Looking Back

In a few hours I'll be 35. Old enough to legally run for president. Old enough for one of my soccer teammates to say, in awe, "I just hope I am still playing soccer when I get to be 35." Old enough to escape the "we card anyone who appears to be younger than 35" clause (yay--no need to carry that cumbersome identification around anymore!). Yes. That is how old I will be.

But before the calendar page flips that unflappable flip, I thought I'd take a quick moment to reflect on the last 12 months. In retrospect, there were a few days that I'm glad are behind me. Really glad. Really, really glad.

But there were also a lot of days I wouldn't give back for anything--and they certainly outweigh the bad ones.

A couple of years ago, I turned 33. I couldn't wait for that year to begin, because I had this feeling--confidence, really--that things were just getting started, and that I was heading in a really good direction. And despite a ridiculous amount of medical testing (and the rather giant costs associated with it), despite a diagnosis with Multiple Sclerosis, and despite a pretty lame break-up days before my birthday, I think things have continued in that direction throughout 34. Because the one thing that came out of all of this rollercoaster year was this: I have a whole new perspective that I never would have gained if my year were status quo.

So, 35, what do you have in store?

I can't wait to find out.

Some Updates (Long Overdue)

I was taking a stroll down memory lane, reading some old posts, when I realized that I am long overdue on a few very important updates. So here goes:

1. As best I can tell (not being a vet or anything), Darby is recovering wonderfully. The nasty rash (which it turns out was spotty full-body bruising) has disappeared, and the antibiotic/steroid cocktail she is on seems to be working. Many (many) (MANY) dollars in, I still don't know the cause of her low platelet counts--and I won't go into how ridiculous some of the shenanigans at my vet clinic have been throughout this process--but at this point I'm taking a positive approach and assuming her innards are healing up right nice. I hope so, because damn--she's a good dog.

2. My follow-up visit to DSO was officially the most boring doctor's appointment I have had in at least a year, probably longer. Yup, treatment is going well. Nope, no new symptoms. Blah, blah, blah--boredom is bliss. Rock it out, Copaxone... if you and I get along like I think we will, there may not be any more of those pricey and cumbersome MRIs in my future (at least not for the next year).

3. I completed and submitted paperwork for the Shared Solutions discount program. Once approved, Shared Solutions will cover 85% (give or take some percentages--math is not my strong suit) of my co-pay, leaving me to pay only a pittance for my daily treatment. I wanted to be sure to include this mention in my blog in case someone who is just starting treatment on Copaxone stumbles across this. So someone, if you're reading this, take note: Ask Shared Solutions about their Discount Program. It certainly helps!

4. I'm making nearly as much progress on T09CP as I am in the frequency of my blog postings. Translation: It looks pretty much like it did in the pictures I took when I started (okay, maybe a teensy bit better, but not much). Bees (SO many bees), rain (long overdue), summer social calendars, and a tiny touch of laziness have significantly slowed my progress. And do you realize it's nearly September? That means it could snow here. Literally. Almost any day now. *sigh* Making a mental note to at least get a coat of primer on before hunkering down for the long cold winter...

I'm aware of the fact that there are many other updates I owe this blog, but I think I'll wrap this up for today in an effort to avoid boring my devoted readers to tears. If only for today...

Where does the time go?

Tomorrow I have my three-month follow-up appointment with DSO. It's hard for me to believe that more than three months have passed since my first diagnosis, and the symptoms and tests and ensuing confusion leading up to the diagnosis are actually becoming something of a blur.

As I mentioned before, I have officially finished a full cycle of Copaxone, and things are going as well as can be expected. I expect DSO and I will discuss the side effects I have been experiencing, and I suspect I will find out that all is progressing nicely with some minor inconveniences.

As the days continue, and if I remain symptom free (as I fully expect I will), I am at a loss for what to post to this blog. Any reader suggestions would be welcomed. :)

In the meantime, I mentioned that I have had some travels in the past few weeks, so I will leave you with a few of my favorite photographs from the second of the two excursions--a few shots from my best friend's beautiful, amazing, and unforgettable wedding in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. As a side note, she is an amazing person who has an amazing family who pooled together unique sets of talents to pull off a virtually perfect day.

First, some of the many floral arrangements the bride, her mother, and a friend of her mother's created:



And then a shot of the family and wedding party toasting the bride and groom with home brew made by the bride's cousin (yes, he provided ALL of the beer and root beer for the event):



And a sampling of the creative and graphic design genius imparted by the bride and her groom:





And finally a shot of the many delicious cakes prepared by my best friend's aunt, who (along with her husband) was also owner and designer of the wonderful home at which the event occurred. Ah, what a wonderful weekend.

Weight Lifting

Today, as you know, was my appointment with DSO (Dr. Second Opinion).

Let me backtrack a little by saying that throughout the process of being diagnosed, I have felt like I have had a lot to learn, and little to give by way of knowledge or advice. Today, I am confident that I have an insightful and extremely valuable nugget of wisdom to share with anyone who is going down this road. If you are questioning your plight, or are not comfortable with the information you are receiving (or how you are receiving it):

Get! A! Second! Opinion!

It has been a crazy hectic week, and I'm prepping for a crazy hectic weekend, so I can't elaborate much now. But here's a quick and dirty summary of today's fabulousity:

• I still have MS.
  
• My treatment plan and prescription have totally changed.
  
