Life Takes Care

A big walk!

Today my family and I participated in The MS Walk Run + Roll and it was a BIG day of walking; so big I just finished up a nap! The walk itself was 5km but when you add all the walking to, from and around my watch clocked a whopping 8.5km and around 12k steps! Absolutely wild! No wonder why I'm so exhausted! I've been a bit sick with bronchitis so was falling a bit behind my target but this day has brought me way up and I couldn't be more pleased! Go team Findlay!

My longest walk yet!

A brisk morning walk throughout the burbs with my beloved fur companion Luna. Do I still have a horrible headache? Yes. Did this walk help? I don't think so. I have lesions on my C4/C5 and this is where I think my headache has stemmed from. I haven't missed any work but it's painful and annoying... here's hoping it gets better today!

Walk #4!!

So, I've had a horrible, vomit-inducing migraine since the wee hours of Monday morning. I wore an eye patch all day while working yesterday (my vision impacts my migraines) and I've been desperately icing and heading my forehead and neck in the hopes that it cracks as well as taking pain killers. Well, 4:30 rolls around and it's not raining. So I did what EVERYONE with a migraine DOESN'T want to do and I go for a stroll to get some fresh air because, apparently, it can help. It's safe to say I still have a headache but the 2.9km with my shades on throughout the neighbourhood definitely helped! Less of a headache, a happy doggo and an all round successful afternoon.

A "quick" walk through the suburbs.

Firstly, there's no such thing as a quick walk when you have a beaglier; everything smells delicious and must be inspected or Luna will die! But we still beat the rain and had an excellent adventure together with Scott ☺️

Making the most of the morning!

With rain predicted for most of the day, we thought we'd size the moment and make the most of some walking opportunities. I went to the Chiro to help with my spasticity and pain management and to make the most of it, we parked further away and got in some additional walking. From there, we did the same at our favourite gluten-free bakery in Leichhardt for a coffee and some breakfast followed by a wander through the doggo park with some of our favourite furry companions. 2.5km of extra walking today so far takes me to 10% of my walking target! Woohoo!

It's infusion day!

I was up bright and early to head out for a walk at 7:30 with my furry companions but alas, it was raining... walking in the rain MIGHT seem like a good idea but when your walking is already a bit shifty it's a risk I was just not willing to take. Luna was less than impressed and has been grumping around all day. I might not get the chance to go for a walk today now because it's infusion day! Infusion Day happens once every six weeks (it was every four weeks until last year), and involves a couple of hours at the hospital where I receive my MS Treatment. My treatment is Natalizumab, common name TYSABRI, and is said to be one of the most tolerable MS treatments. Like all treatments, it's designed to slow MS disease progression and in my case, it's been successful because I've had no new lesions since my diagnosis! Go me! Despite its success, TYSABRI can cause serious side effects and I'm lucky enough to experience many of them. While it's more tolerable now, the first months of my treatment were the absolute worst and I felt abysmal to the point of tears (and LOTS of wallowing). According to my neurologist, it can take up to 12 months for the body to tolerate TYSABRI and I did not start to feel "normal" until 10 months after my infusion. Some of the side effects are as follows: TYSABRI increases your risk of getting a rare brain infection—called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML)—that usually leads to death or severe disability. Herpes infections. Increased risk of infection of the brain or the covering of your brain and spinal cord (encephalitis or meningitis) caused by herpes viruses that may lead to death. Symptoms include sudden fever, severe headache, or confusion. Infection of the eye caused by herpes viruses leading to blindness in some patients has occurred. Liver damage. Symptoms include yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice), unusual darkening of the urine, nausea, feeling tired or weak, or vomiting Allergic reactions (e.g., hives, itching, trouble breathing, chest pain, dizziness, wheezing, chills, rash, nausea, flushing of skin, low blood pressure), including serious allergic reactions (e.g., anaphylaxis). Serious allergic reactions usually happen within 2 hours of the start of the infusion, but they can happen any time after receiving TYSABRI Weakened immune system. TYSABRI may increase your risk of getting an unusual or serious infection Low platelet counts. TYSABRI may cause the number of platelets in your blood to be reduced. Symptoms include easy bruising, small scattered spots on your skin that are red, pink or purple, heavier menstrual periods than are normal, bleeding from your gums or nose that is new or takes longer than usual to stop, or bleeding from a cut that is hard to stop The most common side effects of TYSABRI are: Headache, feeling tired, urinary tract infection, joint pain, lung infection, depression, pain in your arms or legs, diarrhea, vaginitis, rash, nose and throat infections, nausea, stomach area pain. To manage some of the side-effects of my TYSABRI (or MS; I don't really know at this point), I currently take three other prescription drugs but some of the side effects are still unavoidable. Is it annoying? Yes. Is it worth it? also yes. We'll see where the day takes me but hopefully I get some km in; even if it's a stroll through the shopping centre because of the rain.

Our first almost 3km!

It's the 2nd of May! The 2nd of May, but my first walk for The May 50K. Yesterday was an office day and try as I might, wrangling a post-work wander was just not an achievable feat for me. Having MS is all about balance. Weighing the pros and cons of a decision and the energy required to enact that decision. Some call it Spoon Theory and it works on the principle that people with MS (and other chronic conditions) have a finite amount of energy or "spoons". You can read more about it if you have a Google! Yesterday I chose to use my spoons socialising in the office at work so I just didn't have any left in me for a walk. So today, Luna and I, accompanied by my boofhead fur brother, Bowie, decided to beat the rain and go for a long wander through the neighbourhood. Some might say it was cold, but it was perfect for us and by the end of the 2.7km, Bowie and I were exhausted but I think Luna could have gone for another 2.7km! An excellent start to the month; only 47.3km to go!