Sunday 25 April 2010

LAMS,MS course,and catch up.ive been away too long.

hi all,sorry i havent posted lately,but i just cant seem to get organised these days. first,i was saddened by the death of bobrobert,my deepest sympathies to steve. The Wheel of Fortuna is a blog i sometimes read,and i gave the MS award to.sadly MS has claimed another life. "complications caused by MS" is still "killed by MS" in my book.and i am so sorry steve.
On a more positive note,meet LAMS.life and MS. the north norfolk branch has its own little site on facebook,its a group run by MS sufferers FOR MS sufferers.any of my readers who are on facebook,Facebook LAMS North Norfolk please drop by and say hi.the group meet on a monday,which at the moment means i cant attend their meetings,so Roger kindly invited me to visit their website,and i joined the "virtual LAMS",lol. i met Roger and the charming Moyra from the group at the MS course i have been attending. i am going to try and swap a "day off" over one week soon so i can go along and meet everyone there. it seems a great group of people.
the course has been interesting,this friday coming is the last,and i shall be sorry when its over.first week we had my MS nurse Linda giving a talk on what her role as an MS nurse is,etc.then after coffee,healthy eating with the dietician for north norfolk. ( as i write this i'm munching on a deep pan meat feast pizza,enough said lol). second week we had a senior physiotherapist explaining just what MS is,what it does,the symptoms,etc.and in the second half "staying active and keeping well" a very informative talk. settles more comfy into chair.( typing hard work) then this last one should have been continence and relationship issues but the speaker had to pull out at the last minute.( zoe,stop sniggering,i know you are.) instead we had teresa who is from the MS Society and who is running these courses,give us a talk on the role of the society,and the work it does. Multiple Sclerosis Society Website - Welcome to the MS Society - Supp & Servic for anyone interested. please consider joining.i think its still £5 a year,which is little enough to pay.details on their website.then Moyra gave a great talk on her MS,how it started,her symptoms,etc.personally i thought she did great, and for the second half, complementary therapies. Now,i am very open minded.i know acupuncture works for many people with different problems,it helped a friend with pain.reflexology,massage,great. and i was looking forward to discovering something that may help to alleviate some of the symptoms. instead of which,we got a sales pitch frankly.the "therapist" spent the whole hour telling us how wonderful she was,how great her indian head massages were,how ear candling would help our ear wax melt (i lost the will to live somewhere round that point) how she was a reiki master,and how we could all make money,(a "business oppurtunity to make some money"!!) by selling the range of diet shakes,overpriced skin care gunk,etc. she was trying to sell at the end.NOT ONCE did she tell us what benefit an MS sufferer could expect from any of these therapies,or indeed that massage is liable to increase fatigue in MS unless its a stimulating massage,( zoe,go and leave the classroom now,lolol) all in all,she was bloody useless.and i am telling teresa exactly what i think this next time.this last session is benefits and employment issues,someone from the CAB is coming to talk.( citizens advice bureau, for my american friends) and finally the speech and language specialist. something i am particularly interested in,as my swallowing and speech are both deteriorating. it has been very good,most informative,apart as i said the alternative therapies,its a small group,only around 8 or 9 attending.2 only just diagnosed.and maybe for 1 in particular,a bit too much information for them to want to know.thanks to Moyra and Roger for inviting me to LAMS,i shall come and see you soon.
mum has had such bad feet,finally the bunion healed,although another 2 toes on her other foot had some strange little sores,gout is suspected.sam the practise nurse,dressed them,and told us to see the chiropodist to see if he could help with anything to take the pressure off that bunion,so i made an appointment.all i can say is,the man is an idiot.his idea was to use a felt on it,which was sticky backed,then wrap it in a dressing,same for the other foot.poor mum could hardly get her feet into the loose fitting slippers she was luckily wearing. suffice it to say,the next morning she was in agony,far too much padding,so tight it had her in tears. took the whole lot off,used antiseptic cream,and a thin dressing. sam was horrified.that bunion was RED when i removed his handiwork,another day or 2 and i am sure it would have split again.not impressed.she should go back this week and see him again.she isn't. we are going to pay a visiting chiropodist i have been reccommended. think it will be money well spent. Now,i haven't been feeling too good. so last wednesday i went and saw the new lady dr.dr.B,as i knew i had yet another chest infection,sure enough i have,on antibiotics,yet again. the fact oil seed rape is now in flower isn't helping matters either.i loathe the damn stuff,fields of acid yellow flowers i can smell miles away. so that was ok,BUT, i also had to tell her about the pains i am getting in my left arm. angina.which seems sometimes to be worse than it was. she was concerned to hear this,so took my blood pressure,listened to heart,and got the nurse to give me an ECG. which looks normal im glad to say,she wanted me to go to the cardiac walk in clinic the next day,to have them check me over,but when she rang them,she was told because i am still under my cardiologist,they couldn't see me.and put her through to jo,my cardiac nurse. she was also worried,so went and told Dr.E who had done my stents.he said he would look through my notes and get back to dr.B. so,i came home.2.30 she rang me.he had rung her.and has decided that perhaps its those 2 thin arteries he was unable to get to before,and as he couldn't do it with an angiogram,he is now going to do some cardiac pressure stress testing???? sounds like fun. anyway,i am on his waiting list for it.the Dr is seeing me this wed.just to check my blood pressure etc.again. i am glad i saw her.i know there is something not right.not enough to get me that worried i would ring 999,but discomfort.
the last few days have been nice,the pots and baskets in the greenhouse are growing well,many in flower.if it keeps like this i shall be putting them out in 2 weeks. having said that we had one hell of a frost last week,it dropped to minus3 celsius.which is bloody cold for late april here. that didnt help,and i am going to buy more tomato plants as i am sure the 6 i had in pots in greenhouse,small plants,have been frosted. got that blue colour that means they copped it.the garden is colourful,and growing away.
i havent read many blogs lately,due to worry over mum,my MS accelerating, feeling tired, and i am sorry to those who i seldom visit,but i do try and pop in and catch up with you all.hope everyone has a good week,soon be may,take care all.
one last thing,thanks to sugar for allowing anyone who wishes to use it, my MS tag i used as an award.so,LAMS please feel free if anyone would like it. thanks to all my readers for lovely comments,and to my american mom lucy,who is a bit poorly herself.you take care my dear friend.and to the rest of you,i wish you peace and pain free days,mort x

