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MS mystery of the day: What Happened?

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This morning I woke up to a few mystery bruises. You know, those dark marks on your skin that appear overnight for no apparent reason. I have no idea who I was fighting in my sleep. Maybe an anvil fell on top of me in my dreams. Hey, it could happen. Anything’s possible, right?!

I am always fascinated when things like that happen. I began playing the past few days back in my mind trying to piece together the story of what happened. Most of the time I’m unable to determine exactly what I did. All I know is I went to bed last night and my arm was fine. I woke up this morning and BAM…I’ve been sucker punched and am now the proud owner of a black and blue softball sized bruise on my upper arm and a few small ones on my shin.

Multiple sclerosis comes with a full array of mysteries. I think I wake up to a new one every day. I have to say that I know for a fact the answer to them is not Colonel Mustard in the Library with a Candle Stick. Maybe it was Professor Plum? Or Miss Scarlet?

For now though, today, if anyone asks me what happened I’m going to tell them that some idiot tried to rob me in the middle of the night but due to my quick thinking and amazing skills, I karate chopped him to the ground and sent him to the hospital. Might as well have a little fun with it. It will be interesting to see who actually believes me.

I try to always put a fun spin on the things that happen in my life. If nothing else, it’s entertaining. Besides, I’d much rather laugh than cry.

I’ve been kidnapped before, run over by a tractor, fallen in a pool dressed as a clown and ridden a horse backwards while wearing a flaming hat. If you believe any of that, I have a piece of the moon I can sell you for $100. It even comes signed by ET himself.

Try making today into something fun. Find a laugh in the ordinary, mundane or chaos. Get creative. Enjoy your day regardless of the mess around you. Anything is possible with just a little bit of imagination. This life is so interesting. I always wonder what’s going to happen next.

I gotta go. Cookie Monster is cooking me breakfast and it sounds like he might have mistaken the plates for cookies again. Good morning, good afternoon and good night everyone.

When opinions become facts

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Knowledge can be powerful, but you can’t misinterpret a tiny glimpse of information about multiple sclerosis and then declare to the world that you know all about it… both the cause and a cure. Many people are even pushing their own products as support for their theories. It’s all a scam for get rich quackery. After all who else can make money today but the fakers and the takers.

Big pharma has been a great example. Push a product with no actual facts as a cure and people will buy it by the droves. No proof needed. Just spout off a few unapproved statistics and you’re gold… rolling in it that is.

To those online experts that talk about MS as if it’s cured I say…I wish you could live in my body for a day. You would quickly give up your degree in neurology. Oh, wait, you didn’t go to medical school. You got all your schooling from Uncle Fakealot and Dr Google. In that case, you need to fire Uncle Fakealot and even more importantly give up your university degree. 9 times out of 10 Dr. Google is WRONG.

But really, the internet isn’t what’s wrong. It’s people. We live in this weird period of time where people try to solve all of the world’s problems with bite-sized theories, unproven statistics and wacky medical solutions. Gone are the days of real knowledge. Opinions have become truth and everyone is an expert.

No one is wrong in how they go about living with MS. There are always things we could do better and new things to learn, but NEVER should we act as if we are the guru of all knowledge and wisdom regarding something as unknowable as MS and the human body, because we aren’t. Even doctors aren’t, they are all just practicing. That’s why their business is called a practice.

Don’t let anyone make you feel bad because they chose a different path than you. You be you and do what you know you need to do for yourself. You know your body better because you are the one actually living in it. Be unique, be crazy, make a mess, try new things, make mistakes, and even succeed…but most of all, hang onto the smiles around you and enjoy living.

There’s only one you and only one today, but there is a potential for lots of smiles to help you through this mess called life. Choose to find the smiles.

I’m a nobody

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I’m a nobody. I’m just a gal with a laptop, a blog, an X account and a Facebook account. Nothing special.

I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2013 and went about looking for information about MS, the drugs used to help, and healthcare in general. Some of the things I learned were great, some not so much, but all of it beneficial.

