What is up this week of the 9th

[HVAC]

Today we fixed multiple plumbing leaks. I had a plumber in this week and apparently the drain cleaner he used ate the silicone the previous installer put in bathrooms and kitchen.

Monday I go have my MRI and my semiannual meeting with MS Specialist which is 15 minutes. No one can tell me anything about MRI except a guy called and said bring $895 for the copay for the MRI and $60 for the Neurologist. I then get billed two campus fees since both are two different locations on Duke Hospital Campus. I told the guy I do not have that kind of money lying around (especially after my crown and the plumber this week). I hope this is my last MRI.

Thursday I go to the Legislature for the MS Society.  

I have not had a riding lesson it has been too hot next week is no exception.

I am starting on a commission of a cat. I have not done a commission in two years.

I have a bunch of pet sitting which is good and bad. Two dogs are at the house for two weeks. Trying to keep the peace with seven animals is not always easy. Then I have to remember all the other pets and when I need to go to their houses. I almost forgot one with the plumbing.

I am relatively happy.

Alex

[jensequitur]

I've got a 3T MRI scheduled for tomorrow!  

So I'm hoping that my brain MRI will be better than the 2007 one - I'm pretty sure my cerebellum is all healed up, but there might be something else going on in my brainstem.  I'm not as optimistic about the spine one... granted, it would be nice to know that there's not a lesion(s) in my spine, but where is the weakness and numbness coming from?

It's going to cost me $317 total - the nurse called and gave me everything - what the breakdown was for the MRI itself, as well as the cost of interpretation.  So that was pretty cool.  I don't remember anybody else doing that, ever.

[Lulu54]

DV- Cosmo and I have gotten togehter a couple times, now.  SB lives only a short few miles - maybe 5 or so, away from me and this will be a first for us tomorrow.

We are hearing a neuro speak, who is twopack's neuro.  She Did have an appt tomorrow, but had to reschedule because of the wedding plans.  Thanks, Mary, for freeing up your neuro so he could see us! LOL

This is one active week here - reading everyone's updates has me smiling - it all sounds good except for Red's SIL's flowers.  She'll get over it, I hope.  If not, tough.  You're more important than her plants.  

I heard a good one today ----

If every day is a present, then Monday must be a gag gift.  

I hope the rest of the days this week are sweet.  - Lulu

[lovemy6monkeys]

I hope to have lots of non-MS stuff going on this week!

*get my butt in gear and get my schoolwork done. The next assignment is not due till the 22nd, but I want to get ahead as much as I can. The sooner I graduate, the sooner I can bring in some money LOL

*My husband has a meeting set up for this Thursday afternoon about a possible job. He went into our old insurance office last week to switch our coverage back, and got to talking with the owner (for 2 hours!) and the owner implied that he would like to offer my husband a job! So, he goes in Thursday to find out more about the position, pay/ benefits/etc. I'm trying not to think about it...but whoa boy are we due for a financial break!

*Continue of this flipping-flanging-sasafrassin diet LOL Hubby & I are doing South Beach. We have been on it for 7 days and I lost 5 pounds, DH lost 8. It is not easy but not horribly difficult...just more expensive than we can sustain for long. After this week we will probably move on to a weight watchers-type diet, but go back to carb & sugar free every 4-6 weeks or as needed.

*Friday we go camping at an amusement park...and I try not to forget to bring anything! My whole family (parents, siblings, etc) will be there for at least some of the time, so I'm really looking forward to it! If my stupid feet are still acting up, I'll try to see my doctor on Monday afternoon.

~Jess

[HVAC]

The good and bad of my Neurology appointment was my MRI is unchanged from three MRIs ago. The bad thing is it cost so dang much to tell me that.  Other than the cost the visit was great. I love my Neurologist. I said I know the first thing you are used to is patients b---ing about what is going wrong (  I showed him the picture of me on the horse) I said hear is something going right, me taking dressage lessons. I told him how happy I am these days even with my cognitive shot, pain, etc.

Oh and I found out we are getting one of the top researchers in the country in MS, from Harvard, on the faculty of the Medical school at Duke. Red Flame they are starting a PPMS drug trial for one of the oral medications. I luckily I do not qualify since my MS is progressing so slowly.

Alex

[RedFlame]

oh I forgot,  HVAC you could take monopoly money!!

[RedFlame]

Last night I fell down the stairs flattening my sisters flowerbed.  She is pretty angry about her flowerbed, didn't ask me if I was OK.    

So I will be nursing my legs and knee from the fall
Tomorrow I have Evoked Potentials (doctor wants baselines)

Red

[twopack]

I did something similar in March, Rendeen.  Gained 13 pounds in three weeks.  Turned out it was the metoprolol a cardiologist had prescribed.  I felt huge and swollen all over.  Miserable.  It's been better since he switched me to a different beta blocker.  I think that stuff reset my metabolism.  It's taken some work and time but I've managed to lose the gained weight plus seven more and improved my cholesterol and trigliceride numbers to boot.  Anything new or different in your history before this started?  

Hope you find the villain.
Mary

[HVAC]

Quix do you read? When I tore the ligament in my back in a construction accident in the 80's even with my double vision I read the classics. I piled War and Peace, Anna Karanina, Crime and Punishment, etc. next to my chair and read them one after the other. I had not read in school because of my undiagnosed MS. This actually started me reading.I do books on tape when I can't read. I personally like being transported by books to different times and places. I hope you heal quickly.

Lulu hope you enjoy the luncheon.

Double enjoy your night alone.

Mary oh the In Laws and Outlaws!

