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I woke up today on a mission and I completed it with one exception. Today, I planned my entire 2024 chronic illness care plan!!! I made three of the remaining four appointment for this year.

So, my year is planned with one exception, and that exception is my virtual neurology appointment! I have been seeing the neurologist once a year for the past 23 years. I was supposed to go every six months, but as a single mother, I couldn’t pay for Specialists more than once a year!

I seem to have made due. I told my speech pathologist that I seem to be collecting doctors! I told her that after I made my first appointment with an endocrinologist. She told me that it’s a more useful collection than collecting stamps. She told me that all they do is draw blood. Well, I’m okay with that then.

So, my year is planned. I have some doctors who I see every year. And others who I see every two years. I like that this scheduling makes sense to me! It makes sense to me and I know now that I can only do one appointment a month. There are some exceptions that can’t be helped, but that is usually a difficult day! I have a couple of those days coming up on both March 20 and March 22!

Because my year is planned, that means that my van rental schedule is also planned! All of this on March 4 I didn’t get that you scheduled until April of last year for 2023. So it seems that I’m getting better at this? Maybe it’s just because my world is so small and all I think about are my doctors appointments and renting vans. I’m not mad about that. At least I can do it?!

I was completely affected by Toby Keith’s death! My Mom and I listened to Toby Keith often right after my Dad‘s death. Here are just a few of our faves:

I heard this one back in high school when I would watch CMT (Country Music Television) in the summers and then it changed over to GAC (Great American Country):

My Mom and I listened to this one a lot just after my Dad died:

I’ve only dipped my toe into country music! I listened to it in high school probably junior and senior year and I worked at Lonestar this summer after high school.

I have owned three country albums in my life! I have two Dixie Chicks albums, who are just The Chicks now, and Carrie Underwood’s first album. if I really think about it, I think I had a Shania Twain single when I was a sophomore? And I bought the Chris Gaines album (who is really Garth Brooks) used from Dearborn Music.

So, I think I am putting both feet in right now, because I constantly listen to my Country playlist on Apple Music on shuffle so I get a good mix! But I think that the universe is working with me because that new Beyoncé song?!

I’ve downloaded it on Apple Music and I have seen five different shorts of people dancing to it. One of them were two Irish, tap dancers!!! I also have received an email about country music stations not playing that song, but I really dig it! If I could dance, I would do it! I will put this here so you guys can enjoy!:

I’m also going to put the clean version here because my Mom doesn’t like the swearing:

So, when I got diagnosed with osteoporosis, (it was a Friday). The following Monday, I did two things. I can’t remember which one I did first but I think I called endocrinology first because I knew that it would be a while for me to get an appointment. I called on February 5 and my appointment is Not until May 16.

And then called my Naturopath’s office and was able to get an appointment to be seen on February 21 where Dr. Clark gave me wafers to take. I take four a day for now and I will go back on March 20 to see if anything further needs to happen. I originally said that they tasted like, “Sawdusty bottlecaps” but I have recently changed my mind and think they taste like teething biscuits that my nephew used to have when I was 13.

Today, we had to vote. I have been voting absentee for the past couple years but today, I had to go into my precinct to vote. That would take place before we got our teeth cleaned.

Before we left to go to my precinct to vote, we decided that we were going to get pizza today. Pizza and lasagna are the only things that I can still eat. Both options are quite, “carb-y” but I think in this weather, that seems to work out better for me. I am at a point where I get weighed every six months, and I need to keep weight on me now so the prospect of eating these things is not problematic for me at this point:

I had to wake up early today because it was a “2-fer” with voting and the teeth-cleaning. I am currently sitting in my house, and I had just finished my two pieces of pizza and then beginning to feel “The Crash” begin. We both voted and we both got our teeth cleaned. So February was success in terms of what I needed to get done next month is haircut and primary care physician appointment. Both of those days are a single day rental.

My Mom left to pick up the van because I am getting a bone density scan tomorrow afternoon. I have already checked in online and upon check-in, I need to NOT have vitamins today until after my scan tomorrow. I started taking my regiment of vitamins in the summer of 2007. What I take has changed somewhat through the years, but I have to tell you that not taking anything feels strange! So strange!!!

I shared, I have been sharing that Sheryl Crow song because that’s my jam! I recently looked through her catalog I saw a song where she did that duet with Kid Rock. I forgot about that song! But then that got me thinking.

I wrote my senior thesis to this album, and I don’t even remember what my senior thesis was about:

I do not want to listen to this album again, but it reminds me of a different time in my life. So I was thinking and I found this video and I was in high school back when the MTV video music awards were something big I thought he was so cool!:

that really seems like a lifetime ago…

So, my dermatology appointment had to be be rescheduled for April 26. That’s really good because I had a dentist appointment in February and an internist appointment in March.

It’s rainy and it’s cold, but today was not a bust because parking was free and in addition, we got a deep dish pizza from Little Caesars! I still can eat that!

Next week, I have a bone density scan. I guess I am taking this Chronic illness Care serious.ly. I will never forget the morning of October 28, 2023 and two months to the day before my 23rd anniversary of having MS, both of my hips felt like they were burning.

How it feels when my knee pops out of its Sacket. The first appointment available I could get was in February. On my brother’s birthday! It’s my brother Jimmy’s birthday! We are also getting our teeth cleaned on my brother Steve’s birthday!

My Mom picked up the van tonight and tomorrow is “go”Go Time” because I have an appointment tomorrow. It’s a dermatology appointment. I think I’m really starting to get the hang of this whole, “Chronic illness Care” thing!

I never would have thought that my life would be like this, but it is now. I’m OK with that I think. At least, that’s what I tell myself…?

I discovered my first canker sore on January 12. We treated it and it went away. We have already spoken to our dentist and my naturopath.

Well, guess who discovered another canker sore today! It’s me! I am officially a Gutter-mouth! I actually tried to take a picture of it. It’s in the center of my lower lip. I was able to get a picture and I texted it to my Mom.

My Mom was actually napping but I woke her up so we could put medicine on it so it stopped burning. It didn’t hurt again when she applied it to my lip. I don’t think that I like this new development.!!!

So, I found out that I had a canker sore on the 12th. It’s the 16th and it’s still NOT healing having MS for 23 years, it makes sure that any ailment I get it lingers. I think that it may be weirding my Mom out a little bit that the medicine does not bother me at all when she puts it on the canker sore. Having MS as long as I’ve had it, this canker sore does not compare at all but it’s NOT fun at all!!!