A little of this and that

Today I did a little of this a little of that.
So many little things I had to get caught up on. Been working on an Excel spreadsheet for this quarters taxes for the business. I'm also done and then Mark can put the numbers together.

Perfect timing to get the taxes done right before our trip. Oh well at least we won't have to worry about it for a few months.

Got a phone call from MSF asking if I would write an article about our working from home.
Of course, I said. I love to write. It's my dream to get published someday.

Also got a call from MSF regarding my new role as an Ambassador with their new program. We talked about my goals, etc.

Finally got hold of GoDaddy.com to cancel my service. They do have great customer service. I just don't need the product anymore.

Mark got the suitcases out in preperation for our trip. Yippee ! I need some time to think my way thru packing. I am notorious for forgetting something. haha !

Got caught up on a few emails and facebook. I am finally finding time to write my own blog.
Reading everyone else's might not happen tonight. I'm a little tired.

Talked to the vet about working with the kennel for the dogs while we are gone. I love my vet.
Forgot to order dog food though. Oops !

Talked to some neighbors about the person staying over at the house while we are gone. In case they see someone coming and going, it's okay. Please don't call the police.

Made dinner. Tilapia in a greek vinagrette. Getting ready for all that real Greek food.

Finally figuring out my new pedometer. It keeps track of everything. No cheating with this one.

Hope everybody had a great day.

Cathy
www.TheMSShoppe.com

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The Rumor mill

Last week our local newspaper ran a story that the largest employer in town is moving to Oklahoma.
The rumor mill is running on overtime. Everybody is in a panic.

Mark works there and it is more than a little stressful there right now.
I don't even work there and everywhere I go people keep asking me if they are moving out of town. This move would kill this town. A lot of buisnesses rely on this company.
All I can and will say is this. Maybe I know a few things others might not. That info is locked in my MS brain. Good place to keep a secret haha !

Seriously folks, just stay calm. I realized along time ago when I married Mark, I did more than marry him but I married his career. Maybe the thought of moving doesn't terrify me like others. I have done it so many times.

The economy sucks. Instead of panicing do something to increase sales. How's that for an answer if I know anything.
I hope an announcement comes shortly. It's driving alot of people crazy.

Please please please stop asking me. I'm stressed too and quite frankly I feel stuck in the middle.

Cathy
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mother nature and her own agenda

We had plans to go ot on the boat today. We had invited some friends to join us but the weather was not looking great the past few days. On and off rain but today they were predicting high winds.
For those of you who are not boaters, wind is a four letter word ( unless you own sailboat, they love it)

We took a drive out to the boat this morning and the lake was white capping and rolling just from the wind. The harbor was empty which means we weren't the only ones who took a pass on the weather. 30 mile an hour winds can cause all kinds of problems for a boat. Even a boat as big as ours. Hopefully Mother Nature will be kinder next weekend.

Before we went to the harbor Mark made an incredible breakfast. Eggs Benedict with salmon instead of bacon, complete with holladaise sauce, egg and we didn't have any english muffins so he used a crumpet. LOL I would have married him all over again after that breakfast.
There is just something so sexy about a man who can cook!

After the harbor we went grocery shopping. I have been trying to shop the ads lately which means dividing the shopping into two trips at two different stores.
We saved almost $50.00 in coupons.
Ok, you can call me cheap. I prefer to call myself frugal. I can't stand paying full price for something I know I can get for less. Besides it's fun. I walked out of the store laughing.

Hope everybody is having a great day ! My tummy is full so I'm happy.

Cathy
www.TheMSShoppe.com

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RIP Carrie

I just got an email from our good friend who had to put her sheltie dog down.

Carrie was 17 years old and has had numerous surgeries and major medical problems. Most rescue dogs do.

She was such a fighter ( as most shelties are). There were many times we didn't think she would make it and she would come thru fine.

She was my Goldie's little playmate. They were both petite ( runts ). We met her and human parents when we lived in North Carolina. I think that is how we got involved with the rescue.

RIP Carrie and don't cause too much havoc in heaven with my Goldie! LOL

Give your dogs a big hug today. Just for me !

Cathy
www.TheMSShoppe.com

Feeling better

I almost hate to put Feeling Better as my title here on this post because I know that some people will read that as : she's cured" .

So here's a little lingo for you non MS'ers. If I say I feel okay, I really feel like crap.
If I say I feel like crap, I really really feel like crap. See the difference.

If I tell you the truth when I'm having a bad day I'm a whiner.
If I tell you feel great You think I'm cured.
There is no cure so please assume I always feel like crap and then let me pretend I feel okay.

Sheesh !
I was suppose to have PT yesterday but I cancelled. It was the third straight day of temps being close to 95 degrees and I was feeling exhausted. I actually felt a little dehydrated.

