CityChase

February 21, 2012 | 12:01 AM

Chasing My Dreams

Last summer, my son and I participated in something called “City Chase”, which is a lot like The Amazing Race, only it takes place in downtown Vancouver. I’d been wanting to do it for a couple of years and last year, the good folks of Urban Rec, who are one of the sponsors of City Chase generously offered me free Registration. The opportunity was too good to pass up!

The day of the Chase, I was nervous. I have tendon damage in my left foot because I walk off kilter from my MS and if I’m on my feet too long, it becomes incredibly painful. I had no idea how hard the chase points were going to be, but I figured between my son and I, we’d figure it out and make it work. The Chase kicked off at 10 a.m. sharp. We got our clue sheet and were off.

We did all kinds of crazy things at the chase points, including blasting things with a fireman’s hose while in full turn out gear, dragging weighted dummies, playing scrabble, using a Blackberry to complete a photo treasure hunt, waxing my legs and painting my son’s toenails and we even played go-kart basketball.

At one chase point, we each took a turn riding a long board. (Like a skateboard, only longer and much less stable.) Because of the damage to my spinal cord from MS, I don’t have any sense of where my body is in space, so my balance is questionable. I didn’t let that stop me though-I hopped up on that board and my son grabbed my hands and towed me around the course. It worked, except that at one point there was an incline, the board picked up speed and flew out from under my feet. I took a nasty spill, but once I stopped feeling like I was jangling from the impact, I got right back on that board and finished. (The morning after the race, I realized that I had tweaked my knee, so I had to go to the ER for x-rays.)

The day of the race also turned out to be one of the hottest days of our entire   summer, with temperatures reaching 31C. I can tell you that I was not thrilled when late in the day we came to a chase point that involved a 5 minute aerobics      workout in the hot sun.  The numbness that I experience on a daily basis was made worse by being way too hot, but somehow I managed to get through it, by sheer force of will.

We managed to cross the finish line at 4:26 p.m., having completed 7 check points around the city. We were 26 minutes past the official end of the race, but there were teams that came in behind us and many that didn’t finish at all. The fact that we finished, in 30C heat, carrying 10 lbs. of stuff in each of our backpacks, with me being hugely affected by MS symptoms that worsen in the heat and a wrecked foot makes me REALLY proud! We had our own cheering section at the finish line and I consider it a personal victory that my son and I were able to walk across that finish the chase smiling and in good spirits. I’d say that’s a HUGE accomplishment. I’m really glad we got the chance to share that experience.

Once we’d had a much needed bite to eat on a cool patio, we went to Adrenaline and got tattoos of the City Chase logo on our ankles! This was hilarious because we were making our way to the skytrain, down Granville Street and as we neared Adrenaline, (our favourite local tattoo shop) my son turned to me and said “Hey Mum, we should get tattoos.” I instantly agreed, so we walked in and did it. Afterwards he said he was kind of shocked that I would do it on a whim. Oh young Grasshopper, you have so much to learn about your mum! It was the perfect ending to our day. Now every time I look at that tattoo, it reminds me that I’m fierce and can do anything I set my mind to. I am so much more than my MS.

*Photo: My son and I at the “Rescue Me” chase point in turn out gear.

Photo credit: City Chase

Distraction1

February 16, 2012 | 12:01 AM

Distractions

Sometimes MS can be all encompassing of our lives. We have to deal with relapses, doctor’s appointments, treatments, and tests. It can be hectic, chaotic, overwhelming and seemingly never-ending. There are points where we all like to pretend it’s not there, not think about it, but at the end of the day when we crawl in bed there is that nagging voice that tells us MS is always there. That is when distractions prove most useful.

I have several distractions that I like to focus my time on. I crochet (side benefit: it helps with my hand dexterity), I journal religiously (it helps keep my cognitive skills intact) but recently I have acquired a larger distraction. A distraction that takes up a lot of time and energy and I love it!! I acquired this distraction 10 weeks ago and things have been great. What is this distraction you ask? What has this MS crusader wrapped around there finger, or should I saw…. PAW? That’s right, I got a KITTEN. He is an 18 week old Tonkinese (Siamese Hybrid) kitten that I have absolutely fallen in love with. His name is Benoit after a very important individual in my life that I recently lost. Though I will never be able to fill that place in my heart, Benoit, or Benni as I call him, brightens my day, night and everywhere else in between.

This crusader is now a crazy cat lady! I take so many pictures it is ridiculous. The people at PetSmart know my name and Benni’s. They will comment on how quickly he is growing when we go in. I have taught him to walk in a harness and leash – I know what you’re thinking, and yes it really can be done! Benni has proven to be a very good distraction from my MS. Now at the end of the day instead of having to listen to the thoughts about MS in my head, I get to curl up with the cutest, cuddliest, purring kitten. Distractions are this girl’s best friend!

