Blog Archives
24 days to Halloween.
Fifteen days until we complete our large voodoo doll. The most detail goes into the head so that is what we are working on.
Tomorrow I cut out the body, arms, and legs. G will sew the seams and I will do the detail work, the stuffing, and armature. We are hoping it all comes together within our 15 day time frame. I like to have wiggle room. 😀
You all have a good one!
Could this be a voodoo doll mini me?
It started yesterday
So we were surprised yesterday when The Curmudgeon’s starter kit showed up for his Tecfidera. He was told he’d get it Wednesday.
Therefore, he took his first two doses yesterday. Now we wait and see how it goes from here.
Warnings and Precautions
Tecfidera reduced blood lymphocyte (white blood cell) counts but no
significant or severe infections were reported. Liver enzyme tests were
elevated, but there were no reports of significant liver injury or liver
failure.Possible Side Effects
-
The most common side effects in the clinical trials of Tecfidera were
flushing (which can create a sensation of heat or itching and a red
blush on the skin) and gastrointestinal events (such as diarrhea,
nausea, and upper abdominal pain). The incidence of these events during
clinical trials was highest in the first month of treatment, decreasing
thereafter. Taking Tecfidera with food may reduce flushing. Tecfidera
reduced blood lymphocyte (white blood cell) counts but no significant or
severe infections were reported.
So far he’s had the flushing. We’re hoping that’s all he gets.
You all have a good one!
Where can I borrow time?
The Wishing Fish Clock in the Regent Shopping Arcade, Cheltenham, may be the world’s tallest mechanical clock. The vertical distance from the duck to the fish is 14 metres. It weighs 3 tons. On the hour the fish that is suspended under the clock revolves and blows out bubbles. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
You can go to a bank and borrow money. You can borrow a car by renting it or having a friend loan you one. Does anyone else wish you go somewhere to borrow time?
I need a little extra time every day to get everything done that needs doing. I could get up at five in the morning every day and I still wouldn’t have enough time to get everything done around here.
When we were younger, before his MS hit so hard, we thought we had all the time in the world to get things done that we wanted to do. Now, he can’t help so the lists get longer, and I get further and further behind.
I have to wait for Bath Fitters to come and do the shower before I dare do my painting. I know if I try to do it before they come, somehow, someway, my paint job will get screwed up.
I still need more time. Anyone have any to spare?
You all have a good one.
More props…Yeah, I should never go shopping at this time of year.
Wilting roses.
Books that hold a surprise…a spider jumps out at you!
Another Funkin and a second large cauldron.
And more stuff…like paper plates, skull food picks, and other party supplies.
I am getting there…
You all have a good one!
A new drug for The Curmudgeon
The Curmudgeon saw his neurologist’s nurse practitioner yesterday. And, after having a blood test run, it looks as though he’s cleared to start the Tecfidera.
He’s excited about not having to do injections anymore. He’s not excited about some of the possible side effects, but is willing to live with them if it helps.
Wish him luck, he will soon begin this new adventure into the land of weird drugs and MS.
You all have a good one!
The neighbor’s little calico cat is scary smart.
I was outside talking to a neighbor about two new props I bought, when up walked another neighbor’s pastel calico cat. Ella is just a little bit of a thing and used to be quite skittish. So it was extremely unusual that she walked right up to me, rubbed against my legs, and head butted my hand when I went to pet her.
Now the reason I say she’s scary smart is that she was out a couple of weeks ago, I saw her, and led her back to their back door so someone would let her in.
She heard me talking to the neighbor and came to get me so I could tell someone to let her inside the house. Once, I did it once before mind you. She led me all the way to the back door. If I didn’t move fast enough, she ran back to my feet and led the way again. Scary smart.
You all have a good one.
One of the two props.
Could a change in medication make a difference? We shall see.
After having such a bad week last week and a not so bad one this week after not taking his Avonex, The Curmudgeon made an appointment with his neurologist for Monday to discuss stopping the Avonex completely and switching to one of the new drugs, Tecfidera.
This what Web MD has to say about Tecfidera:
How does Tecfidera work?
It appears to have anti-inflammatory actions and brain-protective actions. The main problem in MS is that immune cells are getting into the brain and the spinal cord and they are attacking the nerves. One of the main ways they cause damage is by inflammation, particularly in relapsing-remitting MS. So Tecfidera does a number of different things to lower inflammation and lower the ability of the immune cells to get in and attack the central nervous system. Additionally, it may protect nerves from damage.
