The fifth season

Let me introduce you to a German custom, which lasts several months each year. It’s called FASCHING (pronounced: “phushing”) and starts exactly on 11/11, 11:11 am So: today. It’ll end next year on Ash Wednesday.

I know, Germans seem weird to you, but we have century old traditions, and like other nations… WE’RE PROUD OF IT!

Fasching is Carnival. This so called fifth season is somehow a mix of ‘Cinco de Mayo’, ‘Halloween’, ‘April Fool’s’ and the night before the 1^st of May. During Carnival are plenty, plenty, plenty of occasions where you can dress up in any thinkable costume. That’s why, if we copy your Halloween, we chose spooky costumes then, because during Carnival all the other ‘normal’ dress up costumes get chosen…

Fasching is a real business over here. There are clubs which have a steering committee and a pair of princes, him and her. They are even accompanied by their own ballet. Every little girl in Germany dreams of dressing up as princess, yes, but actually as ‘Spark Mary’ FUNKENMARIECHEN as they’re called. (see picture below) They do one specific dance and are trained to be able to do the splits out of a dance jump in a row of Funkenmariechen.

Even in politics Carnival season is taken very seriously. Politicians are made fun of in the open, on TV, and they sit in the audience and have to smile about them jokes, IF they are good sports ;-) Which not all of them are, to say the least!

Ash Wednesday is even made ‘Political Ash Wednesday’ and they hold political fish dinners and stuff. For Catholics the Lenten Fast starts anyway, and we kick it off by eating solely fish that very day, no meats. (Between us: I think it has a lot to do with having hangovers after partying 24/7 for months as well...)

For those among you who are Catholic, know about the church traditions, like fasten (Lenten Fast), where you shouldn’t overdo things like eating and drinking (alcohol).

The ‘High Season’ actually is the very last days of the Fifth Season:

1. Starting Thursday the week before Ash Wednesday. It has funny names as ‘Altweiber Fasnacht’ old women Carnival, or ‘Lumpiger Donnerstag’ shabby Thursday. The women have the charter on that very day, they are allowed to play tricks on men (males), like cutting off their ties, party, dress up as witches, in little villages real witch processions are to be held, which is almost scary.

 

2. ‘Rußiger Freitag’ sooty Friday, on that day you better beware of not getting your face or other body parts painted black. I hated that day as a teenager, I really didn’t think of it as being funny, when classmates walked up in front of me with blackened fingers (carbon from tail pipes) and you better didn’t get it on your clothes, you could barely wash it back out! Neither did you get it off of your faces again. *ugh*

3. Carnival Saturday and Sunday, that’s when most of the clubs host their parties. Here we have at least three big clubs in town. Once a member, you rush from one party to another during those several months. 

 4. ‘Rosenmontag’ rose Monday, that’s when they go totally nuts in areas like Cologne and alike. Nobody works anymore, it’s merely impossible, everybody is dressed up everywhere. They even invented special goodies for Carnival: ‘Krapfen’. They are made of yeast, filled with jelly, and topped with powdered sugar. They almost look like donuts without the hole in the middle. Very yummy pastry! But beware, there are particular ‘Faschingskrapfen’ filled with mustard! Don’t catch one of those…

5. On ‘Faschingsdienstag’ Carnival Tuesday and rose Monday the most parades are shown on TV. Like with your ‘Rose Parade’ there are floats of all the Carnival clubs, showing like political scenes to blame politicians, or to make a statement, whatever one can think of, it’s shown on floats publicly. On this day at midnight is when the ‘Fifth Season’ ends.

6. ‘Aschermittwoch’ Ash Wednesday sets in. The nation takes a deep breath and is happy that we can lead our normal lives again. That’s probably why we don’t make a big fuzz out of Halloween here? I bet you understand NOW?

Are we crazy? No! We just celebrate our traditions. Sometimes.

Okay, I hope I could be entertaining as well as informative to you? Hope you enjoy YOUR 5th season of the year, as you can be sure of: us Germans will... 

PS:

Italy 

Rio de Janeiro

November 1st and 2nd - All Saints' and All Souls' Day

All Saints Day (also known as All Hallows' Day or Hallowmas) is the day after All Hallows' Eve (Halloween). It is a feast day celebrated on November 1st by Anglicans and Roman Catholics.

It is an opportunity for followers to remember all saints and martyrs throughout Christian history. As part of this day of obligation, followers are required to attend church and try not to do any servile work.

Remembering saints and martyrs and dedicating a specific day to them each year has been a Christian tradition since the 4th century AD, but it wasn't until 609AD that Pope Boniface IV designated May 13th to remember all martyrs. Over 200 years later, in 837AD, Pope Gregory IV extended the festival to remember all the saints and designated November 1st as the date.

We celebrate today the solemnity of All Saints. This invites us to turn our gaze to the immense multitude of those who have already reached the blessed land, and points us on the path that will lead us to that destination.

