WOW!!

Wow, what a crazy few weeks it has been!! I don't even know where to start.....The last time I wrote it was about my thoughts on the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then a lot has changed throughout the world!

Schools are closed, costco and superstore are absolute zoos (way more so than ever before), most non essential businesses are closed, our borders are closed, and people are fighting over toilet paper!!

Last week my boys and I just took it easy, I had them work on some basic school stuff while we waited for our teachers to put together the new online learning that they will now be doing. I must say our school board and both schools that my boys attend have been AMAZING through all of this! 

We started the online learning Monday of this week and so far it's gone pretty smoothly! Luckily both Taylor and Braden enjoy school and want to do well. 

For me it was a bit of a challenge, from the time I got up in the morning until about supper time I kept quite busy with setting up my boys' school stuff, tidying the house, and other Mom stuff. I should've known better but wanted to keep busy while my boys were doing their work....you know, the whole "kids learn what the live/see"..... basically I didn't want to sit around on the couch while making my kids do work.

We've chatted about it an all agree that I don't need to walk them through everything, I'm here to help when needed!! 

Other than helping my boys keep up on school work during this time I've been figuring out my new cricut machine! I originally got it to help me with my scrapbooking that I'm trying to get caught up on....I'm still working on stuff from 2014!! I thought that if I had a machine like this it would help with my limited fine motor skills and save me from exhaustion from forcing my hands to do what they clearly don't want to do!

But, if you know me you know that I don't do anything the easy way, as soon as I realized all that I could do with my cricut I had to try it all!! My fine motor skills are definitely getting a work out now dealing with all of the small pieces! It's definitely been a challenge as well as frustrating and exhausting at times but I'm figuring it out and am enjoying it for the most part!!

My boys and I have also been busy decorating our windows with Easter pictures (this is one of the many things I've been using my cricut for) for the Easter Egg Hunt 2020 with Social Distancing!! If you have't heard of it I strongly suggest you check it out, it's bringing people together from all over the globe!

We're all trying to figure out our new normal! What are you and your family doing to entertain yourselves during this time?

On a side note, if you need to do some shopping or are out and about in the world please have patience, keep your distance, be kind to one another, and please stop hoarding toilet paper!!

My thoughts on COVID-19

Updated March 2022

As the world tries to recover from COVID here are my thoughts...

It's NOT about COVID anymore and it hasn't been for me for a LONG time now. What do I mean by that? I mean that we shouldn't have to be told by the government to stay home when sick, we shouldn't need to CONSTANTLY remind people to stay away when sick....for me this is about RESPECTING other's health. 

If you're sick stay home as much as possible, don't go to social events, avoid elderly or immune compromised loved ones. 

But, with saying this please don't forget about your elderly or immune compromised loved ones.....these last 2+ years have been INCREDIBLY lonely as most people around me have been able to live fairly social lives. For them I am glad, but I'd be lying if I said I haven't been hurt being left behind and like not many are making an effort to SAFELY be around. 

It would be nice to not have to worry about my health as much as I do and just go on with life like everyone would like to but for me, this isn't about COVID, it's about staying healthy in general!

Everyone else is talking about it so I guess I will too, COVID-19.....

Am I scared of it?

Yes and no! I'm not running around stocking up on unnecessary toilet paper and other non-essentials. I am however limiting my exposure to those who have been travelling.  My reasons for this are not just because I have MS, my reasons for this are very simple, I catch EVERYTHING!! I've had the norwalk virus while pregnant, I've had h1n1 twice, multiple rounds of bronchitis, mono more than once, the list could go on forever but you get the point! If I can catch it I probably will!!

What am I doing to protect me and my family?

My family and I are basically doing everything we would normally do. We're making sure to wash our hands when we come home, the boys have hand sanitizer with them at school for those times when washing your hands isn't possible, and we're reminding friends/family that if they aren't feeling  well that they need to stay away. The biggest change for us is the rescheduling of Easter and April birthdays. We have family that will be travelling right before so to be cautious we have decided to celebrate Easter and April birthdays before they all leave.

Why do I want to avoid getting sick, besides the obvious?!

