State of Things

I've been really under the weather the past few days. A couple of weeks, actually. I've had a cold, which being me turned into something of long duration. I've missed meds, vits, and shots. I'm not taking anything right now but things that will help me get better, and the shots suppress my immune system. Not exactly the best thing to take when you're trying to get over a bad cold. I had a fever the other day (I think it was day before yesterday) of 100.7, but that's where it spiked and I'm over it now.

Now it's just tea and cold meds. Lots of both. Once I'm back to what counts as normal for me, I'll start back on the vitamins and shots and pool and so on. I haven't exercised for a couple weeks and don't intend to go back to the pool until the first week of December. It's just too much to do with the holidays and other obligations.

Speaking of, while I've cancelled most of my obligations due to illness, there are still certain things I have to tend to. These exacerbate my illness, but can't be helped. The last one will be over next Wednesday. Hopefully I'll be properly healed up by then, but I know I'll still need several days to just relax and recover, and get back to what passes for normalcy around here.

I did recently learn an interesting fact about my illness. I'm sure I was aware of it at some point, but either forgot it or didn't realize the full meaning of "degenerative," but I've become aware of the fact that there's a 50% chance I'll develop a type of MS known as "secondary-progressive" within the next 4 years. That increases as the years go by. 90% of people with my type of MS (currently "relapsing-remitting") develop it within 25 years. I've had this now for 6. Kind of scary, there.

But, I also learned there's been progress made on curing this thing. It's only been shown in mice, but scientists have been able to trick the immune system into accepting myelin (the covering over the nerve fibers that MS attacks), effectively stopping MS. I hesitate to use the word "cure," but it's hopeful.

Someday, we'll beat this illness. I just hope it happens in my lifetime. As MS is related to other degenerative neurological diseases, once we are able to cure one, there's hope for the others, like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

There's always hope.