I saw Dr. Schecter today and we are very happy with the results.

I’ve lost some weight (about 7 pounds); my grip is stronger than last time and my reflexes are definitely getting stronger. My knees actually jerk when hit with the rubber mallet. My arms are still a little unresponsive, but they are getting there.

She also lowered my prednisone dosage again, down to 22.5 mg per day. Nancy said that once you start lowering the dosage below 20mgs, you need to be careful, because the body will really start tot notice the difference in the amounts.

Once the six/eight weeks of this lower dosage is up, we are going to try a once a month schedule for IVIG again.

Busy weekend - hacking, coughing and not much sleep

I have another Cold – the battle is on.

I accomplished two (2) things this weekend.

1. I now have the ability to get up off the floor.
2. And I can also get out of the bathtub alone.

Praise GOD! Yeah Baby!!!

Hah - I can do squats again (out of the pool) and pretty soon I’ll be able to get up off of the floor by myself.

People with bathtubs beware! - The day is coming where I’ll be able to get out of the bathtub unassisted as well.

Thanks Mother!

In a brief conversation, a man asked a woman he was pursuing the question "What kind of man are you looking for?"

She sat quietly for a moment before looking him in the eye and asking, "Do you really want to know?"

Reluctantly, he said, "Yes."

She began to expound..."As a woman in this day and age, I am in a position to ask a man what he can do for me that I can't do for myself. I pay my own bills. I take care of my household without the help of any man...or woman for that matter. I am in the position to ask, "What can you bring to the table?"

The man looked at her. Clearly he thought that she was referring to money.

She quickly corrected his thought and state, "I am not referring to money." I need something more. I need a man who is striving for perfection in every aspect of life."

He sat back in his chair, folded his arms, and asked her to explain.

She said, " I don't need a simple-minded man. I am looking for someone who is striving for perfection mentally because I need conversation and mental stimulation."

"I am looking for someone who is striving for perfection spiritually because I don't need to be unequally yoked. Believers mixed with unbelievers is a recipe for disaster."

"I need a man who is striving for perfection financially because I don't need a financial burden."

"I am looking for someone who is sensitive enough to understand what I go through as a woman, but strong enough to keep me grounded."

"I am looking for someone who I can respect. In order to be submissive, I must respect him. I cannot be submissive to a man who isn't taking care of his business. I have no problem being submissive...he just his to be worthy."

"God made woman to be a helpmate for man. I can't help a man if he can't help himself."

When she finished her spill, she looked at him.

He sat there with a puzzled look on his face.

He said, "You are asking a lot."

She replied, "I'm worth a lot."

Happy Martin Luther King Day.

Scary night. Woke up sweating about 12:45 am, since this is not normal for me, I knew to check my blood sugar, and it had dropped to a 54. Good thing I had a Pepsi in the fridge for "these types of things". It’s been in there since Christmas.

6.00 pm – Just when you think things are going well –then WHAM!

It was a pleasant evening when I came home tonight and as I started walking Mister I decided to let him have his lead and see if I could keep up with him. Most of the time I just give him the lead and "stroll" along. All in all, I think I did pretty well, considering it’s been a very long while since I’ve done this.

As we came back to the house, I remembered I needed to get Mister’s dog food out of the car. By the time I got to my front door, I was struggling with the bag of dog food and out of breath.

This @!#%@! disease is getting on my nerves!

The soles of my feet hurt and the numbness is spreading; my legs hurt as well.

We CIDP’ers don’t need barometers or weather personnel to tell us when the weather is changing, this disease does it well enough for us.

Today was my first IVIG treatment of the year. We are now on a three - (3) week schedule in-between treatments.

We know it’s the combination of the IVIG and Prednisone that is working for me. Now we need to find out just how much of the Prednisone (smaller the dose, the better) I will need in my system to maintain my strength and for the IVIG to continue to work.

The next few months will be a little scary as the dosage gets tapered down.

Went to aqua therapy today but we were kicked out of the pool because of the storm.

Had my appointment with Dr. Kline at UNC-Chapel Hill today. Dr. Kline is the area CIDP expert. Testing was extensive. Dr. Kline disagrees with Dr. Schecter on the timing issues of the IVIG treatment and the fact that I’m still on steroids.
The good new is:
a) I have more of my reflexes back, four out of six places showed up and with marked improvement.
b) The chances of my having another relapse are slim. As long as I continue treatments.
c) I don’t’ need follow-up appointments with Dr. Kline unless things get worse, or I choose to switch doctors.
The bad new is:
a) I have memory loss issues, which is part of the disease.
b) I sometimes have leg pains at night, which is part of the disease.

I’m sore and my legs are hurting this morning, but that might be weather related.

Mister is upset with me this morning. It’s one of those lovely cold mornings and he is ready to run, but even with "layering up", I just can’t stand the cold the way I used to. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day for the both of us to get out to the park.

Went to see Cheryl yesterday. More blood was drawn for more tests, but she is happy with my overall progress. We are both just a little concerned about the fact that I’m still congested and taking Mucinex, so she gave me some antibiotics just to be on the safe side.

Feels good to be back in the pool for the first time after the holidays. I stayed in the water for 45 minutes. Yea me!

Get this, after my workout, I’m sitting at the light in front of Wake Med Hospital and I get rear ended by a city bus! Thankfully no one is hurt.

Honestly, part of me wished that she had hit me just a little bit harder. Come on now, a city bus? Can we say "Cha – ching?" and I could have just acted a fool and really waved my handicapped sign in everybody’s face and not said I was "fine". But those of us with common sense know that "GOD don’t like ugly", so I didn’t.

Thankfully I’m (and the car) all right. You have to look for the damage to the rear end of the bumper and the soreness I’ll experience tomorrow will be from the workout I had today. If I feel anything else (or worse), I have an appointment with Cheryl on Friday and I’ll just tell her what happened and get something then.

Back to work after the holidays.

Today I’m tired, my legs are stressed and my toes are numb. Strangely enough, I feel good about the way I feel.

I’ve gone from taking nine scripts (and multiple shots) to four scripts each day, (five once a week) and gone from taking 60mgs daily of Prednisone to 25mgs in five months all while getting stronger each day. I no longer need the daily dosage of pain medication for my legs each night to get to sleep and there are days when my pain levels are below a five on a 10-point scale.

Happy New Year!

May this year find Peace and Blessings to all my Family and Friends.