For Tecfidera, the common side effects are abdominal pain, diarrhea, and some bloating. And it causes flushing. You also have to watch the white blood cell count and the liver enzymes.
The Curmudgeon is hoping he has better results with it than he’s had with the Avonex of late. Keep your fingers crossed people!
You all have a good one!
Side view of the brain and spinal cord (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Timberrrrrr…yeah, that’s why I don’t do ladders.
So the basement finally dried out. Unless I can find someone to come and clean my gutters and replace the down spout on the back porch, we’ll have more water the next time it rains.
I don’t do ladders and roofs. I have trouble doing ladders inside the house much less taller ladders outside. I have this fear of heights. It wasn’t always with me, but it started during my early teen years and grew as got older.
As a child I had no fear. I would climb to the highest branches of the trees, clamber headlong up rocky cliffs, and lean over the edges. I didn’t fear death and dying, those words didn’t enter my vocabulary for a long time.
I explored and experimented with plenty of things as I grew up. Then one day, I learned to fear a little. That fear grew with experience.
I wish I were that child again. I’d tell that first taste of fear to leave me alone along with all subsequent ones. Then, maybe I’d enjoy climbing a ladder to the roof, maybe I wouldn’t have panic attacks and sweaty palms driving over high bridges and along cliff edges.
You all have a good one.
She’s my bestest friend. :D
I had planned to go to the grocery store yesterday, but certainly not in the round about way I did, and not exactly to the store to which I went . 😉
I was drinking my first cup of coffee after a lousy night’s sleep. My eyes barely open and my brain still lost in the fuzziness of sleep deprivation. The phone rang. The Curmudgeon answered it.
G was calling, she needed a favor. Keep in mind that my brain had yet to regain consciousness. It took her three explanations to get through the fuzz.
“Oh!” The light went on. “I’ll be right there.” I made a quick trip to her house, grabbed her spare car key, and hopped in my van. Dadada DA dada! To the rescue!
I pulled into the South Side Giant to find her standing next to her car. She waved at me. I pulled the van into the space next to her, opened my door and, with a big grin, dangled her spare key from my index finger. She laughed and showed me her keys, on the seat, behind the locked door.
I decided that while I was at a Giant, not my regular one, why not do my shopping? She joined me, which made the hated chore go by fast and somewhat painlessly.
You all have a good one.
No post today.
I am too effing tired and too effing depressed to post. Really bad day for The Curmudgeon.
Less junk, less clutter…less pressure?
For the past week we’ve had someone cleaning out some accumulated junk from our yard. It probably would’ve taken a mere day if the guy had proper tools and no interruptions.
The dogs suffered from shy bowels for a solid week. Poor dears. Neither one could go as long as the guy and his friend were in the yard working. It was hysterical.
I am happy to say that the old Cushman buggy and the old mobility scooter are now gone. The scooter couldn’t be fixed. Unfortunately, this means we’re out a mobility scooter for The Curmudgeon. The yard looks better. The majority of the clutter is gone.
The scooter was great for those days when The Curmudgeon had difficulty walking. He could still take the dogs out and help out a bit. Now there’s very little he can do to help since most days are bad days.
With us soon paying for the removal of the old tub, and replacing it with a shower that The Curmudgeon can more easily use, the cost of a new scooter is prohibitive. It sucks. However, we will manage.
Before anyone jumps in telling me to start asking others for money… We do not do chip ins or anything of the sort. If we can’t do it ourselves, it will wait until we can. We have always taken care of ourselves and never depended on anyone else. We do not plan to change that.
You all have a good one!
Digging out my sketchbooks
So I decided that I really need some form of creative outlet. Since with all the stress, my brain has shut down on the writing, I thought maybe doing some sketching will kick my brain back into writing mode.
I used to do a lot of pastel, charcoal, and pencil work, as well as oil painting. For some reason, that fell by the wayside. It’s time to take a crack at it again. At least the pencil sketches…
I only hope that I have half of the talent my cousin Carol has. You can check out her site at http://carolsartblog.wordpress.com/.
You all have a good one! 
Doggonedmysteries 