Round and Round
Monday, March 5, 2012 - Well the good news is that my MRI came back stable. Yeah! The frustrating thing has been getting started on medication. My doctors office sent over the prescription order over a week ago. I thought they got insurance figured out and the company put me on their copay program because my total for meds was over $6,800. Well I should have known it would not be that easy. The pharmacy called me last Thursday to place the order and I was still going to owe over $2,800. I told them that was not correct so they said that it needed to be rerun through my insurance and they would call me back. I had not heard from them by today so I called them back. Now they said I owed over $2,600. GRRRRRR! So I called the company with the medication and they said that was not correct so while I held on the phone they called the pharmacy and got it straighted out. In the end the company will only cover $2,500. So much for the copay assistance program. Of course they did not offer me any other option. So I asked if they had another assistance program (I already knew they did) and she said yes but I would have to qualify. Well guess what we qualify. It helps to be poor. :( Yeah! Now to wait for the four page application and then send it back to wait another few days and then maybe I can think about having my medication. Lets see how may road blocks I run into this time.
Stuff
Sunday, February 19, 2012 - Wow it has been a very long time since my last post. We have just been doing the school and work thing. Dylan has had a few struggles this school year that we are still trying to sort through but his grades are good. We have been dealing with peer issues and some ADD issues. These are things we have been dealing with since kinder but I am always told there is not a problem but this year I finally had a teacher come to me and tell me we have a problem. We are trying to figure out the best way to help him.
Emily is doing very well in school. I think she may pass Dylan in reading levels soon. We have had her tested for Talented and Gifted. We will not know any results until May. Learning just comes very naturally to her.
Things have been going very well for me at work. I still LOVE my job.
As for MS well..... Not so good lately. From my past posts you all know I have been off of medication for about 5 or 6 months. Not because I didn't need to be on it but because I am selfish! I hate taking my medication. Well, I will no longer have that option. I have been having MS symptoms that I can no longer ignore. I went to my ophthalmologist and he did his annual picture of my optic nerves and found changes in my left eye now. His report had not made it to my neurologist by the time I went in for that appointment this past week. But after telling my doctor my symptoms he is fairly convinced that my MRI will show progression. I will be going in for another MRI tomorrow afternoon to see what is going on in my brain. I will then start medication after that.
We will have to start from square one with medication again. This is a different medication than the one I was on before. It is not supposed to have the side effects but it is an injection everyday. Under our insurance they will cover $600 a month but we have to pay $2,600 a month for the medication. So once again we are going to have to pull some stings to get my medication paid for. There is no way we can pay $2,600 a month. Not even for one month.
I really need to learn how to post when things are good not just when there is new. :( I will post as soon as I have my results back from my MRI.
I HATE MS!!!!!!!
Emily is doing very well in school. I think she may pass Dylan in reading levels soon. We have had her tested for Talented and Gifted. We will not know any results until May. Learning just comes very naturally to her.
Things have been going very well for me at work. I still LOVE my job.
As for MS well..... Not so good lately. From my past posts you all know I have been off of medication for about 5 or 6 months. Not because I didn't need to be on it but because I am selfish! I hate taking my medication. Well, I will no longer have that option. I have been having MS symptoms that I can no longer ignore. I went to my ophthalmologist and he did his annual picture of my optic nerves and found changes in my left eye now. His report had not made it to my neurologist by the time I went in for that appointment this past week. But after telling my doctor my symptoms he is fairly convinced that my MRI will show progression. I will be going in for another MRI tomorrow afternoon to see what is going on in my brain. I will then start medication after that.
We will have to start from square one with medication again. This is a different medication than the one I was on before. It is not supposed to have the side effects but it is an injection everyday. Under our insurance they will cover $600 a month but we have to pay $2,600 a month for the medication. So once again we are going to have to pull some stings to get my medication paid for. There is no way we can pay $2,600 a month. Not even for one month.
I really need to learn how to post when things are good not just when there is new. :( I will post as soon as I have my results back from my MRI.
I HATE MS!!!!!!!
