Hello, everyone! Hey, I'm here! I wrote on that shout out to me...

[Fluffysmom]

I wrote on a "shout out" to me post started by Quix, explaining some of where I've been and what's been going on and where I'm headed.  I'm cutting and pasting this in to post since I got a note from shell 4 hours ago asking where I've been.  Gosh, things move so quickly on this forum, I should have known that I should write a separate thread!

I've cut and pasted what I wrote earlier today so that I can say hello to everyone and let you know I'll be here to see everyone more often.  Gosh, a week from today will be a year to the day since I was officially diagnosed with MS.  I couldn't have come this far on my journey with out the wonderful people here on this forum.


by Fluffysmom , 9 hours ago
To: All you wonderful people
Hi!  Thanks for coming looking for me; I've been down, but not totally out, and I'm coming back up.

I didn't mean to cheat on y'all; I just had such a limited amount of energy that the posting I did on the cat forum used it all up.  The cats have helped with my healing, and the cat forum people helped me (you all did too, thank you) through Fluffy's cancer and death.

I was a bit crazy to join the research study while going through the loss of my 16 year old fuzzy buddy, my little boy since the day he was born.  I didn't know how to separate my grief from the side effects of the medication, and suffered a great deal.  For months!

Finally I had such horrible stomach issues that after a month of them, I told my neurologist that I couldn't put up with it any more, even with increasing stomach meds and adjusting my already good eating habits.

He had me decrease my study med by half, and within a few days not only was my stomach improving, but my mood, my lassitude, inability to get thigs accomplished or think straight also began to improve.

I visited the Cat Adoption Team shelter and inquired about volunteering, spent time with cats, and left the place grinning!

After one more attempt at trying the study dose of the med, I knew within two days that it was the culprit, and formally withdrew from the study.

I'm now a volunteer at the shelter, starting with one day a week.  I'm proud of my new volunteer ID; think I"ll post a picture of it!  I'm going to make a nice beaded lanyard for it; get the creative side of me working again, too!

I was going to go to a MS support group today, one that I haven't been the happiest with.  I checked my e-mail this morning, found the note from Ess, a message from Quix, and decided to check in with the forum instead of going to that group.

I'll locate another MS support group to visit.  I'm looking for a therapist that takes my insurance and is familiar with MS, could work well with my neuro,  and is comfortable with my personal issues; not the easiest thing to do!

Ah, it's good to be back.  I'm looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones.  Now that my brain feels like its functioning again, it will be good to refresh my memory of all that I've learned here and learn more from all that you share.

Life is good, even when sometimes hard.

Hugs,

Kathy

[essdipity]

Yes, I do agree.

Years ago I went through a long pity party because of some truly awful things that had happened to me. My life was miserable.

But gradually I reconnected with the world around me. For some reason, I knew that a high school classmate of mine was now director of an inner city job training program for women. One day I went to see her and asked what I could do. That led to a three-year volunteer stint at her agency, one day a week. It was the best thing that could have happened, though I didn't recognize that right away.

Later on I became a hospice volunteer, and I'm still affiliated with them. I have done a lot of volunteer activities in my life, and have found most of them extremely rewarding. I get far more out of my participation than I put in.

With MS, this kind of thing can be tricky, because we never know how we will be feeling on a given day. Still, it's possible to work something out. I urge those of you with time (not busy mothers, of course) to find a way to volunteer. You'll be glad you did.

ess

[jensequitur]

Hey, welcome back!  Glad to hear you're doing better - volunteering is a great idea.

[BOK2Bjan]

I'm sorry to hear about Fluffy.  I know the incredible help pets bring - and the tremendous loss we feel when they're gone.  I lost a cat a year ago and I was devastated.  I've had 7 dogs and held 4 in my arms as they died - and then my Eddie (the cat).  All have been so hard, but the pain of losing Eddie me.  It wrenched my heart out.  I then got a Schnoodle - 1/2 toy poodle, 1/2 miniature  schnauzer.  She's white, and adorable.  So I now have 3 - Black Lab, Golden Retriever, and Scooter.  As my illness got worse, I went to smaller!  That's all I can handle for now on.

Volunteering sounds wonderful for you - you should feel very proud to have gotten active in something that helps others and brings you such joy.  GOOD JOB!  And very inspiring to me.

Blessings, Jan

[Lulu54]

Hey Kathy, thanks for the update.  I had been sort of keeping track of you, knowing that the Cat people were helping you through the tough times with Fluffy.  It is great to know that the kindness of strangers still exists in many corners of this world.

Volunteering is a great thing - good for you.  There's a lot to be said for developing your own sense of purpose - it helps to get us moving in the morning.

Hopefully you will find a "live" support group that can be a good fit for you- being with the wrong people can just compound the problems.  In the meantime, keep using us.  We're here for you!

lots of hugs,
L

[sllowe]

I'm so proud of you Kath!!!!!

I'm proud of your ID too! And, I love that you are volunteering and getting into the support groups. All this news is terrific! Now, don't go missing any meetings on our account. We'll be here when you get home.

Big - big hugs to you girl!
-Shell

[Sparkysarah]

Kathy, it is lovely to hear from you and thank you for letting us know how things have been for you.  You have friends here on the forum, but perhaps think about finding a new support group as face to face social connection can be very helpful. It is always challenging gong into a new group and I am sure you will find the courage to do it when you are ready.

Love and hugs

Sarah x :)