One thing that truly annoyed me was when I would visit support groups at that time I always left feeling worse than when I had arrived. Most groups were just woe-is-me sessions and left me with an icky heaviness inside. So my remedy was to never go back to them.

Can’t people talk about MS and still laugh and enjoy themselves without all the woe-is-me attitudes? I found few resources for positive encouragement at that time. A place to laugh, to cry, to share, to just feel normal in the midst of a life of chaos. That’s when I decided to start something myself, thus the birth of Positive Living with MS. I don’t make any money posting things online I just gain great new connections with people all around the world and learn a lot of cool things from them.

In addition to that…

I will use whatever reach I have to talk about multiple sclerosis: the good, the bad and the ugly. Some with humor, some with tears, but all with a matter-of-fact straight talk. I don’t sugar coat things to make others feel comfortable about the topic I’m discussing. I just tell it like it is from my perspective. If that’s not something you like, then I hope you find some other blog or page that helps you out better than mine. No feelings hurt here.

I love making my humorous meme’s and sharing my daily nonsense posts on social media. Some are received well, some with groans and others with huh? moments. But at least they get people talking and thinking. And on my blog I try to post once a week to talk about my own experiences with MS. I’m glad to be able to share my journey with you. One of my favorite posts is MS Facts. Beware… there’s humor in there to talk about all the symptoms we deal with.

If you want to help me pay the bill to cover my hosting and blog costs you can donate online here:

DONATE HERE >

Any financial help is always a welcomed blessing for me as I no longer work due to the progression of MS in my body. I have trouble cognitively as well as with uncontrollable tremors and weakness.

I only have my social security benefits to cover my living costs and squeeze out all I can to pay for the website. I used to be a web developer and graphic designer so my skills came in handy to build the site and keep it running.

Each year around this time I let everyone know that in a few months the bill will be due. Any amount given will be used to cover the costs. This year the total is $600. The price went up about $50 from last year, but I’m determine to raise enough to cover all the costs with your help. Thank you in advance for your support. And happy thanksgiving to you as well.

———-

I’m Nobody! Who are you?
Are you – Nobody – too?
Then there’s a pair of us!
Don’t tell! they’d advertise – you know!

How dreary – to be – Somebody!
How public – like a Frog –
To tell one’s name – the livelong June –
To an admiring Bog!
– Emily Dickinson

 

Living stress less with MS

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I can sit and watch it rain for hours. There’s something therapeutic about it. The steady rhythm and the sound of flowing water is soothing. As a kid I would watch the drops of water on a small section of the car windows and would try to find the fastest raindrop as we drove down the road. I would challenge my brothers and sister to pick one and we would make it a contest. Which drop would move fastest to a specific location. It made traveling fun.

I also like watching fish swimming around in a tank, in a lake or in a bowl. There have been studies on the health benefits of fish watching. I’m not sure if I can say the same for raindrop chasing, but I would imagine it’s the same. Fish watching has been found to relieve stress and anxiety, calm the mind, lower blood pressure, help to reduce the effects of chronic pain, and even enhance a person’s ability to focus…all things that someone living with multiple sclerosis would greatly benefit from.

If your day today is filled with a long list of to-do’s, demands from your boss, needs from your family, piles of work that simply can’t be put off one more day, take a little bit of time to watch some fish. If you don’t have your own fish tank at home, load a video from the internet of a fish tank or even of rain falling that includes soothing sounds.

I actually had a Betta fish named Blueberry once that had an amazing personality. He was a beautiful blue color with a few red stripes in the fins. I loved watching him fan his fins, play hide-n-seek in his tiny cave and swim around the tank as he proudly displayed his colors. Even watching him eat was entertaining. Sometimes he would spit his food out and then go chasing after it to gobble it up. He always gave me a giggle.