• Turns out my vision problems ARE in fact MS-related. Who woulda thunk.
  
• I have a MUCH better understanding of how this disease is affecting me.
  
• A huge weight (confusion, uncertainty, etc.) has been lifted off my shoulders.
  
• Validation (parking and otherwise).

DSO is the man. Really. Truly. Unequivocally.



I'll share all of the tasty details when I'm back to the world of innernet connectivity next week. Until then, dear readers, I bid you adieu.

Managing the Ducks

In the wake of DxDay, I have felt like things were a little higgledy-piggledy (this synonym for "disorganized" brought to you by the thesaurus in my newly upgraded version of microsoft word) as noted in my previous entry. Over the past two days, I feel like I have taken some decent steps to get my proverbial ducks in a row—-and as such, am feeling much calmer heading into the weekend. Here are a few updates:

Tell me once, tell me twice
I did a little research online (and had a conversation with one of the employees at the Neurology specialty clinic), and found a doctor in my network who seems to have a good background with Multiple Sclerosis. I feel a little strange asking for a second opinion from the same clinic as Doctor MS, but I’m also reluctant to begin the treatment regimen without a second set of eyes reviewing my test results (particularly given the gray area—no pun intended—surrounding the correlation of my vision issues with my lesions). So I’m officially on the calendar for a second opinion the third week in May. I still have a little digging to do with regard to insurance coverage, in-network second opinions versus out-of-network consultations, etc. But for now at least I’m taking steps in a direction I’m comfortable with.

Shooting up
Doctor MS recommended that I begin the process of treatment with Rebif. I read up on the various options available to me, and I am feeling pretty comfortable with this as a treatment option. I will go into more detail about treatment in a later post, but the short story is that I have the Rebif on order, with scheduled delivery for mid-May. After I meet with Dr. Second Opinion (DSO), I’m scheduled to meet with my Needle Advisor (aka an RN who will educate me on the ins and outs--no pun intended--of self-administered injections) to launch me into my lifelong pharmaceutical follies.

Light reading
I ordered three books on the joys of MS, and they arrived earlier this week—the first is a guide to navigating the first year after being diagnosed with MS, the second is a list of FAQs for MS patients and their peeps, and the third is a book about nutrition and the impact of food choices on MS. True to form, I have read bits and pieces of each book, but have yet to devour any one of them in its entirety. By the glimpses I’ve gotten so far, I’m quite pleased with each of the books, and am anxious to take some time to read more this weekend. I am also looking forward to trying some of the recipes in the MS nutrition book. I hope to share some of the recipes (and my opinions of them) in future postings, but first I have to hone my mad cooking skilz (and identify stores that sell some of the less readily available grains, flours, and other ingredients that the book recommends).

With all of these issues falling into place (or at least into the general area of their places), I’m feeling like I have a pretty good handle on things, at least for now. Between that and the fabulous weather that has rolled into Minnesota, this has been a downright pleasant week.

Tuesday was a long day.

I have seen several studies, including this one, that give Tuesdays the illustrious designation of Most Productive Day of the Week. For the most part, I have to say that I agree. Take this Tuesday, for example.

I went into my office in the morning, where I had several meetings to determine marketing material needs for an internal client. Then I had lunch. Then I went to my Neurologist’s office, where my diagnosis for Multiple Sclerosis was clinically confirmed. Then, on my way home, I stopped and got myself a lovely tattoo.

To be fair, I don’t know if this example technically supports the theory that Tuesdays are the Most Productive Day of the Week. Generally speaking, I rarely get disease diagnoses OR tattoos on Tuesdays. But meetings—THOSE I have darn near every week!

I digress… and realize there may be some questions the previous paragraphs may have generated. So I’ll expand a bit (in the order I anticipate the questions would arise)…

Diagnosis
The MS diagnosis came on the heels of several years of symptoms, a well-intentioned-but-not-entirely-on-the-mark diagnosis of chronic maxillary sinusitis, a change in healthcare providers, and much medical testing. Specifically, my symptoms started as sharp shooting pains behind my eyes (the symptoms date back to sometime in 2004-2005), and evolved over the past few months into partial vision loss in my left eye during intense physical activity (soccer games, for example). Finally, over the past few days, the vision issues have evolved further to general pandemonium (physical activity or no physical activity) in my left eye. I can see alright, but it looks like someone has been seriously messing with my brightness and contrast knobs.

Of course, nothing is as simple as saying “here’s why you have these issues with your peepers, and here’s what you can do to fix them.” So a day that I envisioned bringing me closure and solutions really just opened a floodgate of new questions. More on that in a later post…

Tattoo
I have known for a couple of weeks that there was a good chance this diagnosis was coming. So I made plans for myself for DxDay (diagnosis day) to keep it fun and exciting. I tried to think of something that I never would have done otherwise… and the obvious answer? Get a freakin’ tattoo. The image I chose was a Dwennimmen, a West African symbol representing strength and humility. Knowing that MS affects everyone differently, I have no idea what to expect—physically, visually, or otherwise. Because physical strength is inextricably woven into the fabric of who I am (I likes to stay active), I wanted to give myself a permanent reminder of how strong I am today, and that I also have the mental and emotional strength to integrate MS into my life—whatever that ends up looking like in the future.

Lunch
For lunch I had a delicious frozen entree (oxymoron?) of Thai Style Chicken & Rice Noodles. Delish.

Meetings
C'mon... really?