tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-236532602024-03-13T19:50:22.732-07:00My MS JournalThis is MY journey with MS! I give you my thoughts, feelings, hopes, and prayers. My wish that one day this disease will come to an end. That one day there will be a cure. For now, I hold on to possibility. I HOPE this will help and inspire not only myself but others.Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811736893524707971noreply@blogger.comBlogger305125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23653260.post-63217523203748668342011-05-25T18:36:00.000-07:002011-05-26T19:21:25.077-07:00Happy World MS Day!So today is World MS Day! and so I feel it's important to say a little something. WE NEED A CURE!!! That's just all there is to it. MS affects so many people and unfortunately is not commonly discussed, in fact, it is often confused for other illnesses and even those who have heard of it, often times do not understand it. <br /><br />So what is MS? Well, here is the "definition" given by the National MS Society: "Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, unpredictable disease of the central nervous system (the brain, optic nerves, and spinal cord). It is thought to be an autoimmune disorder. This means the immune system incorrectly attacks the person's healthy tissue. MS can cause blurred vision, loss of balance, poor coordination, slurred speech, tremors, numbness, extreme fatigue, problems with memory & concentration, paralysis, blindness & more. These problems may be permanent or may come and go. Most people are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, although individuals as young as 2 and as old as 75 have developed it. MS is not considered a fatal disease as the vast majority of people with it live a normal life-span. But they may struggle to live as productively as they desire, often facing increasing limitations."<br /><br />Here's my thought on that: MS SUCKS! :) Seriously though, it is important to know and understand that one of the hardest pieces of MS is that it is different for everyone who has it. There are some people who have a Clinically Isolated Event, meaning they have one attack and may never have another, then there are people who have "Flares or Relapses" in which they can experience a variety of symptoms but once the flare is over they do very well, may live several years without another one. There are some of us who not only have flares but also progress between each flare, never completely going back to baseline and others who do not experience flares but progress, some so fast they end up with the loss of mobility soon after doctor's have realized what is wrong. Sure, we all have similar symptoms, similar stories but the reality of this disease is that no two of us are exactly alike. The disease can attack vertally every aspect of our body, from our brain and spinal cord to our muscles, soft tissue organs and even our bones (although that is more related to medication needed to treat the disease). The NMSS definition states that MS is not a fatal disease, and many times that is true, however as someone with MS I have a higher likeliness of developing a "side-effect" from the illness itself (often referred to as complications of MS....such as in my case my Vocal Cord Spasms that would prevent me from being able to breathe, swallow correctly and at times cause me to aspirate into my lungs) or "side-effects" from the medications used to treat MS (such as chemo, interferons, etc.). <br /><br />I have a friend who is currently doing a paper on MS for her A&P class and as we talked about MS and how it has effected me, it is amazing to realize there is really not one part of my body that has not been affected. Literally from my head to my toes, inside and out, this disease has taken over. Sure, I'm better now since my transplant but this is something I will always have to battle. <br /><br />I would be very curious to hear from others as to how MS has changed their lives, how you have learned to work around the illness, what parts of you has this disease affected?<br /><br />Symptoms I have had (or areas affected by either complications from MS or meds used to treat MS): Fatigue, Numbness, Walking, Balance & Coordination Problems, Vision Problems, Dizziness & Vertigo, Pain, Cognitive Function, Emotional Changes, Spasticity, Vocal Fatigue, Swallowing Problems, Headaches (Migraines), Hearing Loss, Tremors, Breathing Problems, Itching, Pins & Needles, Meningitis, Stroke, Cardiomyopathy, GERD, Liver & Kidney Function Problems, Steroid-Induced Diabetes & Hypertension, Heat Sensitivities, Uhtoff's Syndrome, Bladder & Bowel Incontinence....I could go on and on. MS SUCKS! There is no two-ways about it and we need a cure fast! <br /><br />I hope this helps people better understand MS. Remember this is my experience, my point of view. Not everyone will have this same experience. Take care!Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811736893524707971noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23653260.post-34637669060071060242011-05-19T14:15:00.000-07:002011-05-26T19:22:40.996-07:00It's May!What a 2011 this has been. I almost can't believe it is May already. And even more so, I can't believe it's been since the end of January since I posted anything. I had NO idea it had been so long, in fact if there is anyone left reading this I'm sure you all wonder what the heck happened to me. <br /><br />Well, here it is....I have had a ton of stuff going on with me medically. When I last posted I spoke about my sinuses, well they have not been my favorite subject over the last few months. In fact I had had so many problems that after yet another hospitalization I ended up having to have Sinus surgery once again. My doctor in Seattle tried very hard to avoid another surgery by putting me on a Sinus Nebulizer (new treatment) however that did little to help. So, April 4th I had my surgery in Seattle. I can tell some difference only I still have a lot of swelling and recovery seems to be taking forever. <br /><br />In regards to my MS, well I am just not even sure right now what to think. I have some other medical things going on (i.e. sinuses, which leads to lungs, which is ultimately cause by ALLERGIES...ugh! HATE those). It turns out that since my transplant I am just very sensitive to pretty much everything I take. I had another reaction to an antibiotic, making this about the 10th drug I'm now allergic to. Anyway, so back to the MS....I am not completely sure if what I have been experiencing lately is MS or something else. I suspect however that it is my MS, only I am kind of being stubborn because I really don't want to hear the transplant was not successful and/or that my MS is back. I am due for a check-up soon however, so there is really only so long I can go without reporting it. In fact, I have been delaying because I'm REALLY hoping it will turn out to be more due to the wacky weather we have been having, but then again WE ALL KNOW, weather changes are not kind to us with MS. <br /><br />Over the last month or so I have been experiencing A LOT of pain in my back, shoulders and neck. I've had headaches (which I suspect is more due to allergies and my sinuses). I have had some numbness in my arm, hand and leg...all of which has been more present on my left side, which is my trouble side when it comes to my MS. I have had HORRIBLE charley horses in my legs, a couple times even in my toes. The most noticeable piece however is that I am having the hardest time with heat. UGH!! That is one symptom I hoped and prayed would never come back. Having said that, I do have to say that even if my MS symptoms are coming back, in my opinion this was still a success because I made it a year without most of my previous symptoms and the ones that have come back, although a pain to deal with, are tolerable. Things could always be worse. Plus, if it turns out that my MS is back, at least I know I have done everything humanly possible to fight this dang illness. <br /><br />Here's hoping my next post won't be so far away! Till next time....Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811736893524707971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23653260.post-65098622872168988262011-01-25T08:11:00.000-08:002011-01-25T08:52:55.192-08:00Whoa! It's 2011....Okay, so my goal of updating more often has not happened. I really need to get back into the swing of things here but I have to admit, I've been a little unsure what to even talk about. I guess when I started I was so gung ho about this blog that now I am at a loss and some days it just seems that saying nothing is better than going on about something that is meaningless. Maybe not? <br /><br />I can't believe that it's already the 25th of January. 2011 is going by quick already. So, where have I been and what have I been up to? Let's see. The last time I posted, I was in the hospital. Well, we were supposed to go to Salt Lake for Thanksgiving and that didn't happen....thanks to Mother Nature and all the SNOW we had (this is not a usual thing for us here in the Tri-Cities at Thanksgiving). It turned out good that we didn't go either because as you all know I have been struggling with this cold or whatever it is since the first part of October. Anyway, I ended up back in the hospital just after Thanksgiving. Fortunately it was not pneumonia this time but really, the only reason it didn't turn into pneumonia was because I had been on continuous antibiotics and steroids. In fact I was on antibiotics and steroids until just recently. This thing doesn't seem to want to go away!!!<br /><br />Christmas went well. I was finally starting to feel better. We went to my parents house, spent time with my family and it was a nice, relaxing, quiet holiday. Unfortunately my sister was sick and so within about a day I was sick all over again. This cycle has felt like it would never end. I went back to my PCP and was told that I would probably fight this until the weather got better because with my lowered immune system there's just no getting away from this. I'm thinking to myself at the time, this really sucks seeing how careful I am and that I am the Queen of HAND SANITIZER! LOL Anyway, I was starting to think that this is all just a part of the immune system recovery process when a week ago last Friday I ended up back at the hospital. I have had this cough since October, bronchitis non-stop, pneumonia on one occasion and I won't even get started on how difficult it has been to breathe. My asthma was really on the fritz! <br /><br />A week ago last Friday I was having problems breathing again so I ended up back at the hospital. This time I had a doctor who decided that I had been on antibiotics for long enough and that this was not the solution.....after all, I should be getting better. He did the typical chest x-ray and higher steroids as well as stronger nebulaizers so that I could breathe. After the x-ray showed no pneumonia and since I've obviously quit responding to antibiotics, he decided that maybe my lungs are not the real problem here, maybe it's something else. Thank you so much Dr. Hauke because I am FINALLY getting better thanks to his "let's think outside of the box" outlook. He decided to do a CT of my sinuses and what do you know? My sinuses were so swollen that it was no surprise at all that I couldn't breathe. He explained that he thinks that since my sinuses have been so swollen any post-nasal drip has settled in my lungs, also causing my cough. He gave me a nasal steroid and told me about these wonderful things known as Breathe-Right strips. Finally I am getting better! I still have a bit of a cough and the Breath-Right strips are not a permanent solution but they are helping and will work until my ENT in Seattle can come up with a better solution. <br /><br />Speaking of Seattle. I go back to Seattle Thursday. I am seeing my Pulmonary doc and then of course my ENT but also will be getting my 14 month post-transplant immunizations. 