Back to School

One semester left, one semester left...


At the end of this year, I will have two degrees, one in Business with an emphasis in accounting, and one in Hospitality Management.  It's been a long time coming -- I have been in school for eight years!


I'm only taking two courses -- Individual Income Tax and Hospitality Managerial Accounting.  The hospitality one is to complete that degree, and the Income Tax is to get me above half-time so I qualify for financial aid.  Plus, I actually enjoy taxes (and, no, I do not need to have my head examined! :P).


I was actually planning to attend next semester but some things changed that made attending this semester a better choice.  Or maybe that's debatable since the first day of school also coincided with our move! 


It will be nice to finally be done though.  I'm happy I will have not one, but two, degrees that will be useful if I decide I would like to go back to work one day.  I will say I never anticipated it taking this long, but multiple major changes will do that to ya! 

The “To Be Announced” is Announced

In an earlier post, I referred to another trial in our lives that I was not ready to post about yet.  I'm not posting this for pity, or anything like that.  Just another entry in the journal (albeit online) of my life.  

Long story short: I have been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.  I was waiting to post about it until it had been confirmed in-person with my neurologist, and I'd seen the results for myself.

Long story long:

At the end of December 2010, I woke up one morning with numb hands and feet.  Over the course of a several days, I went to my regular doctor, to the urgent care and finally to the ER, where an MRI of my brain was ordered. 

On that MRI, the radiologist and my new neurologist discovered a small lesion.  It was so small, they weren’t even sure it was anything at all.  For all they knew, it could be something everybody had, since the medical community is not in the habit of scanning the brains of otherwise “normal” people. 

Over the next few months, we did more tests – that came back normal – and a nerve conduction study, which showed I have carpal tunnel syndrome (no surprise there!), but that did not explain my symptoms.

I had another MRI done, this time of my neck and spine.  The results showed an inflammation in my spinal cord.  This could have been a post-viral inflammation (say, from a cold) or something worse.

After that test, I knew I needed to take some action to get my life back.  My hands were still numb, I could hardly type or write, and I could not take care of Averie by myself.  At that time, I decided to undergo a 3-day course of steroid treatments.  I went to the Infusion Center at the hospital for three days, three hours at a time and had 1,000 mg of Medrol pumped into me each day.  The steroids returned my hands to about 60-70% of their original functionality within a couple weeks, and there was a strong possibility that they would continue to improve. 

Last month – 6 months after the first MRI, my neurologist wanted to run a follow-up MRI of my brain.  If there were no new lesions, then this whole thing was a fluke, possibly due to the spinal inflammation, and life would go on as normal. 

Well, there was another lesion, no mistaking it this time, which by definition, means I have multiple sclerosis.

Future Outlook

I am lucky that my MS was found very early on and while I was very young.  I have a great prognosis, and there are so many treatment options available to me.  Up until recently, all of the treatment options have been injections, and for someone with an intense dislike of needles, that was the one thing I was having the hardest time dealing with.  However, a new oral medication just came out last year and so far, results have been great! 

I am lucky to have resources for support and advice and “success stories” of people diagnosed with MS that still went on to lead very normal, fulfilling lives.  I know I can be one of those people, and I intend to be!

Of course, this diagnosis still means changes in my life.  I will probably never have the energy to go, go, go 24/7 like I used to do.  My hands might never be 100% normal again.  The future is unknown, but I know my doctor is looking out for me and he has never once tired of looking for an explanation for me.  There are no words to describe what it means to have a doctor that really cares, and doesn't just tell me I'll have to live with it, or write out a prescription and shove me out the door.   

I am blessed to have Chris by my side through this.  He is a strong, supportive husband who has not once complained about picking up the slack.  He doesn't bat an eye when he walks in the door after work and the house is a disaster because I just didn't have the energy that day to clean.  He hasn't backed down over the looming expenses for regular MRIs and expensive medications.  He assures me that he'll be there every step, even though I might never be the same, and I know he means it.  My husband is amazing. 

I know I will get through this.

Signs

We put off teaching Averie sign language for, probably, much longer than we should have.  I think I was nervous it would be too complicated (I've seen those ASL interpreters who move lightning-fast!) or she wouldn't catch on and it would just be wasted time.