Pope John Paul II, All Saints' Day 2003

Today I remember my dear sister Barbara,

who passed away in 2004, being just 48 years old...
my Foster dad Hans (Jo),
my dad Siegmund,
my grandparents Apollonia and Paul,
my Foster grandparents Johanna and Josef,
my father-in-law Johann,
my brother-in-law Harald

and all my friends loved ones who aren't alive anymore
as there are for instance:
Tia VA's husband Carlos,
Stefan (who died of cancer, being 12 years old),
Karin's mom,
Karin's two brothers,
Karin's dad,
Karin's mother-in-law,
Sylvia's dad,
Evelyn's husband Hugo
and all those whom I forgot to mention in here!

Dear Lord, please watch over them,
they were and are our dearly beloved
and they are highly missed here on earth.
May they be a blessing up in heaven!
Bless their souls and
may they Rest in Peace...

Let it all out!

You wanna know what I've been up to lately? Above you see... *no comment* In German we have an expression. It goes 'to drive out the demon with the Beelzebub'... Meaning, in my specific case, that the pills that help me against my MS pain, have the nice little side effect you see above. And if I'm really lucky I throw the pain reliever right back up through this doing so. *ugh* It has been going on for quite some time now, it's the fifth week where I throw up every other day almost, or have the so called MSHug. It's a compression feeling around your whole chest. Like a vice grip, or an elephant sitting on your chest, or all together. I counted 16 of them hugs. So yesterday I ended up having to call the ER and my doctor talked me through several hours of pain. Over those five weeks I've lost at least 8-9 pounds or so. :-/ Enough said. 

                        

Besides that it was back to school day in Bavaria yesterday... And to my surprise my youngster was rather eager to start, or better said, continue studying. Which she did all summer through. What made it easier was that we didn't go on vacation this year. I'm saving up money for our next year's big overseas vacation.

Next thing you know: my 74 year old mother got herself a boyfriend (aged 88)...

                              

and she has nobody, so she says, to talk about him. Folks, do I really need to know how elderly sex funtions??? *yuk* No, not really. *lol*

Furthermore I've started to read this cool new (German, sorry) book. It's called something like 'Well, I'm offline then'. This guy, a reporter, is moving. While doing so it takes forever for him to get his internet connected again, as some of us have experienced maybe also? Anyway, as an experiment on himself, he doesn't use neither internet nor cell phone for 6 weeks! Go figure. I'm highly interested in the subject, because that's what's probably gonna happen to us next summer? This is it:

                       

My teenager wishes my next blog to be about 'The best of both worlds'. So since a couple of days I'm thinking about what I like best about America and what I prefer about Germany. Most stuff I come up with is food stuff *lol*, sorry, but I just love to eat, what makes the first paragraph of my today's blog extra hard, as you can imagine. And I want to end my blog with a name for a country I would love to make out of them two. So far I came up with 'Germica' (sucks) and 'Amerany' (weird). *laughing* If you have any suggestions, just let me know.

And this is what I'll look forward to, all considering my top paragraph today, please! We're going out to eat, and we have a big coupon (50 bucks) to an Asian-Mongolian restaurant. It has an all-you-can-eat-buffet. You pick your stuff and the chief prepares your personal plate on a hot stone. I'm gonna eat my way all through China and Mongolia, I suppose. *giggle* ;-)

Well, let me close with wishing you a good rest of the week, wherever you are, whatever you do. I'd be delighted if you'd spread the word about my blog, and if you'd regularly stop by and comment. My older blogs are interesting as well, trust me. They were just not posted here, so I moved them over here. Keep scrolling and happy blogging to all.

What to share with you?

So, here I am again, thinking about things that might be blog worthy, how one of my fellow bloggers called it... Over the past couple of days I've come up with at least 18 subjects, that occupy me at the moment, or that I could 'lecture upon' *lol* But would it really interest you?

Everyday life can be frustrating and boring, and the nasty weather adds to that. But it keeps you busy, and it makes you think a zillion thoughts at least, while you should be sleeping (!) You know, in bed, with closed eyes... I write the most marvellous blogs of them all, hehe ;-)

I spent my weekend with another nice pain attack, vomitting to a point where the pain reliever was puked up again.

Then I wondered what happened to summer, it turned pretty cold here in a matter of a few days. *brrrr*

To top it all I had to deal with my dement mother, who drove me up the wall!

Other than that we wait that summer break will end (on the 14th), then it will be back to school again.

I'm beating the time and boredom with watching STAR TREK Enterprise (I'm at season 3 already), wondering about next year's summer vacation, past years travelling around the globe, my b/f newest 'shoe deflating device', what to tell the Bugz about politics, worrying about when Daylight Savings will end this year, bff, movies, social games, Google Streetview, Epost E-letters, and last but not least 'The best of both worlds' (America and Germany).

This is all whirling in my head lately, and it gives you a rough overview of which blogs to expect from me soon.

Once... I'll make up my mind. Just be aware, I'm not sleeping, I'm still there, I just don't always have the peace to sit down, focus and write. And that just a handful of people comment on my posts so far, doesn't really help either. :(

That's it for the moment, you've made it through.

