Welcome to the Carnival of MS Bloggers, a bi-weekly compendium of thoughts and experiences shared by those living with multiple sclerosis.
Sleep Disorders, MS, and Multipurpose Sticks
from Thomas of BiPolar, MS and still as handsome as ever
Take a look at this picture:
On the left you see a very dilapidated golf club, a one iron of some
ancient make probably used by the Morris clan (golf joke) and left in a garage sale. The paint wasn't on there originally. Just an added touch to being stuck in a garage by a guy who found that he could not play golf, but could hit a ball with a stick and follow it around. I just didn't feel the need to pay some stranger for the use of their land to hit the little ball and follow it around privileges.
The club has a MS use though. A few times a week I grab the club, stand in the grass, assume the position, and take a good swing. If I remain standing, its a good day. If I come down goofy or start to tumble, this is not a good day and I should be careful. So while my one iron and its friends in the bag sitting in my garage may never see a golf course again, they do remind me of another day when I could freely play a sport I sucked at.
Now as for the stick in the middle of the photo, that's my new walking stick. On Friday, Jackie and I went to the Southern Vermont Craft Fair in Manchester, Vermont. This has been a tradition for many years and we'd stay at local B & B's and go to the Craft Fair at the rolling lawns of
Hildene, the former home of Robert Todd Lincoln and his family. Highly recommended. Well, the bed and breakfasts closed. And this year the Craft Fair moved to the other side of Manchester. Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes, said Mr. Bowie.
Time to turn and face the strain. The Craft Fair is in the midst of a field, a Vermont field, meaning rocks and little gullies and tiny holes, and if you have any problem with coordination, and I believe lots of MSers do, here was a challenge. If I held my wife's hand I could move pretty well, going from booth to booth, but the moment she stopped to look at jewelry or whatever and I continued on my own, any quick turn or "excuse me" step out of the way might send me reeling into any booth anywhere, and I'd find myself staring at a piece of crockery that would only set me back three hundred bucks. I'd mumble some excuse like - "Astounding work. I must remind the Queen." - and move along, find Jackie and head out.
We got a drink and hit the food tent where free samples were distributed. My favorite was the
rye whiskey (butterscotch in a paper shot cup). When we left the food tent, we headed out to the tents off to themselves on the other side of the field. There was the temporary abode of Debi Hitter, purveyor of custom made walking sticks (Eagle Scout sticks a specialty). I ended up with one of the those sticks, and used it successfully to move around the craft with slightly more balance. The stick also opens up new possibilities for career options:
1. Religious leader (i.e. Moses) - see the staff in his right hand - by the way, the statue is in Washington Park in Albany NY, and this shot was taken during the Tulip Festival held each May. Let's see, I might ask my former employer to "let my people go", but they would, and then try and run the Department of Social Services with trained monkeys (a lot easier to pass out bananas than support). And where would I lead my people anyway? Across the street for lunch? The parking lot?
2. Robin Hood - there's that scene in every Robin Hood movie and parody from Mel Brooks to Daffy Duck where Robin and Little John parry with quarterstaffs, like
this. See maybe I could become the local Jedi Knight for the Luther Forest area. There must be an opening somewhere. I know my first enemy, the chipmunks in the back yard.
I figure a swing or two with my new Jedi stick (I can make the noises) and those little buggers will head off into the Endor forests.
3. Join one of those German groups with the leiderhosen, and the sticks with the jingle bells on them, but I'd probably be asleep in my chair by the second song, so never mind.
I'll try to come up with other stick uses (open for suggestions). Right now I'll use it on tough walking days. It's better than a wheelchair. It's a reminder that tough days may be ahead, but I can handle them in style. The lady who made the stick is also interested in providing others to the MS group.
From the update pile: I've got appointments with both my new psychiatrist and neuro this month, and just need to step away from my old psych (who I noticed in the newspaper today didn't pay his taxes and got slapped by the Feds), and do my paperwork to transfer stuff. Best of luck to my old neuro as she moves to New Jersey. I found that out through a meeting of the minds of the two people who showed up at the support group Thursday. I could not have met a more gracious lady, and I hope the group works out.
from The Girl With MS
Why can't we sleep? There is no real reason other than MS as to why I have sleep issues, but it's amazing how I can mess myself up!
