Jinxed...

Okay, I totally jinxed myself! When I posted yesterday I told you I would update you today. I had planned on telling you guys how it's been over a week since I've had a really painful injection. I must have jinxed myself because last night I had one of the most painful injections I've had yet!

Before last night, my injections were getting so much better (I'm sure the tequila shots I take prior to injecting help though;)....j/k!) I've been having only a little pain at the injection site and very little swelling and redness....now this is compared to say a month ago when it was REALLY painful, so I'm not saying they feel great now. I'm still lumpy and bruised feeling at all of the injection sites, but I think I must be used to it by now because it's not as bad as before.

I'm coming up on the end of my third month of injections which means I have to have a MRI done. The MRI will be of my brain, cervical spine, and thoracic spine with and without contrast (that means one complete series of films for each section and then they do each series all over again after injecting dye into my veins). The films with contrast allow the doctors to see my spinal cord and nerves. The doctor is looking for any change (hopefully a decrease) in the lesions I already have and he wants to make sure there aren't anymore that have developed. The purpose of my injections is to keep the lesions I have from progressing and hopefully make them inactive, as well as slowing down the progression / formation of any new lesions. So, basically the MRI films will show if the medication is working or not. The doctor also wants to keep an eye on the syringomyelia, which is the syrinx I described in my post on March 28, 2007 under the subtitle "The First Neurologist." He wants to make sure it has not expanded or changed since the last MRI.

Overall I've been feeling a lot better. I'm learning what my body should and shouldn't do now. So far, I'm living the same life I was living before I was diagnosed. The only differences now are a few things I've had to make myself more aware of: I really try to rest when my body tells me to (which is more than before), I must take my vitamin, I try to stay away from sick people because I catch a cold much easier now and it's a lot tougher to get well than before, and I must stay out of the heat as much as possible.

Before I go, I'd like to give a special thanks to all of you for reading my blog. You have no idea how touched I am each time I see a friend or family member that tells me they've been reading my blog. I said from the very beginning of this blog that my goal is to raise the awareness of Multiple Sclerosis and how it effects peoples lives. So, every time you read this blog, I'm fulfilling that goal! Please keep reading...

Quote on Happiness:

"Being happy doesn't mean everything is perfect. It means you have decided to look beyond the imperfections."

Save the date...

I know it's been forever since I last posted on my blog. I promise I will update you tomorrow, but for now I wanted to let everyone know that there is a MS Walk in Kemah on Saturday, September 8, 2007 at 8:00am. There is also one in Houston the next day, Sunday, September 9, 2007. I think the Kemah one will be more convenient for most of my family and friends, and it's probably more scenic since it starts at the boardwalk. I'll keep you posted with details once it gets closer, but mark it on your calendars now if you're interested in walking with me! I'll be back with an update on my journey with MS tomorrow:)

Still lumpy, but it's okay now...

I have some bad news and some good news. The bad news is I'm still LUMPY! The good news is, I'm pretty much done letting it get me down. I mean, what can I do about it? Not much. So, why waste time being frustrated with it. And actually the less I think about it, the less it bothers me. I took the advice I left you with in my quote from the last posting. So, onto other things.....

I've been feeling pretty good lately. I've gone to the beach a few times this summer and soaked up some Vitamin D. As long as I cool off in the water every now and then, I do fine. Last week Doug and I started working out again, we kind of got off track with all of our traveling in April and May. Instead of going to the gym one evening last week, we swam laps in the pool at our apartment. It was a great workout and a great way to stay cool:) This week we've hit the gym a few times and I seem to be dealing with the heat a little better....as long as they actually have the air on. I finally was able to do my 3 miles on the eliptical trainer in 26 minutes yesterday, which was what I was doing before all of my health issues started. I've been feeling really good since we started working out again.

I do want to brag on my awesome husband a little. He truly has been my rock through all of this and I am so blessed to have him. I thank God for him every day. I believe my diagnosis has brought us closer together than we've ever been, which says a lot because we were already such bestfriends. Okay, I'm done boring you with all of the mushy gushy stuff, I'm just so gratful and happy with my life right now and I wanted to shout it from the rooftops:) Can you believe we're coming up on our 3 year anniversary this summer:)

Thanks to all of you for checking out my blog. It means a lot to me that so many people care about me and think about me. I also thank God for all of you and your support!

I'm headed to Las Vegas this weekend, so here's the quote I'll leave you with:

"What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!" :)