14 month? Yep! I know, I am 16 months out but I was sick and in the hospital twice in November when they were due and then the local doctor's and health department could not get access to the immunizations I needed, so I had to make arrangements to go to Seattle. It has taken some time, I'm told because this has become such an issue they have had to open an immunization clinic at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. Small areas, like where I live, don't have the inactivated immunizations because there is not a high need for them and in years past they would go to waste because they would stock them and then some months have no need for them at all. I understand the whole cost-effectiveness thing so I'm fine with that, as long as I can get what I need. Anyway, so I'm about 2 months behind schedule on my immunizations but now that we have them figured out I will just go to Seattle to get them when they are due. <br /><br />I hope that this finds all of you doing well, MS behaving itself and that the New Year has brought you only good things. Until next time......Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811736893524707971noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23653260.post-92143674719336562552010-11-10T21:56:00.000-08:002010-11-10T22:14:34.737-08:00A Generous Gift<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DqtaDSv7UGI/TNuJmGXFu2I/AAAAAAAAAa8/PJV3cHEXsdc/s1600/IMG00309-20101110-2036.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 188px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DqtaDSv7UGI/TNuJmGXFu2I/AAAAAAAAAa8/PJV3cHEXsdc/s200/IMG00309-20101110-2036.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538171454417648482" /></a>A couple hours ago I got the most beautiful flowers, with an angel in the basket with a very touching card and gift cards. This was sent to me here at the hospital from someone that I am not sure I even know. She signed the card <3 A Friend (sister in Christ). In the event you are someone who reads my blog, I just want to say Thank You. I can't thank you enough and your generous gift really lifted my spirits! I am kind of at a loss for words (and if you know me, that doesn't happen often) so all I can say is Thank you from the bottom of my heart. :)Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811736893524707971noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23653260.post-66456628894138869942010-11-10T01:16:00.001-08:002010-11-10T02:30:51.050-08:00Back in the hospital....Where to begin? Maybe the first of October would be a good place to start. As you are all aware I went to Seattle for my one year post-transplant visit, got my immunizations and did quite well. That was until the first Sunday in October. Almost exactly two weeks after my immunizations and a week after coming off of the post-transplant meds I GOT SICK! Urgh! <br /><br />That Sunday was the 3rd of October, the day I got paid and we needed groceries. We were in the store for no more than a 1/2 hour when I started to not feel well. I told Justin I had to go sit down and to please go pay for me. The store is not that far from my house but in the short 20 minutes or so that it took for him to pay, us to get in the car and drive home, I had chills and a fever. Not good! I was told by the docs that when you come off all the post-transplant meds it is not all that uncommon to get a cold. Knowing this I thought that I has just come in contact with something, everyone's got colds right now and since my last labs looked good, this would be the test to see how I do. I didn't do too bad either. I was able to see my PCP, just to be safe, the first of that week, to be safe he put me on a Tamiflu and a Zpack because he thought I had the flu and it sounded like bronchitis to him. I almost immediately got better....except the cough that is. <br /><br />By October 15th I was back in Seattle, had my second MRI (without any problems), was even able to manage the trip (almost 4 hours each way) without much difficulty. The following week I felt fine. I went back to the gym, figured my pesky little cough (because it really was getting better, or should I say it wasn't as frequent) was the last of my symptoms and I was good to go. Then I saw my Oncologist and although she was quite pleased with my labs and how I was doing, she didn't like the sound of my cough and sent me back to Seattle to see my Pulmonary doc. All this time my cough was getting better. <br /><br />On the 28th we went back to Seattle and I saw my Pulmonary doc. Considering they have done pulmonary function tests on me but not actually seen me since right after my transplant he was quite amazed at my progress. In fact, he wanted me to watch how much of my asthma medication I had been taking because I have been on it my whole life (pretty much) and he thought I was using more than I needed. He explained it to me as when you have such a major recovery from something (I went from 36% lung function to 89%, which basically means my asthma is pretty much gone, amazing) that our brains are so used to having it (almost like a subconscious prescribed addiction if you will) that we still have symptoms and our bodies still think we need it. Anyway, to be safe, he sent me to the Allergy doc there in his office for a consult and testing and what was even more amazing is that I am basically not allergic to anything anymore. Okay, so I have lots of medication allergies and we are not really willing to try those out to see if I react but when it comes to animals, food and environmental factors....I'm NOT allergic. This is even more amazing since I was so allergic to pretty much everything environmental and when it came to animals, cats sent me straight into an asthma attack and horses caused me to go into anaphylaxis. <br /><br />Amazing, in fact I think my docs were all amazed too! There have been reports of people who have transplants getting better when it comes to their asthma and allergies but mine went away! Or so we though. And, don't get me wrong, both are SO much better than they were before and that is a side effect I am so incredibly happy about. I NEVER would have thought when I went in for this how many aspects of my health could improve. I mean, we all hoped for the MS to go into remission, and thanks to my Bactrim/Menigitis/Stroke situation last February it's now kind of hard to know if the symptoms I do have are MS related or because of that reaction. Either way I am still better than I was before and that's something wonderful in itself. <br /><br />So fast forward to this past Thursday, November 4th, pretty much one month from when I got sick the first time and this stupid cough started. I woke up with a sore throat and goop in my right eye. Otherwise I felt fine. I called my PCP, he got me right in and informed me that I have developed a Sinus infection and pink eye. PINK EYE!? I didn't think adults got that. And, unless they are around small kids, typically they don't but I was reminded by my doc that I just got my immunizations a little over a month ago and well, babies get them right after birth, so my immune system is like a babies. Also, he reminded me that now that I've had some immunizations and come off the post-transplant meds it will take a while for all the antibodies to do their job. Okay, so that makes sense. I thought the first year was the worst when it comes to being careful but in all reality, although my immune system is stronger than before, it's still like a babies and so I still have to be careful. He put me on Cipro eye drops, which cleared up the pink eye with no problem but he also put me on a Zpack for the sinus infection. <br /><br />Now, I'm not a doctor but I've been around medicine long enough to know that if you are taking your meds and getting worse, they aren't working. That's exactly what happened to me. Thursday I was great, just a bit of a sore throat, Friday I was okay...until about 4pm that is. I then developed a fever of 101.8 or so. I called my doc but really was trying not to worry too much because I really didn't feel that bad. I just knew it was Friday and I had a fever. I know it can take a couple days to start to see a difference after starting antibiotics. Well, I've determined the Zpack is not my friend. Saturday morning wasn't too bad but I was only keeping the fever in the 100-101.5 range by taking Tylenol every 4 hours. Saturday afternoon I started having higher and higher temps and so I told Justin this is nuts, after 3 days of antibiotics (especially since you only get 5 days worth with a Zpack) I should be getting better, not worse. I finally told Justin I thought something was wrong because I was freezing (or so I felt) but I could feel the heat coming off my skin. We took my temp and Justin called the ambulance. My fever (even with taking Tylenol every 4 hours) was 103.5. NOT GOOD!<br /><br />Turns out I have pneumonia. Um, wasn't that one of the immunizations I got a month ago? Yeah, it was. Anyway..... I was in the ER no more than 20 minutes, I don't think they even had my chest x-rays back yet when they told me I would be admitted. I've been here since. I had a raging infection and the Zpack obviously was not strong enough to kill it. I was put on IV antibiotics and then put on isolation until they could figure out what the underlying infection was. Since I have had my cough for over a month and my immune system is still so fragile the doctor wanted to rule out things that were infectious like Pertussis (another immunization I just had) and MRSA. Fortunately the IV antibiotics have helped and my WBC's are back in normal range. The cough however is just as bad as it ever was, and they have not gotten all the results back so they still don't know what type of bacteria caused all this. What we do know is that I am improving, I am responding to the stronger antibiotics and as of this morning I am not contagious. Still, until they know the source of my pneumonia (which better, still has not gone away) and what is making my cough so bad I'm stuck in the hospital. Fortunately, the nurses and doctor's have all been wonderful. <br /><br />I am so ready to go home at this point (there's no where better when you're sick) but my body is still not quite there. So, for now I will be at the hospital doing my best not to go crazy from illness and boredom. :) As soon as I learn more, I will update again. It has occurred to me that even if things are going well and I don't feel like I really have much to say, I should still update more often. I hope you can all understand that. So that's my New Years goal....I'm saying it now. LOL I want to get back to sharing all the happenings of my journey with MS and everything else medical that comes my way. I know it has been quite the first year, unlike anyone else's experience and that's not probably saying much since there are not too many of us. I do think it's important for you all to know that there are not just these hiccups, but good days too and they are becoming more and more thanks to this transplant. There is a reason they follow us for 5 years and as optimistic as we all are, there are bound to be some issues along the way. I just have come to realize that getting important marks (like 6 months and 1 year) are great but I almost feel like my blogs been a little bipolar this past year. I have not really been steady with it and so you have gotten the really good, grateful stuff and then the hiccups...not so much of the in-between, even if those in-between posts are small...which would be preferable (my posts over the last year are like reading a novel, they're so long) I now realize that a short post at least once a week that says what's going on would be good. I will warn you now, I hope for them to be quite boring, filled with days at the gym, having the