CCSVI update

I know it has been a few weeks since my last update about my progress after my surgery to increase the blood flow through my jugular veins.

I wish I had good news, but it's not bad news. I only have standstill news. My MS symptoms aren't better, but they aren't any worse either.

One positive note that I can post is that I don't have to tie my feet onto the pedals of the stationary bike in order for me to get some kind of exercise. Yeah, before, I'd have to tie my feet onto the pedals so they'd stay fixed in place while I pedaled. If I didn't tie them to the pedals with rope, shoestrings, or string, my feet slipped off before the first rotation was complete.

I suppose that's a step in the right direction. :-)

What do I do while standing?

Week 5: I'm not sure if I'm at a stand-still or if I'm not going to progress any further. I'm a positive person. I vote for the former...stand-still. I was a little slow this week, and my legs are aching a lot.

One thought I do have frequently is, "When I can walk/stand for long periods of time, what the hell do you do?" I've sat for so long, I forget what to do when I stand. For six years, I've sat at my computer; that's all I remember what to do. I do a lot of thinking stuff; designing stuff; teaching online stuff. Now, how do I do that standing?

Week Four

Today is the end of week four after my surgery to improve my blood flow in my jugular veins. Before my surgery, the doctor told me that the increased blood flow will alleviate my cold hands and feet. Also, my MS is affected by heat and cold. I completely melt (I'm unable to lift my body parts) in extreme heat, and shiver uncontrollably in the cold. The doctor said that my body is unable to sweat, which is the human's form of air conditioning. He said this will change after the surgery.

Boy was he right. I sweat like crazy, which is a good thing, because Oregon's dry desert heat used to incapacitate me to the point that I haven't been outside much during the summer months in years. My skin is so white, it glares on the eyes brightly. The glare makes it hard to see :-)

Muscle building still is not progressing as fast as I want. I'll hang in there though.

Today is week three...

Looking at my week from the outside in as a therapist, I can say things are fine; however, most of you know me as an athlete, and I still have that athlete mentality. Gaining strength should be easy and improvement should be quick. But, it's not going quite that quickly.

Walking is tiring! :-/ I not only have been in a wheelchair for the majority of six years, I've also had an ankle brace on my leg that supported my foot from dragging on the ground, which would make me trip and fall. I took the brace off on Saturday and haven't put it back on, even though, I really really wanted to, I didn't. I figured the only way to strengthen my ankle and calf muscle is to give them no support.

I started doing laps in my house. :-) I can do three full laps in 15 minutes with the walker. Bob did ten full laps in five. I'll get there.

New focus for What Now Jan blog

For the past two years, I've written about the progression of Bob, who had a ruptured brain aneurysm and brain surgery. He has beat all odds and has survived with little damage. I believe the damage will correct itself over time. The damage is only his short term memory loss. Many times, Bob doesn't remember what we did during the day. He, also, still thinks he's in Iowa. The past five years that he has been in Oregon have been misfiled in his brain. As soon as the file is found, five years will be regained.

This blog will take a new focus. I recently had a procedure done called CCSVI, Chronis Cerebro Spinal Venous Insufficiency. In layman's' terms, my jugular veins weren't working properly. They weren't allowing an adequate amount of oxygen to flow to my lower body; hence, my muscles weren't working properly. The procedure is not a cure for multiple sclerosis, but it is supposed to alleviate many of the symptoms.

I had the procedure two weeks ago. My progress so far is an increase in humph. I'm not as content to sit in my wheelchair. I feel every ache in my butt and legs when I sit too long. I guess that's a good thing; however, since I've sat in a wheelchair for the majority of six years, my legs have atrophy. I have little endurance, so I can't stand long. It's a double-edge sword for now.

Each week, I will post a "week-end" update to journal my progression. Keep your fingers crossed.

tbear12w's photostream

tbear12w's photostream on Flickr.

tbear12w's photostream

tbear12w's photostream on Flickr.

ONE YEAR

It has been one year since Bob has been home from his 10 1/2 month hospital stay. My how time flies. The past year flew by faster than the year before. Bob had a one year checkup on Friday. His CT Scan shows no blood on the brain and no pressure. All of his blood work is normal. His blood pressure good. The doctor advised him to lose weight. Which Dr. hasn't? Anyway, if he loses weight, his blood pressure problem may go away. He is on a very small dose of blood pressure medicine, so exercise may correct that. I told Bob that he has no more excuses for not exercising or eating right or being forgetful. I still look back at what all of the medical professional said. Their doubts of Bob's recovery were "for the birds". I never doubted Bob's recovery for one minute. Call it denial or what you want, but Bob is here; that's what I know!

Don't forget the camera...

I've never have been much of a picture taker person. When my kids were growing up, I always forgot the camera for special events. I'm not going to be so forgetful anymore.

