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| Walking independently - before |
We seem to have a tit-for-tat relationship. Your main thing is to trip me up. I on the other hand rant, rave and plot to keep you in hiding. Just when I started feeling really good in my gait, sure footed and relaxed, you decided I needed to be given a good dose of humility. I’m just guessing that ’s why you threw me a zinger. On the other hand, maybe I was wrong giving you all the credit. Is aging trying to get in on your action? What do you think?
MS responds
Calm down. I mean no harm. Do you get hurt when I throw in those zingers? Sure, aging handicaps recovery time, but to give aging credit or blame seems to be a stretch. Age also likes to zap your energy. Right? Do you bounce back with the same zest and confidence you use to? Way back, twenty years ago, aging wasn’t so much an issue. When I first started messing with your psyche, you tried to ignore me. My goodness, we’ve been through a lot together!
Working on balance and agility
Yes, and it’s not all been good. To this day you are on my mind, sun-up to sun-down. When I’m walking, working around the house, exercising, you are always there. My goal has always been to minimize your effect on me. The first fourteen years, I learned to live with you, but lost ground in terms of your effect on me. Now, since I know I have the Primary Progressive form of MS, people say,“You’re doing great! You’re suppose to be getting worse, right?” I say, “No, I can do better.”
Lost my grip on a full quart jar
You and aging both seem to enjoy attacking muscle strength slowly, at a snail’s pace. All of a sudden, a muscle group doesn’t function like it use to. For example, recently I noticed my grip is too weak to open jars! Handling heavy objects is a big problem. Recently, I dropped a full quart jar of juice on my foot. That really hurt. Was that you or Aging? I think you also play equal roles in cognitive decline. Losing my mind is the scariest. Anyway, I work hard to minimize both physical and cognitive decline.
I guess you’re right, but I had not thought about us having much in common. As you age you are suppose to have issues with balance and you are supposed to lose muscle mass.
Hot Yoga outing in Laguna Beach, CA
No, MS, you exacerbate everything! I have friends in their nineties who are doing incredible physical things. They still travel the world, ride elephants and skydive. Not me. My goals are basic: keep moving and feel good.
Just to do that, I need lots of people.
To your credit, doing that hot yoga, really slowed me down. I think you might be in a wheel chair or using a walker now if not for that therapy. I lost traction on those physiological issues like frequent headaches and constipation and excess gas. I can see you are happier now. I really hate to give hot yoga so much credit, but they did minimize spasticity and joint stiffness. I think that was the tipping point allowing your walking to improve.
You ganged up on me with all those therapy people. One treatment at the time, you cut me out. I had to up my game. All I have left is playing with your walking and messing with your mind. Right?
Incentives! Loleh and little brother
MS, you are too much! NO, NO, NO! I won't let you mess with my mind! Absolutely, I have ganged up on you. Now, Donnie and I are double teaming you. We have a plan to increase my walking confidence by improving my gait even more. For example, we know that I’m more vulnerable to your evil ways when I’m fatigued, distracted, or going to fast. I’m using all my tools intentionally to regain independent walking. It’s coming back.
I know that my reality is living with Primary Progressive MS. I figure that I am probably more prone to the effects of aging than other people my age. On the other hand, the same therapies and interventions I use to manage MS are reported to also slow down aging. Best I can tell, I’m in a win - win situation. I’ll keep doing what has been working.
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