Where's the emergency brake?

Wags' PCV today is 31.

I guess I should be glad that he was INCREASING by four points per week and he's only DECREASING by two points per week, right?

Mind power?

I used to spend quite a bit of time in this one MS-centric forum on the web. It's a web site that has experienced some positive press in articles and broadcasts by the New York Times, Business Week and CNN. In less than a year I've seen this site grow in total membership by more than 4,000 people.

I find that now I don't have the patience to keep up with how busy the discussion boards are there these days. There is a lot of crap on there and a ridiculous amount of trivial bullshit.

I feel for the newly diagnosed and was once there myself, but feel as though I can't hold their hands and answer all their questions. I really don't remember being like that, so freaked out by every little symptom. I only freaked when I couldn't speak, walk or see. I sometimes worry that I am losing empathy.

In reality though, I'm not. I'm simply out of patience with people who would rather wallow in an unpleasant mindset than make any effort at all to take charge and find a way to get out of it. Life is good. If at any time I start to question that statement I just think about those who have lost their homes, can't pay their utilities, can't afford food at the grocery.

My point is: MS sucks, but things could really be a whole helluva lot worse. Suck it up people!

P.S. I'd like to give props to Jess, whose words I have seriously borrowed for this post.

Getting Wags pointed in the right direction

This morning his PCV was 33. Down from 35 last week, which was down from the previous weeks' 37. Damn!!

The vet ordered azathioprine (Imuran), an additional immunosuppressant to use in tandem with the Prednisone for a few weeks. The azathioprine can take some weeks to show results, according to the veterinary sites I've been reading. I just hope Wags is NOT one of the approximately 10% of dogs who cannot tolerate this new weapon.

Poor pup...

HELP HELP!! Facebook is taking over my life!

So, I'm Skype-ing with my BFF Mary Anne, and she tells me about how she found some long-lost friends and extended family on Facebook. While listening to her story - all 45 minutes if it - I started coming up with names of people with whom I might like to make contact.

Soooooooo, at about 10:30 that morning I set up an account and started searching for old friends. Thank god my boyfriend was home all day, otherwise the cat wouldn't have gotten any food and the dogs' bladders would have exploded. As I write this, my Friends list has grown and contacts are being re-established.

Makes me wonder, wouldn't it be cool if there was such a thing as Facebook for MS? Maybe call it 'Brainbook' and use it to reintroduce my brain to whatever it is in my right leg that causes it to give out on me sometimes. Or maybe my fingers, so they stop dropping stuff at most inopportune times. Fantasy? Absolutely. A COOL fantasy? AbsoFRIKKINGlutely!!

Blogging makes my brain quiver

So this morning I thought I'd visit my blog because I've not been paying it much attention recently.

The first thing I always do it take a look at the other blogs I'm following to see if they've got anything new going on. That was at about 9:30 this morning and it is now about noon. Where did the last three plus hours go? Well, lemme tell ya.

I started in one blog and followed some links to other blogs. I even posted replies to a couple because I was so impressed by what I was reading. Here is what has confused me:

Why don't all blogs have one-click ability to follow them like Bogspot does? Why do I want to sign up for an RSS feed versus an email notification versus a 'follow this blog' button? What is the point of Twitter? And what the heck is a Tweet? That one REALLY isn't penetrating my brain.

While I'm at it, is there such a thing as A Bloggers Etiquette? If someone I don't know appears on my list of followers am I supposed to thank them? Should I automatically become a follower of THEIRS (which takes us back to the earlier question about all blogs not having one-click following capabilities)?

HELP!! Is there a 'Blogging for Dummies' book? Or even an 'Emily Posts Guide to Blogging Etiquette'? I was afraid of blogging for such a long time because I feared it would be too complicated. So now here I am and I'm terrified about doing it ALL WRONG.

PCV = 37

Yep, we did another blood test last Thursday and Wags keeps getting better and better. We've got our fingers crossed for this week that we hit and maybe exceed the magic 40.

Wags is the best patient! Poor pup has a major steroid appetite going on. Baby carrots are now his best friends.

$800 + $260 = not my problem!

So these two trips to the derm have resulted in charges totaling over $1,000!

I was a little bit concerned because I'd thought all this stuff was being paid by the drug study. Not so concerned I was actually losing sleep over it or anything, but I DO want people - even doctors - to get paid for their services in a timely manner. So, a quick phone call to the dermatologists office confirmed the study site was also receiving the bills, and paying them. I think the words were, "Oh, just ignore them, they're not your problem. Throw them out."

Now if I can just find someone to pay my Amex bill...