– Loribelle

MetimeNotMStime

February 14, 2012 | 12:01 AM

Me time not MS time

One of my proudest moments of 2011 was completing a 30 day hot yoga & naturopathic challenge this past year. Basically what it entailed for me was 30 days of doing hot yoga and a detoxifying cleanse (no dairy, simple carbs, caffeine, alcohol, etc). It was hard at first–I’m an ice cream kinda girl living in a coffee shop world but this is something I’ve wanted to do for myself for the longest time. Doing this challenge and devoting a part of my day to me really made me see how much of our day we spend doing things for reasons other then our own personal happiness, as well as the things we may do or don’t do based on how MS impacts our lives. Impacts like invasive daily medications, frequent clinic visits, or even the physical and emotional symptoms that we let hold us back in a way from really living and experiencing this life. For me it was the fatigue. Like many other people with MS, I deal with immense tiredness and weakness. This “invisible” symptom has played a huge part in how much I have partaken in “me” activities since being diagnosed. Activities as routine as going to hang out with my friends, or as spontaneous as just trying something new– fatigue has been my excuse for holding back. Challenging myself  has really helped me gain a sense of control over how this symptom has held me back in the past. Multiple sclerosis can be so draining at times that I feel it completely blurs out and makes you forget about any goals or dreams you may have had. Working with the 30 day challenge I set my own mini goals, my own personal triumphs that took into account this illness but still propelled me to strive forward towards my own personal success. This is part of another important lesson I’m slowly learning: It’s important to be gentle with yourself and to not get frustrated if you can’t quite “do things the same”. Everyday is going to be a different day and how we feel and function is going to fluctuate. It’s important to accept this and be grateful to ourselves for trying our best, without judging how this day might compare to another.  To end I’m going to challenge you to get out there do something for you, it’s time to take a little bit of time back for yourself.

-Vee

Amanda-Boiling3

January 31, 2012 | 12:01 AM

Reaching a boiling point FINALE

So I must confess, watching Dexter as often as I do is what sparked this three part blog. I liked the idea of suspense :P .. I have been thinking a lot about who I am and who I will become-all the time forgetting that the only one who can change my course of life is me. I often give agency to others-I let other people’s experiences cloud how I picture my life developing, and this is probably because I just don’t want to face my reality and I would rather know how things will work out-even if it is based on someone else’s account. But the truth (the scariest thing for me to admit by the way) is that there is still a lot I don’t know. There is still a lot I have to discover-about myself, about my MS-and all I can do is try my best to take charge of what I can and stop worrying about the rest. Read the rest of this entry »

Trinablog6-MetalHead

January 26, 2012 | 12:01 AM

Metal Head

My teeth have always been slightly crooked and rotated and that’s always bothered me. I had an orthodontics consultation when I was in my early 30s, but true to form, I didn’t pursue it. A year after I was diagnosed with MS, I decided to get braces and straighten my teeth. Now that I’m averaging a brain MRI about every 6 months, what could be better than a mouth full of metal? Read the rest of this entry »

Amanda-Boiling2

January 24, 2012 | 12:01 AM

Reaching a boiling point PART TWO

Hi I am Amanda and this is (the continuation) of my blog :)

Now where was I? Oh yes, masking MS. I have another person to tell you about. This person too hides their disease, but is not that good at it anymore. This person in question has loved with MS for a long time and has gone through a lot of changes-and not just ms-related. This person was left without a family, who left for reasons I have not been informed of other then that they had something to do with this person’s MS. Read the rest of this entry »

Lelainia-SelfCare

January 19, 2012 | 12:01 AM

Self-Care

If you’d asked me 4 years ago, how I looked after myself, I don’t think I would have had a clue what you were talking about. As my health (and by extension my life) changed with the diagnosis of MS, I had to start considering how I would deal with the stress of living with an unpredictable, life-altering disease. It was time to develop some self-care strategies.

The term “self-care” refers to activities and practices that we do in order to maintain and enhance our overall health and well-being. It’s small, mindful things you can do to be kinder and gentler to yourself. Read the rest of this entry »

Amanda-Boiling1

January 17, 2012 | 8:00 AM

Reaching a boiling point

Hi I am Amanda and this is my blog :)

It goes without saying that life comes with its’ hardships. I will spare you a sob story, but I do want to try to structure this blog in such a way that you can get something out of it and on a level that goes beyond simply being able to relate. So put your thinking caps on-or go to the next blog, no one is forcing you to read this right?

But in order to get to my point I want to tell you a story. Read the rest of this entry »

Amanda-NewResearch

January 12, 2012 | 12:01 AM

New Research

I am Amanda and this is my blog :)

I was recently in the news (no big deal :P ), but really I am just using being in this story as an excuse to share some very important info. This story was not about me-well any more then it is about any of you living with MS. If you were diagnosed early in life-especially at Sick Kids-you might want to read this, or maybe you saw the news report already. Read the rest of this entry »

Trinabio-2011

January 10, 2012 | 12:01 AM

I Forget…

Not to brag, but I have a good memory.  Not necessarily for practical, every day things (where are my keys??), but for names and faces; for places and directions; for stories, movies and trivia; for events; for information about people, I really do have a very good memory.

If I had been given a choice between physical or cognitive problems when I was first diagnosed, I would have chosen the cognitive ones hands down. I was all about hiding my MS and to me, cognitive problems would be easier to hide. I figured that I would just use my cell phone more to keep track of things and that would be that. Read the rest of this entry »