It’s Sunday. How will you make it a “day of rest”?
What does “rest” mean in your busy world?
Does rest mean you had a good night’s sleep? Does it mean you slept long enough to wake up refreshed and without bags under your eyes?
We usually think of rest in terms of our physical body. When we [...]
Continue reading about A Day of Rest for Body, Mind, Emotions and Spirit
You may feel like it sometimes, but being an MS caregiver does not endanger one’s sanity. In fact, as a caregiver, you probably have no more reason to worry about your sanity than any other person.
I’ll explain why after I share a summary of a 2001 abstract I’ve just read titled, “Being a Multiple [...]
Continue reading about Does Being an MS Caregiver Cause Mental Health Problems?
A friend told me yesterday he had seen my wife in a local store and “she looked good.”
I agreed, “Yes, she does look good!”
I embarrassed him a little so he clarified it a bit, “I mean she looks like she’s getting along well.”
Of course few see her when she’s not getting along well.
For many MS [...]
It’s Sunday.
In the medical literature one frequently reads, “there is no cure for Multiple Sclerosis.”
So, do you pray your loved one will be cured?
Or do you pray the disease process will be kind? Do you pray for a long time between relapses? Do you pray for courage as you face a foreboding future? [...]
I remember reading the cartoon book, “Good Grief, Charlie Brown”, when I was a child.
The phrase, “good grief,” grabbed my attention. What did it mean?
I knew grief was what one experienced when someone died. At the time I didn’t imagine that could be good. One lives long enough and learns that grief [...]
“I don’t remember if I took the medicine to help me remember things,” my wife told me last night, “so I didn’t take it in case I already did.”
This morning I’ve searched the Internet for a way to organize her medications which will make it obvious for her that she has taken them or not. [...]
The Multiple Sclerosis International Federation (MSIF) is an international organization which links the activities of national MS societies around the world.
A growing series of 10 publications, MS in Focus, is a free resource for people with MS, their caregivers, medical professionals and MS support groups. The series addresses the broad spectrum of issues related [...]
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Ignore this post. It contains the code required for me to claim this blog on Technorati. Let’s see if it works …
Getting the diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis took too long from the time my wife first talked to her primary care physician about the intense headaches and shaking hands until the second neurologist completed his testing and gave us the diagnosis. The medical tests were frustrating, the feedback came too slowly, and living in a [...]
Continue reading about Multiple Sclerosis is Not Brain Cancer
Sometimes it really is the little things that make it easier for an MS patient. Think about a door knob. Door knobs are simple and elegant in design. One simply squeezes the knob and turns it. If one has a good grip, that is. Without a firm grip, door knobs [...]
It’s Sunday!
The New Testament is full of examples of the Apostle Paul’s physical ailments. I remember hearing of his “thorn in the flesh” when I was a child.
There wasn’t much for a first grader to do in south Texas in the 60’s. I liked to break the prickles off my mom’s roses and [...]
Continue reading about Was Paul’s “Thorn in the Flesh” Multiple Sclerosis?
No thinking adult truly expects life is fair. Most of us grow past that fantasy during adolescence.
Even so, there lives deep in our hearts the desire that life be fair. And when it’s not, we ache for what “should” be. Unfortunately, if we focus so much on what “should be” we miss [...]
Continue reading about Discovering the Joy in What Is Beats Aching for What Might have Been
A red indicator light appeared on the instrument panel. It said, “Oil”. I slowed down a little. I knew there was a gas station at the top of the hill and when the warning light lit up I thought, “I can make it to the top of the hill and get oil [...]
I was working in a closet filled with network hardware and cables when my cell phone vibrated on my hip. I answered and heard my 8 year old daughter say, “Daddy, Mommy fell and is bleeding on her head.”
“Is she okay? How bad is she bleeding, Sweetie?” I ran to the stairs.
“Sissy [...]
Six New Dawn roses cover a pergola I built for my wife a few years before her MS diagnosis. If I had known then what we know now, I would have built it much closer to the house. My wife loves roses and living out of town as we do, we have a [...]
Calling yourself a caregiver is good for you and makes you a better caregiver.
The National Family Caregivers Association commissioned a study from The Caregivers Advisory Panel in 2001 to learn about the impact self-identifying oneself as a caregiver has on caregivers. Information about the study is on the NFCA web site at “NFCA’s 2001 [...]
Continue reading about Why Identify Yourself as an MS Caregiver?
It’s Sunday.
Theologians and philosophers have wrestled long with an odd problem. They, like many who suffer or who care for someone whose life is limited by a disease, wish to figure out how to make three accepted truths true at the same time.
They seek to explain the unexplainable. For me, at this point [...]
Caring Today Magazine, LLC publishes Caring Today. You can purchase a 1 year subscription to the hardcopy magazine for $12.95 on the CaringToday.com web site. I’ve not yet read the magazine, but I do like the information available on their website. The information is practical, personal and enlightening.
The focus of the website [...]
I called the health insurance company’s 800 number today to check on the status of the Provigil coverage review. The inquiry was quick and easy because I had the case number handy (remember the caregiver tip: keep good records). The coverage has been approved for another 12 month period.
I’ll write a “thank you” letter to [...]
Continue reading about MS Medications, Insurance Coverage and 2 Ounces of Gold
I’m not a doctor. Nor am I a radiologist. Being a caregiver, though, makes me incredibly curious about the medical details related to my wife’s multiple sclerosis. I like to know what my wife’s doctors are talking about and I’m fascinated by how “fearfully and wonderfully made” we are.
Continue reading about What Radiologists Look for on an MRI for Multiple Sclerosis