After a hurricane comes a rainbow

Hurricane Isaac was the first big hurricane that has effected us since I was diagnosed with MS. It was a tough week, but I survived it and didn't lose any shots! The medicine I take for MS can go a month without being refrigerated before it starts to go bad. BUT, that's at room temperature which is considered no warmer than 76*, which in south Louisiana is not always the case. Luckily, after Isaac hit it stayed relatively "cool" in our house. Then, by the time it warmed up my dad borrowed a generator so we could put the shots in the refrigerator. We are so lucky that the shots didn't go bad because I get 3 month supplies at a time. With insurance the shots are only $50, but if I had to get more without insurance it would cost around $15,000 and there are so many other things I'd rather spend that much money on! One good thing that came from this is that my dad finally decided we needed a generator because as of right now it doesn't seem like I'll be changing medicines anytime soon. 

The rest of the month will be pretty busy for us. This weekend coming we are going to celebrate Bridget's birthday, which I'm planning and I must say it's going to be a kick @$$ party!!! Then, the next weekend is Bridget's actual birthday and we will be tying up loose ends for our golf tournament. Our golf tournament is September 29, all the proceeds will be donated to the National MS Society, the New Orleans chapter. Last year our team raised over $5,500 which FAR exceeded my expectations. If anyone would like to donate/play in the tournament please let me know. 

Just a little information about  the MS society. The MS society funds research projects including new MS medicines, ways to treat symptoms, and so many other great projects. They are currently looking into ways to regenerate the nerves and damage caused by the disease. I recently found out that they also give money to neurologist that work specifically with MS. Since the neurologist I go to gets extra funding they are able to spend time with patients, and if I ever call their office I usually get a call back within a very short period of time. I much say I love my neurologist because she takes the extra step to do a thorough neurological exam each visit, she lets me know what's changed and what the changes mean. Plus, she awesome time management, I've never had a doctor who was so good with appointments. I usually get called back within minutes of getting into the office, talk to the nurse and we go through the usual questions, concerns, etc. Then, the doctor comes in and she takes her time and answers any/wall my questions. She even walked me through my MRI showing me where the different lesions where and which lesions were the cause of my relapses. 

Other than the hurricane and our busy September, on the health front is pretty low key. I have an appointment next week with the primary care doctor, so that should be fairly easy. I don't actually know the full point of going to the primary doctor because I have so many specialists that I usually look to them first (if I have a sinus infection I call the ENT). But, my neurologist sent me to them so I just go, I need to talk to her about sleep though. One horrible effect of MS is that I cannot sleep. When I mean I can't sleep I mean the other day I was up for about 36 hours straight because I couldn't shut my brain off. It's the worst feeling in the world because I am so physically, mentally, and emotionally drained/exhausted yet my brain won't shut down to let me sleep.  The other issue is I need to sleep in order to allow my body to rejuvenate, especially with my back pain rest is essential. I can definitely notice a difference during the day if I got a good night's sleep or a bad night's sleep. When I'm well rested I am able to do more in the morning. 

That's all I have for now. I can't/shouldn't really complain because I am very lucky. I know there are people who are worse off than me, but that's why I've become so active in the MS society. Right now I am able to organize fundraisers, participate in Walk MS, and other fundraisers throughout the year. I hope I never need assistance from the society, but they help people who need wheelchairs, walking aides, and other aides to help people with MS live as "normal" (whatever that is these days) of a life as possible. A recent statistic found that it costs on average $69,000 annually for people living with MS. Overall, it costs the US economy $28 billion dollars a year. So not only does MS affect the emotional, physical, and mental state of a person but also is a very expensive disease to live with. I am truly blessed that our health insurance provider is amazing, but with all the doctors' appointment and medicine I need it does add up, especially since I have so many doctors that I have to see fairly often. 

Shocking Facts about MS