Month: September 2021

Doctor #21

So, yesterday was, “Leg Washing Day” for me. My Mom wears latex gloves when she changes my socks so she does not snag them because they are pretty expensive! She always starts with my left leg because that is my non-injured leg. When she pulled the sack off, she noticed a split between my big toe and my second toe. She looked at it, took a picture of it to show me up close, and said, “That looks like it hurts!” I looked at my foot and then I looked at the picture and then looked back at my foot and said to her, “It probably does!“

With my neuropathy, I do not feel anything but it looks like when Natalie Portman was Cutting her toenail in her dream in Black Swan and it pulled the skin. It was gross and I’m not going to show you the picture because it is gross too! It may very well hurt but I can’t feel it. Once that leg was washed and my sock was put back on, Then came my right leg’s turn.

When she pulled that sock off, we discovered that there was a bruise and a scrape probably about 6 inches long on the top of my foot. That occurred when my foot got caught up in the pedals when I transferred. But the more concerning discovery was that my pinky toe was bloody and raw. You see, I have written before about my feet tending to pronate nnow:

Because I sit in my wheelchair all day and have my legs outstretched because of my knee, it only seems the case that my pinky toe on my right foot is raw. I searched online for a picture and saw that I may have to get Orthopedic shoes now. I have written before that I have probably seen 20 different kinds of doctors so far in having my MS diagnosis. And it looks like doctor #21 is very close on the horizon now! My Mom tended to my scrapes and sores and even though I know that both of my feet must be in pain, it kind of stinks that I can’t feel a thing and at the same time, that’s a good thing?!

My NEW Fall Flavors

I have been constantly checking the Target website to see if my winter flavors are in. I was getting concerned because I CANNOT where summer flavored Chapstick on October 1 when I see Hocus Pocus the first time this year! So, when I get paid, to be on the safe side, I ordered this:

I ordered this one because I likeVanilla Bean. That has more of a cooler weather flavor for me. I thought about it later in the day and figured that I should scour the site more because it is almost October. Somehow, I came across this:

WHAT?! I HAD to place another order! When I added this Chapstick to my cart, I was able to see the, “Frequently Bought Together” options and I saw this which I bought as well!;

All three of them arrived yesterday. The Halloween chapsticks arrived before though Vanilla Bean ones but I was able to arrange them in a few of the boxes of gum that I got in the beginning of the pandemic:

HAVING ISSUES WITH PICTURE LOADUNG!!!

I’m kind of excited to see what these flavors taste like But I will not start using them until October 1. I am still working on my summer flavors until I finish them all and next summer can just use Cucumber Mint. That was the flavor I liked the best from last summer. Next fall, we will see you which one I like the best. I don’t know if I will use all of the Chapstick in the short time before Thanksgiving when I will definitely use my Ginger Spices until after Christmas!

Miss Sarajevo

I posted on my blog on November 18, 2013 about my favorite u2 songs. I couldn’t find a link to one of them so I opted for this song which I really dig a lot!

I liked that Pavarotti sang in it. I remember years ago, probably my first year teaching that Jonathon and I talked about opera. I told him that I wished that I listened to jazz or opera or some thing that was super cool. He had seen operas and he told me that once I see one, musicals will seem very cheap. I couldn’t watch or listen to an opera after he said that. I really like musicals! I listened to this song when I was brushing my teeth last night and I cried. I have NEVER cried when I hear this song!

I cried because I was listening to music during the day and my Mom stopped when she heard Pavarotti‘s singing and asked if that was him because she heard Bono singing. I told her that it was and that they sing a song together. I also told her that they sing it together sometimes but they recorded it for the album.

My Mom got a faraway look when she asked me that. And I knew why! My Dad had a very eclectic taste in music! More so than I ever had realized! I am just beginning to learn about a lot of it through my Mom. I wish I could have had music conversations with my Dad now; or I wish I would have had them with him when he was alive!

He had a few Pavarotti CDs and he would talk to my Mom about it because she wasn’t interested in it and said he can’t even understand them. But my Dad told her that based on the emotion in their singing, you can figure out what’s going on! That’s what Jonathon told me!

So, I cried last night, I purposely listened to that song again and when I heard opera music as a brushed my teeth. I miss you, Daddy!

STILL My 2 “Sacreds”

Recently, I’ve been reposting on both Facebook and Twitter blog posts from years ago. I started my blog in November 2013 I think and randomly I’ll scroll through and see the long list of archived blog post and I will just re-post them. It’s cool to see how consistent I am and how things have stayed the same because my whole blog is my thoughts. I like seeing the consistency for one thing that saddens me is how much my disease has progressed. I am so grateful to have written down so much of my Barwis training. I was so hopeful back then!

