Author: Jen Rios

A Throb and a Pinch

Having had MS for 16 years now, I have  reluctantly started wearing compression stockings all of the time about a year ago.   I couldn’t stand to wear them in the months before my surgery because it was too warm. But without them, I get elephant legs because I do not have sufficient blood flow.   They are extremely difficult to put on but I do not know that first hand because my Mom puts them on for me.

The last pair I had died; they just stretched out over time so when I ordered my second pair, I ordered black ones instead of the beige ones so I didn’t feel like an old lady wearing them.  So currently, I just have one pair of stockings.   I order them from a medical supply store and insurance does not cover them so at $90 a pop, I just have one. Obviously, they need to get washed occasionally.   OK, it’s kind of often.

Last night, before my mom left and before I went to bed, she pulled them off and told me she would wash them and bring them back in the morning. I really didn’t think it would make a difference being without them overnight. I was wrong.  I got into bed a little after midnight and was excited to sleep in because of daylight savings time. But, that was not the case.

I was awakened a little bit after five to a throb and a pinch in my legs. The throb was in both of my legs. From my thighs all the way to my toes. The pinch was in the medial side of my right knee. Exactly where the tendonitis is.   It’s been over a year since my knee has been in pain. Excruciating pain. The pain that wakes me up from sleep. If it wasn’t my meniscus, it’s my medial tendons.

I couldn’t wait for my Mom to come over this morning with my stockings to make my legs feel better!   Putting my stockings on helped with the throb and I hope that  pinch is remedied soon when I see Dr. Moore.  It’s only now, after my injury, that I realize how many parts to the knee there are because so many of them have hurt and still hurt.

11.3.17 Fun Friday OR 21 Pilots

I worked with Greg on Friday and it started with my ultrasound. Emily did my ultrasound and my knee started to feel better! When Greg came over, he told me that it was a “Fun Friday” and danced  around a little bit before he came over to the table. He rubbed my knee and stretch my leg out.

He told me that his wedding was moved up a couple of months and I was excited for him! Emily told me that it was for a reason but he couldn’t tell us but she knew that his fiancé was not pregnant! We all laughed!  21 Pilots came on the radio and Greg told us that he really liked the song and started dancing and singing! It was really fun!

He told me that he recently went to a 21 Pilots concert and it was a bunch of young people like the girl on the table next to me. I told him that I am too old to go to concerts now!  (we are the same age)  I’m not sure if it’s that I’m too old or too disabled, but; either way, I just can’t go. The last concert I went to was probably three years ago? We saw The Script, Gavin DeGraw, and Train. It was outside at DTE Energy Music Theater and we had good seats because we sat in the disabled section.

I went with my cousinnT Shannon, (on the left) and it was so much fun! Greg hooked me up with ice and stim  and I asked him when my next appointment was. Turns out, this was my last appointment at ATI. I have my appointment with Dr. Moore next Friday to discuss the Tenex procedure and my mom reminded me that Brad said we would wait and see what the doctor says.

I am STILL in so much pain but neurologically I  I am not or cannot make any gains.   I was sad that I’m not coming back but I am looking forward to seeing Dr. Moore again because I want my knee to stop hurting!   I guess I will have to wait and see.

ALMOST Forgotten Tune #8

 It was either Kyle Brandt or Peter Schrager who referenced Our Lady Peace on  October 17th on Good Morning Football. I know it was the 17th because I tweeted them and Peter Schrager liked my tweet:

My fame continues! I tweet them pretty much every day!   I completely thought of this song when they said “Our Lady Peace” and just now, one of my Facebook friends was live at their concert and they were playing this song! Well, I still ❤️,❤️,❤️ it  so I had to share!

“Somewhere Out There”  Our Lady Peace

November 2017 Faves

I got a YouTube alert for this song and absolutely loved it! I really love the singer and I haven’t heard anything from her in a while. Her song from the summer of 2013 is my “walking song” but I think this one can be a close second.

“If I Dare”  (From “Battle of the Sexes”) Sara Bareillis

My Read Naturally kids read a story about Billie Jean King as well.

I started watching The Good Doctor 

at the recommendation of someone in my MS Friends group. I really dig it!  I am able to catch up on a lot of TV shows and find that I prefer shows that make me think. It’s good for my brain. I think it was the second or third episode that this song played at the closing and I really dig it.

“Build it Better”   Aron Wright

“What About Us?”  Pink

“Feel It Still”  Portugal. The man

“Perfect”  Ed Sheehan

“Too Good At Goodbyes”  Sam smith

Somewhat of a guilty pleasure now but..

“Look What You Made Me Do”  Taylor Swift

 

10.30.17 Game of Thrones (I AM a spoiler if you haven’t seen it yet)

Luba told me that all of the therapists were dressing up as the Game of Thrones cast for Halloween.   I got excited because I just finished binging the show so it’s all fresh in my mind! She told me who she and everyone else was going to be and I got really excited to see them! When I got to ATI, Larry, Brad, Greg, Matt, and Emily were the only ones  still there  and the horse was gone but Larry sent me this picture:

Emily is a wolf, Matt is Khal Drogo, Mira is Arya Stark, Greg is “Littlefinger,” Luba is Cersei, Brad is Tormund Giantbane (the red-headed wildling), and Nicole is a dragon. Larry did not dress up because he only arrived there  at 4:30. I wanted him to be Ned Stark because I love Ned Stark even though he’s dead.  Before we got there, I showed my mom pictures of who everyone was going to be.