So I decided to get some stuff done around the house. 5 loads of laundy. ( all the new clothes we bought the other day)
I adopted two new soldiers so I wrote a letter to both of them introducing myself. These soldiers are probably #15 and #16 I have adopted since the war began. Doesn't make a difference what your beliefs are about the war I just believe we need to support our troops so I adopt them and send them stuff while they are there.

I cleaned thehouse a bit and the office ( you can hardly tell I cleaned the office LOL) It's a working office with a business going on so it always looks like chaos.

So, Mark has the day off today. Fridays are usually half days during the summer but he took the morning off. So, at 7:51 am his phone rang. Is anybody really surprised? I was sleeping.


Hope everybody has a great day. Stay cool !

Cathy
www.TheMSShoppe.com

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go ahead and fight city hall or Macy's

Some of you may remember that a few weeks ago I wrote a post simply put : I Hate Macy's ( except I think I did it in all Caps)

A short time later I posted the customer service contact info for the person handling my concern.
I then emailed a link to my post/blog to the Executive office and I am pleased to report I just recieved a phone call from the Executive office that my concern was handled.

Thank you to Macy's for stepping up to the plate and handling this matter.
I wasn't looking to point fingers, I just wanted a fair resolution. I appreciate you handling this situation professionally. It is a shame I had to go to these lengths to solve it.

Boy, I'm exhausted. Maybe, I'll go shopping LOL


cathy
www.TheMSShoppe.com

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walkin on sunshine

Yesterday I had PT and it went really well despite all the obstacles.

First, it was 87 degrees when I left the house and it was awful. We haven't had much sun
here lately and it seemed like it went from 50 degrees to 85 overnight. Whew !
And we all know what the heat does to us MS er's so I felt lousy.

I started at physical therapy by using a machine where I was laying on my back and pushing a weighted board out. It's hard to describe but it was hard. We then walked laps of the gym and she showed me some more stretches on my side. I was able to partially do one right from the get go. yippee

Then I got to go on the treadmill. I was so excited. This is what I have wanted for a long time.
They put a holster on me ( like having a parachute attached to me). The holster lifted some of the weight off me so it would be easier to walk the right way.

It took a while to get strapped into this gizmo. Then my ride showed up. Crap ! He is such a nice guy. He told me to come get him in the parking lot when we were done. What a sweetie.

The treadmill was the highlight of my day. And although I was completely exhausted I had renewed faith that I would be able to do the MS Walk next year, despite this new hip problem.

I wasn't sure if I mentioned that I have an underlying hip problem they discovered. Nothing to do with the MS but something that is hampering it. They think I have had this problem all my life.
Thanks mom and dad for taking care of it when I was a kid.
We also discovered one leg is longer than the other by a full inch. Wow How did so many doctors miss that one. I am wearing these funky things in one shoe to level me out and it seems to be helping.

I have PT again on Thursday and I have to say I am excited. I felt so much better after I came home then when I left for the appt.

It was 97 degrees today and a heat index of 102. Needless to say I stayed home in the air conditioned house. I only went out to coax the dogs to go to the bathroom. LOL
i never rthought I would say this but I hope the dogs start to blow their coat soon. ( shelties have an undercoat) They must be so uncomfortable. I will get to comb them and comb and comb them.

Have a great day everybody !

Cathy
www.TheMSShoppe.com

Father's Day

Yesterday was father's Day and a sad day for me.

It's hard to watch all these people celebrating their fathers when mine wants nothing to do with me. I am so jealous of the heartwarming posts on facebook, the newspapers, and even here in blogger world about their dads.

All I ever wanted was to have him ( or my parents ) love me for me. All I ever heard growing up was how they wanted a boy. They have two, the wondeful sons that came a year after me.
The deadbeat and his brother.

It's a really hard holiday for me. When Mark's dad died a few years ago I felt like I had lost my dad. He was the only " Dad" I ever had. I miss those talks ( even if they were about sports).
I think he was the one who really understood what I was going thru after my diagnosis.
I think we had a kind of bond trying to cope with our medical struggles.

I know I should be happy for the relationships others have with their dads, but it hurts and it hurts alot.
Mark and I had a wonderful father's day together. Remebering his dad and sharing stories.

The dogs also gave Mark a big slop of wet kisses in the morning. Talk about dog breath !
He got to use the gift I gave him ( from the dogs of course). I bought him this funky
pan for the gas grill. so he made vegies in it. Yum

I will try harder to be happy for those of you with a normal family.
I did have a wonderful male influence in my life and that was my grandfather. I miss him every day. He accepted me for who I am and I am the independent woman I am because of him and my grandmother.

So I am going to focus on the next holiday instead of the one we just had.
And if anyone wants to pass a message along to my DNA donor dad, tell him he missed getting to know one hell of a person.

Have a great day everybody.

Cathy
www.TheMSShoppe.com

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A day on the boat !

Today Mark & I spent the day on the boat. It was in the mid 80's ( now it is 89 ) and I did okay in the heat.