Talk to you some other time again. Keep looking out for me!

Books

When young people think of old age and retirement, don't they think... I will do this, and travel there, and sleep in, and visit friends, and... read. Read the newspaper from the first to the last page. Read all the books I never had time to.


Well, I'm retired now for quite some years in the meantime, almost five or so, but don't believe I did A thing I wanted to. Extra super good cleaning, not just wiping round corners. Sleeping in? Huh! Forget about it. Let alone reading. I bought zillions of books, as it seems to me, but have I stuck my nose into them yet? No way! Why not? Because... time doesn't stand still for the others. They still 'have a life', go to school, go to work. I check if everybody is out the house on time, but they all seem to think if my g/f, mom has all time in the world, I have that, too. *lol* So I never know when my alone time starts. I still haven't established a routine.


I picture 60/70 years elders sipping their coffee, while holding on to their newspapers. I would like to start my day with studying the bible, or watching some Joyce Meyer preaching, then doing some major Taiji practice, doing a couple of hours of housework, until then around noon my day off would start. With watching Star Trek DVD's until I drop, or (as my title promises) with reading BOOKS.


Okay, it all might have to do with my illness. As we all found out in the meantime, little Gina has Multiple Sclerosis. That comes with lots of fun stuff, like symptoms and side effects of daily injections. Well, one of them nice things is that the cognitivity decreases. I can't focus that easy, or for too long at times. So seriously, I bought not a hundred, but maybe half of that, of new books, which I have not yet read!


And then there are some books I just NEED to desperately own, buy them, they get shipped in a heartbeat, I lay down, or sit down somewhere and start instantly reading and just don't stop until the very last page!
Why is that? With every movie or book I know in the very first minutes if it's worth to continue watching/reading, or not. With some books I don't even get through the first chapter, eventhough its titles were so promising.
Does this really have to do with my illness?
Or is it just me?
Or what is it??? You tell me!

In this post are a few books shown I literally 'ate' up, that fast paced I read them. One of them, titled 'Hummeldumm', is so hilariously funny, that my daughter thought I would die of laughing on my couch. I lend it to two more people and they felt the same. The author Tommy Jaud is travelling through Germany, doing readings of his own book, and I got me a ticket to one of them events. Can't wait to hear him, because they say he's immitating voices dramatically funny. :) That will take place in October, I think.

The second book I 'chewed up' was by Duane 'DOG' Chapman. An absolut must read. You should look into it. I love that guy and his wife Beth, and his son Leland. ;-)

Okay, John Gray's book 'Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus' I read, because I loved his tv appearance so much. He actually practices what he preaches about and it has been working for him for more than 20 years already. That I read all the way through.

And then there is an MS book about natural therapies. That I read because of the theme it's about and because it personally could help me, couldn't it?

The very last thing I made it at least half way through, is Montel Williams' 'Climbing Higher'. Another MS book, with information the normal human being, if he's not a VIP, just wouldn't get.


But other than those, folks, and trust me, I just loooove to read, always did, even being a little child, a teenager, a young adult, I haven't read in years. I can't even concentrate enough anymore to make it through magazines, or simple articles. Even newsletters via e-mail seem a problem if too long.


Will there be a cure for little Gina?
When? How? Or did I just not calm down enough, are there still too many ants crawling in my pants that don't let me pace myself and chillax? *lol* I don't know, give me your ideas on this subject.

Statuses

Social networks. I’m sure you’re the member of at least one of them on the WWW? Let me complain about the so called friends on my friends list. I found that rarely a hand full are interested in what I have to say, in the photos, videos, or notes I post. It seems as if society is at such a fast pace, that all they/you (and sometimes I) have time for, is to write a short comment to some blurb of some friend in the main news stream. How ridiculous! One of my nieces wrote that she used to open the newspaper, or turn on the tv, first thing in the morning, and nowadays she just has to open her FB account to catch up with everybody.

Why did I join MySpace again? I don’t actually recall anymore. I think it was because of the MS groups online, and the Joyce Meyer group. In fact there were many groups one could share interests with. It was fascinating, one could model ones own site. For me it was a way to catch up with a few family members abroad. The most exciting thing was that this very niece is an acquaintant of Tom, who invented MySpace.

A couple years later we had an exchange student from France visiting. After she left we just had to join Facebook, because all the French students weren’t on MySpace but on Facebook. More and more people are on there, even though one can’t do them many artistic things as on MySpace, it’s very plain and simple, plus one loses the right on all the photo material uploaded (!). I hate that about Facebook.

Then last summer we were so bored that we started playing FarmVille. Ten months later, after Island Paradise, and Birdland, my friends list exploded. So I erased all them who I just played games with. This year FrontierVille started, and the friends are getting more and more, and the time to be spend online exceeds all my imagination.

What a luck I’m retired, and have plenty of time on hand, huh?