Erin my kind of concert

Ren man I am worried about you! I hope there is a fix and fast.

Sarah what good news!

Alex

[Sparkysarah]

I have been keeping this up my sleeve as until it happens I do not want to start to get excited..but my husband returns from Afghanistan at the end of the week. We are also then off on a family holiday so lots to look forward to.

No medical appointments so I am hopiing for a peaceful time to enjoy being by the sea, with my family.

Sarah

[twopack]

I have suddenly discovered that there are intruders invading my solitude and peace at home by sharing it with me after all.  They have transported and deposited huge piles of insulation (I think) in my fruit cellar and are marching in and out.

I'll be calling the exterminator in the morning.  Perhaps executioners are necessary at everyone's weddings?

Mary

[rendean]

Today- entertain my sister and niece for the evening as they stopped on their way through back to FL

Monday- nephrology appt to see about the 14# weight gain in 2 weeks. GI doc I saw last week thought nephrotic syndrome to go along with the drug resistant C. Diff.

Tuesday - phone call to update GI doc

Wednesday - babysit a little miracle girl named Caroline Grace who is a total joy. She almost died at birth due to a bleeding issue and was without oxygen for  at least 5 minutes. Today she smart, and full of energy just like any other 2 year old. Can't wait.

Thursday- bake cupcakes for PT and PT appointment.

[Erin0313]

Start the week off by calling the neuro and asking about the leg pain since I started requip
Work
Go with Hubby for his 1st diabetic training class
Come home cook dinner feed & play with the dogs and collapse

Tuesday "just work" hubby golfs and the kids work nights that day that bubble bath I heard mentioned sounds goud

Wed work and pay the bills (my favorite)

Thursday appt with the gyno for cramps like terrible menstrual kind only I don't have the parts left so maybe she can fix that for me. After its time to start planning and dragging stuff out for our weekend camping get away

Friday work & leave for the campground

Saturday relax and then go see CCR & Tom Petty

oh yeah and praying for sunshine while at the camp so that we are all not stuck in the trailer the whole time.

Enjoy your weeks
Erin :)

[twopack]

It is going to be a very busy week with activities completely unrelated to MS.  Here's a sampling.

Color my gray.
Entertain my sister and her spouse visiting from out of town.
Wax off extra eyebrow hair (no matter what color it is).
Entertain my sister-in-law and her spouse visiting from out of town.
Experiment with the new make-up I bought today.
Entertain my brother and his spouse visiting from out of town.
Get a tan sprayed on (the kids idea).
Entertain my niece and her daughter visiting from out of town.
Pick up the dress from alterations.
Get the phone and room numbers for all the hotels involved in housing of these people because they are not allowed to intrude on my solitude and peace at home by sharing it with me.
Get my hair done in an up do.
Arrange for a day of Doggie Day Kamp to avoid couped up in the kennel too long syndrome.
Look in the mirror and try to figure out who it is in there.
Witness the marriage of my son.
Have a special dance with him at the reception.
Wonder at how much easier in was to show up and enjoy my own wedding after letting my mother do all the planning and execution.  (Actually, Dad was the one most interested in execution.)

I did have an appointment scheduled with my MS specialist on Tuesday.  Here's what happened.  Having increased MS symptoms in May, I called the office but they had no openings so I was put on the cancellation list, got a call to be seen in June, was told to return in November and therefore cancelled my August 10th appointment at one o'clock in the afternoon (just four days before my son's wedding).  And that's why my doc is free to entertain a fine group of MedHelp MS forum members this coming Tuesday afternoon.  It's always nice to know I've cooperated fully in a larger plan of the universe.

By the time all this is over I will most likely be up to my ying-yang in MS concerns next week!

Mary

[doublevision1]

$895 copay for MRI?  that's unbelievable Alex.  How often does your neuro order MRIs?  Not often hopefully.  

Quix, do you meditate?  Now might be a good time to take it up.  I say that only half facetiously (sp?)

Lu look forward to an update on your MS lunch with cosmo and slightly.  Have you all met already?

Nothing exciting happening here this week.  Husband will be away overnight on Tuesday to see the Scorpians show in Edmonton, the boy loves his heavy metal.  I will enjoy a quiet very non-heavy metal evening on Tues, with a good book, bubble bath and a glass of wine.  Other than that, just working, have a lot of projects on the go that I want to complete before everyone is back from summer vacation; things always get busier in Sept.  Lunch with a friend who's on mat leave.  Hmmmm, that's about it.

[Lulu54]

this is my last full week off work - I return the 17th so of course I have to make the most of these last few days of freedom.  How will I do this, you wonder?  With lunches, of course!

I'm going to an MS lunch on Tuesday and cosmobirdy and slightlybroken are joining me.  In fact we are car pooling.  The speaker is twopack's neurologist - so this almost counts are her being with us, as well.

Wednesday, I am meeting up with another woman here in town who is active in the MS community.  She is another person who we have emailed back and forth for a while, but not met in person.  


I have one other person I would like to catch up with, but we'll see if that works out.  One of my sisters, her daughter and her grandson come in for a vacation this week, so I will get in some visiting too.

I'm not bored, I'm saving boredom for the winter months when it's good to be still.

Lulu

[Quixotic1]

Thanks, Alex

I will be sitting around in the recliner with the BOOT.

If I slow down any more they will have to reclassify me as a statue.

Contact my Uro-Gynecologist and ask about the retention and the UTI.

Give my cat a pedicure.

Teach one of the baby raccoons to whistle.

I'm bored.

Quix