♪ He's An On Time God, Yes, He Is! ♪

Four weeks ago I was at the mall returning and exchanging a couple of things. My right arm felt very weak.  I thought if I needed to wave at someone I would have to use my left hand to pick up that right hand for that wave. I thought of how it had happened about four times that week. I made it home and felt very weary. My right eye felt weird; my vision was blurry; my balance was off; and I felt incredibly fatigued. I wanted to nap but I was afraid I wouldn't wake up. My uncle recently died unexpectedly so I thought I better stay awake as best I can. I checked my blood pressure. It was 85/62. Usually my blood pressure is from 90 to 100 over 60.

I'd been taking a medication for endometriosis for eight days and I was worried that I was experiencing a stroke. I asked my husband to drop me off at the Emergency Department. I was admitted and I had a million dollar workup. The admission presented such irony for me because I had been sick all summer with pelvic pain 24 hours a day. I refused to go to the ER because I was convinced they would admit me. I ended up getting admitted anyway for something completely different.

Most of the tests I had  were to rule out a TIA, commonly referred to as a mini stroke. Most of my tests were negative except for an MRI of the brain which showed lesions on my brain as seen in diabetes, strokes, hypertension, and MS. The neurologist I saw was certain I didn't have the former three. He suspected the latter based on my symptoms.

The last day of my hospital stay I had a lumbar puncture. I was nervous but relieved to learn that they use guided X Ray to find just the right spot for the removal of the spinal fluid. It was much less dramatic than the spinal taps I've assisted with as a pediatric nurse, and less painful than an epidural as well. I did have a moderate headache for about four days afterward.

The results the doctor needed for further confirmation took four weeks to come back. The protein that is elevated in MS was elevated in the spinal fluid. The neurologist, Dr. Lufti, would like me to start injections every other day to prevent further relapses and to maintain my mobility.

My main symptoms right now are extreme fatigue and poor short term memory recall. I have from two to five hours of extreme fatigue a day which require rest and usually long naps. The fatigue is somewhat depressing. Mornings are good. Late afternoons are the hardest. My work shifts are difficult, especially from 3 AM onward. I am now making full use of the Reminders app on my iPhone. What a Godsend for me. I can't leave a grocery store without triple checking my Shopping List app either.

I'm happy to know that I have multiple sclerosis. I'm glad to find out why my eyeglass prescriptions only seem helpful for about six months. I understand too why my right hand was swollen for about six months three years ago, making it even difficult to maneuver the steering wheel. I was told I had a trapped nerve. It was indeed a nerve problem. :) About a year ago I had a couple of incidents in which I couldn't find my way thru two neighborhoods very well known to me. I had numbness and tingling in my face and loss of balance after a flu shot about three years ago. That too was a relapse. Anesthesia  seems to give me relapses as well. I've had numbness and tingling on the top of my feet since 2009. I thought it was because I had flat feet. No, that's not it. God is good and I'm glad to have answers.

Now I can make some adjustments in my lifestyle that need to be made. One major adjustment is I'm saying no to many things. I'm not doing much besides going to the gym, church, work, and a little shopping at Publix, Wal Mart, and Aldi. I also decreased my gym workouts from 90 minutes to 60 minutes. The neurologist says I shouldn't be exercising to the point of complete exhaustion so I take my foot off the accelerator when I start to feel very taxed. I'm not going to the gym right after my 12 night shift any longer. I delay that day's workout until I've had some sleep and food. Grin.

I am so grateful that I never knew until now that I had MS though. I would have babied myself at the gym and I would have convinced myself that I was not able to get fit. Thankfully, I have lost 13% body fat since 2009 and I've lost 20 pounds. Don't be concerned that I did something in the gym to give myself MS. I started my exercise routine after my first relapse in 2009. Exercising actually improved the symptom I was having at the time. My swollen and painful right hand slowly returned to it's normal size.

Another blessing is now I have more time to relax and read. I like that. I've read The First Year: Multiple Sclerosis: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed. Now I'm reading one of four of Montel Williams' books.

Please pray that the injections won't make me very sick. Dr. Lufti asked me not to judge the medication by the first two months. Please pray that I can keep making simple meals, that I would be well enough to check the boy's school work, and that I would be able to complete my scheduled work shifts. I need to keep centered on Christ and not go back to my old ways of comforting myself with sugar.

I've had so many blessings throughout this summer. I've been listening to some gospel music I was never exposed to. The music is very encouraging with lyrics that are catchy and easy for me to recall throughout my day. He's An On Time God, as Dottie Peoples sings, in that old school black gospel song. Oh yes, He is! Amen?!?

God Bless!

Last week I did giant sets, as described by Ms. Olympia , Nicole Wilkins on Fitness RX.com,  at the gym. They were so much fun. I did focused on one muscle group per day for six days. For example on shoulder day I did: 

1. Read Deltoid Flies

2. Military Presses

3. Shoulder Lateral Raises

4. Forward Raises

I completed   those again and again 15-20 reps until I had done all exercises four times. What a burn!The first two rounds are easy. The next two sets are tough. But boy it's fun. My legs days and triceps days were the best. I really felt the burn. I was very sick for two weeks though and hadn't done a good legs workout so perhaps that's why my hamstrings burned a lot. Good times!