Maybe instead of fish, you are more of a dog or cat person. There’s something just as calming about them cuddling up with you as you scratch between their ears and rub their belly. It could be that you prefer caring for horses or maybe even birds, reptiles, or hamsters. It seems all animals have the potential of making great companions, being amazing “friends” and helping in relieving stress.

I would have a zoo if I had the room for it. Does that mean I live a stress free life all the time? No, but it does make life much more enjoyable and entertaining…that’s for sure. And who does’t need some entertainment from time to time is this crazy mixed up world?

This morning, my entertainment was watching an ant trying to lug a broken cracker on top of its head. That was my view as I drank my morning coffee. I’ve even already laughed a few times in the process. Each time the cracker would slip off its head and he would attempt to pick it up again. It seemed more like watching an I Love Lucy episode. Laughter is therapeutic anyway so I’ve already had a good day.

Not being able to communicate can be frustrating

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I lose words more than I lose my car keys…and they’re harder to find too. I think conversations with me are more like a game of charades than actual conversations. I’m sure it frustrates those I’m talking too as they try guessing the word I’m fumbling around in search of. It can become quite comical too as I point, make hand motions and slap my leg in an attempt to help the process along.

ME: Can you hand me…? [as I point across the room]

FRIEND: Uhhh…a pen? A glass of water?

ME: No [as I tap my thumb to my finger in a pinching motion unable to even describe what I’m trying to say. I sit in silence making hand gestures in hopes it resonates with her.]

FRIEND: Nail clippers? Scissors? Paperclip?

Minutes pass and all I’m trying to say is “Can you hand me the TV remote?” Simple, right?

Not being able to communicate can be frustrating. I do much better in writing. There’s nothing worse than trying to get your point across or share a meaningful moment with someone while losing the thought you were trying to share. Sometimes my attempt in describing a word takes so long that I actually forget the thought I had in the first place. It takes skill to keep me on topic. A skill I’m not always very good at.

Yesterday, I could tell my words were getting stuck and mixed up more than usual. When that happens, I have a tendency to not speak as much. I just don’t want to frustrate people… or myself.

You know how people say to pick and choose the arguments you get in. Well, I pick and choose each conversation I have as well. So if I choose to share a thought with you, it’s going to mean something because I chose to break out of my silence in order to chance a good flow of words.

I have noticed that the more frustrated I get, the more my words get stuck. The trick for me is to stay calm and not allow my mind to wander. That may mean I talk slower, talk more direct, or use shorter sentences. But that’s just my way of coping and working with my disability. It keeps me from getting overwhelmed. I say what I have to say and move on.

When you find yourself getting lost in a world of words, know that it’s okay. You’re not going crazy and you definitely aren’t alone. There’s an entire population of us hand gesture, charade playing, word searching MSers out there. Take a deep breath and have some fun as you turn your conversations into a game of Guess What I’m Saying. Laughing always makes things better.

To Meme or not to Meme? That’s the question!

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I’ve put together a collection of my most wonderfully random and entertaining images and memes to keep in one convenient place. It’s a work in progress but hopefully it gives you a laugh and something to think about along with something to share with others to raise multiple sclerosis awareness.

I hope to add at least 2 to 3 images a week so makes sure to come back often. You can find the memes easily from the websites by following the link labeled “MS memes” in the top menu bar at positivelivingwithms.com.

When I first started Positive Living with MS I came across people offended by my sarcastic yet pointedly accurate MS images on topics that were a bit hards to talk about. As time passed the narrow-minded, prudish followers went away. I still meet people that don’t like my use of humor to talk about my life with MS. I find that in the humor there are some heavy subjects that will bring you to tears… but it’s all a part of a life with MS that needs to have more awareness.

As I’ve said many times, it’s better to laugh than cry about what we deal with. It makes the days brighter, the load lighter and the pain easier to handle, both emotional and physical. So laugh and don’t feel bad for it. It does a body good.

MS Facts Memes

Humor Memes

Inspirational Memes

MS Symptom Memes

 

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