Category: Uncategorized

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!

Okay, I think I need to preface this post before I write it that I have had MS for over 20 years. It will be 21 in December. With that being said, for just about all of that time, my body has NOT felt normal! That’s just how it is!

I need to say that because my son stopped by this afternoon and when I told him about what I am going to write about today, he looked extremely concerned! I am not putting a lot of importance on this sensation I am feeling right now and know that it will go away. Sean, however, was very concerned and started asking me questions. Sometimes I forget that he does NOT know me NOT having MS! I got pregnant with him just four months after I was diagnosed!

So, jhere is what I was going to write about. I just want to tell you that I am NOT concerned too much!:

So, yesterday morning I woke up to my left hand being numb and my nose and mouth feeling numb as well. My left hand has felt numb before when I was working and I would have to type with one finger using my right hand to send in my attendance to the office. Back then, it was a little difficult to maneuver my manual wheelchair with a left hand that was completely numb. The sensation eventually would come back. That’s why I’m not concerned about this new sensation!

I told my son this because I wanted him to laugh at what my Mom told me to do. Yesterday morning, I told her that my nose and my mouth, namely my lips, were numb. The space next to my nostrils before my cheekbones and my upper lip was numb. My left hand was also numb. My mom‘s response was priceless! We both laughed!

Her response was simple. She said, “Smack it!” How could I NOT laugh?! We both laughed because we know how absurd that statement was but it was kind of funny! She spent yesterday reminding me of what I needed to do or what she would do! It was variations of, “Do you want me to smack it?“, or, “I will smack it if you want me to!“

But, this has pretty much been the way we have handled my gradual decline over the last 20 years. We laugh! I was concerned at my son‘s reaction and I told him that I thought he would laugh at my Mom offering to smack me! He did say that that was really funny but he was still concerned. As for me and my Mom, we aren’t so much. Over the years, it’s kind of like, “Oh, this is how it is now.” She will walk by me and see me clenching and unclenching my left fist, scrunching my nose, pursing my lips between my teeth or pressing my lips with my fingers and she will offer again to smack me which will make both of us laugh!

I also think that another distraction I use is that this song has been playing in my head since yesterday morning when I awoke with numbness in my face:

Okay, so I already know that this holiday is not technically a REAL holiday! It didn’t become a holiday for me until I after moved into my house. Sean and I went to a Super Bowl party at my brother,Steve’s, house. We missed the beginning of the national anthem but we got to watch the game there. But then, I had to drive home!

We stayed home to watch the Ravens beat the 49ers in 2012. I even got Sean a Ravens that that year. We were just talking about that yesterday and he wonders where that hat is. It has to be in his closet or something! I can completely get into a football game for sure! I think it was a couple years after that when I would order B Dub’s for the game.

Sean is NOT a big, “Bandwagoner” like I am, but he likes B Dub’s and football! I didn’t even mind when he was in high school and he would watch the game with his friends. I would just watch the game by myself and eat my B Dub’s‘s by myself. When he would get home, he knew there would be food in the fridge.

but me talking about this before is me not facing the magnitude of the new development of this disease. I am having difficulty chewing. As per my swallow test, swallowing is NOT the problem but chewing is. I cried when I realized that I no longer could have my “Super Bowl food” but it’s really so much more than that! This is a big deal and one that will take some time to sort out.

As for football, all of last year, I checked the scores on my mobile NFL app. because my Mom does NOT enjoy watching football at all! But, my Mom is still here with me and the next season is starting?!

But here’s the thing, MY man left Detroit:.

It’s going to be a very strange season for me because I have always been a Lions fan but, the new coach’s voice irks me and I was 100% behind Schwartz in Caldwell. I tolerated Patricia, and now the squad is some thing I don’t recognize with everybody leaving. I don’t think I will watch football during the regular season as I want to but I will for sure watch the Super Bowl which I 100% intend for MY man to win! What I eat (or better yet, drink) I guess won’t really matter.

I’m thinking I want to hear u2 this month. Old school u2!!! These songs are from my childhood before I even knew that I would learn to love them! This songs are completely hearing it coming out from my basement as I was cleaning on the weekends or laying on the green carpet and being told to change it to channel, “ One-five.” I’m thinking back to jamming to U2 in my dorm room and my wall made coming over and asking me, “Weren’t we two when this song came out?!” That’s the year they were named, “Band of the Year” by Rolling Stone!:

Recently, my Mom and I were talking and she asked me when I started waking up at 4:30 in the morning to get ready for work. I thought about it and I told her that I’m pretty sure I started waking up early in 2009 when I bought my house. She kind of thought for a moment and marveled at the fact that I seriously used to do that every single weekday!

We were quiet for a moment after we both realized that I seriously would wake up at 4:30 in the morning! We were silent just for a minute and then we both started to laugh! I could not ever imagine waking up that early in the morning now! It’s crazy how much times have changed! I never thought it would be this much change but here we are.

My Mom called the office for the speech pathologist today. I gave her my medical record number and she did the talking. The woman does not have availability until October at about noon. My Mom explained how we need appointments later in the day. So my appointment with the speech pathologist is November 9 in order to get a decent time slot.

We will just need to make minor adjustments to our routine. I just well wash my hair the day before my appointment. That’s another thing that has changed! For my entire time working, I wash my hair every single morning. Actually, I will take that back. There was one day when my power was out for a week and me and Sean had to stay in a hotel.