Anyway, with them over one hundred family and friends again, I’ve noticed that I missed out on news about, to me, important people, because so much runs over the main news feed all the time. Maybe they have the same problem with me? And then most of them are still fulltime employed or pupils/students. *sigh*

But, I used to, in detail, write how I feel, and what I plan on doing this very day, and less and less did I get any feedback at all. I find them funny shuffle statuses stupid. So I found me a way to say something important to send out to my friends each day, in adding a wisdom, or even a Buddhist wisdom, or an inspirational quote. That’s not really me, and I don’t like it that much. Funny: acquaintances respond to those at times now *lol*. But maybe it has some good thing in it as well: I quit being too transparent to the wide world now?

2009 November - Things you have done during your lifetime

Place an 'X' by all the things you've done and remove the 'X' from the ones you have not. At the bottom of the list, add something you've done that's not already on the list. NO EXPLANATIONS! If someone asks you about something, then fine - explain away. Blog or forward to 20 friends (publish).

Things you have done during your lifetime:

X Gone on a blind date
X Skipped school
X Watched someone die
Been to Canada
Been to Mexico
Been to Florida
Been to Hawaii
X Been on a plane
Jumped out of a plane
Been on a helicopter
X Been lost
Gone to Washington, DC
X Swam in the ocean
X Cried yourself to sleep
X Played cops and robbers
X Recently colored with crayons
Sang Karaoke
Paid for a meal with coins only
Been to the top of the St. Louis Arch
X Done something you told yourself you wouldn't
X Made prank phone calls
Been down Bourbon Street in New Orleans
X Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose & elsewhere
X Caught a snowflake on your tongue
Danced in the rain--naked
X Written a letter to Santa Claus
Been kissed under the mistletoe
X Watched the sunrise with someone
X Blown bubbles
X Gone ice-skating
X Gone to the movies
Been deep sea fishing
Driven across the United States
Been in a hot air balloon
Been sky diving
Gone snowmobiling
X Lived in more than one country
X Lay down outside at night and admired the stars while listening to the crickets
X Seen a falling star and made a wish
Enjoyed the beauty of Old Faithful Geyser
Seen the Statue of Liberty
Gone to the top of Seattle Space Needle
X Been on a cruise
X Traveled by train
X Traveled by motorcycle
X Been horse back riding
Ridden on a San Francisco CABLE CAR
X Been to Disneyland
Been to Disney World
X Truly believe in the power of prayer
Watch the bats swarm out of Carlsbad Caverns
Gone river rafting
Been to the Taj Mahal
Picked up a hitch-hiker
Cooked food on a block of salt
Visited the Liberty Bell
X Knitted a sweater (I've crocheted an afghan, does that count? - yes, it does, K!)
X Crossed the Golden Gate Bridge

2010 July - Does humidity make MS symptoms worse?

Q. Does Humidity Make Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms Worse?
Sunday July 4, 2010

So, here I am, having a great time on vacation in the desert. Yes, desert - gets pretty hot in the daytime, but, as they say, it is "a dry hot." I feel great - fewer symptoms all around - fatigue is almost gone, cognitive dysfunction is at a minimum (I can actually have a conversation that makes sense to me AND the other person), all yucky parasthesia in my feet gone or reduced to a little tingle. All this time I am wondering if this improvement is due to the fact that I am on vacation and determined to have a good time, having cleared my brain of all worries.

Then, it rains. And rains. And keeps on raining. It is the "monsoon season" here, apparently. This was accompanied by lots of lightning, which always brings on pretty insane tingling in my feet. When the lightning stops, I feel better and can sleep.

Then comes the next day, and along with it the intense desert sun, shining on all of those puddles and bringing humidity for the first time since I have been here. With the humidity came all of my old familiar MS symptoms, and a big ol' dose of crankiness, to boot. It did not get nearly as hot (by the thermometer) as it had gotten here in days past, but it felt gross (as did I).

As I type this, the puddles are dried up and the humidity is back to normal at 17%. I feel great again. As I contemplate my humidity = MS symptoms, I am trying to enjoy the last days of my vacation without focusing on the fact that the normal humidity back home around this time of year is 75 to 90%.

What do you think? It is pretty impossible to find anything about humidity and MS symptoms in the literature, as the scientists want to focus on things that they can objectively measure, like relapses, rather than things that we "feel" but can't be quantified well. I have to say, as an epidemiologist, as well as a person with MS, I feel like we (that is, you all and myself) are making huge discoveries with some of these "non-scientific" questions.

2010 July - News about mankind

1) everything that’s already in the world when you’re born is just normal;

2) anything that gets invented between then and before you turn thirty is incredibly exciting and creative and with any luck you can make a career out of it;

3) anything that gets invented after you’re thirty is against the natural order of things and the beginning of the end of civilisation as we know it until it’s been around for about ten years when it gradually turns out to be alright really.

Apply this list to movies, rock music, word processors and mobile phones to work out how old you are.

2010 July - Smoking makes MS worse

By Julie Stachowiak, Ph.D., About.com Guide:

I guess it comes as no surprise that smoking makes MS worse, since it really doesn't seem to have any positive effects on any aspect of health. However, I was still a little surprised to see the results from some of these studies.

