A new milestone in disability, woo hoo!

[Fluffysmom]

I now am the proud owner of the paperwork to get a permanent handicap parking placard when it's time to renew on November 13.  

I took a list of my disabling issues (including possible MS) with me to my knee follow-up with my sports medicine doctor, and he read through it, looking kind of numb, and said he had no problem signing the form to get me my permanent placard.  He asked if his partner (My Dr.H.) knew of all these things, and I assured him that he ordered most of the tests and discussed the rest.

My knee is in pretty bad shape, not much healthy cartilege; with the ACL becoming looser and thinner so it won't hold things together very well.  He told me of a surgeon that could try something, but I said that I knew that the wisest course was to hold on until it was time for a total knee replacement, and he agreed.

I have a prescription for physical therapy, 2 - 3 visits a week for 4 - 6 weeks, and he told me to take my list of disabling issues with me.  Its a great place with gentle and caring therapists, so I'm looking forward to it.  If that doesn't help enough, I'll go back in a couple weeks and try a cortisone injection.

On a  happier note, I'm wearing some earrings I made, with orange and black glass beads with a witch on a broom dangling below.  Makes me feel festive for Halloween!  I'm alone tonight, so I don't think I'll be handing out candy.  I hate to miss it, though, because there are some low-income apartments nearby and lots and lots of adorable kids come by, looking amazed when I throw hands-fulls of candy in their bags.  I got stuff from Costco one year and had WAY too much, so I was being very generous.  Hmm, maybe I should drive down to Costco....

Kathy

[needanswers54]

Yeah for you!

And guess what!  I just received the paperwork to get my handicap parking sticker also.  The real gasser is that I called the neuro that I wanted to bonfire last year.  He told me two visits ago something like, "Alright, you have convinced me.  There is something going on with your spinal cord."  He has been checking me for Devic's as the small lesions I have are still not in the usual place for MS.  He said that my newest lesion probably is MS although he has just never seen a case like mine before.  They are also concerned about tumor(s) as well.  So, I have to wait several more months for more MRIs to try and determine exactly what is going on.  I had to hold off on my other surgery and cancer biopsy with the MS flairs this year.  But, I did a couple spot biopsies and they were okay.  The neuro biopsies would be from too small and dangerous an area.  So, I was told to just try and not worry about it and enjoy my life.  The neuro that originally diagnosed is trying to get into a reputable MS center for a research project and some more meds at present.  He was very sure of the diagnosis last year and thought that I would probably have a mile course, if my past were any indication of my future.  

But this year has been rough.  He was pretty insistent about me getting into a reputable center.  He said it would confirm his diagnosis for me although he was sure of it.  He said that he just thought that just because I did not have diagnostic lesions in my brain that it was still MS.  Of course, I do have mile visual atrophy now and about six small or punctate lsions.  So, they are thinking those may be migranous or ischemic in nature.  We shall see.  I now have whole body spasms.  But, my upper spine no longer sits in place on my lower spine.  So, any tremors do not help.

I am sorry happy for both of us to have gotten our handicap paperwork!  Yippee!!!

[Lulu54]

Kathy,
So good to hear you can cross this one off your list.  My MIL has a placcard for her car and gets two when she renews - one she carries in her purse so if she is riding in someone else's car she can whip out her permit and they can park in those special spots.  Oh, I should point out she is 92 and yes, she does still drive - probably shouldn't but she does.

Keep the demons away today,
Lulu

[Fluffysmom]

Rock star parking, I like that!

I had a friend tell me that if I take it with me to Disneyland along with my driver's license, I'll get to go to the front of the line!  That feels like VIP treatment to me, oh yeah!

Oh, sorry about the burning knees; ouch.  

Let's leave slaying the arthritis dragon for another day; I hear you have a date with a vampire!  

Hmm, maybe I'll be a Good Witch and wave a magic wand and take all our aches and pains away.  And get diagnoses for those who need them (including me)!

Love ya' too!

Kathy

[spastic]

Hiya Sweetie!!!  I call my handicap tag my rock star parking!!!  hehehe  I love it, don't know what I would do without it.  Sweetie, I am so sorry about the knee, I hope that the PT will help, back in my teenage years my knees were bad, Patella Femoral Syndrome, is what they termed it. I worked with a sports physical therapist for months but it helped immensely.  Now 18 years later, I have crepitus knees and a burn that just wont go away....But Kathy, I really hope that therapy will help you and give you some much needed relief.  

Shall we go slay the arthritis dragon today?

Love Ya Sweetie,

Ada