A Run on Behalf of a Headache


This is that special time of the month for me and at 6:30 PM I felt as if my head might explode. Initially, I thought I had a sinus headache. I took some Sudafed which didn't help at all. Next, I took a pain reliever for women. That didn't help either. I thought, "Hmmm, let's see if a short run might help," as I always feel better after cardiovascular activities.
I headed out for a short one mile run in a light drizzling rain. Bekah rode her bicycle while I ran. She warned me of all oncoming cars as well as the cars behind us. What a sweetie, my girl.
When I returned, my husband asked how my head was and my reply was, "What head?" I felt so much better!
I was so pleased too that although my chest hurt a bit from the humidity I was still able to comfortably finish the run. In the past, I've always needed to use albuterol, especially in rainy weather. Thanks again for allowing my lungs to improve, Lord.
After the run, I raced Bruce in a 100  yard sprint. He was hanging right with me for about 80 yards. If he ran regularly, he would have taken me. His legs are only about four inches shorter than mine. Fun times!

Stiff Leg Deadlifts Ildi tried to teach me the proper form of Stiff Leg Deadlifts for weeks. I was having some low back pain at the time. That interfered with my technique. Now that my back is limber I've got the hang of it. I love doing them now. Yesterday I used a 50 pound bar bell. It was very hard for me to carry the barbell to the corner. My hamstrings are very sore today which is a good sign. I'm looking forward to more Stiff Leg Deadlifts next week.

I am remiss in updating this blog. Early 2012 I ran for 40 minutes outdoors three days a week. These days I'm running mostly on a treadmill for 20 minutes. I'm running one or two days a week. Usually I run without walking. If it's an overcast day I might venture outside. Running is still my first love as far as cardio goes. Interestingly, I can't recall the last time I had to use any albuterol. Simply amazing. Thank you, God. I am also fond of the stairmaster and stepper machines. If I'm tired I walk on a very high incline on the treadmill. I'm in the gym six days a week. I lift weights four days a week these days and I do cardio six days a week for 30 minutes. If I work a 12 hour night shift, I visit the gym for one half hour and ride the stationary bicycle. I am not fond of stationary bicycles because the calories burned seem low. The bicycle is easy for me to handle after a night shift though. My wish is that the motion of the bicycle riding might scare away unwanted cellulite. This week I did a one hour legs workout twice. I don't know if I will continue that routine or not. It's an experiment of sorts. Since this is tank top weather, I've been spending one full hour per week on my shoulders. ;) I'm eating very clean these days and it's very hard to eat enough calories with clean food but I try my best. I'm eating every three hours. Some days I supplement with a Mean Green juice drink or a plant protein drink. I'm happy to be a bump off a log.

Transition

Today I went for a short two mile run. Bekah came along with me on her bicycle.

Fun! I love my favorite daughter! Our route was on McNab Road. I felt guilty not to obey the civil law when we are on a very busy road so first we stopped at WalMart to get her a new helmet. Bekah was all smiles when we went to WalMart exclaiming, "Mommy, I can't stop smiling. This is the first time I got to go to WalMart on my bike." You see her big brothers go there on their bikes and she isn't allowed to go with them. :)

According to my Couch to 10K plan, I was supposed to run for 20 minutes. I can do it but I had to stop halfway thru to fix Bekah's helmet. My pace has increased from 12 minutes to 15 minutes. My asthma doctor doesn't think I need to use albuterol before running. My last two runs I have ran without using it so my pace is up to 15 minutes. Running without albuterol has increased my pace a lot.

I'm only supposed to use the albuterol if I start to have asthma symptoms.
Being the proud sinful person I am, I don't like this slow pace. I suppose that if I am patient it might decrease as time goes on.

Updates

The November 2011 5K Turkey Trot was my worst race time. I hadn't prepared for it early enough.
Jimmy has done two races since that time. He ran a race in December and had a much better pace. Yay, Jimmy! He had another race today and didn't do as well. He started out wearing a jacket. I wish I'd noticed. He had a terrible time carrying the jacket once he realized he had forgotten to take it off. I wish he had just thrown it aside for I would have fetched it later.
Bruce ran his first 5K today.

I was so excited for him. He had that look of amazement in his eyes once he'd finished. I loved watching him speed up as he saw the finish line. Bruce stated that his chest hurt the entire race. I think that's just from lack of training as he is not a known asthmatic.
I worked until 6 AM today, having asked my supervisor if I could leave early to see the kids' races. I ended up running the one mile youth run with Rebekah, wanting to encourage her. It was her first one mile run. She smiled the entire time though she said her shins were hurting.
It was so exciting for me to see the racers approach the finish line. I've never seen a race, I've only participated in them.
We enjoyed the pancakes, sausages, bananas, bagels, and O.J. that were provided afterward the race.
I'm looking forward to my next race in March 2012, Lord willing.
Since my previous race in November 2010 I decided to switch from the Couch 25 K program to Couch 2 10K. My goal was to increase my endurance and decrease my pace. That strategy is working. This week I ran for seven minutes with 1 or 2 minute walk breaks. I reached a milestone of a five mile run this past Monday. My pace is down to a little over 12 minutes. Not bad for an older runner who commenced running just two years ago. :)
Besides running, I do other cardio activities two to three other days a week along with strength training three days a week. Fun, fun, fun!