Obviously nobody wants to get sick, but for some getting sick is more than just a minor inconvenience. The last time I got sick I was down for days, I ended up at the doctor for help and my husband missed more than a day of work to take care of me. I was not well enough to be left home alone as I could not even walk to the bathroom without help. I don't want to get sick for many reasons, here are the main ones

-I don't want to lose my ability to walk again (this happens to me more than you might think)

-I don't want to be too exhausted to eat/drink causing me to lose weight that I cannot afford to lose (my dietitians words, not mine)

-I don't want a relapse that could potentially cause more symptoms for me to deal with daily

-I don't want my husband to have to take care of me, I don't want to be a burden!!

Please, if you're feeling unwell or have been travelling,
 keep your distance!

What am I asking for from those around me?

Since being diagnosed almost 3 years ago I have made it a point of not being around people who are under the weather. I'm asking family and friends that if they are unwell to at least make me aware so I can make an informed decision on whether or not to attend an event. Right now I'm also asking people to please let me know if they have recently traveled. Other than that I don't really expect much from those around me.

I'm not a hugger!!

Have you ever had the wind knocked out of you? I had it happen many times as a kid, I was a bit clumsy and fell off the monkey bars more than once! I never got used to the feeling, every time it happened I would cry, and almost start to panic! What does this have to do with me having MS? Well, that feeling of having the wind knocked out of me is very similar to the feeling of one of my least favourite MS symptoms....the MS HUG!!

The MS hug is also known as banding or girdling, it can feel like having a tight band wrapped around your torso (depending on who you ask you'll find different info about where the MS Hug can be felt on the body. I have banding around one of my feet as well.) The MS Hug is caused by spasms in the small muscles between the ribs. How long an MS Hug lasts is anybody's guess, they can come and go lasting only a couple of seconds at a time, they can also last for several days!!

My very first MS Hug was terrifying, it happened about 4-5 months before landing in the hospital. One night after taekwondo class when getting in to bed I all of the sudden felt like I was being crushed! I couldn't catch my breathe, my chest hurt so bad, I was scared. Trevor and I tried everything to make me feel better.....I'm not sure what we eventually ended up doing to help the pain but I eventually fell asleep.

I woke up the next morning feeling better but still in some pain, my cousin insisted that I go get checked out by a Dr. She even threatened that if I didn't go she'd tell my Grandma on me if I didn't go!! If you know me at all, you know that I always do what Grandma says!!

I went to the Dr. and it was suggested that maybe I took a kick to hard in taekwondo class and dislocated my xiphoid bone, that's a funny little bone at the base of your ribs. This is actually quite a common injury for people who participate in martial arts. After the Dr. looked at my x-rays it was decided that my bone was in place but that there was some major inflammation around the area. I was prescribed anti-inflammatories and told to take some time off from taekwondo.

The xiphoid bone is the little bone at
the bottom of the picture.

I did as I was told and never thought too much more of it. The pain would come and go throughout the months but I just brushed it off as an old injury. 

It wasn't until I was in the hospital in March/April of 2017 that everything got pieced together by a nurse that noticed I was holding my ribs. She asked me what the pain felt like, and then began to tell me that the tightness and pressure I was feeling was very common for people with MS. At the time I was glad to hear that it was a common symptom because that meant I was "normal" and wasn't just a clumsy mess in taekwondo class. I now wish I was just a clumsy mess and never had to deal with this pain again!!

I've never really been much of a hugger, so to be diagnosed with with a condition that has a symptom called the MS Hug seems a little ironic to me!!

So, now that I've told you about my least favourite symptom, what can I do about it? None of the meds I currently take really help with this type of pain unfortunately. What I have found to help is rest and pressure. My MS Hugs tend to happen when I'm tired or have over exerted myself. Sometimes they're intense but not long lived, and other times they're less intense but can go on for hours....even days.

When they're intense but short lived I try and do my best to just rest until it passes. For the more persistent long lasting MS Hugs I actually wear a corset. I'm not sure why the pressure helps but for me, it does.

The last time I was dealing with an MS Hug I turned to Dr.Google to see what was suggested to feel better....

How to Manage the MS Hug

1. Apply a warm compress. (Be careful: Heat might make your pain worse.)
2. Drink plenty of water.
3. Eat healthy food.
4. Get a massage.
5. Stay rested. Get at least 8 hours of sleep each night.
6. Use deep breathing techniques, yoga, and meditation.
7. Wear loose, comfortable clothing.
8. Wear tight clothes.

Basically, in my opinion, this list is saying no two people experience MS or it's symptoms the same way, so do whatever works for you!

As much as I hate the MS Hug,
I'll still take hugs from my Trevor any day!!