Let me start by saying that I am not going to harsh on anyone who smokes, who has smoked, who thinks they might take up smoking, so you don’t have to worry about any of that “noise” as you read this article. However, I do want to warn you that it looks like the news is not so good if you have ever smoked in your life – even if you quit a long time ago. Sorry, I wish I had something different to tell you.

Most of the evidence points to smoking as a contributing factor for developing multiple sclerosis. However, once it is a done deal and you have been diagnosed with MS, does smoking still matter?

Yup, looks like it does.

Read the full article:

http://ms.about.com/od/multiplesclerosis101/a/smoking_ms_progression.htm?nl=1

Thought I'd share this to my fellow MSers online.
Gimme your opinion about it, will you?

2007 July - Facts about MS

MS - The Disease

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the most common diseases of the central nervous system. Today over 2,500,000 people around the world have MS.

MS is the result of damage to myelin - a protective sheath surrounding nerve fibres of the central nervous system. When myelin is damaged, this interferes with messages between the brain and other parts of the body

Symptoms vary widely and include blurred vision, weak limbs, tingling sensations, unsteadiness and fatigue. For some people, MS is characterised by periods of relapse and remission while for others it has a progressive pattern. For everyone, it makes life unpredictable.

What is MS?

Multiple sclerosis is one of the most common diseases of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). MS is an inflammatory demyelinating condition. Myelin is a fatty material that insulates nerves, acting much like the covering of an electric wire and allowing the nerve to transmit its impulses rapidly. It is the speed and efficiency with which these impulses are conducted that permits smooth, rapid and co-ordinated movements to be performed with little conscious effort.

In multiple sclerosis, the loss of myelin (demyelination) is accompanied by a disruption in the ability of the nerves to conduct electrical impulses to and from the brain and this produces the various symptoms of MS. The sites where myelin is lost (plaques or lesions) appear as hardened (scar) areas: in multiple sclerosis these scars appear at different times and in different areas of the brain and spinal cord. The term multiple sclerosis means, literally, many scars.

Quick Facts

• MS is a progressive disease of the nervous system, for which there is no cure.
• An estimated 2,500,000 people in the world have MS.
• More women than men have MS, with a ratio of 2 men to 3 women affected.
• MS is the most common diseases of the central nervous system in young adults.
• There are four types of MS: benign, relapsing remitting, secondary progressive, primary progressive.
• Sclerosis means scars, these are the plaques or lesions in the brain and spinal cord.
• In MS, the protective myelin covering of the nerve fibres in the central nervous system is damaged.
• Inflammation and ultimate loss of myelin causes disruption to nerve transmission and affects many functions of the body.
• While the exact cause of MS is not known, much is known about its effect on immune system function which may be the ultimate cause of the disease.
• MS is not directly hereditary, although genetic susceptibility plays a part in its development.
• MS is not contagious.
• Diagnosis of MS is generally between 20 and 40 years of age, although onset may be earlier.
• MS is rarely diagnosed under 12 and over 55 years of age.
• Life span is not significantly affected by MS.
• There are a wide range of symptoms. Fatigue is one of the most common.
• The incidence of MS increases in countries further from the equator.
• There is no drug that can cure MS, but treatments are now available which can modify the course of the disease.
• Many of the symptoms of MS can be successfully managed and treated.

Causes of MS

The cause of multiple sclerosis is not yet known, but thousands of researchers all over the world are meticulously putting the pieces of this complicated puzzle together.

The damage to myelin in MS may be due to an abnormal response of the body's immune system, which normally defends the body against invading organisms (bacteria and viruses). Many of the characteristics of MS suggest an 'auto-immune' disease whereby the body attacks its own cells and tissues, which in the case of MS is myelin. Researchers do not know what triggers the immune system to attack myelin, but it is thought to be a combination of several factors.

One theory is that a virus, possibly lying dormant in the body, may play a major role in the development of the disease and may disturb the immune system or indirectly instigate the auto-immune process. A great deal of research has taken place in trying to identify an MS virus. It is probable that there is no one MS virus, but that a common virus, such as measles or herpes, may act as a trigger for MS. This trigger activates white blood cells (lymphocytes) in the blood stream, which enter the brain by making vulnerable the brain's defence mechanisms (i.e. the blood/brain barrier). Once inside the brain these cells activate other elements of the immune system in such a way that they attack and destroy myelin.

Symptoms of MS

Multiple sclerosis is a very variable condition and the symptoms depend on which areas of the central nervous system have been affected. There is no set pattern to MS and everyone with MS has a different set of symptoms, which vary from time to time and can change in severity and duration, even in the same person.