I really have to say my cooling vest saved me. In fact Mark joked he wanted one because I looked more comfortable than him.

Depsite what my body has been going thru lately, I did okay. Mark kept some of the canvas up so I wasn't in direct sunlight.

We had a good time and got some of the "to do" list done.

A couple of things I have to point out though. First, Guys ( and you know who you are) . If you have a gut and look like you are ready to give birth at any moment, PLEASE don't take your shirt off. It's not a pretty sight. And the funny thing is it's the Joe Cool guys that think they have the body.

And Ladies, please email me your address so I can send you a mirror. Have you thought of a one piece? Let's try age appropiate clothing. If you don't have the body for a bikini please don't put one on. Little kids get scared when they see things like that.

And finally, Life Jackets. Hello ? There are laws in this country for a reason dumbass.

If you have a child on board 12 years of age or younger they are required to wear one.

I have made small 13 year olds wear one.

I have also asked people who are nervous about boating or don't know how to swim to wear one.

I often will wear one because I am not sure I could float by myself in an emergency.

If my guests don't like the rules, they can sit on deck and wait for us to return.

All parents are advised beforehand that there are no exemptions to this rule.

And in this neck of the woods where the largest employer, ( my husband's employer) is a boat related company, please don't think that this stunt would not get back to your employer.

This is a small town and people love to gossip.

Our boat is Coast Guard registered and we are members of the auxiliary which means if there is an emergency on our lake ( and most likely there would never be) we are trained to help with rescue.

Mark and I have both completed boating safety classes. In fact at the last one Mark knew more than the instructor.

Boating is a fun thing to do but please remember you are not alone out there. Learn the basics of boating, etiquette and rules of who has the right away. At the very least please know which side is port and which side is starboard, which end is aft and which end is the bow.

We also never serve alcohol. We have a selection of water, sodas, and juice.

So to quote one of my favorite old shows " Let's be careful out there"

Have a great Father'sDay everybody. Do something fun and never feel like you can't do something. Don't let your MS rule your life!

Cathy

www,TheMSShoppe.com

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NMSS Luncheon

Yesterday Mark & I attended the NMSS Promise 2010 Luncheon at the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee.

It was as always a great event, (Kudo's to the staff and Dawn) The speakers were inspiring and the people who attended all had the same focus in mind...to find a cure for MS.
Channing Barker was diagnosed with MS at age 16. Gasp ! I know I can't even imagine. But she is strong and so inspiring. This was the second time I heard her speak as she also spoke at the NMSS national conference in Chicago last year. The other speaker was Dr. Khatri. He and I speak alot together when I do my patient advocate programs for Biogen Idec ( Tysabri).
After the luncheon we made a special trip over to say hello to him. Although he is not my Dr. I wanted him to see I walked in with just my cane.
We got a chance to see some friends, Jeffrey Gingold, Dan. Allyson, Renee and many more.

We had a long drive and arrived early. But that was okay. It gave my legs ( that were already feeling bad) a chance to regroup. I insisted on just using my cane instead of my walker. And although I regretted it a few times, I am glad I pushed my body.

We had a chance to catch up with several staff members of NMSS as we sat on this exquisite antique sofa, right in front of a picture of a woman and her dog. We couldn't decide if it was a border collie or a sheltie in the picture until I pulled out my phone. Yes, I keep pictures of my dogs on my camera. The picture of Noelle and the picture of this dog could have been the very same dog.
Anyway, as I digress, we had a chance to say hi to Colleen, who is the President of the local chapter. Laurie and Dawn, and Allison, Denise, Kim , Meghan. I finally fot to meet shannon, who was such a help with the Walk MS but I never found Amanda. Were you hiding Amanda?

We bought some raffle tickets for a door prize. Because everybody needs an extra door, right?
We didn't win but it was a donation.

Mark & I try to go this event every year. The tickets for this event are $100 per person but it a fun way to make a donation.
We had a great time. I'm glad our local chapter puts together events like this to highlight those "Faces of MS"
I recently read a post from another MS blogger who was slamming the NMSS about the way they spend their money. These events cost money to put on. Money donated by people like Mark & I.
This blogger went on to mention how they had gone to a NMSS event. A free event to them. But as I mentioned these events cost money to put on. So while you enjoyed your Free event please remember to thank those of us that actually paid for it. Your welcome !

It is my pleasure to be a supporter of my local chapter of NMSS. They know they can always rely on Mark & I as I know I can always rely on them.
Great Event ! Can't wait til next year !


Cathy
www.TheMSShoppe.com

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I'm really really really trying to stay positive

I'm really trying to stay positive although my body is hurting really badly.

I had to cancel my plans today. something I always hate doing but I just couldn't
budge.
I am feeling better but I have a long way to go. I exercised some today and tried
to work on the basic stretches. When I feel bad I always step it up a bit on my exercise program.
Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Today I feel better after exercising than before so I am going to say it was a good thing to stretch so hard.
I have along day ahead of me tomorrow. Mark and I are going to the NMSS luncheon in Milwaukee. It's a long drive and then a long lunch. The speakers will be great and I'm truly looking forward to it. Just wish I was feeling better.

