Saturday, April 26, 2008

Greetings from the Road

Just a quick note to say "hi" from sunny Florida. The weather has been fantastic and actually not too hot to handle.

I'm sending you this message using a cute, little computer which I purchased last week. It weighs less than 2 pounds and is the size of a book. Even better, it has wireless capabilities as does the hotel. I tried to upload some photos from yesterday's outing but it didn't take.

And...the good news MS-wise is that Baclofen really does make a world of difference. Since beginning treatment on Monday, my muscles have been very painful and aching horribly. I think that my whole body is experiencing the recovery stage typical after great exertion. The only catch is that I'm not even sure the last time these muscles were very relaxed.

So far, I have been thrilled during the times that I can tell that my calves and various muscles are beginning to let loose. We have a long way to go to determine the optimum dosage, but even a little bit of relief makes walking so much easier!!!

P.S. remember to leave a comment on last Monday's post regarding the quantity of sharps which would completely fill a 100oz laundry detergent container.

8 comments:

  1. Good for YOU, Lisa!!!! You deserve some relief AND a vacation...cheers to the baclofen gods.

    Linda D. in Seattle

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  2. OMG!!!! Selfishly, tell me what computer you got---I must have one!! PS--I got that jab off Linda's blog. Uh-hem, I don't raise the dead. PS--I would have entered the carnival, but figured people were tired of me.

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  3. Glad the Baclofen is showing improvements, even if they are slight. Florida is beautiful, I hope you enjoy!

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  4. You're in Florida?? Wave towards the northeast corner of the state so I can see where you're at. I'm waving back, can you see me?

    Hope you have a nice visit! On behalf of all Floridians, welcome to our home. :-)

    Glad the baclofen is working for you!

    @ Diane: NOBODY gets tired of reading what you write! <3

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  5. I always get cramps in my calves when I eat a banana.

    Watch your sodium/potassium balance very carefully if you're on a salt free diet.(I'm not really, but I don't eat it naturally [or should that be unnaturally. Americans eat way too much of the stuff. {Remember, it used to be how they paid Roman soldiers. Your fries are covered with some Praetorian guard's salary.}])

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  6. Charles - did you mean to say that you always eat bananas when you get cramps in your calves? I've not heard of too much potassium causing cramps. I NEVER add salt to food and avoid eating things which are too salty.

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  7. ladies, after returning from Florida, a friend noticed that I was walking more easily. I can hardly believe that my muscles are loosening up. This has got to be one of the most exciting developments in my pharmaceutical world since taming my rheumatoid arthritis.

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  8. Diane,
    This little computer is made by Asus,'Eee PC series' (see Amazon link below). It doesn't have a hard drive, has a very small screen (small text size), and runs on Linux (rather than Windows XP). The keys are very small and I've found that it is easier to hunt-peck type. I know that it is possible to increase the memory but I haven't done it yet.

    Asus announced that a new model will be coming out later this year, having a larger screen and Windows XP installed for around the same price. I notice that the price on Amazon has gone up since I bought mine. But it was wonderful to be able to get online while on vacation. It would definitely not replace a full-time computer.

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