When everything clicks

It has been a whirlwind week + since my last post.  I wrote last Monday that I was having a stellar day.  That pattern continued through the rest of the week!  Perhaps it took 12 days to recover from the procedure so my body could finally show me some consistent gains.

My balance, walking, and fatigue level have all been great.  Of equal note is the dramatic reduction in spasticity in my legs.  I take 20 mg of baclofen first thing in the morning.  I've never been able to skip, or reduce that dose, even after treatment.  I had begun taking 20mg of baclofen at dinnertime a few weeks before my treatment.  I continued to need that dose for at least a week post-procedure.  I realized a few days ago that I hadn't taken a dinnertime baclofen in days.  I wish I could understand how blood flowing freely from my brain can reduce spasticity in my legs.  While I can't explain it, I have lived it FOUR times now!  Too bad spasticity cannot be measured easily, like walking is evaluated using the EDSS scale.  Spasticity and fatigue are two symptoms that frequently show dramatic improvement from Liberation, but will probably never be included in studies because they are subjective measures based on patient reports.  Sigh...

I met with the personal trainer I mentioned in my last post.  What a compassionate and gifted woman she is!  We did a lot of evaluation in our first meeting.  She made me feel great because she was impressed at how strong I am.  And here I was feeling like a weakling!  It is all relative, I suppose.  She told me that she has worked with MS patients (they probably have CCSVI but don't know it yet) who are more advanced in their disease than I.  She is excited to see what we can accomplish together.  So am I!

It will be interesting to see the similarities and/or differences in working with a trainer vs. a PT.  Whomever I am lucky enough to see, having one on one attention feels luxurious- even when they are kicking my butt!

I have been managing the heat by staying inside most of the time.  When I do venture out, I am not feeling too badly.  My walking does not noticeably deteriorate, nor does fatigue overwhelm me.  I am still going to let someone else take my daughter to her soccer game on Saturday.  It is one thing to successfully walk through a parking lot, or ride the Segway to the bus stop when the heat index is 105°.  It is another thing to sit in that hot sun for an hour!  I know my limits.  I feel badly for the poor kiddos who have to actually play in this heat!


My greatest accomplishment this week was getting in a swimming pool and playing with my girls on Memorial Day.  And I didn't just get in; I DOVE in!  Lots of oohs and aahs from my family and friends.  Even more impressive than my dive was my ability (with the gallant assistance of my wonderful husband) to climb the stairs out of the pool.  This pool does not have a handrail, so he held my hand.  What a great sense of accomplishment I felt with each step!  Fear of being too weak to get OUT of a pool has been the thing that has kept me from getting IN for several years.  No more!


Finally, I went dress shopping today in preparation for a busy social calendar this June.  I am a woman who dislikes shopping.  I didn't like doing it even when I had no physical limitations.  I have learned to take advantage of the wonderful personal shopping services offered by most department stores.  The first time I did it, I was worried that I would only be shown very expensive clothing.  Not so!  I spoke with the shopper in advance, and I arrived to a dressing room full of dresses in my size just waiting to be tried!  Once we picked the perfect dress, the woman went to the shoe department and brought me several pairs to try with the dress.  THEN a salesperson from the lingerie department arrived with choices of underthings to make my sassy spaghetti-strapped dress wearable, if you know what I mean.  I just sat there and thanked them profusely!  This service is free to anyone, not just to people with physical challenges.  I have been fashionably-challenged my whole life, and have often been saved by these talented salespeople.  It works to take a fashionably-gifted friend shopping with you, too.  Mine was hard at work today (right, Sher?), so I did it all by myself (o.k...with A LOT of help!)


I am excited to see Dr. Haskal on Friday.  I have lots of wonderful things to report!  Perhaps I will just print out, or email this blog for him to read.  What more is there to say?