There is no typical MS. Most people with MS will experience more than one symptom, and though there are symptoms common to many people, no person would have all of them. Common symptoms include:

Visual disturbances

• blurring of vision
• double vision (diplopia)
• optic neuritis
• involuntary rapid eye movement
• (rarely) total loss of sight

Balance & co-ordination problems

• loss of balance
• tremor
• unstable walking (ataxia)
• giddiness (vertigo)
• clumsiness of a limb
• lack of co-ordination
• weakness: this can particularly affect the legs and walking

Spasticity

• altered muscle tone can and muscle stiffness can affect mobility and walking
• spasms

Altered sensation

• tingling
• 'pins and needles'
• numbness (paraesthesia)
• burning sensations
• pain may be associated with MS, e.g. facial pain, (such as trigeminal neuralgia), and muscle pains

Abnormal speech

• slowing of speech
• slurring of words
• changes in rhythm of speech
• difficulty in swallowing (dysphagia)

Fatigue

• a debilitating kind of general fatigue which is unpredictable or out of proportion to the activity. Fatigue is one of the most common (and one of the most troubling) symptoms of MS

Bladder & bowel problems

• Bladder problems include the need to pass water frequently and/or urgently, incomplete emptying or emptying at inappropriate times.
• Bowel problems include constipation and, infrequently, loss of bowel control

Sensitivity to heat

• this symptom very commonly causes a transient worsening of symptoms

Cognitive & emotional disturbances

• loss of short term memory
• loss of concentration, judgment or reasoning

Whilst some of these symptoms are immediately obvious, others such as fatigue, altered sensation, memory and concentration problems are often hidden symptoms. These can be difficult to describe to others and sometimes family and carers do not appreciate the effects these have on the person with MS and on employment, social activities and quality of life.

The course of MS

It is impossible to predict accurately the course of MS for any individual, but the first five years give some indication of how the disease will continue for that person. This is based upon the course of the disease over that period and the disease type. (i.e relapsing- remitting or progressive ). The level of disability reached at end points such as five and ten years is thought to be a reliable predictor of the future course of the disease.
However, there are many variables in this scenario:

• a large percentage of people with MS (approx 45%) are not severely affected by MS and live normal and productive lives.
• there is a significant group (40%) which become progressive after a period of some years as relapsing-remitting.

Who gets MS?

Women are more likely to develop multiple sclerosis than men, with MS occurring 50% more frequently in women than in men (i.e. 3 women for every 2 men). Multiple sclerosis is a disease of young adults; the mean age of onset is 29-33 years, but the range of onset is extremely broad
from approximately 10-59 years.

What do I tell people about having MS?

Before you tell people that you have MS, you need to think about what they need to know. Many people will have no experience with MS or, on the other hand, know of someone with MS whose experience of the disease may be very different to yours. Your community includes people who are intimately connected to you and those whom you know casually. Your relatives, friends and employer naturally will want to know what has happened to you, especially if you have visible symptoms. They may also want to know what they can do to help. If you are honest with those close to you and let them know you will accept help when you need it, you will allay their worries and probably find them very supportive.

You can start with a simple explanation of MS and how it is affecting you at this time, so that people are aware of any practical support which you may need without imagining that your MS is any worse than it is. If you have a standard description which you use, it can help to ensure that you feel confident giving the information and that the details you give are consistent. Certain general issues may need to be quickly refuted - for many people there are stereotypes which surround MS (eg that everyone with MS ends up in a wheelchair) or misunderstandings (eg that MS is contagious). MS societies have pamphlets and brochures that will make the task easier. Casual acquaintances can be told if it comes up in conversation or if you wish. In this case there is probably no need for formal explanation.

Older children and adolescents need to be informed but may require a more careful approach. Although they can appear outwardly calm and possibly even indifferent, they are most likely very concerned. Their anxiety can be helped by information. Their concerns need to be addressed as they arise and they need to know that you are willing to speak with them as issues come up. The opportunity to read selected literature from the national MS society may be helpful.

Adolescents feel that they should be treated as adults, and if they are not allowed to play a responsible part in a family problem they can feel both hurt and resentful, and as a result may start behaving in a destructive way. If, however, their cooperation is encouraged they can become surprisingly mature and a source of strength. Trying to keep your problem to yourself will not spare them any anxiety.

