Sunday, November 30, 2008

Treatment Results Update

While getting away over the holidays and spending time with family is wonderful, it's always great to come home. We left Wednesday and returned home late this afternoon. Mark and I had a wonderful visit with his family. While I spent most of my time in the chair, I had a few good days and was able to go to dinner last night without the chair. I was a bit wobbly now and then, but it was nice to be able to WALK into a restaurant on my husbands arm. MS is such a beast. You never know what limits it's going to give you on any given day, or take away. I've started having painful muscle spasms again. The neurontin generally keeps them at bay, but they never completely went away. Now they are picking up in intensity and pain level. I'm diligently running my new protocols so I'm hoping things will settle down. One HUGE improvement I've noticed after running the new protocols is my energy level. I have great energy in the mornings. Of course, I try to be careful NOT to overdo. Time has taught me that when I overdo it's an invitation for TWF to visit and kick my keister. My balance is still hit and miss. Although I think the "hits" are slowly becoming more common than the "misses". I just have to remind myself to be patient. THAT is the hardest part. Being patient with myself and the process. I make sure I take my MS meds and run the protocols. Right now I try to run them every 3 hours. My hip, back and left leg let me know when the three hours are up and it's time to run my pain protocols. Thanks to the machine and protocols I am taking NOTHING for my left hip and back pain. Not even ibuprofen. Of course, running the protocols every three hours is much easier to do at home than when your away. I have a car power adapter so I can run my machine in the car. So today, during the 5 hour drive home I ran my protocols. For me, my body needs the treatments every three hours. I can tell the difference when I go longer. Not only because of the pain in my hip and back, but my energy level drops. I'm hoping over time, I won't need to run them so often, perhaps only in the morning and before bed. Again, that's where the patience comes in, and that's not one of my strengths. I'm pleased with the results I'm getting with Dr. Rhodes' program. Of course, I also work to keep my stress level down as well. A challenge anytime, let alone over the holidays. So far, so good!

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