14 comments:

jack69 said...

As I have stated many times my man, you are one tough dude. Handling your own problems and being a care giver yourself.
Mum's feet seem to be continous, seems someone could diagnose the real bugger.
Hope the preasure tests aren't too painful, and they truly learn something.

Ken Riches said...

Glad you are enjoying some garden time, keep up your spirit.

Sheila Y said...

Sorry you and your Mom have been suffering so. Wish you both some better health. Enjoy your garden, Sheila

Lainey Laine said...

Hi Mort, Im so glad you posted your link onto Facebook! Ive started blogging again a bit more regularly. :) I hope your test go ok and you get to know more. Laine xxxxx

Lucy said...

Mort, you make me ashamed of complaining about anything. You have so much more to deal with than me. You do have more regular call backs from your Dr. than I do. I am so sorry about your mums feet. I KNOW how hard MS is on anyones body and then to have the problems of your mums care. I think of you every day and wonder how in the world you manage. Alan can't come to me on Mothers day but guess what, I am going to visit his grave and take him some flowers. Mort I just wish I could take away all of the pain and suffering for both you and your mum.

Sybil said...

Hi Mort, what a delight to find you had been in and given us your usual great write up...Glad that you have found ..most...of the meetings useful and interesting. what a shame about poor Mum's feet. I was so hoping that by now they would have been much better, I sometimes wonder about... so said chiropidists...one here did an old friends feet she is 90 and nicked her tow, never mentioned it (although my friend felt it !) and a few days later a real infections had set in....naturally she denied any knowledge...
Pleased that you saw the new Dr. sounds as if she knows what she is talking about and I will be pleased to hear what happens next. Please try and take care Mort, I know it is so hard what with Mum etc etc. Hopefully most of the frosts will have gone and we can get the plants out. I don;t have a greenhouse but rely on the wall round teh house and some fleece to keep things safe!!
Love Sybil x

ADB said...

Good to see an extensive update from you Mort. I can't begin to imagine what you are having to deal with, with your mum and yourself. You have my support, even if it's only down these wires.

Zoe said...

I have been struggling myself with catching up here,so Ive read alot of posts.Firstly my deepest sympathies to Steve.
A good friend of mine has ms,she is the same age as me and she was in remission over christmas,we went to school together and remained penpals for a very long time,but now crippled with arthritis in her hands,she can no longer keep in touch.She used to to a bio-chemist and before diagnosis was doing a thesis on ms,and a few others too,including chrones and fibromyalgia.When she was diagnosed I joined the ms society with her and they have given her so much help and support,but her health is failing so much,she is dispondant.She has two young children and a not so supportive husband.I admire your strength Mort and it is so cruel that ms takes so much from what is enjoyed,mostly mobility but sometimes people forget the other problems,like you highlighted,the speech etc.That must be so frustrating,more than anything.All the various appointments that fill your calendar when all you want to do is enjoy the garden,and you still do that.I know about the rape fields,as a country girl,alot of farmers went over to growing it as a lucrative crop,you cant breathe as you walk past its awful.
I hope the pressure tests dont give you more pain.tc zoe xxxx

Herrad said...

Hi Mort,
It has been awhile since I visited many blogs.
Decided to do a quick visit to say hello to as many blogs as possible tonight..
Nice to visit your blog its been ages, I am sure it will not be so long again especially now my life is getting better.
I went out this afternoon for the first time since 19 August 2009 and it was brilliant.
Lovely to feel my world getting bigger again after all this time in bed.
Have a good evening and a pleasant day tomorrow.
Love,
Herrad
PS
Please visit Steve @ The Wheel Of Fortuna

http://spinfortunaswheel.blogspot.com/

Important we support him in the first weeks of his bereavement.

Rose said...

I left a comment earlier but it disappeared somehow!

You are very strong spirited.

I pray for your MOM.

Funnyface said...

Hi Mortee,
Wow, that was some entry. Am glad you are getting support from a group of fellow sufferes......you didn't like that complimentary therapy woman did you .....lol....you tell em Mortee.
Love ya lots,
Jaynee XX

jun said...

Hello dear!
that woman sounds like a horror
just taking advantage of people to make money.
you are so brave. and you are indeed a Lam, trying to be clever here but i think i misspelled it
net time you on puter look up foot care for diabetes . maybe some helpfull tips.tea tree oil helps me for mine. keeps infection out but burns.
also this is real old but they used to pour raw honey into open wounds. your mum is a trooper thas where you got it from, lol
God Bless her the dear heart!

Beth said...

Keep hanging in there, Mort, you are a trooper! Enjoy your flowers and garden...hope to see more pictures soon! XOXO

Happy Being Me said...

You never cease to amaze me my friend. Welcome back.
Take care of you,
Katie