2007 July - Experiences

My own experiences with Multiple Sclerosis..:
I understand it this way:
MS is simply just an inflammation of nervs in the brain and spine. That injures the covering of the nervs. If the nervs are hurt, depending on which location, it takes impulses longer to get anywhere in the body. Everything slows down basically.
So depending on which nerv is injured, the body has problems with for instance the sight, the speech, the memory, sleepiness (fatigue), feeling/touching, bladder, and all of ones extremities.
In my case it occured in autumn 2005, that my whole right arm turned numb all of a sudden, from the fingertips up to my shoulder. It felt as if my arm fell asleep, but that wasn't so, and it didn't get better. I kept on working for another 2 weeks, before I decided to see a doctor.
I knew this tingling sensation from earlier on, but before I really recognised something was wrong, that tingling, funny feeling on my skin would go away. And I always had it on body parts that weren't that important, like one half of my behind, or on my stomach, or on my thigh. I mean I could still walk then, it just didn't feel normal when I touched the skin of the other thigh for example.
It must have started in 2003 I suppose.
So this time it was serious, I went to plenty of doctors, and none could really help me. We tried several treatments, and at the beginning it seemed to help, but then it worsened. At the end my arm was just hanging on my body. I couldn't write, couldn't comb my hair, couldn't use flatware (no spoon, no knife, couldn't hold it), and finally I ended up not being able to wipe my own butt.
To shorten this a bit: I was told I had a tumour in my upper spine, which would be dangerous to operate. If they'ld do that I could have ended up in a wheelchair if something would have went wrong, plus I would have been hooked up to a lung machine, my lungs wouldn't have been able to work on its own.
With this scenario in mind, after having settled all my belongings and paperwork (child custody, legacy, patients decree) I had to stay at the hospital.
Being 39 years of age that isn't to much fun, I tell ya! That are plans for being 60 or 70, but not being that young!
Soon a neurologist found out that it's "just" MS. They put me on Cortison right away, the inflammations softened a bit, all of a sudden I could move my arm again! What a delight! After 3 weeks at the hospital I was sent into a rehab program, which worked out very well.
The complete feeling never returned in my right hand up till now, but oh well.
Thanks to all that my boss fired me with some excuses, I fought a long while against him, lately I could have went to court to fight him further, but I'm so tired of all that. I didn't even get a good reference from him. As if I got ill on purpose! Anyway, he had to pay me some money, at least that hurt him in his pocket, and I trust in God, he'll pay them back somehow. Even the law is on my side, so not everything is as bad as it looks like.
All that stress made me have another "push", how they call it. My left leg "fell asleep". But this time I went to the doctor right away, got my Cortison, and it got better. That was Christmas 2005.
I found me a new doctor in January, a neurologist, and she put me on daily prophilactic injections. Which I take since then, plus some pills to balance what I mess up with eating wrong things, or not enough things like vitamines.
Now I have to explain something about MS again: it basically is an auto immune desease. That means, that as soon as I should catch any bacteria or virus, my body doesn't fight them, it starts fighting the myeline (the covering of the nervs) of my own body - IT STARTS FIGHTING ME. And what the daily prophylactic injections do, is simply that they program the brain for 24 hours to fight against the intruder and not me.
I had to cope with all of this, and because it's so hard to get a psychiatrist in Germany for things like that, I let it out somehow else: I wrote a book. Oh well, I'm just one of 30 co-authors of that MS book, and one of 3 lectors, okay, but I wrote a book. We promoted it last summer. I don't get a dime out of it though =(
Sure, I have something they call the "Uthoff phenomenon", which means, as soon as I heat up to much, or have too much stress my symptoms worsen or return. But this I can handle, and I can live with the side effects of the injections, too.
Every day is different for me. Getting up I have to check how I feel first, before I can plan the day. In the meantime I had a second rehab, they've tried to send me back to work. But my energy level shrunk down to less than 3 hours a day, so it was decided to send me into retirement. Luckily I was insured against things like that, which doesn't make me a rich woman now, but I have a better income now, than back when I used to work fulltime!
My next blurb will be about the various symptoms.
I feel good, one can't tell I'm sick at all, I minimized stress, ok it's not that tidy in the house anymore, because there's a lot of things which just exhaust me too much... But... I have two busy helpers here =)
I love my life, I found my way back into faith (I just loove Joyce Meyer, wished I could see her live in July in L.A.), I made peace with my German family, I found out who my real friends are, and dissociated from the other ones ;-) Found new friends through my illness.
What more can you want in life?

2008 May - Faith

A girl went to a party and she ended up staying longer than planned, her boyfriend got drunk and passed ..outand had to walk home alone. She wasn't afraid because it was a small town and she lived only a few blocks away around the corner of 4th & 16th.

As she walked along passing "MacDonalds" Mary asked God to keep her safe from harm and danger.
When she reached the alley, which was a short cut to her house, she decided to take it.
However, halfway down the alley she noticed a man standing at the end as though he were waiting for her.

She became uneasy and began to pray, asking for God's protection.
Instantly a comforting feeling of quietness and security wrapped round her, she felt as though someone was walking with her.
When she reached the end of the alley, she walked right past the man and arrived home safely.

The following day, she read in the newspaper that a young girl had been raped in the same alley just twenty minutes after she had been there.

Feeling overwhelmed by this tragedy and the fact that it could have been her, she began to weep.
Thanking the Lord for her safety and to help this
young woman, she decided to go to the police station.

She felt she could recognize the man, so she told them her story.
The police asked her if she would be willing to look
at a lineup to see if she could identify him.
She agreed and immediately pointed out the man she had seen in the alley the night before.

When the man was told he had been identified, he immediately broke down and confessed.
The officer thanked Mary for her bravery and asked if there was anything they could do for her.
She asked if they would ask the man one question.

