Dan and Jennifer are friends of mine that I
met in the “blogosphere”. They are a beautiful couple, both living with MS and
both writing about their experience. Besides their
own blog, they are now writing for healthline.com.
This is their most recent post which very accurately describes what part
of living with MS is like for many of us. I hope that you enjoy it.
And F.Y.I. according to news@kake.com, the phrase “dog days of summer” dates back to the olden days and has to do with the star Sirius, the brightest star in the heavens, which is also known as the Dog Star.
Sirius was nicknamed the “Dog Star” by the ancient Egyptians in honor of a god named Osirus, whose head resembled that of a dog. For around 20 days beginning in late July, Sirius actually rises and sets with the sun, so the Egyptians and Romans put two and two together and concluded that Sirius added its heat to the sun and made things extra hot… hence, the name “dog days of summer.”
Guest post by
Dan and Jennifer Digmann
Stay Hydrated
and Make Memories
I have so much
to say, but it is so difficult and frustrating to get my words out.6
I have the
typing software Dragon Natually Speaking which,
in theory, is supposed to transcribe my spoken word into text on the screen,
but the program only adds to my frustration. When I’m alone, it is hard for me
to put on my Dragon headset. And when I finally get the headset over my
humongous melon, it understands me 60 percent of the time.
I patiently say
into the system’s microphone, “Correct that” 10 or 15 times before I give up
and instead focus my energy on a game of Scrabble—my favorite. To play, all I
need is the game, a mouse, and my intellect. Then it is game on! But I always promise
myself that I’ll write some other day.
My Multiple Sclerosis
is being pretty nice to me today, and my right-index-finger typing method is
working quite well, so here goes…
As is the norm
for my husband, Dan, and me, we’ve been pretty busy. I truly believe that we
stay so busy in some sort of feeble attempt to stay ahead of our disease. Yes,
Dan also is living with Multiple Sclerosis.
Slow down and our
MS will catch up with us. But so far so good, we’ve been able to outrun it. At
least I think we have, and really, do any of us know what this disease has in
store?
Our battle to
outrun MS involves our constant struggle to make every moment memorable and to
have as many awesome moments as possible. When the opportunity presented itself
to see the rock group Train in concert, we jumped at the chance. Sure it meant
a longish drive to the concert and a very late night, but those facts were not
going to hold us back.
I mean, c’mon
it was Train – Save me, San Francisco; Drops
of Jupiter; California 37; Meet Virginia. Yes, that Train – one of our
favorites! Did I mention that along with Train, we’d also be seeing Gavin
DeGraw and The Script? Sounds like quite a magical, musical extravaganza
doesn’t it?
So when
Michigan was gripped in the serious 90+ degree heat wave that was making our
state and the rest country miserable, we didn’t even think twice about sitting outside
at DTE, Detroit’s outdoor amphitheatre. Certainly, a little heat wouldn’t be
that bad.
Our MS and
unbearable heat … what’s the worst that could happen?
After living
with this disease for 15 years, I should know better than to ask that
innocent-enough sounding question. And after a decade and a half, you’d think I
would have learned to:
A. Respect
Mother Nature
and
B. How to stay
hydrated
But isn’t water
the enemy to those of us dealing with MS and a Neurogenic bladder? I soon learned that while water may seem like an enemy, it is nothing
compared to dehydration!
After sitting
outside for a little while before the concert started, I was a little warm, or
so I thought. Dan asked a few times if I was okay and did I want something cool
to drink?
After kindly answering,
“No thanks,” several times, I was becoming increasingly hot – both literally
and figuratively. But my difficulty speaking at an audible level and mild
confusion convinced me I better take Dan up on his offer for a cold beverage.
And that frozen lemonade he bought me was just about the best drink ever.
Brain freeze notwithstanding,
it seriously was the best drink EVER! Not only was it cold but it was sweet and
refreshing. Almost immediately, my voice was stronger and my mood became much
happier. I nursed that $5 frozen lemonade throughout the rest of the concert
and it made my evening so much more comfortable; but it also made Dan’s evening
more enjoyable because he did not have to worry about his wife’s probable heat
stroke.
We saw a
fantastic concert and had a great time. And isn’t that what life should be
about? MS or not, we made a memory and that’s pretty awesome.
Plus I learned
something – the lesson being that even though I think I know most all there is
to know about my Multiple Sclerosis, I can benefit from a new-to-me old common
sense idea every so often.
As the dog days
of summer approach, I hope you manage to stay cool and hydrated!
And F.Y.I. according to news@kake.com, the phrase “dog days of summer” dates back to the olden days and has to do with the star Sirius, the brightest star in the heavens, which is also known as the Dog Star.
Sirius was nicknamed the “Dog Star” by the ancient Egyptians in honor of a god named Osirus, whose head resembled that of a dog. For around 20 days beginning in late July, Sirius actually rises and sets with the sun, so the Egyptians and Romans put two and two together and concluded that Sirius added its heat to the sun and made things extra hot… hence, the name “dog days of summer.”
http://www.healthline.com/health-slideshow/multiple-sclerosis-stages