It was before I got my generator and I remember sitting in the teachers lounge at lunch and talking to Mr. Cooper. He asked me how it was going with me not having an power. I looked at him and pointed to my head and told him, “THIS is dirty hair!“ I remember him laughing and telling me that it didn’t look bad. Well, I will go with that and go out in public with my hair not being washed! But I’ve already done that a few times at this point.

It is really CRAZY how timed have changed because I used to wash my hair every day and now I can’t even wash it myself!

I’ve really been thinking about this since my swallow test last Thursday. But before I say seriously write about this and all of my concerns regarding my chewing abilities, I first need to write about it using my inappropriate humor before I think you read about it seriously.

i’ve been drinking my breakfast and lunch for a while now but I am extremely concerned about my chewing abilities these days. Sean came over yesterday and brought pierogi from Sabina‘s. When he brought the food in, I explained to him that he should cut the pirogi in half and put that in the largest Pampered Chef bowl and bring me a fork.

He did just that and brought me milk to eat. We sat and ate and it takes me a lot longer to eat now! He brought me a ramekin of sour cream. He ate the food and we talked. I couldn’t believe how long it was taking me to eat potato pirogi! Chewing is seriously an issue for me now!

I asked Sean to bring me more sour cream as I was finished with that and still had pirogi left. He got it and said to me, “I can’t believe you are ruining a good pierogi with sour cream“ I started to laugh and explained to him that I am NOT Polish! It was his turn to laugh and he said yes he put more sour cream in the ramekin, “You Mexicans LOVE your sour cream!”

We both laughed for a while because he is Mexican to! When I was first introduced out to pierogi, It was served with sour cream and I really like it! Seriously though, the speech pathologist told me last Thursday that I should use lots of sauces and gravies when I eat to make what I am eating softer and easier to chew.

I really don’t like thinking about that because there’s so many foods that I no longer can enjoy but I would used to laugh at Sean and me having differences in the evening pierogi because I can eat that! I just think that from now on, my pierogi needs to be cut in fourths so it’s easier for me to chew. But for now, I will just laugh about pierogi and sour cream instead of thinking about my loss of ability to chew.

This song was the second song I noticed The first time I watch the movie. My Mom would hum it and I would tell her not to but she constantly was doing it. I had to tell her why I asked her not to him it:

Road trip sing-alongs are TREMENDOUSLY fun!!! Especially when I’m with my cousinT, Shannon!!

So, let me set up my reasoning of me NOT really wanting her to hum this song. She thinks that had something to do with my Dad and it does NOT because that would be GROSS!!! TOTALLY GROSS!!!

I would say to picture Sean being this old. I cannot confirm or deny that that song reminds me of a ringtone for someone I used to know and furthermore, I cannot comment on my phone being in his toddler diaper bag (smaller than an infant diaper bag but he wasn’t ready to carry his own bag yet) and being in the checkout line at Target because we were buying him Spiderman fruit snacks. That would really be embarrassing not being able to find the phone until the song had played and its entirety! Not that I know, but I am just speculating.

This song was that person‘s ringtone because I had just seen this movie:

After seeing the guys singing in the food truck, I was reminded of Jack Black singing “Let’s Get it On” and that’s why I asked her not to hum it.
this movie has such a GREAT soundtrack!:

I saw an Olive Garden commercial today and this song they played showing shots of their food was Selena Gomez!!! Is this how it is now?! That song came out when I was in adult! I AM SO OLD!!! I don’t think Selena was talking about food. Just sayin.’ I didn’t think I was THAT old but I’m a little over six months away from 40 so…

It’s been a minute but I think my YouTube feed refreshed and I was able to see this video:

Maybe that’s what it’s doing, just posting videos that I have never seen before of songs that I love so I get to enjoy them! At least, that’s what I’m telling myself! I love you so much, Bono!!!

So, I had my latest MRI on Tuesday. It was a neck and brain MRI. I had never had an MRI in the downtown hospital so that was a new experience for me. It was in the basement. We were told where to go and after we wound through a bunch of hallways, we reached Bay 1 where my MRI was going to take place.

Laila told us to wait for a moment because somebody was using the machine. So I’ve written before that my Mom comes with me to ALL of myself medical appointments. Tuesday evening, I completely remembered why that is!!!!

We were directed to a room well I was going to have my MRI. There was a small gurney where I would lay down to be pushed into the machine. Two young women technicians were there as my Mom and I came into the room. When we entered the room, my Mom surveyed the situation as one of the technicians asked very politely, “ how can we help?“ I looked at my Mom and she made one statement. She said, “Just stand there and watch.”

I immediately heard Bruno Mars in my head:

I think the women were a little bit shocked but they didn’t say anything and marveled at how well my Mom transferred to me. This was further proves that there is no espace between me and my Mom! The MRI lasted almost 2 hours and when I came out of the machine, two young guys were there and Laila who is running the machine was there as well.

My Mom easily put me back into my wheelchair. There were two male technicians when she did this and because I was laying on a sheet and would slip off the gurney easily, she told them that I have no core strength and to hold me which they did!

I have more to say about my MRI experience but I’m still processing that but I thought I would share that my Mom is the best in the world! One of the men holding me in place on the gurney said something about how well my Mom transferred me and she responded that she does this every day! Because she does! Multiple times!