I've found another real good reason to take pictures.

Bob doesn't remember too much about the last 4 years being with me. He knows everything before that time. :( I took him to the coast yesterday to jog his memory on stuff that we've done over the past four years. We went to the Harley store. Once we got there, he remembered he bought his motorcycle there. He also remembered some of the people and where they sat at their desks.

We went to a variety of Capes to look at the sea lions. Previously, he was always amazed at seeing sea lions in the wild. He remembered those places too.

But, showing pictures to someone with "amnesia" is a perfect reason to not forget the camera before a catastrophic event happens.

All is well on the western front...

Sorry, I have become so laxed with my blogs lately. I'm driving myself insane trying to plan a wedding, start a new career, keep up with my online teaching, take two online courses for learning how to read market charts, and keep my kiddos on the right track. Whew! MS? Who has MS? I don't have any time for MS.

Bob is doing very well. Right when I think he's not going to remember to do something, he surprises me, and it's already done. Geesh...

Did you ever know there is a million ways to read market charts? If you get the readings right, you can be a successful trader. Being the perfectionist that I am, I'm going to get it down to the science it seems to be. WATCH ME!

Coffee, the miracle liquid...

After Bob's stroke, his personality has become very mellow. He doesn't take any medications that slow him down. People are misinterpreting Bob's mellowness for not being "with" it.

Bob drank an entire pot of coffee before his stroke, but after his stroke he'd drink maybe one or two in the morning. I don't drink coffee, so I don't know the "real" effects that it has on the body. I can only observe the increased speed in the drinker's movements and speech. However, I believe it is a under-estimated drug. A friend of ours suggested giving Bob an entire pot of coffee again to see if that would wind Bob up. So, I did that very thing everyday this week. And, amazingly enough, it worked. Bob was thinking and talking normally. He wasn't as mellow.

I take that back...

I need to recant what I said in my previous blog. The news does play a part in which way the markets move. They move because of people's reaction to the news. When you can read what a person's reaction might be to the news, then you're a step ahead. Behaviors drive the market.

However, as a trader to not react to the news, one needs to take the emotion out of trading and stick to fact-the charts.

Trading is concrete...

Hooray for me! I'm taking two online trading courses. The instructors have made trading a science. Remember, this logical brain of mine could not comprehend the abstract thinking that trading seemed to be? Trading has a lot to do with analyzing trends and "reading psychology of behaviors". Now, that I can do. Trading isn't so baffling anymore.



People are still wanting to know, "If the weather sucks, will the markets go up or down?" Bob tells me, "If the President takes a good healthy s***, the markets may go up or down. You need to analyze the news with a grain of salt."



My new career title is technical analyst. I've evaluated many of times test results and their meaning; I can do this concrete chart analysis too.

And the dilemma goes on...

I'm still debating in my head about giving up my life's passion of education verses making money. What a debate, right? I've been in education for so long, and I'm good at it. Heavens, I have an Ed. D. Of course, I know a lot. However, what educator makes a lot of money. Some do; however, there are 100 times that many that don't. The saying goes, "If I wanted to make money, I wouldn't be a teacher." Or, "I want to teach children to learn. I'm not in it to make money."

So...my entire life doesn't have to revolve around teaching. I can still teach my online class. I can still tutor. I can still consult. I can still write.

There...my debate is done. Time for a full-out career change.

I've been studying still to take the broker's test. By listening to Bob talk to clients, asking him lots of questions, and taking a four week online class that is teaching trading, I'm getting closer to being able to take the test.

Bob is continuing to recover. We are in the process of planning the details of our wedding. I think he has cried everyday about it. Joyful tears. Of course. He is such an emotional person. He's so sweet.

An expert is right under my nose...

When it comes to trading commodities, Bob is so good. Every time I predict the markets to move one direction, because of the weather or something else in the news, news we get before the rest of the world, the market moves the opposite direction. However!, however!, when Bob predicts a move direction, he's right - dag-nabbit! I guess I'm still learning. I should pay attention to the expert right in front of me; instead, of trying to do what the gurus are saying on the Internet.

T and I will be a good team someday. :-)

logical sense....

This trading commodities idea is baffling. However, I had an email from a reader, who has traded for thirty years, give me a good analogy. He said that wondering what the markets will do each day is like a dancer anticipating what their partner's next move is going to be. Now, since I was a ballroom dance instructor for ten years, I can relate to this comparison. You see, in ballroom dancing, the male partner is the lead. He decides what the next dance move will be. I, being the follower, had to decipher his signal and move how he wanted. You do this without saying a word.

Same for the markets. I'm learning to decipher the charts: watching the prices, number of buyers and sellers, and the news, then, following their lead.

There my logical mind just made sense of an abstract concept!