ability to do just a little more each week and then the good stuff in another year when I'm fully in remission. Okay, okay....I'm getting ahead of myself but that's where I want to be. Most other HALT patients have gotten their lives back to the pre-MS days (or that feeling) in about a year or so, due to my complications it will take a little longer but in the end we are all going for the same thing. A better quality of life. And, hopefully for those of you out there just waiting for something better to come along, it's nice to know there are people hard at work to make that happen for us all! <br /><br />Sorry about the long post! I have had a busy month. Take care and I hope this finds you all well. <br /><br />~JaimeJaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811736893524707971noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23653260.post-88220721976164546752010-09-21T12:52:00.000-07:002010-09-22T09:17:16.003-07:00It's Been 1 Year Today!!!Such a strange thing to look back on the previous year and to think that one year ago today I got my transplant. The nurses said to consider this my "new" birthday...so Happy Birthday to me! <br /><br />Honestly there were so many times I was unsure if I would make it to this day. The transplant itself was not easy and although it has been VERY worth it, the Meningitis, Stroke and everything else that came as a result was so not easy. I am not going to get into a big discussion as to how I feel about making it the year or thanking all the wonderful people who helped me get through this past year as I did a lot of that on my last post. What I am going to do is tell you my plans for the future...now that I can be hopeful about having one. Or at least my plans for the next year. Oh, and give you a quick update on my 1 year appointments in Seattle last week. <br /><br />Last Thursday and Friday as you know we went to Seattle for all of my 1 year appointments. A couple of my doctor's, I'd swear you almost had to pick their jaw up off the ground, were so happy to see how well I am doing, considering how I was last time they saw me (end of May). I have come leaps and bounds. Due to the Bactrim causing my Meningitis and my having a stroke, there were changes on my MRI, and so I am considered (from a data standpoint) the one "transplant failure". Great! If there would be someone, it would be me. Anyway, I am not looking at it like that though because in all reality for me this was VERY MUCH a success and if anything I just may be the biggest success of all...seeing how I not only recovered from the transplant but all the complications that came after. I'm guessing there are not many people out there who are fortunate enough to go through something like I did this year and come out the other side better than ever. <br /><br />So, everything looked good, all my tests/appointments were cake and everyone was quite pleased with my progress. We were all a little nervous about me getting my childhood immunizations again but it went well. I had NO reactions! YAY! The next day I felt a bit like someone used me as a punching bag (imagine getting 5 tetanus shots....that's what it felt like) but I did so well that we were able to return home Friday night. I didn't even break a fever. So, what did they give me? There were 8 immunizations in all (5 injections). I was given DPaT (Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus), Hepatitis A & B, Polio, Pneumonia and the Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type b...bacteria that is the leading cause of Meningitis). All of the immunizations were inactivated or non-live viruses. I can not have (or be exposed to) live viruses post-transplant. Had they had the vaccines for Flu and Swine Flu I would have gotten those as well, those I need to get here at home. <br /><br />I go back to Seattle October 15th for another MRI (study mandates two MRI's at the 1 year mark...last being a month later without contrast, the first was with contrast). I will then need to have more immunizations at the 14 month mark and then again at the 2 year mark. <br /><br />Okay, so the next year....<br /><br />I am currently going to the gym two to three times a week. After the year I've had everyone has been very cautious, however after a little persistence I was able to get my Oncologist to sign off on me getting back in the gym. I figured if nothing else but to use the treadmill I would be happy. Anyway, he agreed with the condition that I go through the Cancer Well-Fit program. Basically that just means that I go twice a week and work out with a group of other people who have been through chemo, transplants or other treatment. There are personal trainers on the floor and available if we need anything. The service is free and it gives me full access to the gym, so I've been going at least one other time a week too! Anyway, the program ends next month and so I have already submitted the paperwork to join the gym and join the Total Solution program, which means I will still have access to a personal trainer and more! The best part is that I am doing well enough that the treadmill is not the only thing I can use. I am able to use the recumbent bike, upright bike, weights and more. I have actually surprised myself because for the first time in years....maybe my whole life, I can go and exercise for a good hour and a half, sometimes two hours and I DON'T NEED my inhaler. That is just one of the many wonderful pluses that came from the transplant. For the first time in a decade I am loosing weight. It's really a miracle to me. <br /><br />So I am taking the next year to focus on getting as healthy as I can be. I don't want to jinx anything but I have not been the luckiest person when it comes to my health so I want to do all I can NOW! Plus, my MS neurologist gave me a goal....be on her MS Bike team next September. Um, I think the last time I was on a bike I was 12. :) And, the SHORTEST course is 22 miles. Quite a goal, I know, but if I can do it that would be amazing! <br /><br />Thursday we are having a big party to celebrate my 1 year! We have a lot to celebrate and I just can't explain to you all how grateful I am at this second chance at life (and an even healthier, better quality life then I've ever had). <br /><br />I hope you are all well. :)<br /><br />~JaimeJaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811736893524707971noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23653260.post-22935907215450829222010-09-10T12:58:00.000-07:002010-09-10T14:21:32.931-07:00What A Year!So I want to start by saying that A LOT has happened this past year and I know I have not been the BEST about updating. I'm sorry about that. I would love to have had the energy to be able to update every day, or every week like I used to. The thing is, this past year I have really been doing my best to focus on my health, following the transplant protocol to a T and getting healthier. Now I know I have had my fair share of complications....I actually think I'm the only one in the study to have such complications BUT in MY personal opinion I have to say "THE TRANSPLANT WAS A SUCCESS". <br /><br />Okay, so I am not a doctor, and I don't have the ACTUAL data to be able to determine that but here is what I, as the person to have gone through all this, knows.<br /><br />Before my transplant I had a variety of medical issues. Each of which were quite severe cases. I will start with my MS, for that is why I am here, created this blog, and ultimately did the transplant. I was diagnosed 6 years ago, went through all the FDA medications I could take and despite that I continued to progress. I have spent time where you would never realize something was wrong as well as time having to use a cane, walker and even time in a wheelchair. I had to quit working because my health needed to be my priority. And I have had so many hospitalizations over the last 5 years that you'd think that was my second home (a quite expensive one if I do say so myself). <br /><br />Then there is the Asthma. My asthma was SO bad that it really didn't take much for me to have problems breathing. I went through 3 albuterol inhalers a month as well as had to take a variety of other inhalers and oral medications each day just to make it through the day. In fact every 4 hours or so I had to do a nebulizer treatment and if I were to travel, I had to take a portable nebulizer with me so that I could do treatments in the car. I can't even begin to explain how many times I have had to be rushed to the hospital because my breathing became so bad that even 2-3 doses of nebulizer solution as well as all of my rescue inhalers did NOTHING to help my breathing, usually I would require a heart neb (which is a much higher dosed nebulizer ran consistently over several hours) with steroids and sometimes even epis, just to get my lungs to relax at all. It really was insane and I was convinced that my Asthma was as big of an issue for me as my MS was. <br /><br />As if those two were not enough, I have cardiomyopathy as a result of the Novantrone, liver and esophogeal damage done as a result of mediation I took for my Ovarian problems in 2001, arthritis and osteopenia as a result of all the years of steroids used to treat the MS and Asthma. I had B Cell Lymphoma in 2005 and Nevoid-Basal Cell Epitheleoma (now known as Basal Cell Carcinoma) when I was 11. I tend to have high blood pressure and a high heart rate, when on some medications I get high blood sugars and I am allergic to most everything I have ever been tested for. In fact, I have had more than one rare allergic reactions to medications, not just seasonal allergies. Last February I was the 28th person EVER to have a severe reaction to Bactrim, which is otherwise a very commonly used anti-biotic, in which I developed Meningitis not once but twice. <br /><br />So where am I going with all this? Here is it. I am FINE!!! I know I have A LOT of work to do but it is no small miracle that despite all odds (including a stroke during my time of Meningitis) I have done better this past year since the transplant than I have done in YEARS! The HALT MS study's purpose was to stop the progression of MS. It is not meant to be a cure. However, for me, in some ways it has been. No my health problems have not gone away, BUT there are some remarkable evidence to suggest that this was VERY MUCH A SUCCESS.