CRAMPS....

After working hard all day yesterday painting the new hall, and generally trying to get the house back in some kind of order so that it can be cleaned before the inlaws arrive this Saturday it's no wonder I was wiped out by 8pm last night. It was a shot night so after supper I did my injection and prepared to go hit the hay. We had just gotten everyone situated (i.e. Duke was at my feet, Daisy Joon was between David and I and Dixie was in her crate) and I was all snuggled in ready to drift off when WHAM! the backs of both my thighs seized up in massive cramps...then the muscles going up across my butt cheeks into my lower back on both sides just started rippling in cramps!!!
It was all I could do to get myself up out of the bed. I stood there froze in agony. Poor David did'nt know what to do...I was just wincing and crying. He went to the kitchen and got me some Tonic Water (quanine). I chugged it down and tried to force myself to move. It was awful..the cramping was like it was going in waves from my knees to my waist..finally as I moved around some it started to subside...I'll be honest, I was scared to lay back down for fear it would sieze up again!

Finally I stretched out and was able to get to sleep. I woke up this morning feeling as if I had been in a fight! I hope nothing like that happens again anytime soon...mercy.

Jen

I SLEPT!!!!

Yes it's true!! I slept last night!!
I slept from a little after 10pm until 4am!! Straight thru..no waking up..no walking around..no doing housework or going to the bathroom..I just slept.
THANK-YOU ZOLPIDEM !
If I didn't need to get up to go to work I think I could have rolled back over and slept for a while longer too. Dang that was a good feeling.
I don't plan to use it often but at least I have something now that will work. Wooo Hooo!

Speaking of...work is crazy busy. Lots going on with more on the way.
I know between now and when I take time off in October I am going to be up to my elbows in alligators.
I like being busy so long as I keep it all organized..when it starts getting away from me I have to reel it back in...lol

Aw well..best get back at it...HVAC details to do today :-)

Tingling Foot....

Hmmmm..well it seems like maybe some of my symptoms from last fall might be returning.
I woke up this morning and my left foot feels like it is lacking in sensitivity...that familiar not quite numb..not quite "falling asleep" sensation is edging up from my toes towards my heel. I had a bit of a similar feeling last week in the right foot but it faded as the morning went on so we'll see how this one goes today...
I also got some information in the mail regarding my Betaseron. It appears they are coming out with a new self-injector that will use a smaller needle!! Wooo Hooo! I am going to visit the webiste today and check it out and see about getting mine ordered. I don't have any problem giving myself my shots, but I do have some issues with injection site redness and swelling sometimes. It has improved some since I started using the cold packs though.

It was a VERY productive weekend around the house. We are on the downhill side of our new hall construction project. All the major work is done and we just have to hang the new door, sand the floor and stain it, and trim out around the door opening. We also decided to go ahead and repaint the existing walls and trim so that everything just looks all nice and new. It is all looking so good!

Work is super busy, we're still on the search for someone with HVAC and plumbing talents. Hopefully we'll find someone soon. We have so much work on the horizon! I love having a full plate and staying very busy, much better than the alternative.

Speaking of work..better get to it!

Sleepless in Reedy Creek

One of the most frustrating things that has come about with the arrival of my Multiple Sclerosis is that the insomnia I have always had battles with seems to have gained steam. Sometimes the waking up after having laid down for an hour isn't so bad, I get up and do laundry or general housework so sometimes I make good use of my time...but sometimes I just click thru the TV channels or go surf the web.
The last time I was in to see Dr. Jeffrey he prescribed me Restoril...I have tried it on several occasions and so far I haven't had any luck with it. So this afternoon I called and spoke with his nurse and she's going to get with him and see about getting me on something else. I really don't want to have to take anything but this getting an hour or two here and there and tossing and turning and being up and down all night is not much fun.
The dogs (Duke, Dixie and Daisy) used to get up and wander thru the house with me but they have decided it's much better to just slide over into my spot and wait for my return
I have tried every natural sleep aid you can think of...lavender scent in the room...a warm soak befor bed..physical activity...and it seems even when I am exhausted and thinking "oh yes i am going to sleep good tonite" I will rest really good for that first hour or two and then BAM! I wake up and that's pretty much the only quality rest I will have that night.

So we'll see what the nurse says when she calls me back...hopefully we'll find something that works!

Weekend Warriors

I just love this picture of David and our canine son Duke. It makes me smile everytime I look at it.

So we've been busy trying to get the house in order in preparation for David's parents coming to visit for the first time ever.
The past couple of weeks we were focused on redoing the office/guest room. We are hitting the final stride on that one with only the window treatments and some lighting to address and it will be complete.

This weekend we constructed two new walls to create a separation between our bedroom and the bathroom. (We live in an 80+ year old house so you can imagine that at one time there was no bathroom and the layout after adding one was a bit odd)

We've got the framing done and the basic structure of the walls complete, now the fun part - getting all the surface work and trim work done and making it look pretty. The dogs seem to like the change, especially Dixie who thinks this made her crate extra cozy. They were'nt at all fond of the air compressor runing though...they decided to hide out under the back porch most of the time we were working.

I need longer weekends to get all my projects completed.
I have to say though, I can really tell the limitations of my energy level now...I go balls to the wall and then WHOOSH...I'm done..out of gas..that's it. It is so hard to tell myself "okay, you have to stop" , but I am learning that I really will pay for it the next day if I don't listen to what the body is saying.

Tonight was a shot night too. I am noticing some of the "lack of sensitivity" returning to my feet, but so far nothing like I experienced last year this time. The injection sites are still wanting to whelp up a bit, but I have been using a cold compress on the locations prior to the injection and that seems to help. The legs seem to have the most issues. I have been having weird feelings in my calves..and experiencing alot of spasms in my legs in general.

Allright time to herd up the hounds and call it a night...

Blogs of Importance

Allrighty....
I have added a section over there ------> called VERY SPECIAL BLOGS. In this section I want to draw attention to Blogs that have an importance to me that I think others might want to have a gander at too. If you would, please take a few moments to check it out. The first one I have listed is from a dear friend of mine and it is a benefit Cycling event in honor of his daughter that's purpose is raising funds for CureSearch National Childhood Cancer Foundation (NCCF).
I have been swamped with miscellaneous projects at home and work this week so I have been feeling a bit scattered...and this isn't a good day for the ole body - very achey, maybe it's the cold damp weather. I really do think there is a correlation with my symptoms and the weather....I need to explore that more and document it more...
Anyhoo...back to drawing sanitary pipe I'll try to add more in a bit :-)

Jen

I am fumbling, but getting there....

So far so good...I think...
I'm still finding my way around, I think I'll do better when I get into a routine ..
the set-up hasn't been bad at all and once I get it all organized like I want then hopefully
the thoughts will just flow!

Jen

okay we'll give it a go...

Just getting this set up and going..then we'll see where it takes me