Just made dinner, put the last load of laundry away and finished packing orders. I'm going to go to sleep early tonight, I hope.

The dog is feeling better. I am so overprotective of my dogs. Despite this freak accident, I can only say I am so glad we were home when it happened.
Her eye doesn't look bad. She was so nervous and was constantly underfoot today. She needed lots of extra hugs today.
The vet isn't surprised by her anymore. She is the only dog I know who falls walking up the stairs. She kind of reminds me of Marley. LOL

Mark is hooking up a dehumidifier downstairs. Ours crapped out so it is a little uncomfortable in here.

Have a great day everybody. Thanks for the business and the support.

Cathy
www.TheMSShoppe.com

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Tysabri day and a whole lot more

Today was my Tysabri day. I know I probably should know the infusion # I am on but I don't.

It seems meaningless to read " I had infusion # whatever today". Who the heck cares what number you are on as long as it is still working.
I really was looking forward to my Tysabri today because I knew with everything I have been going thru the past week I would be feeling better in no time.
I love this drug. They were so busy there this morning. One person was late, one person was 45 minutes early. What ever happened to appts? 9:00 means 9:00.

Before I went to my Tysabri infusion I decided to call my neuro and let him know how I have been feeling. How awful the weekend was and see how he felt about me going back to the dose I was on of muscle relaxers.
I called his office at 8:20, Mark was going to pick me up at 8:45. My neuro called back at 8:30 just ten minutes after I called.
We talked and I shared my awful weekend with him. Before I could even ask he suggested I increase the dose. Yeah !
I can't wait til tomorrow to feel better. He said it will take some time to make me feel better but he was okay with increasing the dose.
I don't think I ll be feeling much better for my NMSS lunch on Wednesday but I will it give it my best.
I am really tired today. When I came home from Tysabri I wanted to wash my hair so I jumped in the shower and blew my naturally curly hair straight. It feels like it is going to rain at any minute with is making me even more tired.
I collected the trash, took the dogs out, did some laundry, made the bed. The usual stuff.

Next I'll start dinner, take the dogs out again, feed the dogs, answer some emails, fill some orders and so on.

I can't find the phone number of the woman at Macy's who I thought would resolve this problem. I should have known they wouldn't do what they said they would do.

Have a great Day everybody. Smile _ It makes people wonder what you are up to. HAHA


Cathy
www.TheMSShoppe.com

Just came home

Mark & I ( or maybe just I did) decided I really needed to get out of the house.

We went by Walleye Weekend and although they had spaces allocated for the boaters who have a dock it was a really long walk. Even the handicapped parking was a long walk.

We decided to forgo that idea. I wasn't really in the mood to clean the boat anyway. LOL

I really wanted to do some walking even though my body felt like crap. For me, not doing anything is worse than doing it. So we decided to go to the outlet mall. It's an outside mall and it is so beautiful I wanted to be outside. There is really only a few stores there I like and we really only went to one.
Just enough walking to get that hip moving again. I could wince in pain and nobody would hear me because the mall was empty. I practiced all my PT techniques without overdoing it.

It was a good attitude adjustment some ( or maybe one husband) would say that I needed.

Bought a cute pair of capri's ( new clothes always help my mood) and we left.
Met a really helpful woman there who came to my rescue as I got tangled up with my walker and the bra's. It was pretty funny and a well needed laugh.

Mark was craving Mexican food so we drove all the way back home to hit our favorite place.

Now I'm doing laundry and getting caught up on life. It is getting hotter outside so I will stay inside the rest of the day. Mark is cooking tonight ( he gets to cook on weekends and I get the week) We actually had to come up with a schedule so we both could cook. We both love to
cook.

Maybe I'll watch a movie or just read. It's so hard for me to sit still sometimes. I probably should have had a margarita or two!

Does anybody read Joyce Nelson's ( president of NMSS) blog ? She is walking as many of the challenge walks as possible. Anyway, after her first walk two weeks ago I sent her one of the MS Hug Bears I have on my website. So in her last blog she thanked me.
I just wanted her to know that there are bunch of us who are grateful for the NMSS and what she and her husband John are doing. I can hardly do three mile s and she is doing 50 every couple of weeks. http://nmssociety.blogspot.com/
This is inspiring me to keep plugging along no matter how badly I hurt. we all have to work together to find a cure.

Cathy
www.TheMSShoppe.com

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My body hurts

I'm not ready to say I am having a relapse but I definitely feel like crap.

A week and half ago some of you might remember my Dr's all fighting with each other about a possible drug interaction on two meds that I currently take ( and have taken for years)

It was agreed to cut one dose in half. What the #$%^ was I thinking? Half dose?