<br /><br />For any of you reading this who have MS, or know someone with MS, heat intolerance is a HUGE issue. Before my transplant I was unable to function AT ALL in the heat. In fact in April of 2009, I fell and dislocated my shoulder, fractured my elbow and my wrist....all because when my body would get over heated (I didn't even have to feel like it was hot out) my legs would give out and I would suddenly fall. No warning what so ever. In fact, I have been known to break a sweat in 20` weather, when there has been ice and snow on the ground, all because my body temperature would react that way. In the last 5 years (since I learned about cooling vests) I have gone through 3 cooling vests, a number of cooling headbands, bra inserts, pillow cases and neck bands. This year I have NOT, once again I am going to repeat, I have NOT needed to use any cooling supplies. In fact, I was able to spend a day at the river in 105` weather with nothing more than bottles of water to drink. AMAZING! Anyway, I could go on and on about how it's helped my MS but that is one of the most notable things I could describe to you. <br /><br />And that's not all. See, unlike many of the others, I have dealt with many health problems for years. It is MY personal opinion that ALL of them have benefited one way or another from this transplant. My asthma has improved so much that I no longer need the nebulizer, I'm down to one albuterol inhaler a month and for the first time in I can't remember how long I am able to exercise. I can go to the gym, do two cycles on the circuit weights, use the treadmill and bikes all without needing a cooling vest or inhaler. My last round of testing shows that my ejection fraction rate is better, my BP has gotten better, my heart rate (even though still high) has even gotten better. I really don't see any area that has not improved. <br /><br />Now, having said all that, one of the most amazing things to me (which may or may not be transplant related) is the fact that with virtually no immune system (since this did happen post-transplant) I was able to develop severe Meningitis, have a stroke, a mild case of Meningitis....all of which caused it's own problems....and although it was quite a recovery, I have done just that, RECOVERED. I am not sure if I would have been so lucky before the transplant, honestly. I mean, I went for a week without being able to talk at all, it took me about 5 months to be able to walk without a walker but here I am and although I can tell that there is still a lot that needs to be done, I am in absolute amazement that I have done so well. It has not been easy and is not for the faint of heart by any means, but I really think these doctor's are on to something! <br /><br />I still get tired and my illnesses are not completely gone, but I am better than I have been in YEARS and with each day I only get better. This transplant may not have CURED me, BUT it DID give me my life back! For that I have a LOT to celebrate as I approach my 1 year mark. <br /><br />So, here's to the best and brightest future for all of us and a VERY BIG THANK YOU to all of the doctors, researchers and legislators out there who continually fight to find us a cure! <br /><br />I promise it won't be so long the next time I update. My 1 year mark is September 21st and I go to Seattle for my 1 year appointment, which include immunizations, on September 16th & 17th. After my appointments I will update again. <br /><br />Take care. I hope you are all well!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">~Jaime<span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></span>Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811736893524707971noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23653260.post-39545906234461044832010-07-06T10:26:00.000-07:002010-09-10T14:35:11.599-07:00Sprain...Urg! Always Something....So I was getting better, even able to get around the house without my walker or cane, only needing to use my cane when outdoor and what do you know....I twisted and sprained my ankle. So, now I'm back in the walker boot and needing the cane again. This has been a very long recovery, I mean, I understand that Meningitis and Strokes are very serious but after all I have already gone through, you'd think that would be easier. It's not. In fact the unpredictability of all the side effects are just as bad, dare I say worse, than the unpredictability I experienced with the MS. <br /><br />My first Meningitis (which was the severe one and caused the stroke) was mid-February and here we are just after the 4th of July and I'm still having side effects. I am doing my best to be positive but when you're 33 years old and can't go anywhere for fear of having an accident because you have no control over your bladder, can't walk very well and still have pain and headaches, it's just not easy. I know I'm probably not doing a good job of describing it to you all, but I just want to say that I am doing my best to recover, be patient (not my strong-suit) and when things settle down I will be back.....with a much more positive outlook for the future. I know things the last few months have been difficult but I keep telling myself I'm here for a reason and with all that's happened already, I WILL get better. I HAVE to! :)Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811736893524707971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23653260.post-66204964568265694312010-05-27T19:18:00.000-07:002010-05-27T20:14:24.372-07:00Where Has the Time Gone?????My goodness, it has been what? a month and a half since I last posted. Where has all the time gone? My dad said to me today "are you gonna do a post on your blog, it's been since the middle of April" so here I am. Actually, I have thought several times that I need to get on here and post, it has just been a crazy time. A lot has happened since my last post.<br /><br />I am finally getting better. I am starting to be able to walk again without my walker or cane. When I go out of course I use the cane because I would rather be safe than sorry, but yesterday we went into a pharmacy after my appointment with the Ortho and we really did not have much walking to do so I decided to go without my cane when Justin starts laughing at me and told me I look like I'm drunk walking without it because I am still so wobbly. Thanks! In all seriousness though, this has been a really long journey and recovery. <br /><br />My last post I let you all know that I ended up with Meningitis again, well it appears that I am finally healing from all that and it is gone. The doctor's are pretty certain that it was indeed caused by the Bactrim and took me off of that medication. Interestingly enough almost immediately after being taken off that medication I started to get better. As a matter of fact, I am finally starting to feel like myself again (that is until I get up to walk....that is getting better but it's a slow recovery). Having a Meningitis reaction is so rare with Bactrim that before me there have only been 27 documented cases, and one of my doctor's last week told me he has only seen it one other time and that was 12 YEARS ago. Crazy!<br /><br />Last week my Dad and I travelled to Seattle so I could be a guinea pig. Actually we went there because the transplant team/researchers wanted to get some more information so they can look closer at my immune system and see if they can determine why I had this reaction. This was all for research and I agreed to do it because I think it is so important for them to get as much information as they possibly can. You see, before the Meningitis I was doing great, better than I had been in years, even before my diagnosis and pretty much everyone else who has done this transplant has done so well, even gotten their life back. I really believe in this and hope that this can become an option for others with MS who have failed other therapies, this is a chance for those people to have their lives back and so it's important that the doctor's learn all they can, especially when I had a reaction to one of the post-transplant medicines. The more they learn about what happened the better off everyone will be. <br /><br />We went over Sunday night as my first test was scheduled for Monday at 8:20. Monday we were kind of all over Seattle, it seemed. LOL My appointment was at the UW Hospital for an echocardiogram, then we headed to the SCCA where I had a pulmonary function test and blood work. Next we headed to Swedish where I had an appointment with my Study Neurologist and a spinal tap, more blood work and lastly we went back to the SCCA for an assessment with my Study Oncologist. Talk about a busy day! Tuesday brought a very early (10 to 7) appointment to have a central line placed then I went up to have Leukapheresis done. These were the only things I had to do that day, and finally Wednesday I went in and had my line pulled, a bone marrow biopsy and then a 2-hour MRI. From what I have heard, the preliminary results are all great! In fact, the Pulmonary tech showed me the difference between now and when I did the test before my transplant and amazingly my lung function base line before taking albuterol is now what it was after albuterol before the transplant. AMAZING!!! Now that's one side effect I am all for. :) <br /><br />This was actually our second trip to Seattle since the last time I posted and I am happy to say that my doctor's were quite pleased with how I am recovering. It is amazing to think what a medication can do to a person when it just doesn't work for them. I feel like I am quite lucky. I now look back on mid-February when all this started and I have come so far! I may be still recovering and wobbly when I walk but 3 months ago I was not walking or talking. At one point after the first bought of Meningitis I remember being so worried that I would never recover, so scared at what life was going to be like, not sure I would ever be able to walk on my own again or go anywhere without a depends because I had no control over my lower body muscles. It is amazing what our brain can do, how things can heal. With just the right amount of pushing forward each day (without doing too much, trust me I have had those days where I pushed too hard and then regretted it as I went backwards for a few days) eventually we can heal. <br /><br />In fact I am finally able to drive again, something I have not done in months. It had been so long since I drove that today when I got to my dad's house and looked at my car I realized that my tabs had expired (months ago). Oops!!! Needless to say I went and got new tabs for my car today. :) Tuesday I started the MS yoga class and I'm really hoping that will help my muscle memory, as I've heard it can. Also, my foot is finally healed! My Ortho did x-rays yesterday and the fractures I had (both of them) in my foot are finally healed. Things are good! One last thing about me...my hair is finally really growing. I know, it has taken a long time to get here, but I just had to share because it is so different. My hair was straight as a board before the transplant and now it is curly, SUPER curly! I wasn't so sure about it at first, but with it still being so short I am really happy about this change as it at least gives me a bit of style. Plus, it might be kind of fun having curly hair. :)<br /><br />Okay, enough about me. Last time I posted I mentioned that we had just found out my best friend had a brain tumor. Well, I am happy to report that she had her surgery and is doing well. She is recovering, probably slower than she would like, but she is recovering! They were able to get the whole thing and said that if you have to have a brain tumor this was the best kind to have. In fact she did so well after the surgery (which was on a Wednesday) they let her out of the hospital to go home that Friday. She has had some weakness on her left side, had had to use a walker, but with each day gets a little better. What a relief! <br /><br />Anyway, I hope you are all doing well and I will do my best not to take SO long to post next time. Take care and have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811736893524707971noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23653260.post-27685011860356832782010-04-14T16:38:00.000-07:002010-04-14T16:52:27.483-07:00A Little Better......What a week this has been! I am doing a little better...my labs look better so I am happy about that. I went in yesterday for a special lab that will take about a week to get the results on but the doctor's think they may know why I keep getting Meningitis. They think it is a medication related Meningitis (caused by the generic Bactrim I am on from the transplant). It is a REALLY RARE side effect but it has been known to happen so I have been taken off of that. The thing is the Bactrim is used to prevent a type of pneumonia that can happen post-transplant and so they did the blood test to see what antibiotic they can give me to prevent this type of pneumonia. I should get the results next week and hopefully get on a different antibiotic, which will not only prevent the pneumonia but help so I NO LONGER get Meningitis. I NEVER want that again!