Once we got in, it was excellent! My mom took pictures of Brad, Greg, Emily, and Matt:   

She even took a picture of Larry, even though he wasn’t dressed up!:

It was so much fun to see them all! There is a contest between the ATI’s in Michigan and I hope that Plymouth wins!  Brad rubbed my knee,  did my ultrasound, I did my leg lifts, my heel slides, and then I got ice and stim.   It’s the normal routine but yet, my knee always ends up hurting again after I leave ATI. Brad talked about  me just having a few more appointments before I see Dr. Moore and then we will discuss if I will continue with physical therapy because I am not making many gains.  This stinks!!!  I guess we’ll see.

10.27.17 Casual Friday OR Shake OR Red Hot Chili Peppers

I had to change my ATI appointment from Thursday to Friday because I had Sean’s parent-teacher conferences on Thursday. So Friday at ATI, I had Greg. He was in  a T-shirt and jeans. I had never seen him and jeans before and he told me it was because  it was PT month, it was casual Friday. He had an ATI T-shirt on. I didn’t know that October  was physical therapy month! My knee hurt, as always, and Greg started with ultrasound.

After the ultrasound, he rubbed my knee a little bit and then grabbed my ankle and pulled to alleviate pressure in my knee. After he did this, he shook my leg a little bit.  That really felt good! I told him that I like the shake and he sang a little of the KC and the Sunshine Band song and danced a little bit while we both laughed!

After that, who grabbed a bolster and stretched my leg out simulating the leg lifts but I didn’t have to work. I really appreciated that because my knee hurt and I was tired.   He hooked me up with ice and stim.  My mom and I had a great conversation with Emily (the new physical therapist).   Well, it WAS  Great until I learned that she went to MSU. I told her that I thought I liked her but now…  we all left and she told me that she was dating a good guy who went to UofM. I told her that is WHY he was a good guy.

Greg came back out when the stim. was finished and taped my knee.   When he was finished, he looked at his tape job and told me that I look like I have the Red Hot Chili Peppers symbol on my knee. He held my ankle up so I could see it as I laid there flat. I agreed with him!

10.23.17 Maize OR Dwayne

Larry and Brad helped me onto the table and I did all my normal exercises with Brad. He rubbed my knee out, I did my leg lifts and  the heel slides with the big green rubber band .  I did not do my stands because my knee hurt too much.   In our conversation, I found out that Brad has a cat!   He got the cat just before his wedding and its name is, “Maize.”   He just told me that his wife would get rid of him before she got rid of the cat!

He told me that after Larry did the ultrasound, he would tape me.  Larry did my ultrasound and it felt really good! Afterward,  he hooked me up with ice and stim and that combination really helped my need to feel a lot better even if it was fleeting!  As Larry was hooking me up for the stim, another client finished and was leaving.   I didn’t know why she was at ATI but she told Larry that he didn’t look like he was a, “Larry.”   She said that he looked more like a, “Dwayne”  because he was so “muscle-y.”  Well, he IS! We all laughed and as Matt left that night, he made sure to say bye to “Dwayne.”

When my time was up, Brad taped my knee and I really liked that because it felt better even if just for a little while! I am still waiting for my next appointment with Dr. Moore and the Tenex to more clearly figure out my future at ATI and possibly transitioning back to Barwis.  Dr. Frush said not to go back to Barwis until my knee stopped hurting and  it’s so frustrating that  it STILL hurts!

The Triple Threat

Well guys, I am awaiting another procedure on my knee because it still hurts a whole lot!  The doctor says that he is going to scrape my tendon. That sounds  disgusting!  I can feel my stress level rising as I am trying to figure out my bill paying process  with no income. There have been 9,835 views on my blog and with that being said, most humbly, I’m asking for “a little help from my friends” (and family) so I can get by.   I’ve decided to make it a triple threat. I say triple threat but I think that sounds kind of mean. I thought of all things that come in a trifecta but I didn’t want to name it “the three branches of government,” ” The holy Trinity,” “Bell Biv DeVoe,”  or even the complete football team: offense, defense, special teams. I guess I’m going to stick with the triple threat. There are three ways to donate whatever amount you can.

1.  I have a PayPal account that accepts funds and the email is: jfr0945@gmail.com. (That’s a zero).

2.   I am starting another, Team Jen” Booster  (because I am still a sucker for a logo-ed shirt) that will be available until November 12, 2017.  Click here to be linked to the Booster page.

3.  I will re-share the gofundme account  on Facebook and Twitter that my friend, Tina, set up for me originally when I lost my job.

It is definitely a big shot to my pride to ask for help but… I need it. Any help you can offer in any way will help me so much! Thank you in advance!

ALMOST Forgotten Tune #7

I came across this tune again because of my run-in with fame on Good Morning Football  on Friday.   I had to watch both broadcasts because I wanted to  record  the broadcast when Kyle referenced me as he made the Third Eye Blind reference. I always heard the “London” song when they talked of football games in London and so I tweeted him and I am that “someone on Twitter” and he tweeted me back after he did it.

Washing my dishes was delayed as I watched the two broadcasts so I pulled up Third Eye Blind on the YouTube app and played it as I washed my dishes. It automatically played more Third Eye Blind songs and I heard this one.

“Deep Inside of You”  Third Eye Blind

I programmed it this song in my CD player to repeat as I fell asleep. For my first few nights at school, I played it really softly  during the day because I didn’t want to bother people on the other side of my wall.  😂😂😂   I’m not sure that I’ve heard this song since my days at WMU.