So as the days grew longer it was apparant this formula was not working. My legs were so heavy and hurt so badly.
Mark and I tried a different formula and we thought that was working until I physically couldn't get out of bed. After spending most of the day wasted in bed I decided I
was going to increase my dose and wean myself off this drug slower.

Increasing the meds has helped although my legs still hurt. My pain scale 1-10 which I usually say I am 1 was at 15 yesterday. I chugged a couple of Advil's just to cope with the pain.

This morning I feel better. Not great but better. I'm sure some of you out there ( and you know who you are) are thrilled to death that I am having problems like this.
Why you shouldn't be happy if you have MS said one of them. So your wish has come true.
My body is shutting down like you prayed for.
But let me say this. I am a fighter and I will not go down without a fight. I will get my body working again. So my training for the MS Walk is on hold for now.
Right now I need to get my body working again.

Thanks to all my Dr's for their advice. As you can see it worked real well. With your advice I might be back using my wheelchair again soon. That kind of help I don't need.

To think I pay all of you for this advice. Thanks but no thanks.

This is something I have advocated for a long time. Take control of your life and don't let anybody, even your Dr's, give you bad advice.

I am going to work out now and push my body like it's never been pushed before. I have a very busy week coming up and I won't let this MS thing bring me down.
Stay tuned for my progress. I have a walk to walk in 2010. My year. I have a dream vacation next month and I'm not walking like this.

Have a great day everybody. A special Thanks to the little girls in the park on Saturday who saw me struggling to get out of the car. They ran over to me and gave me a piece of origami they had made and wanted me to have it. It is on my dresser and gave me the inspiration to move this morning. That made my day. !

Cathy
www.TheMSShoppe.com

our little town flood

It was one year ago today or tomorrow ( depending where in town you live) that our little town flooded. Thurrsday was the 12th and Friday was the 13th. Friday the 13th how ironic !
Thursday night our street was a raging river and then our basement started to flood.

It was shortly before dinner when the tornado siren was blaring thru the neighborhood. As a newbie to tornado's I didn't know when to take it seriously or not. It was pouring rain, The worst I have ever seen it rain. Mark was trying to get home from Madison ( he flew into the airport there) and the roads were starting to flood. I told him what the TV was saying about the tornado warning and he told me in no uncertain terms : "get in the basement."
Ok, so I have been in my basement a few times and I always dread going down there. My home was built in 1895 and the stairs are old, uneven. There is no rail and very little to hold onto.

I started to cry and thought: pull it together and get your ass downstairs. I grabbed the dogs ( who were already had a horrible week with the death of their sister exactly one week earlier).
I picked up Noelle & put her on the stairs and Ripley followed. They both went down the stairs and waited for me to get down there.
We sat down there for a while until Mark got home. He said I was singing to the dogs, sitting in a lawn chair when he got home.
We came upstairs and tried to feed the dogs and the tornado siren went off again so downstairs we went. This time we brought the dogs food. Stayed down there for a little bit and then came back upstairs. Do I need to remind you I have MS and I have climbed the stairs how many times?

I made dinner and we watched it rain and rain and rain. It was getting very scary. The basement was starting to leak. I suggested we bring as much as we could upstairs and so we began that monumental task.
We don't keep much down there. Just big stuff. Mark brought it up the stairs and I tried to find a place for it in the house. He had to carry my extra wheelchair seat ( weighing about 200 lbs ) up the narrow stairs.
By the time we were finished we had bikes, boat equipment, the contents of the extra freezer,
wheelchair stuff, etc. in the dining room, living room, halls, everywhere.

We realized we were in for a long night. The sump pump was running overtime and we even had the backup sump pump working.
We were still taking in water quickly. My phone kept ringing. Neighbors concerned for me because Mark had been out of town and they wanted to make sure I was okay.
I don't think anybody in the neighborhood slept that night as we all watched our town go underwater.

My neighborhood is the best. We all helped each other out that night. We were a team determined to win. We unplugged our back up sump pump and gave it to a neighbor. Many of the guys tried without success to keep the drains in the street unclogged. We borrowed shovels from each other. We made coffee to keep each other awake to monitor the situation.

I had to get some rest so I left Mark sleeping on the couch. He had set an alarm clock every hour so he could keep on top of the mess. Of course, he didn't hear the alarm clock go off so I woke him up every hour.
By morning it was apparent our neighborhood was under water. It was so sad to see this town like this. Fortunately the largest company in town, Mark's employer, was a boat company and was able to successfully rescue everybody who needed help.

The damage in town was unbelievable. I have a picture of the new SUV Police vehicle with water up to the hood. You can only see the plastic shield that read Police.
All the Post Office vehicles were a total loss and the post office was also flooded. The hospital new cafeteria was covered in mud and the aquatic center pool was a mud bath.