<br /><br />Last week I fell twice because my legs are not working real well. I am weak in the legs and having to use my walker to get around. Anyway, after an x-ray it looks like I fractured my foot so I am doing my best to stay off of it. Not something that is really hard seeing how I'm not walking really well anyway. Saturday was actually a really good day, I felt better, had some energy....it was good. Sunday was okay. Monday I was really tired and I am today as well. <br /><br />It is Wednesday and so far this week has sucked though. My mom is not doing really well. She somehow injured her back and is having a hard time walking herself. My Great-Uncle passed away this week, my Dad has an ulcer on his foot so he needs to stay off of it as much as possible and I found out last night my best friend has a Brain Tumor. They think it's benign but she will need to have surgery to have it removed. They will have more information once she sees the Neurosurgeon next week. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and her in my prayers. <br /><br />This week has really been a reminder that we all go through things and somehow it all works out, even if at that moment it doesn't feel that way. I hope you are doing well. Take care!Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811736893524707971noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23653260.post-72653760230333418022010-04-08T16:59:00.000-07:002010-04-08T18:08:33.339-07:00Meningitis.....I am SO tired of Meningitis right now. I'm tired of being sick! Friday evening I ended up getting a fever AGAIN. Off to the hospital we went and they told me it would be VERY rare to develop meningitis after just having it and just having a normal LP a week prior. They did some labs which didn't look too bad, got my fever under control and let me go home. Since we were planning on doing Easter dinner at my parents on Saturday and Justin had to work I went and stayed at their house. I have been here since. <br /><br />Saturday morning was not too bad. I was tired but otherwise feeling okay. My parents were planning on Easter dinner so my Grandma could come but she ended up getting sick. I think everyone who came had a good time though. About 3:30 I got really tired, as a matter of fact I didn't eat much...even though dinner looked really good. I ended up going to bed and slept till about 9:30 the next morning. I didn't feel very good when I got up and it turned out I had a fever again. My head hurt and so after calling the transplant Neurologist we ended up back at the hospital. He wanted me to go in and get a spinal tap (LP) and a MRI. Basically to make sure the meningitis was not back (which although is rare this quickly is possible) and to see if the MS was getting better. After several hours in the ER, and having the doctor tell me he would bet me his paycheck I don't have meningitis because I don't have the symptoms and he has seen lots of it so there is just NO WAY, the MRI showed my swelling is decreasing, MS is getting better but that there is signs of a previous hemorrhage (which did not show on previous MRI's, which makes us question if I did have a stroke when I was in the hospital before...like the doctor's suspected). My blood work looked pretty good, all except my platelets which went from 264 on Friday to 115 on Sunday (which is low). The LP however showed the meningitis back. It is a more mild form as my WBC count was not anywhere as high as before but still. Not good. I joked with my dad that maybe I should ask him for his paycheck. <br /><br />I have been staying at my parents so that Justin and Nathan could have as much normalcy as possible (not sure that happened) and that I could get some rest and not be alone. My dad is retired and so I have been hanging out with him. We have mainly been watching Season 1 & 2 of NCIS...I never got to see those and he had some of them recorded. Anyway, I have been getting lots of rest and doing my best to relax. Monday and Tuesday were not good days at all. Monday I fell twice just trying to get out of bed and to the bathroom. My fevers are still around but Tylenol seems to be helping. I am still having A LOT of MS problems. My walking is NOT good. I am barely getting around with a walker. (Sorry...this may be TMI for some of you) My ability to control my bladder and bowels are off....I have had more than a few accidents and then of course that only makes me more upset, I cry and then don't do well. I am VERY week and fatigued. More than anything I AM SICK & TIRED OF BEING THIS WAY. Aren't we all?<br /><br />The worst part though is the last couple of days I have been feeling some depression which is not normal for me. I try not to get too upset or read too much into it because even though I am better than I was a month or so ago, the area of my brain with the new lesions and swelling is the area that controls the emotions. The last couple of days though I have felt as if I wished the meningitis/MS flare/Stroke....whatever I had in Feburary would have just killed me because then everyone else would have been better off. I know it would not be easy for my family but I think of them having to take care of me and how hard this is on everyone and at least if I died I would be at peace as would they once they had some mourning time. Of course I don't want to die or anything like that, I just hate seeing my family go through all this, having to take care of me, my inability to be able to help or do much of anything. It is really frustrating. I can barely muster up enough energy to take a shower. I have to have a shower chair, someone help get out what I need and then need a serious rest after. Just walking from room to room is hard for me. I thought I was getting better, and now I'm not so sure. All I can say is I need to get better soon! I can work with the walker, with the numbness, with many of the MS symptoms but watching my family have a hard time with this, be effected by all this, my son having an attitude because he says he doesn't know how to deal with all this, Justin being frustrated because he gets stuck doing everything (even though he says he is not frustrated and puts up with all this, helping with whatever I need, he seems that way). My parents helping out. It's just not easy for anyone, is it? Whether my deterioration is from the menengitis or MS....it sucks! I have been told I will recover and I am sure I will, but in the meantime it is not easy. So the sooner I get better the better off we will all be! <br /><br />Tomorrow is Friday and I'm hoping a better day. Take care!Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811736893524707971noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23653260.post-5576470119998166902010-04-01T18:23:00.000-07:002010-04-01T18:39:46.079-07:00Happy April Fools Day!Traditionally on April Fools Day people play jokes on each other...I wish my recovery was a joke and tomorrow I would wake up and be okay. This recovery is taking what feels like FOREVER! For a while there it seemed like every day I was getting a little bit better. I am not so sure now. My talking is better and I am not crying much anymore. I am still very wobbly though, still having a hard time walking. I have not been doing a whole lot because I am not currently driving and I get tired really easy. Some of which I am thinking actually has to do with my bed. <br /><br />Last weekend I stayed at my parents house because I had my follow-up spinal tap last Friday. I have had bad reactions to these before and so this was to be on the safe side. Justin had to work and my son went to Spokane to hang out with my cousin for the weekend. If I had a reaction and was alone that would not be good. Fortunately I had no reactions, hardly even a headache. The spinal tap of course hurt but it didn't last long and the best news....the Meningitis is GONE! Now if the MS flare would just go away. Anyway, while I was there I slept on the bed in my Grandma's old room, on a new bed and I actually had some energy Saturday. I did much better that day actually. I stayed both Saturday and Sunday and although I was tired Sunday I still didn't do too bad. I have been SO tired since back in my own bed. I'm thinking maybe it's time to get a new bed. :) I was supposed to have a repeat MRI on Tuesday but the orders did not mention any sedation so they are rescheduling it. Hopefully by time they get me in my MS flare will be that much better. <br /><br />This week was pretty uneventful. I got my first hair cut since the transplant on Monday. My Mom was getting her hair done and so I went with her. There was not a lot to take off, I don't have a lot of hair, so it was more to shape it up. The back is growing much faster than the top! Tomorrow I have a follow-up with my Oncologist and then we are doing Easter dinner at my parents on Saturday. My Grandma is a double-amputee and has to take the Dial-a-Ride bus. They don't work on Sunday's so we decided to do dinner on Saturday so she could go. We will probably not do much on Sunday, watch General Conference and relax. <br /><br />I hope that you are all doing well and have a great Easter! Take care. :)Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811736893524707971noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23653260.post-44586050557864705312010-03-21T20:58:00.000-07:002010-03-21T21:24:45.599-07:00Testing & More....Well I have been out of the hospital for two weeks and it has been the hardest time I have ever had. This flare, Meningitis that I have had seems to me that it has been even more difficult to get through than the transplant was. That may sound crazy, and well it may not be true because there is a lot of the transplant that I don't remember and there are parts of this Meningitis/MS flare that I don't remember. What I do know is that the recovery for this seems to be taking longer than I have ever taken to recover from anything. It has been over a month since I became sick and it has been a month now since I the MS flared. The doctor's tell me that I will recover, it will just take time and they are not kidding. I am still having a hard time walking, still having a hard time controlling my muscles but I think I am finally starting to get a little better. Today, for the first time since I got home I was able to walk to my room from the living room and back without my walker. This was early in the day and I was quite wobbly. I imagine that this must be what babies feel like when they are learning to walk. I did okay though, it is a first step and I will take any improvement at this point. <br /><br />Friday I go into the local hospital to have a repeat spinal tap done to ensure that the Meningitis is gone. I am sure that it is because I am getting better, even if it is slow, and I don't have symptoms any more. Plus they say Meningitis takes about 2 weeks to get better and it's been over a month now. The MS flare, well that is another thing. They are planning to do another MRI on the 30th to make sure the MS flare is getting better. I guessing since the recovery has been this slow it is going to take longer than a week for me to get back to where I was but hopefully the MRI will show the lesions/swelling in my brain decreasing in size. Hopefully it will show improvement and be able to give them some idea as to how my recovery will go. <br /><br />Fortunately I am finally getting to the point where I am able to stay up a little later. For a while there I was going to bed at like 7 or 8pm. Really early for me and then sleeping in plus taking a nap. I guess I needed it. Now I am able to sleep more on my normal schedule so hopefully that means I am getting closer getting better! One can hope, right? <br /><br />Well, I hope you are all doing well. Take care!Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811736893524707971noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23653260.post-61094083871953182132010-03-06T08:55:00.000-08:002010-03-06T09:59:02.761-08:00Hospital....Home AgainI just got home yesterday from Seattle. I have been in the hospital for more than 2 weeks and was more than ready to come home, so I thought. I am still really having a hard time and I don't know what the heck is going on. I don't know if I am going to recover this time as this is probably the worst relapse I have ever had. Just over 2 weeks ago I was fine and now I'm not. My parents thought I was having a stroke I was so bad. When I went into the local hospital here I was fine. It turned out I had Meningitis but I was okay. A few days later my MS flared and I was not okay. They did a MRI on the 19th that was okay. It showed the lesions that were previously seen on my MRI's that were my MS. A few days later my MS flared and it attacked deep in my brain causing me to not be able to talk, walk, or handle my emotions. I am still having a hard time in all of these areas but my talking is MUCH better than it was. I am basically back to normal in that area. I am having to use a walker to walk, which that would be okay if I could just get out and do stuff. Being stuck in the house, not feeling good....that is what sucks! <br /><br />They did another MRI once I had other symptoms....the stroke like symptoms and it showed the inflammation deep in my brain and the new lesions. It looked like MS but the local hospital's Neurologist and Radiologist could not agree so off to Seattle they sent me. They wanted me to see my doctor's, not only because they specialize in MS but because that is where I had my transplant and they were not sure if that was something to do with this. Fortunately it looks like MS and they started me on steroids which as much as I hate the side effects when it comes to MS they work! I started to get better and each day I slowly get more and more back to where I was. I can't do a lot because I am tired all the time but I am getting around okay with my walker. <br /><br />I find with this relapse I am mad though. I have always had a good outlook on what was going on, always had the outlook of "it could always be worse". This time I don't feel that way, maybe because of where in my brain it hit, but I am mad and I really hate feeling that way. I see people who are able to walk, talk, do things "normal" and it ticks me off. I just want that again. Thing is I think I would be okay with the walker if I could just have enough energy to go drive, do things like I used to. People come to visit me and it makes me happy to see people but at the same time so mad that I am going through this. And then I think that I am being selfish which makes me even more sad. I need to get better and SOON! The doctor's expect a full recovery and really think that this is all caused by the Meningitis, so I hope they are right but right now it doesn't seem like that. I am not sure they really know what to expect because all of this is new to them. They tell me that the Meningitis is caused because my immune system is lowered and that it allowed the MS to flare. They don't think the MS would have flared like it did had I not gotten the Meningitis but I don't think they really know. Maybe, but it doesn't seem like it. <br /><br />My son asked me why I even bothered coming home if I was not back to my old self. I didn't know how to answer him because I am not sure I will ever be back to my old self. He hates seeing me like this and doesn't even want to be here. The doctor's did a bone marrow biopsy on me and they tell me everything looks good. They expect a full recovery and maybe I should just listen to them and be patient, I've just never had it this bad. My Grandma has been in the hospital and got discharged yesterday as well. She is 83 and had to have her second leg amputated. She is no longer gonna be able to live with my parents as they have been her caregivers up to now and she is handling all this much better than I am. I want to go and see her and can't right now. My parents are having to do everything. Work, take care of my Grandma, take care of me....Justin is having to do everything for me. This whole thing really sucks! I'm sorry that I am not being positive like I normally am, I am just so unsure of everything and for me that is new. Maybe I will be lucky and in a week or two I will be back to my old self and if I take it easy everything will be okay. I can hope, right?Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811736893524707971noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23653260.post-55557517581863449042010-02-13T17:52:00.000-08:002010-02-13T19:00:10.116-08:006 Years with MSWhere has the time gone? Today is the 6 year anniversary of my MS and what a 6 years it has been. Lots of ups and downs, LOTS of changes....some good, some bad. I'm sure you all understand just what I mean as this illness of ours is never quite the same....we all are different but at the same time we are the same. I know that may sound strange but for those of you reading this who have MS, I'm sure you know just what I mean. <br /><br />I remember the day I was diagnosed like it was yesterday. It was a Friday the 13th, which is probably in part why I remember this so well....one of those, that figures moments, but also it was such a life changing thing. I was at work when my doctor called me and confirmed what I already suspected. I have MS. I, unlike many people I have met with MS over the years, was quite familiar with MS as I had known a couple people who have MS as well as working in the medical field. The problem is that as much as I thought I knew, there was so much more to learn. I may have been familiar with the uncertainty that comes with MS, the fact that we all respond different and the idea that the best thing to do is to get on a disease modifying medication right away. What I did not know is what kind of help was out there, how many people this illness has affected, where to get information and how I was going to tackle this challenge so that I could just get on with my life. <br /><br />I think I spent the next 2 or 3 days doing research on the internet, learning all I could about MS. I immediately got involved with the NMSS, joined the walk that year, got on Copaxone and then pretty much tried to ignore the fact I have MS and lived my life the same as I always had. Problem was the MS was not about to let that happen. By May I had my first relapse since the diagnosis and it was progression from there on out. <br /><br />The last 6 years I have tried every FDA approved medication that I qualified for, without much success. I have had more steroids than I think anyone should have in their LIFE. I spent time using a cane, walker and wheelchair. I have been hospitalized so many times you would think it was my second home. I had to quit working so that I could focus on my health and try to make things work. Basically life as I knew it was over and I had to find a way to make it work.....something I have been doing ever since. <br /><br />As you all are aware, my biggest challenge yet came this past year when I made the decision to participate in the HALT MS study and go through a Stem Cell Transplant. So far I think it is pretty much a success. I have done quite well when it comes to my MS. Sure every once in a while I will have a symptom, but it is NOTHING like before the transplant. And, I'm only 4 months out. The real test I am sure will be the year mark as hopefully my immune system will be stronger and I won't be at risk of getting sick. I think that is when I will really know (or at least have a better idea) if this worked. <br /><br />So after 6 years I think I have grown as a person to become a better person. I have really had to take a step back and look at my life and what is important in my life. And, probably most importantly I have (or at least I hope I have) learned to better appreciate my family and friends. Without them I could never have been as strong as I have had to be.Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811736893524707971noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23653260.post-616782766477857542010-02-09T22:40:00.000-08:002010-02-09T22:51:16.211-08:00Can't Go Anywhere!First off I would like to say Thanks for all the well wishes. I did have a touch of pneumonia and spent 3 days in the hospital but I am much better now. I am really happy to report that I bounced back much quicker than I normally would, so that is GREAT! I still have a cough but over all I think I am better. <br /><br />This past weekend we had our first trip. It was WONDERFUL!!! I took my son to Silver Mountain in Kellogg, Idaho to go snowboarding. He loves to snowboard and because of the transplant and my inability to go out he hasn't been able to go this year. So, I decided now that I am doing a bit better and have past the 100 day mark it would be okay. I don't really know if it was okay but we went anyway. I did not snowboard....I don't snowboard although you just never know. Maybe some day! :) I went to the Day Spa instead and got 3 1/2 hours of the best relaxation EVER.....facial, massage. It was so great. The mountain also has a water park (which I also did not do....gotta be safe) but Nathan had a BLAST! I am now exhausted and taking it easy for a few days. Not to mention in just a little bit of pain. How lame is this???? I take my son snowboarding, I don't snowboard....I hang out and I fall, hit my knee, twist my ankle and hurt my leg. Nothing is broken but I have a pretty bad sprain. I can't go anywhere it seems without having something happen. MS or not....I'm a clutz! It was so fun and more importantly it was nice to just get away though and feel "normal" again.....or as normal as I can for now. <br /><br />Tomorrow I have an appointment with the Pulmonary doc so hopefully that will go well. I hope all of you are well. Take care and have a wonderful Valentine's Day!Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811736893524707971noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23653260.post-8153399879781387692010-01-25T21:52:00.000-08:002010-01-25T22:04:49.613-08:00First Infection....Hi everyone! I'm writing to you from my blackberry at Kadlec Medical Center ICU. So I'm not really an ICU patient, they classify me as Intermediate Care but there were no beds available there so this is where I was placed. Anyway, I was admitted yesterday and really hope to go home tomorrow. Basically I have come down with a cold but since I don't have much of an immune system it didn't take much to get really bad....only about a day. My heart rate went up, oxygen went low and now I'm back on steroids....which SUCKS!!!! But, I am much better today and as much as I hate steroids they are a necessary evil. Plus it's a temporary thing. I have a cold, which is viral, so there's only so much they can do. Protect my lungs with the steroids and let it run it's course. Fortunately, I'm already much better (before the transplant something like this put me down for a couple weeks) so I'm really optimistic. If I'm this much better in just a day, I should be back to my norm (post-transplant) in no time! Anyway, I hope you are all doing well. Take care! :)Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811736893524707971noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23653260.post-3279066775589166432010-01-13T23:32:00.000-08:002010-01-14T00:33:04.859-08:002010! Looking forward to a New Year!!!!Hi everyone! I can't believe it is already the 13th of January. It has been almost a month since I last posted (as my father pointed out this evening). I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year's filled with lots of love and happiness. My holidays were great. Christmas was spent with my family. It was quiet, relaxing and more than anything just great to have us all together. My New Years was pretty much the same way, minus all the family. It was horrible weather that night (super icy) and Justin had to work, so it was just me and my son. We watched movies, hung out and then toasted in the New Year at midnight (with sparkling cider of course!) <br /><br />So what's new? Not a whole lot. I made it past my 100 day mark, which gives me just a little less time at the hospital. :) I have gone from once a week blood work to every other week. So far my labs remain good. No CMV or EBV! My WBC count is still on the low end....sometimes at 3 sometimes at 4 (normal is 4-11). It appears to fluctuate but I hear that is pretty normal. The rest of my blood work looks pretty good though. Also, I had my first big outing since the transplant. My dad's side of the family gets together just after New Years every year for the Hagarty Family Christmas party, and there are a lot of Hagartys. LOL It was so great to see everyone....aunts, uncles, cousins....some of them I have not seen in years. It was a great first outing. It was the first time I left town since coming home and so it brought up a little bit of fear within myself as we started to head out of town, but I was fine. I was little worried about things like "What if someones sick that I don't know about, what if I have some kind of reaction or a problem, will the hospital there be able to deal with things?" Fortunately my fears subsided and I had a great time!