Nothing To Do with My Dirt

              Since I cannot play in my "dirt" because it's under a foot of snow right now, I'd thought  I'd go for a deeper topic du jour. Someone once suggested I blog about my life with MS in case someone else had any solutions. to share with me. So here goes.               In 1987 I went to Florida to visit my mom. She lived in Daytona. Before that time, for about a month, I had lost the sensation in my left side of my whole body. Hands were numb, legs were numb. But I didn't tell anyone. Not a soul. When you work in Graphic Arts, and have to handle RAZOR BLADES all day to cut film, it is not something you share with co-workers. Well, here we were, strolling along the beach, and I stepped in a hole. Because there was no feeling in my legs, I went down like a ton of bricks. I had to go to the hospital, and I broke my left foot in 2 places!!  Came home with a wheelchair from the plane! I thought it might be from smoking , so I thought about quitting. Then the sensation came back, and it was life as usual for a short time. And because of my job, I didn't tell anyone. And then I was driving home from work, (second shift) and I lost the sight in my left eye! Completely! I went to my Doctor, and he had me get an MRI. There it was in all my X rays. He said I had MS in my scans. Well, this was very upsetting to me because a few months earlier, I had visited an old friend that had MS and she had a crane over her bed, her husband had left her and her child, and she had to read large printed every thing!!! After my visit, I got word she had passed away. I asked my Doc if that was what I had to look forward to.  Hell, I never HEARD of MS before Mary had it. He told me every case was different. Joy joy. I went for PT and my counselor suggested I have hand controls put in my truck for the "bad days".                                                                                                                                                   I did and have used them every day since. I cannot lift my leg to step on the gas pedal. Or the brake. Wise man for sure. Thank you Alan Holden. Over these last 27 years or so, I guess I have had God's favor. Because I still only need a cane most days to get around. I have 4 of them over these years, and strange as it seems, I keep gong back to my first one every time. It just feels "right" I have 2 different  types of crutches, and 2 walkers. One is the standard aluminum kind, and one is my BEST! It has 4 wheels and a seat! Under the seat is a bag for your pocket book or other things when you go out. I use this one every time I go out to my gardens. I have all my hand tools in the bag, and cold drinks, and my ol trusty cane on top! Around my house I have installed grab bars for help, I did my bathroom over. I used to have a tub. One day, I was trying to get out of it, and....[picture this...fat lady wet and naked... stuck in her bathtub!!!] I had visions of EMT's coming to help me...  No friggin' way! I had the tub yanked out, and a shower stall installed  That ended that problem! I have a handicap entrance for my back door and it seems like my house is pretty well set up for me. I do not expect to go in a nursing home any time soon. hahaha  I have heard that attitude makes or breaks  you and I try to stay happy, sometimes silly to live by day to day. It works for me. A couple of years ago, I fell in my living room. and was on my floor way over an hour. I know because I fell facing the clock! When the EMT's came, I had already gotten over the anger. I was telling them I didn't want them to get hernias by picking me up. (there was the funny side of me again. ) Well one of them had left his sense of humor at home that day, cause   when he called to tell the ER when we would arrive he called me "inappropriately joyful and LOOPY !!!  Can you imagine that! I guess I should have been bitchy and hit him with my cane! That he would have understood!                                                                                                                                                  This has been my life so far, and I think so far I am doing okay. I went to the MS support group at my local hospital once, but left discouraged because every one was depressing and whining. I don't subscribe to that line of thinking. So here I am in my bubble of bliss and doing okay for now. Yes, I have bad days, and stressful moments. I had to go for a week without my injection because the grant money wasn't available. I had to make several phone calls, but I got it!! So as Martin Sheen used to say in THE  WEST WING....."what's next?"