We were without hot water for several days. When they came to hook it back up we realized out water heater was damaged.
FEMA was set up in no time to help us. I applied for help with replacing our new water heater.
I called in a claim on Tuesday, they came out on Friday and inspected the damage and the following Tuesday we had a check in hand.
Maybe our country learned something from Katrina. I was impressed.

I am not the only one who doesn't ever want to go through something like that again. Mark has made some changes to the basement and we have these plugs that will help water from getting in. I have instructions posted in the kitchen incase I can't get down the stairs and have to call a neighbor .
I surprised myself that night. My physical strength of climbing the stairs so many times, of carrying and lifting all this stuff from the basement, my emotional strength ( after my mini teary episode). I took care of myself, my dogs, my home.
We did what needed to get done and we did it together. I am all for bonding but I am sure there are other ways. We worked as a team. The neighborhood worked as a family. A well tuned machine.

Remember the speeches the flight attendants say: "take care of yourself first, then help others"
Because we all did this there were no serious injuries and I don't believe any deaths.

Have a great day everybody and help a friend when you need to.

Cathy
www.TheMSShoppe.com

President Obama in Green Bay

The President just stopped by Green Bay, Wisconsin about an hour away from where I live.

I watched his town hall meeting on TV ( even though I had a zillion things to do)
It was kind of cool he chose Green Bay to visit and talk about health care.

It got me thinking just how expensive it is to have MS. I am blessed to have great insurance and believe me I know I am fortunate but I remember my insurance statement for 2007 reading
my bills totaled $101,000. It was just such an odd number it has stuck in my head ever since.

In 2007 I had surgery for cancer, a biopsy, another biopsy and then another biopsy in addition to all of my MS stuff.

There is alot I don't understand about how and who gets health care. With so many people out of work it's hard to believe people aren't gettingthe meds they need.

We need to make some changes in this country. We also need to work on research in this country to cure these chronic diseases. MS Sucks as all of us know.
If I could stop just one person from getting it, all my volunteer activities would be worth it.

Sometimes I get so frustrated with the family in my life. They all had the opportunity to help find a cure when Mark & I started a Walk MS team and yet they almost all walked away. ( pun
intended)

Support is more than a check. It is getting off your butt and walking the walk. Picking up the phone and asking us if there is anything you can do to help. Checking on me when I am home alone, with no transportation, and making sure I haven't been laying on the stairs for three days .
I realize people don't know what to say or do but I've just outlined a few options.
Please don't go thru this alone.Check on each other. Send a funny email, write a handwritten note, pick up the phone.
Life is too short. And please don't believe someone else will do it becasue they probably won't.

This week Joyce Nelson of NMSS isdoing her second Challenge Walk. I am so inspired by her.
50 miles is a heck of a long walk and here I am strugglingto do 3 miles.

Cathy
www.TheMSShoppe.com

Wow ! What a day

Yesterday I put my new shirt on my website. That in itself is pretty exhausting for the MS portion of my brain.
I maintain most of my website myself ie adding and deleting products so I have the ability to add it when it is ready to be added and not having to wait until someone else gets around to it.

So I added the new shirt I DO SHOTS ! 6 sizes so I had to cut and paste it six times and change the size info. My brain was frazzled.
Then I posted it on business page on facebook, then my blog. I kid you not, 3 mintues after posting it on facebook I got an order and as the day went on they kept coming in. I was overwhelmed with excitement !

I realized I needed to order more shirts. This on a product I just listed. That must be some kind of record. My screen printers must have thought I was nuts reordering a shirt I had picked up only the night before.
This is a good problem to have. Hopefully the sizes I have left are the sizes people need to order.

I am in good shape on all of the shirts. I need to add them all to inventory. Then fold them and put them all away. Almost all of the orders are ready to go out. Yeah ! I'd like one trip to the Post Office.

In the midst of all this shirt craziness yesterday, I got a phone call from Fed Ex that they had a delivery for me that needed a signature. I have a sign on my door asking UPS, Fed Ex and everybody else to please leave the package. Only ring the bell if you need a signature ( dogs and doorbells, need I say more)
So this guy calls me and I told him I would stay downstairs until he was ready to deliver it. He told me he was outside my front door. LOL I went to the door and signed for my package.
The Fed Ex guy even picked up my other package that UPS delivered so I didn't have to bend over. What a sweetie ! Fed Ex trains them right !

The package, by the way, was my necklace. Mark bought me a necklace last year for our Anniversary because I kept breaking the old ones. This one was thicker and couldn't be broken they told him as he plunked down the cash. Wrong ! I broke it. I have a tendency to lean over, lose my balance and get my hand stuck in between my neck and the necklace and it breaks. This time I was making the bed and ripped it off my neck. Ouch.
After a couple of months of screwing around with the extended warranty I finally got it fixed.

I always wear my locket ( my wedding gift from 21 years ago) on it and I have been lost without it. I opened the box and put it on.
It felt good around my neck.

Have a great Day Everybody! Richie, Herrad I can't find an email address for you so I am not sure what to do about this award.