Here I am in the beautiful Eastern Sierras listening to Bishop Creek as it riffles by below the cabin. My current view:
On vacation but with a few minor projects and tasks to tend. But not enough to keep me awake all morning. The first night I was exhausted and fell asleep at 9pm when my head hit the pillow, awaking at 4am, which did constitute seven hours of sleep. But I didn't want to be awake at 4am.
So last night I aimed to stay up later thinking I could get seven hours and wake at a reasonable time. Now as the day progressed, after some time in the warm Bishop sun, some fly fishing and some creative cooking, I thought to myself, you are at 8,500' altitude, "Go fill up your water glass". Yes, I thought this often, every time I opened another beer.
I even thought of the magnesium supplement, magneleveux, in my bag, as I opened another beer.
Daydreaming, sketching, visualizing, I had a fun night, as I opened another beer.
Exactly what NOT to do with MS!
Sure, I stayed up until midnight, then woke up at 4:38am. Bing! And I'm awake. The need to pee and the incessant leg spasticity kept me squirming all morning long. The 42 degrees winding through the window bringing with it the sound of the creek was my saving grace. Ugh. I know better. I did take 1/2 a klonopin and a melatonin before going to bed. And another half of klonopin in am when couldn't fall back to sleep.
Three glasses of water later, a banana, magnalevure and some Shen Trition, and this Girl with MS is finally feeling a little better.
What I could have done:
- Enjoyed the great healthy dinner we had (micro greens, salmon, veggies)
- Dry brushed my legs
- Took a not to hot bath
- Read a book
- Wrote in blog
Etc....
Yes, these are all better choices then the one I made. So, live and learn. Let go and let God as they say.
This all inspired me to do some researching on sleep and MS. Here is some of what I found:
This is a great summary from WebMD of what can cause folks with MS to have restless sleep:
Multiple Sclerosis and Sleep
Life aspects that can effect sleep patterns in those with MS:
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Eating
- Drinking
- Nutritional health
- Age
- Physical activity
- Mental activity
- Spasticity
- Depression
So, how do we deal with this sleep issue?
Time to change our habits!
Food suggestions:
Small bananas are good: (they still contain sugar so small is better before sleep)
"Combining the amino acid tryptophane with carbohydrates as well as calcium and magnesium can help your brain relax and your body nod off to sleep."
And the magic of oatmeal can make the difference of a more restful sleep pattern:
"Calcium has been proven to help the brain use and process tryptophan, while magensium, a natural sedative, acts as an "assistant" to calcium helping it to be absorbed into your system."
Check out more Foods to eat before bedtime from
The Health Central Network
There are other things too. This is just a start!
There is Proof that sleep patterns affect MS!
If you've been having sleep issues and feeling more fatigued, there is proof that the two go hand in hand.
Check out this study: "Treatment of sleep disorders can improve fatigue and other clinical outcomes in MS."
“@MSBuzzNews: Multiple Sclerosis Research: Treatment of sleep problems reduces fatigue: Epub: Côté et al. Impact of sleep diso... http://t.co/f68LV6M8”
Ok kids. There is more to come on this and would like your thoughts but there's a high Sierra creek calling my name....
from Lisa Emrich of Brass and Ivory: Life With MS and RA
Sleep disorders, especially sleep apnea, can cause fatigue and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Untreated sleep apnea can lead to depression, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and excessive daytime sleepiness. Stress hormones released during frequent drops in blood oxygen level caused by sleep apnea increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, irregular heart beats (arrhythmias) and heart failure. Excessive sleepiness can lead to fatal car crashes and accidents at work.
Sleep disorders may be under-diagnosed in both rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis, according to research. For information regarding sleep disorders, including sleep apnea, and their connection with RA and MS, please read the following posts I wrote this week for HealthCentral.
Read:
This concludes the 122nd edition of the
Carnival.
(Apologies for the late posting.) The next
Carnival of MS Bloggers will be hosted here on September 13, 2012. Please remember to submit a post (via
email) from your blog of which you are particularly proud, or which you simply want to share, by noon on Tuesday, September 11, 2012.
Thank you.