Since life has been so crazy lately, I haven't even gotten around to calling the pediatrician for a referral for speech therapy, so we just decided to try teaching signs.  

And now I am kicking myself for not doing it sooner!  


In just a few weeks, Averie has learned to sign please, more, eat, drink, down (to get out of her highchair), open, and all done!  Last week at dinner, Averie signed "more, please" without any prompting!  There are much fewer tantrums since she can communicate what she wants more easily, and less frustration on our part because we don't have to guess what she wants anymore. 


I am going to be pulling out the sign language DVDs I bought ages ago and start working on more of them! 

A good haul

I used to hate shopping at Wal-Mart.  Not very clean, could never find an employee, rarely well-stocked.  Since they have started doubling coupons to compete with another local grocery store, they have really cleaned up...and I have, too! :D

Now Wal-Mart and I are great friends, after they helped me get aaaaall this:

Retail was $161.85 and I spent $37.88! (77% savings)

Boy, do I feel like a chump for buying Cottonelle at Costco with their coupon last month at $0.50 per roll, when I paid $0.25 per roll last night!  Between the Costco TP, this, and our existing stockpile, I don't think we should have to buy toilet paper for a few years!

Quotations

I feel like my life has been one rollercoaster after another (see below post) that can be summed up by these two quotations (second one contains swear words, if you are sensitive to that).

"I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much." 

--Mother Teresa

 

"I've worked like hell, worked others like hell, have got drunk and got others drunk*, lost all I had, and now because I won't spend or lend what little I earn, beg, borrow, or steal, I've been cussed, discussed, boycotted, talked to, talked about, lied to, lied about, worked over, pushed under, robbed, and damn near ruined. The only reason I'm sticking around now is to see WHAT THE HELL IS NEXT."    

--William Least Heat-Moon, Blue Highways: A Journey into America

 

*Disclaimer: Never actually been drunk or gotten someone else drunk ;-)

Count your...trials?

Yes, I know it's supposed to be count your blessings, but after this week, the only thing I can count is trials.  So this post is full of negativity and sadness, so feel free to skip if you don't feel like reading!

A recap of what we've been through together:

Jul 2004 – Chris and Meghan unemployed

Sep 2004 – Roof tile at apartment complex falls on our car the day before our wedding; apartment owner will not pay for damage

Apr 2005 – Chris’ mysterious illness starts

Sep 2005 – Move in with Meghan's parents

Feb 2006 – Move out due to conflict with sibling

Jun 2006 – Meghan gets mono

Jan 2007 – Chris' knee surgery not covered despite pre-authorization

Jan 2007 – Chris’ dad dies suddenly

May 2007 – Meghan’s job goes bankrupt, unemployed for 1 month

Jun 2007 – Meghan works for crazy bipolar lady

Oct 2007 – Chris laid off from NACT, unemployed for 3 months

Jul 2008 – Chris diagnosed after 3 years, has gallbladder removed

Jun 2009 – Chris gets “reckless driving” ticket (the situation surrounding this is truly ridiculous and very long to explain, but suffice it to say, this ticket is completely unfounded); insurance rates go through the roof

Jul 2009 – Chris has carpal tunnel relief surgery

Jun 2010 – Car accident (not at fault), Meghan injured

Aug 2010 – Chris fired from Convergys

Dec 2010 – Meghan’s hand/feet numbness starts

Jun 2011 – Chris gets a job with 10% pay cut (but promised overtime makes up for it)

Jul 2011 – Averie has a speech delay

Aug 2011 – Overtime is cut 

Aug 2011 – To Be Announced (I am not ready to post about this yet)

Aug 2011 – Chris hit by uninsured driver

Aug 2011 – Move in with Meghan's parents - Round 2

This is not a competition but I have never met a single soul (of course there are Biblical figures, but I'm referring just to people we have met in everyday life) who has been through what we have.  I guess Chris and I are blessed that we have weathered every one of these trials, together, and we will continue to do so for the next one, ten or fifty, but if anyone out there (or up there) is listening, a break would be nice!

I try to remember that Chris and I must be destined for great things in life for the adversary to test us nonstop as he does, but it has been very difficult to convince myself of that today!   

Maybe I will try counting blessings again tomorrow.