Mary was curious as to why he had not attacked her.
When the policeman asked him, he answered, "Because she wasn't alone. She had two tall men walking on either side of her."
Amazingly, whether you believe or not, you're never alone.
Did you know that 98% of teenagers will not stand up for God?
And you, do you truly believe in God... ?

2007 August - Top 10 things not to say

Top 10 Things Not To Say
To Someone With M.S.
10.) Must be nice to sleep all day
9.) You're lucky you don't have to work
8.) I can relate
7.) Just take something
6.) Just try harder
5.) Just be positive
4.) You just want attention
3.) It's all in your head
2.) It could be worse
1.) But you LOOK so good

2008 July - Inspirational

2008 May - God is cool

Keepsakes

When I say... "I am a Christian" I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin"
I'm whispering "I was lost, Now I'm found and forgiven."

When I say... "I am a Christian" I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... "I am a Christian" I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.

When I say... "I am a Christian" I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.

When I say... "I am a Christian" I'm not claiming to be perfect.
My flaws are far too visible but, God believes I am worth it.

When I say... "I am a Christian" I still feel the sting of pain...
I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.

When I say... "I am a Christian" I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner Who received God's good grace, somehow!

This is out of Duane DOG Chapman's book:
"I clicked the television on and listened to an evangelical preacher give a sermon while I unpacked. As I reached for the remote to change the channel, I heard the preacher say 'I have a feeling there's someone out there whose very existence is about to change. He has a checkered past, perhaps a criminal. You never thought you could turn your life around, but you can. I am here to tell you the Lord has raised His hand and said, 'Be healed. For you shall serve Me, as a messenger of My word and faith.' If you can hear me, son, the Lord has asked me to tell you to trust His mighty plan. you must honor His wishes, and you shall be greatly rewarded for your service.' That message was for me. I could feel it through the TV. The hand of God had touched my heart. The Lord was telling me to stay righteous."

Internet negativity
I have had so much fun on MySpace since I first made a profile about 6 months ago!! I've rediscovered some wonderful old friends from my youth. It's as if I am reassembling all the lost parts of myself. Also I used it to stay in touch with my student friends who scattered to the winds over the summer and after graduation. I find myself checking my MySpace at least once a day and being delighted to find a little something pleasurable waiting there for me every time. However, I've now had my first ugly experience. Recently, I had a misunderstanding with a young friend, who sent me an unpleasant message over myspace, then removed me from her top friends, then deleted me entirely. Isn't it interesting that we can use this social networking site as a tool NOT ONLY to build one another up, but also to tear one another down? How sad! I am guessing that other people may be used to this sort of thing? Not me! I want to log on eagerly anticipating the good things. If I ever begin to dread what I may find, I'll stop using myspace. It's that simple. I'm too old for the other kind of drama anyway. In general, I urge everyone to use MySpace in a fun friendly way. We have face-to-face encounters for the other stuff. And if you express yourself better in writing than in person (I know I do), there's always pen & paper. Thank you to all my friends for the kindness I have found every other time I've logged on! Let's continue to build one another up, make one another stronger and more confident so we can better handle the real problems out there.

 

You say: "It's impossible"
God says: All things are possible
(Luke 18:27)

You say: "I'm too tired"
God says: I will give you rest
(Matthew 11:28-30)

You say: "Nobody really loves me"
God says: I love you
(John 3:1 6 & John 3:34 )

You say: "I can't go on"
God says: My grace is sufficient
(II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)

You say: "I can't figure things out"
God says: I will direct your steps
(Proverbs 3:5- 6)

You say: "I can't do it"
God says: You can do all things
(Philippians 4:13)

You say: "I'm not able"
God says: I am able
(II Corinthians 9:8)

You say: "It's not worth it"
God says: It will be worth it (Roman 8:28 )

You say: "I can't forgive myself"
God says: I Forgive you
(I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)

You say: "I can't manage"
God says: I will supply all your needs
(Philippians 4:19)

You say: "I'm afraid"
God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear
(II Timothy 1:7)

You say: "I'm always worried and frustrated"
God says: Cast all your cares on ME
(I Peter 5:7)

You say: "I'm not smart enough"
God says: I give you wisdom(I Corinthians 1:30)

You say: "I feel all alone"
God says: I will never leave you or forsake you
(Hebrews 13:5)

 

Bank account
I have just deposited love
and blessings
into your bank account
and the best part is
that it will cost you nothing
I ask that you just use it in abundance
Your pin number is: J-E-S-U-S
*IMPORTANT NOTICE*
If you lost your pin,
you lose everything
Make a deposit
into someone else's account today
May your trouble be less
Your blessings be more
And nothing but happiness
Come through that door

I always loved this one by Pastor Joel Osteen:

This is my bible
I am what it says I am.
I have what it says I have.
I can do what it says I can do.
Today I will be taught the Word of God.
I boldly confess, my mind is alert,
my heart is receptive.
I will never be the same.I am about to receive
the incorruptible, indestructible,
ever-living seed of the Word of God.
I will never be the same.
Never, never, never.
I will never be the same.
In Jesus name.
Amen.