Can You Hear Me Now?

Okay, so, if you have MS or know someone close to you with MS, you have (maybe just recently, like me) heard about The Liberation Treatment and Dr. Zamboni. I heard about it for the first time on Friday when AH called me excitedly after hearing about it on the radio. Then there was that special on W5. I’m not going to go into great details about it here, you can click the links and see for yourself, but I AM going to urge you to call your closest MS Society chapter and neurologists and ask questions. Make a fuss. This is an amazing discovery which requires attention. Pharmaceutical companies and many organizations stand to lose a LOT of money over this, and it’s totally outside of the box of all other MS theories, so it’s going to take people like us to make noise. On Friday the MS Society wanted no part in this theory but after pressure from the phone calls on Monday after the news report aired, they changed their tune and have decided to grant funds for research. We must keep up the momentum!

I had a nice weekend. On Saturday my mom and Bob came by for their last visit before leaving on their vacation to Mexico tomorrow! My brother’s girlfriend also came by, and she helped me get to the mall so I could pick up a few things, including the shower curtain and handheld shower head for my neighbour. We weren’t able to get it over to her that day, but the rings were put in the curtain so it was ready for hanging. Cindy came by again the other day, and told me Home Care had come by to assess her and she was getting a bathtub bench, raised toilet seat, bars in the tub, pole beside her bed, a NEW wheelchair, and personal care assistance for showers and dressing. Awesome.

That night my dad picked me up and we went to my friend/client/Coach K’s 50th birthday bash. Lucky for me it was held at a restaurant and not his house so I could actually go! (His house has lots of stairs). I could only stay for a couple of hours (bedtime for me these days is between 9 and 10:00) but it was so good to see him and a few other friends of his I know. Coach K is, last I heard, 6′9″ (I’m pretty sure he was 6′6″ when I met him 10 years ago, but after 6′4″ everyone is shorter than you, so who’s gonna argue?) He just competed in and came in 5th at a national body building championship (so yeah, no one is going to argue with him about ANYTHING, except me, ’cause I’m his bookkeeper and make him pay his taxes no matter how much he whines). When he emailed me the photo of him posing on stage in a Speedo, I think I screamed, before I gave him shit. He’s like a brother to me… and no one wants to see their buffed, tanned brother in a Speedo.

On Sunday, my good friend and hero Rob Szabo came by with Ryan Hennessey, whom he is touring with right now. They had a show here that night but since getting out isn’t easy for me and bathrooms at these live music venues are rarely accessible (not to mention the bed time thing) I wasn’t able to go, so it was super appreciated that they made time for me. AND we went over to Cindy’s where they installed the stuff for her shower! I love me some Handymen. Slash musicians, the perfect blend. Cindy is not one to show emotion but I know she was grateful and thanked us. Good Karma Points earned by all. I had never met Ryan before, and he is a super great guy. Of course. Rob surrounds himself with pretty awesome people. He produced Ryan’s CD and gave me a copy… he also produced PETER KATZ’S UPCOMING CD THAT GLEN HANSARD SINGS ON . Not sure If I mentioned that before.

My 101 List is rolling along. I’ve been following the Core Balance diet (”food plan” - not a fan of the word DIET) for the past week, which among other things means no sugar (except in natural forms like fruits, grains). I’m doing good, although my craving for chocolate is starting to hit. Today is my first day of liquids only (one day a week over 6 weeks - not a Core Balance thing, just something I want to do). The other day I was walking up the hall and my pants fell off me, right down to my ankles. It was then I realized all the pants I wear I was wearing around the time of my 40th birthday a year and a half ago, and I have actually lost 50 pounds since then. It’s time to dig through my closet and find more pants. I would say it’s time to “buy new pants”, but I have certainly been this weight before in recent years (and lower… I gained a LOT of weight since breaking my wrist) so I’m pretty sure I’ve got better fitting pants around. But I sure do love my Silhouettes Yoga Pants so I think a trip to eBay is in order as well.

The pool is helping the weight loss too, I’m sure. Even though it’s only twice/week and I’m not doing much in there, I have worked up to 10 minutes and am even able to move my arm and leg a bit, to sorta jog in place or make scissor movements with my legs. It’s getting there! I’m still DEAD when I get out and can’t lift my right foot… and it takes a good 24 hours to recover… but I know it will get better. The staff have all said they can see a big difference from my first day, so that’s encouraging!

I need to clean off my memory card to get to all my cat pics. In the meantime though, I’m just glad to be updating! Pictures soon.