I just want to wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas! I hope this holiday you are feeling well, get to spend time with your loved ones and most of all get some time for yourself. See you next year!

I'm sorry that I have not reported on my recent surgery sooner. Between just trying to feel better, the trip home, getting ready for Christmas and well everything....things have been a bit crazy around here! Not too surprising this time of year though. So the surgery went really well....maybe better than I expected. My doc is really happy. The first couple of days I was of course so drugged up I could not really tell you much about it. I do remember being in quite a bit of pain but they took very good care to make sure that was under control. We then stayed in a hotel room over in the Seattle area for a week where we were pretty much snowed in. That was fine though because I was not really up to going out and doing anything. It was actually really nice to have nothing I needed to do and a few days of just hanging out with my family and relaxing. I mean, really, how often do we get that? Not very!

By time Friday rolled around for my follow-up I was really starting to feel better. Then at my follow-up my doc removed more packing and stuff (which I had no idea was even there) and then I really started to feel better. Not so much of that constant head cold feeling. Anyway, here I am now getting ready to head back to Seattle today for my next follow-up appointment and so far so good. I do tend to get a bit of a headache early in the morning and in the evening but if that is from my surgery or MS is debatable. I mean, really, how do we really know?

So, thank you to all of you who sent well wishes. I am looking forward to continued healing and very soon the ability to breathe freely and completely! Take care and have a wonderful day! Merry Christmas Eve!

We have arrived in Seattle even over the snow filled mountains. I was a bit nervous about making the trip because a supposed "huge" storm was to hit the mountains all weekend. Because of this we decided to make the trip a day early in order to assure we would make it rather than take the chance of getting stuck on the pass when I have to be at the hospital at 10 am. So, nothing to eat or drink after midnight....that is pretty typical and then we have to be at Swedish by 10 am to check in. The surgery is supposed to be around noon and I was told it would take a few hours. Then they are keeping me overnight, so I will be there until sometime on Tuesday. The hotel we are in is really nice. It is a brand new Marriott and should be quite comfortable for the week. We are actually the first people to stay in this room it is so new!

MS wise...for the most part things are okay. The shots still suck, still hurt. I get headaches each morning which may or may not be MS related but over all I really only have a couple of things that have started to happen recently....other than that most of my MS stuff is the norm for me. I have been having these quite painful charley horses (or so I will call them). The first one was in my arm/hand and it actually froze in a place for a while. Since I have had a few more and they are equally as painful but have not lasted quite as long. Then over the last couple of days I have started to have actually charley horses in my legs and today on the way to Seattle very severely in my right ankle, foot, and toes.....even in individual toes. Anyway, it happened just before we got to North Bend and so I figured maybe I just needed to get out and walk. Problem is it was so bad I could not walk.....really sucked! This was about 3 hours ago and although I am walking now and it is better, I still have a bit of cramping in the toes and leg. Strange! Anyway, I hope this is not some new crazy MS thing cause it really does not feel good. Have any of you had this happen?

Well, I hope you are all well. Wish me luck for the surgery...I'm sure it will go well. Take care!

Saturday I started back on Copaxone. I am still not sure how I feel about it yet. I am glad to have something to take that will hopefully work for me. The thing is, I don't remember it being so painful. I was on Copaxone when I first was diagnosed and really my only complaint at the time was that I had to do an injection every day. Now that is not a big deal. At least this one is not supposed to have some of the side effects...make me sick, like the others can.

So, Saturday a nurse came and did the training to make sure I remembered how to do everything. I had my first injection which was not too bad. It hurt, stung, and itched but that only lasted a little while. The first one was in my abdomen, and maybe that made a difference...I'm just not sure. As recommended by Shared Solutions, I am following their suggestions as to where to do the shot each day (in other words switching injection locations). Sunday I did the injection in my right thigh. I did the heat for about 5-10 minutes then the injection then pressure and ice. It was very painful, stung, and I got this huge lump that lasted until yesterday afternoon. Is that normal??? Although the initial pain went away after about an hour, the area is still tender.

I called and spoke to a nurse at Shared Solutions because I was just not sure. I don't remember this much pain with the injections and I don't remember being SO fatigued and weak with it. She said the Copaxone side effects are usually the site reactions (like the pain, lumps, bruising) but that the severe fatigue and weakness is probably just a coincidence. I'm not sure. Sure, I always have some level of fatigue, but it has increased over the last couple of days. Plus, each morning I have gotten a headache. I also have noticed that I am quite irritable....what is that about? The only thing I can think of is that if it's not because of the Copaxone it must be because of all the traveling I have been doing, between the holidays and all my appointments. I guess only time will tell.

Anyway, last night I had my third injection in my left thigh and it was so painful that it brought me to tears. So I am really starting to wonder. I mean, the pain lasted for several hours, I am still sore today, have a headache again, and have no energy. I have so much that I need to get done and just no energy to do it. Frustrating. I know I am doing things right because I am using the autoinjector so how hard could it be? I sure hope it gets better. Have any of you had that type of reaction with Copaxone? Just curious. Hopefully it will get better.

My topic today is a bit different. I want to talk about a very serious illness happening all over the world. AIDS/HIV is becoming a pandemic and it is only through awareness, education, prevention and research that this devastating illness can be stopped. Like MS, there is no cure. There are medications to help manage the illness. However unlike MS this illness can be prevented. We know how this illness is spread, what needs to be done to prevent it and how it can be stopped.

Today is World AIDS Day. I would urge each of you to take some time today to learn a little more about how you can help raise awareness, teach someone about HIV/AIDS, get tested if you are at risk, donate to research if you are able. It is as simple as speaking to your children about the facts. A couple of weeks ago I did a post that was well....shocking. The statistics of teenage STD's and pregnancy have reached an all time high. To find out that the majority of them are getting their "facts" from their friends and not what is actual fact from their parents is upsetting. So, please do what you can today!

A little bit of trivia....I am not sure if you are all aware that one of the MS meds actually came from a HIV/AIDS researcher. Betaseron (not sure if that is what they were going to call it had it been successful for HIV/AIDS) was originally supposed to be used to treat HIV. Somehow during the research phase they came to realize this medication is of benefit for MS. Now I don't know the exact happenings of how it became a MS med, I just know it started out in the research phase for HIV. So, this just tells me that you never really know....some how the research being done for every illness has the potential to help others. Just like how they are now finding meds that help for some cancers and other autoimmune disorders like RA and Lupus also are helpful in MS. Anyway....there is the thought for the day! :) Take care!