Sick, with MS

[ActiveMSers]

We all hate getting sick. But getting sick with an autoimmune disease is a different beast. This is how I handled it.

NEW BLOG: http://activemsers.blogspot.com/2018...k-with-ms.html

Better than piss-poor, but definitely not that well. How do you all cope? Any survival tricks? And all I can say is thank god it wasn't the flu.

[LivWell]

I really hate being sick! I have had a miserable cold for the last week. Cough, runny nose, fatigue, body aches. Today is the first day I have been able to stay out of bed past breakfast and I can tell I will be heading back to the pillows soon.

I can relate to waiting for the body to freak out watching the fever rise. Mine got up to 99.9. :-] The day I called the advice nurse, she was very sympathetic but basically said you are better off in bed for now. If you run a temp of 100.4 for 3 days call us back. So I took a shower, put on clean PJs and climbed back into bed.

I have been living on throat lozenges, ginger ale, chicken broth, herbal tea and binge-watched two seasons of Alaska The Last Frontier. I have lost 3 pounds and my appetite is still pretty puny, but I think I am on the mend.

I cannot imagine how horrible it must be to have a full blown case of the flu.

[GoatHerder]

Hope You Feel Better Soon

I don't get sick with the usual stuff. Colds, flu, etcetera all give me a pass. My immune system is so revved up all the time, germs don't stand a chance!

However, 2 years ago, I was diagnosed with cancer.

3 surgeries, 1 coma, and a month in hospital, gutted like a fish with a permanent colostomy were the outcome.

My problem was trying to define symptoms to the medical staff about the M.S. pain I was having, as opposed to the surgery pain. Turns out my insurance company refused to authorize my M.S. drugs for administration in the hospital. Being off of my Avonex and Bacclofen was the cause of most of my discomfort, not all the other stuff I was going through.

It wasn't until my personal physician got me back on my M.S. drugs that most of my discomfort was gone.

The hospital staff would be panicked because I would mention my left arm was numb more than normal. So they'd run in with the cardiologist to check for heart attack. No guys, it's just my normal numb on the left M.S. stuff.

It has taken over 2 years to get my body to behave like it did before the surgeries, as many of the inroads I had made in physical therapy before the cancer diagnosis was lost from all the time I spent bed-bound.

Cancer is gone, so now it's just back to dealing day to day with the M.S.

[LivWell]

Wow Goatherder - that sounds like an off-the-chart intense experience. I only know one other person who has been through what you describe. You have instant hero status in my eyes.

I always wonder when I am trying to explain a symptom, if the medical professional I am speaking to understands me. I have a primary care physician who I really like. But unless I am seeing her frequently for something, I think that the odds of her remembering me out of the hundreds of patients I'm sure she sees are slim. I wonder how doctors feel about massive patient loads.

So...I am pretty much recovered from my "cold" but today my legs and balance are not cooperating much. It's as though they took a break and stood off to the side to watch me sleep for the past 5 days. Now that I'm out of bed, they're back from vacation.

[GoatHerder]

Glad you're recovered!

My balance is terrible. I used to be a pilot, and while I can still drive my motorcycle when I'm up to it, I can no longer fly, as I get vertigo when up in the air like that.

I used to have a sailboat, but no longer have the strength to do that either. Now days, my time is spent taking care of my 31 year old autistic son, wife, and goats!

My full cancer story in case you were interested is HERE

Between the cancer and M.S. I'll take the M.S. any day!

[Froggie]

Body Temperature

Dave,

I hope you're feeling better! Being sick with MS is no fun. I've been very lucky and free of colds and flu which I attribute to my MS meds. My immune system must have been really overactive as I used to get sick all the time. Such fun indeed!

I am so glad you mentioned having a lower body temperature in your blog entry. Mine is a 97. something and if the ol' thermometer reads a 98.6, I have a low grade fever. I'm also hypotensive and have had to tell my doctors not to be alarmed. Bottom line is my brain is messed up, but I'll live forever with my blood pressure! I don't know about you, but I am more than ready for spring.

[ActiveMSers]

Kicked it awhile back, Froggie. Doing my best now to avoid the flu. It's beyond nasty this year as I'm sure you've seen. As for spring, it has been a weird winter for Albuquerque. No snow so far, the second longest time that has happened since records have been kept. Our ski areas are pretty barren, ugh, which means an ugly fire season is ahead. But I have gotten in lots of rides, so that's a plus.