Lat night, or rather, early this morning before I finally fell asleep m, I posted a blog post from 2017. It was Sean‘s first homecoming at DC. It was and extremely warm day and I was not able to be outside as the kids were getting situated for pictures but my Mom did that for me, (for all of the parents)

The other moms texted me the pictures the next day and I was able to get a picture of my, “2 Sacreds”:

I fell asleep remembering that day and then, this morning, I asked my Mom to send me a picture she took with my son at my nephews graduation party a couple months ago. For me, this particular picture embodies how much my Mom cares for me! Everyone at the party was vaccinated but younger kids ended up coming who were not old enough to be vaccinated so my Mom did what she had to do to protect me and Sean is wearing a Matthew Stafford jersey that I got him because even though Matthew Stafford is no longer a Lion, I Love him too!:

“Out Went the Lights”

Last night, we had huge winds and I actually was a little bit concerned. It was really loud and since I have window air conditioners, the wind blew right into my house because it was so strong! It took me a moment to realize that the wind was just making the noise is it came through the flaps around the air conditioner.

The wind was blowing super strong for not even five minutes when the lights went out! My Mom started to count and before she got to 30, I think it was at 16, the lights flickered back on and the air conditioners restarted.

I told my Mom that the generator was the BEST thing that I have! When the lights went out and in that 16 seconds before they came back on and the air conditioners restarted, I osat in the dark and I could feel the air getting warm. But then, because of my generator, because of my Mom, I didn’t need to find a place to stay and I fell asleep in my own house and in my own bed with the air conditioner running and the neighborhood’s power was still out.

I didn’t need to find a place to stay and I fell asleep in my own house with the air conditioner running and the neighborhoods power was still out. I smiled as I fell asleep and comfort.

I smiled as I fell asleep in comfort. In the few years that I have had my generator, it hasn’t turned on often but the fact that I haven’t is wonderful when I need it!

I spoke with my Mom today as she washed my hair and for some reason, I remembered a rhyme I used to say when I was young. I just started saying it and somehow I remembered the words from 35 years ago. I remember Ms. Gusfa playing the piano as we recited it. But the fifth pumpkin send, “Isn’t Halloween fun!”

3-Peat

I’ve gotten into the habit of listening to an Apple Music playlist as I am brushing my teeth and getting ready for bed. This month, I have been listening to u2 on shuffle. The order of the songs that played last night we’re definitely on fire! So much so, that I posted them on Facebook and on the final post. I told my friends, “You’re welcome.” It all started with this song. I guess when I heard it because I have not heard it in a long time! What I would have given to hear these words:

And it continued with this one. I love this lyric:

And the 3-peat continued with this song. I am Catholic and I took Sean to the stations of the cross every week during Lent from one he was in second grade until his freshman year when I couldn’t drive anymore. I like this lyric:

Bono’s Voice speaks to my soul!!!

So Conflicted!

Last football season, I did not watch the regular season and barely watched the playoffs. I did, however, watch the Super Bowl. My Mom is NOT a fan AT ALL so I just checked the scores on my phone.

This year, however, I had seen a commercial that the Rams were playing the Bears for SNF and I knew that I HAD to watch with Matthew Stafford being traded to the Rams and all. I knew that I wanted to watch him play but I am from Michigan so I can’t be a Rams fan.

I received a Twitter alert yesterday while the Lions were playing. I clicked on it and the moment I saw their Honolulu blue uniforms, I felt a sharp pain in my chest! It hurt because I knew that Matthew Stafford was not under center and so many of my guys are gone now! Golden Tate (who I used to tell that I had a crush on during the game), Darius slay is gone and it hurt too because I don’t really recognize the team!


In addition, I am not a fan of Campbell as the head coach. Schwartz was the coach when I started watching the Lions and I was all about him and I was even behind Caldwell. I was hopeful for Patricia but being the third coach since 2009, I was a little concerned. And then the trade happened!

I started watching professional football when Sean started playing peewee football. It was just by chance that I fell in love with Matthew Stafford but I did! When I saw the final score for the Lions game, I texted my son and told him that I didn’t watch and I don’t think I can handle losing anymore.

But then, SNF started. Stafford came on the screen and involuntarily I just yelled out, “I love you, Matty!” I texted with my friend during and after the game:

but then I saw the 67 yard touchdown pass on their second possession I went nuts! He actually shed some light on a few things for me when the game was over:

I have been a hard-corne Lions fan since 2009 and this feels so strange to me! I don’t even live in LA!:

I absolutely enjoyed watching the Rams game last night, or, should I say Matthew Stafford playing. I am really not sold on being a Rams fan…yet. Like half of my Twitter followers are the Lions fans and I love that camaraderie but I miss seeing this too:

I am excited to see this but know that I am just an outsider:

I have been impressed by Sean McVay since he got into the league! To see these two together is a little overwhelming! I guess I will catch football when I can but I’ve already told my Mom that I will be watching playoff football as well as the Super Bowl!