALL of you to walk for a cure...if not, me and the numbclaws of death will hunt you down!