Cathy
www.TheMSShoppe.com

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I DO SHOTS !

So the newest shirt on my website http://www.themsshoppe.com/ is posted and ready for sale.

It reads : I DO SHOTS ! and is perfect for us MS er's who inject orselves, or for those of us who love tequila and even our nurses.

It is in cardinal red ( burgundy) with a white imprint and is available in sizes small-3XL.

Thanks to everybody who helped vote on this shirt. This by far was one of the most fun things I have done adding a new product to my line.

Stay tuned as our business is growing and growing.

Have a great day everybody ! I'm will folding shirts LOL

Cathy

http://www.themsshoppe.com/

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These feet are made for walkin

Physical therapy went really well today. It was rainy and my body usually doesn't do well in the rain. Plus I had an awful night taking care of Ripley. He is my rescue dog and is terrified of thunder.

I am his mommy so it was my job to see him thru it. I was so tired though.

Well when I got to PT one of the other PT's commented I was walking so well. It made me want to jump for joy, except I can't jump. It is nice to have somebody notice the hard work I have been putting in. I really needed that. It was a real confidence booster.

We are convinced that I have an underlying hip problem not associated with MS. It is aggravating the MS but the problem is deeper than that. I do believe it is fixable especially since we now know what it is.

I have been working so hard but I have along way to go. My goal is to chuck the walker permanently and maybe the cane. Driving will be alot easier if I get my hip working properly.

Wasn't sure if I mentioned my neuro signed off on me applying for a regular driver's license instead of hand controls. Yippee ! That made my day.

My shirt orders have all arrived and the new saying will be posted and available soon on my site, hopefully tomorrow. I have an office full of boxes. I just spent the weekend organizing the office and now it is a mess again.
I actually ran out of a couple of shirt sizes. This is actually a good problem to have. business is going well.

Have a great day everybody. Time for my new med cocktail. I think it is working. yay

Cathy
http://www.themsshoppe.com/

I don't have Cooties, I have MS

Special Price on one of the T-shirts

This one reads : I don't have Cooties, I have MS .

This shirt came about because I went to get my eyes checked and their dumb ass staff wouldn't touch me so my bifocals were always crooked. It's not like I already had a problem walking.

Anyway, I should mention the name of this hokey establishment here in town because businesses like this should have all rights taken away to owning a business.

They violated every one of my rights not to mention their lack of morals.

If you here in town, you should know they are the only eye place associated with Vision Service Plan and therefore anybody who works at the largest company in town is required to use these bozo's. Vision Service Plan was no help in resolving this matter.

I went to Walmart ( and we all know how much I don't like Walmart) but it was a wonderful expereince. The way I should have been treated in the first place.

We have all been treated badly as a result of MS and this is my way of fighting back.

Reg Price $14.99 (M-XL) Sale Price $11.99

Reg Price $16.99 (2XL) Sale Price $13.99

Other sizes available, just email me.

Have a great Day Everybody

Cathy

http://www.themsshoppe.com/

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My Dear sweet Goldie Bear

One year ago today we had to put our beloved Goldie Bear down.

She had been sick for so long and nobody could figure out what the heck was wrong with this

little girl. We have the best Vets and they tried everything.

We went away for the weekend to Mark's nephew's wedding and left Goldie in the best hands possible The Sheltie Rescue. We knew that she would and did get the best care possible.

The vet said it was fine to go but Mark & I worried all weekend and even called a few times to check on her.

It was obvious when we went to pick her up Goldie had no idea who we were. She always ran to me when we picked them up and jumped in my arms. This time she stagged over to me and

just looked at me.

It was a very sad day and Mark and I knew she was suffering from something neurological. Maybe because I have MS but the symptoms all started to make sense.

That was on a Tuesday and on Thursday we made that heart wrenching decision to put her down. The vet know believes she had a brain tumor.

She was only 8 years old and cute as a button. All the kids loved her because her rear end always wiggled. She was my couch potato.

When we took her to obedience school she used to pick a fight with all the big dogs and then run under them to hide. Such a goof ! They named her class clown. She would never sit ( we called her spring bottom because the minute the butt went down it came right back up) until one day when I fell she sat next to me until I was able to get up.

When Mark traveled I always referred to my dogs as my protectors but little did they know it wasn't the big ones you should be afraid of biting you but little mighty Goldie. I have no doubt if I was in trouble she would have gone for the crotch ( sorry guys) but it is true. I called her my jumping bean.

She left this world way to early and is probably causing all kinds of fun in heaven.

Rest in peace, my little bear. Kiss kiss til we see each other again and I can hold you in my arms and never let go. I will always love you !

Cathy

http://www.themsshoppe.com/

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What a crazy and wonderful Day

Yesterday started out as a wonderful day. I had an appointment with my neuro.
No big deal just my 6 month check up.
I made the long walk to his office with only my cane and my husbands arm.
I think I surprised my neuro by doing that.

