D for "delightful"

The long weekend is over.

There isn't much pumpkin pie left.

I have done a bit of Christmas shopping.

And my Vitamin D level is low. 

I mean, really, really low.  And just so everyone knows, I cannot just drink some extra milk.  But I do appreciate you suggesting it for me.  Holy cow!  I would have to drink a lot of milk to make up for the 50,000 IU of Vitamin D I now have to take.

So, why is it so low?  There have been debates about the correlation between Multiple Sclerosis and low Vitamin D levels.  And there have been studies that say Vitamin D can prevent or slow the progression of MS.  I'm just kinda happy that I found something that says why I may have gotten MS. 

Of course, I could have a low level because I am Irish and only get sunburned, so I stay out of the sun as much as possible.  Another reason could be that I spent the last 5 years of my life working on patrol at night and sleeping during the day.  Maybe that made me more prone to get MS.  I didn't realize that all those days cuddled in my bed with the curtains drawn caused my brain to be cookin' some lesions!  No wonder my retinas are so sensitive to light.  I wear my sunglasses at night.....

I started my prescription Vit D on Saturday.  I'm really enjoying the long list of medications I am taking.  The most important information I check on them when I first get them filled is the list of side affects. 

Pretty much if it doesn't say "weight gain", I will have no problem taking it.

"Funny the way it is..."

I really need to get back in the habit of updating this more often, for no other reason than it is cathartic for me.  And I love a good catharsis every once in awhile.... And, maybe someone will read it and get a kick out of it, or realize they aren't the only one with wacky stuff going on.

I expected to leave my neurologist's office full of snark, but with my new attitude, I was all smiley!  He told me my balance is getting better.  Not perfect yet, but I mentioned that he didn't know me PL (Pre-Lesions) and that it wasn't that great to begin with.  He upped one of my medicines that should help with the muscle twitches.  I think it does, but maybe I have just gotten used to them.  Either way, they don't bother me as much, so it's a winning situation for me.

I left the office with an appointment for another MRI to see how my brain is doing (go ahead and insert your jokes here).  They got me in just a few days after my visit.  Apparently they are all fans of working very expeditiously.

I know a lot of people do not like MRI's but they really don't bother me too much even though they are noisy and you can get a little claustrophobic.  They let me pick what music I wanted to listen to.  I haven't had that option before.  So, since I just try to zone out during the test, I picked Dave Matthews Band.  It's kinda hard for me to understand what he is singing, so combining his mumbling with the noise of the machine, I was still able to just zone out...

They gave me a CD of the images they took of my brain.  Isn't it cute?  Check out my eyes!  You can't tell in this picture, but they are blue with orange splashes.

Of course when I got to a computer, I tossed the CD in and tried to see if my lesions are better or not.  After looking at over 600 images, I realized that I am not a doctor and even though I know what the lesions look like, I don't know if they are new or old, bigger or smaller.  So I will wait for him to call me back.

He did.  And it wasn't all bad.  The other lesions I have seem to be "quiet".  I felt like I should have been whispering when I was on the phone with him so they wouldn't "wake up".  But what this meant was that the medicine I am on seems to be doing it's job.  However.....

Here is a new lesion...



Here is a new lesion...



And here is a new lesion...

In keeping with the whole "can't really tell you much about this disease" thing, it is unknown when the new lesions popped up. I didn't start my shots until 2 months after I was diagnosed and I wasn't on the full dose for 6 weeks - it doesn't really start to work for at least a month.  What the new lesions mean, though, is that the disease is still active. But since my new symptoms are controlled, I am just going to continue on what I have been doing and, barring any odd episodes, I'll have another MRI in a year

I can live with that.

 So, doc...will you change anything on my work restrictions??

He kind of did. He said I have a "neurological condition" and that it caused some "gait unsteadiness". "Climbing or careful balancing might be more difficult" for me. And he said I probably shouldn't chase bad guys over rooftops. Not a problem. Heights are not my favorite thing. And if I encounter a incident that requires me to carefully balance on a
tight rope between buildings, I'm gonna have to call for backup.

Now if I can just get the city doctor to agree....