<br /><br />The biggest thing for me now is to have patience. That is by far the most difficult thing I think (plus I have never really been known for being a patient person). For the first time in a long time though, I can see a light at the end of the tunnel and with that come all sorts of emotions. That has been probably the biggest thing for me recently....all kinds of emotions. Hopeful, happy, sad, unsure, impatient. I'm sure I could go on and on. The other day I actually had a little bit of a melt down. Justin and I have been talking about saving up and doing something big to celebrate my one year anniversary of my transplant. As I look into the future and all the possibilities it occurred to me that I have no idea what I would even want to do with my life after MS (if you will....at least that's how I like to think of it, even though I know the MS is not really gone, but I can hope, right?) This is where the emotions happen....sometimes I get so excited about what my life can be, what I have to look forward to....then there are the worries and fears. All of the questions like, "When this is successful and I can go back to work, will I be able to find a job? Do I really want to go back to work in an area where I'm sitting in front of a computer all day, sitting at a desk? If I am healthy enough to go back to work and come off of Social Security (which would be ideal) what happens if in a few years my MS does come back?" <br /><br />It's kind of like when I was first diagnosed. All of those questions you have, all the worries about the future. All of the uncertainty. Of course I will still worry about those things from time to time as I go through this process, that is probably a normal response, but hopefully I can focus on how lucky I am and all of the good things that have happened, how blessed I am and more than anything just be grateful for all that I do have. Fortunately I snapped out of it and realized that as much as I would like to, I have NO control over anything that happens. I have to always remember to have faith that everything is going to work out. After all this is a big part of what has gotten me this far. I am a bit of a control freak I have to admit but it's important to remember that no matter how much I try, things rarely go according to plan. Even with that, I always seem to manage and things are always okay. I don't know what the future holds and there is only so much of it that I can control (like following my doctor's orders, taking meds, etc.) Everything else is in God's hands!<br /><br />As I go forward in 2010 I am hopeful that my immune system will get stronger, my MS will be in remission and that I can remember to just take things day by day. I am so happy that I have been given a second chance at life. What an amazing thing that is! My thoughts are with those people who are not doing so well, that you may have better days and my thoughts are especially with those who are taking a leap of faith and taking control of their MS by being a part of the HALT MS study. Rami & Wendy (who both are in the chemo/transplant process now) I wish you the very best. Good luck!Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811736893524707971noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23653260.post-46585014821264016912009-12-20T10:33:00.001-08:002009-12-20T11:09:02.896-08:00Day 90 - 3 Months Post-Transplant!Day 90! WHOO HOO! I almost can't believe my 3 month mark is already here. What a crazy 3 months it has been too. So many changes.....some good, some bad, most difficult. Today is the milestone where they say I can now eat some of the yummy things I have had to avoid, I'm able to eat out if I want (although I have to admit over the last week I have already eaten out....however I have been VERY careful about what I have had). Had I not had a positive CMV result this would also be the point where they would quit checking me for CMV. <br /><br />So let's take a look back.....<br /><br />Day 1 was on September 21st. I remember bits and pieces of that day. Here's what I remember. I remember the nurses coming in and getting the stem cells ready for my transplant. I remember thinking how crazy it was that these two very small bags contained 2 million CD34 selective stem cells and how amazing it was that something so small could potentially change the rest of my life, resetting my immune system and hopefully allowing my body to heal, or at least go into remission. My parents were there but unfortunately I don't remember Justin or Nathan being there, however I know they were. I don't know why I don't remember them there, and I feel bad about that, but there is not much I can do about that. I have a feeling one of the reasons I remember my parents being there so clearly is because of the fact that my transplant started at 12:52 p.m which was the exact same time I was born and they made a comment about how that must be a sign this was meant to be and my dad took a picture of the clock. I don't remember much after that....not for like another week or so. I have no memory of that time, none at all. <br /><br />October 4th brought me my discharge from the UW Hospital back into the Pete Gross House. I remember being so happy to get out of the hospital after spending 20 days there. Being basically stuck in bed (although they are great to make sure you get up several times a day and walk)....stuck in that room, on that floor. I just wanted to go outside and I know my mom felt the same way. I have never been claustrophobic but after 20 days I was ready to get out and about again. Plus, by this point I was starting to feel better....wanted real food (there is a lot of good I can say about the UW Hospital, their food is NOT one of them. They have the WORST hospital food I have EVER had and that is actually saying a lot seeing how I have not only been in the hospital a lot but before I got sick worked in hospitals). Anyway, I don't think anyone was more happy to get out of there than my mom. They told us we could go home that Sunday and she was up bright and early and out the door to go get her car so we could pack up and go home (or to our Seattle home). <br /><br />The next week I was quite sick and weak. I didn't want to eat much of anything as everything tasted like cardboard. I was dehydrated and was put on a liter of IV fluids each day. Something that I think really helped, in some ways saved me! I think that drinking as much as I did and having the IV fluids helped to push out some of those toxins and allowed me to feel better quicker, get my taste buds back, get my strength back. Then came the energy. I all of a sudden felt better than I had in years. I was out and about, walking around the block....I just needed to get out and walk. I couldn't hardly sit still. I had this new found energy and outlook as to what my life could be. It was quite exciting! For the first time I could see the light at the end of the tunnel and the possibilities that I had ahead of me. For once I could look into the future without the feeling of MS being up front and center (and I think I have done a good job of trying to live my life around the MS but that is just the thing, I have had to live around it, I'm now hopeful to just live my life!) Unfortunately this energy did not last. It turned out to be a false energy that is common after transplant due to the amount of steroids we are on. Once I came down on the steroids that wonderful burst of energy went away. <br /><br />November 6th I got to check out of the Pete Gross House and come home. This was the best day ever I think. I had mixed emotions about going home but I was so ready to just get here and resume my life. Not to mention see my son and dog. It had been WAY too long. I was nervous about things like getting sick, the Swine Flu, having a new doctor that was not involved in this process...there were many things going through my head but it was time and so far things have been just fine. Sure I have had some ups and downs. I have not really been sick (nothing serious, really). I still get some of the symptoms....some nausea and diarrhea from time to time. I get tired really easy but I have had some complications as well (positive CMV, which is now believed to have been a false positive seeing how it was rechecked and negative, and has been negative since....bad reaction to IV meds, problems with my PICC line and blood clots). It seems like there is always something. <br /><br />Over all I feel very blessed. I made it through this process. I have had very little MS symptoms (some of which I am not even sure is MS now that I know about the blood clot) and although I get tired easy I really am doing great. I have had to learn to let things go that really aren't that important when looking at the big picture, try to manage stressful things that come up better, focus more on the positive things in life and be grateful for this miracle that has happened to me. I have to remember every day that I can't push myself too hard (although that is a hard thing for me as I tend to over do things) and I must remember that this is a process that I must go through....taking the good with the bad and allowing my body to heal the way it needs to (all in time). <br /><br />The best way to sum it up: Stem-Cell Transplants is not something you just do, it's a lifetime commitment. A commitment to change your life for the better. This is my hope for this transplant that just that will happen. My life will be changed forever for the better....MS free (and so far asthma improved). Here's to the next milestone, 6 months here I come! <br /><br />I hope that you are all doing well, staying warm and having a wonderful Holiday Season!Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811736893524707971noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23653260.post-62798197916515733832009-12-15T23:39:00.000-08:002009-12-16T00:01:06.532-08:00Probably Not MS! :)So my symptoms are probably not actually MS. It turned out my legs were quite swollen and that was actually related to the lovely blood clot I have currently. Did I mention my blood clot before? I'm pretty sure I mentioned it in an earlier post. Anyway, I had two blood clots but after 5 days of Lovenox (an anti-coagulant) the clot in my jugular dissolved. The clot in my arm however got worse. My Oncologist wanted me to continue on the Lovenox however my insurance didn't want to pay for it (It's about $7000 a month). After almost 10 days of my pharmacy and doctor's office fighting with the insurance company (as well as another trip to the hospital) they finally agreed to pay for it. You see Sunday I had to go back into the hospital for more blood work, an ultrasound and a CT because there was concern that the clot had moved into my lungs (also known as a Pulmonary Embolism....which can be very deadly). Fortunately that was not the case. The ultrasound however showed that my clot is not healing very fast. That just may have been the push the insurance needed to cover the meds. Who knows, but I got the meds and am back on them. Hopefully it will start to heal now!Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811736893524707971noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23653260.post-40050686654869203042009-12-12T22:55:00.000-08:002009-12-12T23:00:23.286-08:00MS Symptoms....UrgIt was bound to happen....some of my MS symptoms have returned. They are not as bad as before but still they are here. Basically tonight I have had some numbness in my lower legs and feet. Of course I was hoping this would not happen but the reality and from what we know about the transplant is that it is not a cure (even though it is probably the closest thing we have right now to a cure) what it does is slow down the progression, hopefully putting us into remission. The damage that was done before the transplant is most likely permanent damage and likely to still be a part of us. For the most part I am okay with this though because I am practically 3 months post-transplant and really this is the first time I am really having any symptoms that I am pretty sure are MS related. There has been a major change in the weather lately and that has always been a trigger for me. Anyway, I'm off to bed for the night but wanted to do a quick update. I hope you are all well and staying warm! It's FREEZING here. Have a great night!Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811736893524707971noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23653260.post-46502248323808342292009-12-11T11:10:00.000-08:002009-12-11T11:15:25.340-08:00Quick UpdateHello! I hope this finds each and every one of you doing well. I don't have a lot of time right now, so I will be back soon to give you a more detailed update of how things have been doing. For now here's a quick update. Basically I am CMV & EBV negative, for the most part have been doing well. I have my down days of course and I'm very tired but all of that is to be expected. We have been very busy around here this past couple of weeks as a good friend of our family passed, my son turned 15 and of course getting ready for Christmas. Anyway, I didn't want anyone to worry or think that I have forgotten about my blog because I haven't. I will often think to myself "I need to update my blog" but that is usually when I'm not around my computer and then I forget. So that is pretty much it for now. Like I said, when I get more than a couple of minutes to really sit down and type, I will fill you all in on the more detailed aspects of how things are going post-transplant. :)Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811736893524707971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23653260.post-90905743135416376642009-11-30T16:06:00.000-08:002009-11-30T20:10:35.642-08:00CMV, PICC line & MoreThe last couple of weeks have been a bit rocky to say the least. Last week especially. I typically get my weekly labs done on Tuesdays. They run a CMV, EBV, CMP, and CBC each week to watch my blood counts and make sure that I am not exposed to a couple viruses that can be very dangerous for someone with a compromised immune system. Anyway, that Friday I got word from the doctors that my test showed up CMV positive, but they were not really sure if it was an accurate result because I have always been CMV negative, have not been around anyone or really been anywhere. Also, the positive result was on such a small molecular level that it could have been a contaminated blood draw. Thing is there is no way to know for sure. And, seeing how this was on a Friday and the blood tests are shipped to Seattle they did not want to wait for new results in order to treat the virus. So, to be on the safe side they started me on Ganciclovier. I was supposed to start on Friday night but there were some communication problems between the Seattle and local offices so it was pushed to Saturday morning. I was scheduled to get the meds twice a day at the hospital for 7 days. <br /><br />Saturday morning when I got to the hospital at 6 am for my treatment they did not have the medication ready and no orders from the local doctor for a line to be placed. They told us to come back at 8 am so they had time to get things ready. We told the nurse that my veins are not good and it's hard to get a blood draw on me let alone an IV so getting the order for the line is really important. Unfortunately when we got there at 8 am there were still no orders for a line and the nurse who was on at 6 (whose shift ended at 7:30) did not mention to the new nurse that these things needed to be done. Nice! So, after looking at my veins and determining that they could not get an IV on me she called the doc on call and got the order. It was noon by time the PICC line nurse could get there and then more problems. She tried getting the PICC in to the vein usually used only it would not work on me, so she had to pull the PICC out and try in a different vein. Finally got done around 1:30 and they decided that since my doses were to be every 12 hours and it was just a few hours till my next dose that they would skip the morning dose all together and I would start at 6 pm. <br /><br />As if that was not enough the medicine made me REALLY sick. I felt better before starting the meds than when I was on them, and interestingly about 1 1/2 days after stopping the meds I felt great again. I got headaches, bone pain, nausea, and fatigue....SEVERE fatigue! I was so out of it that when I would get home at about 7:30 I would sit down to watch some TV and then fall right asleep. On more than one occasion I didn't even get dinner because he couldn't get me to wake up. Then the next morning I could barely pull myself out of bed in order to make it to the next treatment. I'd again come home and almost immediately go right back to bed. It was awful how sick and fatigued I felt. <br /><br />Monday (one week ago) I went in for my repeat labs, they were sent to Seattle and on Wednesday morning I got the results. I am CMV negative. I can't tell you how happy I was because this medicine was making me so sick (not to mention how toxic it is....even more so then some chemo's I have been on....the nurses had to put on gloves, a gown, cap, mask and goggles in order to give it to me). Then I got a call from the local doc saying they wanted me to continue to do the meds "to be on the safe side" until Saturday morning. As you can imagine I was not very happy about this. I explained how sick the meds were making me and the nurse told me to do the treatment that night (Wednesday) and if I still go sick (which of course I did) to call the on call doc and let him know. So, I did and he discontinued the medication. Thursday, Thanksgiving, I was tired most of the day but had a wonderful dinner at my parents house. I hope all of you also had a good Thanksgiving! :) <br /><br />Friday was a great day. I finally felt good. Saturday, well that was a different story. My arm really started to hurt. I didn't think too much of it at first because I just figured that it was tight muscles or something. After a couple of hours and a shooting pain that started I called Option Care (who did my PICC line maintenance) and they had me come in to look at it and change the dressing. The site looked good and the nurse wasn't sure why I was having such pain but when she went to flush my line it was a little difficult. She recommended I call the PICC nurse to see if there is anything I should do. I called the hospital and it turns out the PICC nurse is not there on a regular basis, she is more on call than anything. But, the nurse who I talked to said they were not too busy and could get me right in a room if I wanted to just come there and have an ER doc look at it. So I did. Turned out the PICC needed to be pulled. I have not one but two blood clots. This is why I was in so much pain. They started me on a blood thinner, pulled the PICC and I was able to go home. <br /><br />So that's how the last couple of weeks have gone for me. Hopefully yours have been much better! I hope you are all well. Take care.Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811736893524707971noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23653260.post-57867737094746998422009-11-19T13:57:00.000-08:002009-11-19T14:24:09.934-08:00RestingSorry that it has been a little while since I last posted. I have been extremely tired lately. I was told that the less steroids you are on the more fatigue you can experience and so I am guessing that is what is happening with me right now. However, this whole process does a number on the body and it just may be that my body has needed more rest in order to heal. Whatever the case may be it is quite the adjustment. Also being back at home is quite the adjustment. As happy as I am to be here, I never realized how difficult it could be. It is hard to be home and mentally feel as if I should be able to go back to the way things were (and actually hoping to be able to do more then before) only my body is not ready for that. It is strange really, in a lot of ways I think I was doing better when I was still in Seattle.....at least from an organizational standpoint. Things were more structured and I think that because I was there and knew I had no control over things happening here at home there was a part of me that had less stress. Now that I am back at home, all of the stress I had previously has returned. And we all know how stress is with our health. NOT GOOD! <br /><br />Over all I think I am doing well though. My blood counts continue to improve. I am on a regular schedule for getting my blood work done and I continue to be CMV & EBV negative. These are two viruses they monitor very closely because they can be life-threatening for someone after a transplant. Many people in this country have been exposed to these viruses (EBV for example is associated with mono) and if you have been before the transplant they have to be especially careful to make sure the virus is not reactivated while you essentially have no immune system. I have been very fortunate in the sense that I was never exposed to either of these and so now we just have to keep it that way! <br /><br />I am hopeful that as I have more energy I will be better about keeping you all up to date. I appreciate the emails and comments asking how I am doing and if I am okay. I assure you that I am okay just tired and taking it easy. I hope that you are all doing good as well. Take care!Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811736893524707971noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23653260.post-23957508767609969092009-11-09T12:59:00.000-08:002009-11-09T13:09:27.457-08:00I'm Home! :)I am happy to report that I am home! I had my MRI and last appointments on Friday then hit the road. It was pretty late when we got home and I was tired on Saturday, most likely from the traveling. I unpacked a few of the boxes but most of it still needs to be put away. I'm taking my time. Mainly because I am doing some reorganizing and have decided to just take it slow....I really don't want to over do things my first week home. Plus, it has been nice to just hang out with the family. Most of the weekend was spent with my son and we picked Buddy up Saturday morning. He was SO excited to see us! <br /><br />Tomorrow I have my first local appointment and blood work. I'm sure everything will be just fine. Anyway, I just wanted to post a little something because I know it has been a while. As soon as I get back into a schedule, I will post some more. For now I'm taking a few days to just hang with my family and get things organized. I hope you are all doing well. Take care!Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09811736893524707971noreply@blogger.com6