We had paperwork I needed to have him fill out about my driver's license.
As you may know, I have been trying to learn to drive with hand controls. We took the
winter off for obvious reasons and resumed driving a short time ago.
So here's my dilemma. My leg is now overriding my hand and it wants to stop the car.
This is actually a wonderful problem to have. We were quite happy with this situation
except I wasn't sure how my neuro would feel about it. I was all ready for a fight and had all
my arguments lined up and ready to use. He did some different tests and signed the paperwork.

Wow that was an easy fight. LOL My body is changing so I feel better about the driving situation. I really want to go to the grocery store by myself. Surprise Mark with a special dinner.

Then I went to my nail appointment. We always get the giggles over stupid girl stuff.
But I really enjoy it and often need it.

Later that evening I attended the MS support group in Oshkosh. They have invited me several times but there was always a schedule conflict. I really wanted to go but I was exhausted.

Their speaker was a woman who taught yoga so I thought that would be relaxing for me at the end of the night.
What a fun group. Lots of laughter. No negative Nellies or Debbie downers. Just a bunch of people who loved life even with the challenges of MS.
The yoga instruction was great. When I got home the crap hit the fan when my Dr called at 9:30 pm.

It seems there is a problem that all Doctors were informed about by my insurance company but I wasn't.
So they all got a letter sharing my medical info and I was completely in the dark.
They were acting like it was a fire drill to get this situation resolved. While it is serious it is not life threatening and I can't make make decisions like this on a whim.

After all that craziness I slept like a log.
I spoke with Doctors all day long about my 'options" and at one point had to remind them it was my decision and my decision only. Then Mark's and then theirs.
Everybody of course had a different course of treatment. Good grief. Why did I put together a MS Team anyway if everybody is working separately.
We have alot of thinking to do and we will weigh the options. I am not jumping into anything.
We are going on this vacation and we will spend some time thinking about it but not long.

I wish my mother would give a damn. These are times when I could really use a mother. My friends are there but a mom is something I could use right now.
Everything in life happens for a reason. We'll work it out.
I'm trying to stay positive and think my way thru this without going ballistic on the what if's.

Have a great day everybody

Cathy
www.TheMSShoppe.com

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Shirt saying winner

So the winning entry on my shirt saying contest was I do Shots
and it was my idea so I put everybody's name in a hat who sent me a suggestion and all
the bloggers who helped me get the word out.

and the winner is Andy @
http://jugheadsbaltimoreblog.blogspot.com/

Check out his blog if you haven't done so already.

Thanks again everybody for your help.

Cathy
www.TheMSShope.com

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PT and feeling great

I slept so well last night. My back wasn't tight and my legs felt good.

When I woke up this morning I felt refreshed. Good thing because I had alot to do.

We were suppose to have someone come look at our clothes dryer and of course after

calling numerous times and waiting half the morning we decided it wasn't worth it.

I had so much laundry to do. Mark was almost out of runing shorts which meant he would have to streak if I didn't get it done soon.

He has nice buns but they are my buns. Ya know what I mean.

It seems to be working better anyway. Customer service is horrible in this town.

It's likethey are doing me a favor by coming to my home.

The last I checked the economy sucks and businesses should be grateful they have any business at all. You are not going tell me that an appliance repair person has too much business right now.

Most people aren't even bothering to fix anything. Sometimes I want to hold a class for businesses on what customer service is.

If I have to wait an extra day to mail something I feel terrible. When Mark is out of town and I can't get a ride to the Post Office I feel terrible.

Maybe I am too old school. Maybe I have high morals and values. Maybe I just wantto provide my customers with the customer service they don't get anywhere else. Maybe, justmaybe I like being nice.

All my orders are done and Mark will have his hands full going to the post office tomorrow.

I sold alot of bears so at least they are light packages..

Have a great day everybody.

Cathy

http://www.themsshoppe.com/

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physical therapy

Just got home from Physical therapy and I am exhausted.

I feel my muscles working well together and although I am exhausted I
do like the way they feel.

They are really working on my walk. Correcting it by focusing on my stomach muscles and hip area. These have always been my problem areas and if we can succeed I will be walking a whole lot better. Yippee !

Over the weekend Mark and I registered for the Relay for Life. It is a 24 hour event raaising money and awareness for cancer.

We decided to do it in honor of Dad ( Mark's dad) who died from colon cancer a few years ago after a very long battle with the disease.
I don't know anybody who hasn't has cancer affect their lives. Mine is personal but this
is for Dad. I'm not sure how long I will be able to walk but it wil be wonderful training for the MS Walk next year.

I came home from PT and just finished my orders so I'll think I will get a snack before dinner. Got an email this morning at 9:00 am that Mark's hours have changed whch means a much later dinner.
I didn't even get 24 hours notice. Thanks guys for informing the wives and family of this change.

Have a great day everybody.

Cathy
www.TheMSShoppe.com

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