Tuesday 29 November 2011

Pupdate


I go through stages of not updating, but that usually means life is good and I've little to say…

Where were we?
Oh, my vision. That's not so bad now.
I have an appointment with an opthamologist to try to pinpoint my optic neuritis issues. I still have a small blank field…or a region with less defined detail and colour. I had a neuro appointment a few weeks back and all is well…so well that I don't have to go back for two years. YAY! Obviously, I'll go back if anything new comes up. Anyway, the neuro recommended a trip to the opthamologist, so off I go. I'm not overly concerned about my vision at the moment - it's stable and I have to try hard to even notice the vision difference now. The only real options for vision improvement are adjusting glasses on the fly as my vision changes (hellooo, expensive) or steroid treatment. I'm not going to pursue any sort of steroid treatment until/unless I have to, so that's not really an option for me.

What else? Oh…injections. This is a tough one. I've all but given up on self injecting for the time being. I have fantastic support and someone to help me in this area, so that's who/what I'm leaning on. I was prescribed the new injectors and couldn't use them at all on my own (they hurt considerably more, in my opinion), so that forced me down the path of having to rely on someone else for help. The new injectors are disposable single-use pens. To release the safety, you have to push the injector down on your leg harder than I'd like. To push the button, you have to push fairly hard (even difficult for my sidekick to achieve). The end result is a more painful and stressful injection, so I contacted the pharmacy and told them I want to go back to the old type. Not a problem since it's the same prescription for both.

Shockingly, I don't mind the injection help. In fact, it removes a lot of the stress for me and has made me much more comfortable about the injections. I'd like to get back to self injecting now that I'm back to the previous type of injectors, but we'll see. I'm trying to be zen about it all. What happens happens. Y'all that know me must be laughing your asses off at that idea. Me. Zen. Willing to happily give up control.

In MS news, there's this super interesting article on anatomical analysis of venous structures associated with CCSVI. Warning, the language is thick.

And this one about abnormal iron levels in deep grey matter of folks with MS.

I don't have much to say about those. I feel like CCSVI is a path that is onto something. It may not be the answer, but it raises good questions.

Other things...
My yellow tornado is growing up. She's a constant challenge, but that makes each day a little more interesting. She tests my patience more than every other being on earth combined, but sitting on the floor with a belly up pooch makes it all worthwhile.

I really love where I am in life right now. MS tests me, but the dog tests me more. That seems to be a good sign.