MS Walk
Sunday September 25, 2011 -
It is that time of year again. We are quickly approaching the MS Walk. It will be at the Dell Diamond on Saturday October 29th at 10 a.m. This is a great fundraising event to help those whose lives have been affected by MS. What is MS? Multiple Sclerosis (or MS) is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system (CNS), which is made up of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. Symptoms may be mild, such as numbness in the limbs, or severe, such as paralysis or loss of vision. The progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS are unpredictable and vary from one person to another.
How you can help……..
· Register for the walk and come walk with me to show your support. Registration is free but you can make a donation when you register if you would like.
· Make a donation on my fundraising page that will go to the National MS Society and help those with MS. I am one of those people that your money will benefit. I have used several of the MS Societies programs and will continue to for the rest of my life.
I hope I will see all of you there. If you have any questions please let me know and I will be glad to help. Thanks for all of your support.
Amanda
The After Photos!!!
Tuesday, September 6, 2011 - Well I promised pictures of my classroom today so here they are.
I am not sure the pictures do it justice. Thanks mom for your help!!!!! Classroom start up is very pricey.
My Classroom
Monday, September 5, 2011 - I have worked many hours the last two weeks getting my classroom ready. It is finished!!!!!!!! Here are the before pictures. I will post the after pictures tomorrow. :) You will not believe it is the same room.
School
Monday, September 5, 2011 - Dylan seems to be enjoying school and likes his teacher. Emily likes school some of the time. She does not like the fact that the day is so long. She is having a hard time adjusting to the 7 hour day. We also learned this past week that she does not like the fire alarm at school. They had a drill one day last week and she came home very upset. Hopefully, next drill they have will not upset her as much. Overall I think the kids are having a great start to the school year. We will see what happens in the next few weeks when things really get rolling.
First Day of School
Monday, September 5, 2011 - Happy Labor Day! Well I am very slow at getting these posted but here are pictures from Emily and Dylan's First Day of School.
New Addition
Monday August 22, 2011 - About a month ago we went and got my class pet. The kids have fallen in love with him and I think they are going to have a hard time with him being away from the house. We are turning into a zoo. I think I should start selling tickets. We have two kids, a cat, dog, fish and now the guinea pig. I think we are maxed out.
No Meds
Thursday, August 18, 2011 - Wow! It has been a busy couple of weeks and it is only going to get busier. I have been trying to get some stuff done for my classroom along with trying to get the kids ready for school. We have met Dylan and Emily's teachers and seen their classrooms. They are both excited. It is going to be very strange on Tuesday when I drop both kids off at school and not just one. :( I am soooooooooo ready for school to start though.
I had my appointment with my neurologist today. We discussed my medication. I told him I hate taking it. I hate thinking about taking it. So we have decided to stop medication for now. He said that since I am stable at the moment and me taking the medication is making me depressed, angry, etc. that we will stop for now. The pill is not an option because there are just too many BAD side effects. So yes me not taking the medication may end up being a bad decision but there is no way of knowing that for sure. I will go back in 6 months to see him and we will do another MRI in 6 months to a year and make our decisions based on that.
We also talked about my left leg. The one leg that always seems to have an issue. I am still having muscle spasms, of course. The last few days my leg has been stiff to the point that I can barely bend my foot back. He said he could send me for physical therapy to get on a stretching regimen but I told him for now I will try to get back into my yoga and see if that helps. If it doesn't I will be going to PT. Ugh! I know that will cost us another arm and a leg.
So I know some of you may be thinking "is she crazy for stopping her medication?" Maybe so, but for now I have to. It is very hard to explain what I go through in my head on a daily basis thinking about that darn medication.
I hope everyone has a great weekend! I know we will try to enjoy our last weekend with no homework.
Amanda
Emily's Graduation
Emily and her teacher Ms. Amy.Yes, these pictures are from Emily's preschool graduation in May, but I thought I would share them. Most of our pictures came out fuzzy, but we got a few.
Garrit (Emily's Boyfriend), Zachary and Emily
Happy it is all over with. Ready to move onto BIG school.
Garrit (Emily's Boyfriend), Zachary and Emily
Happy it is all over with. Ready to move onto BIG school.
Pain, Pain Go Away!
Monday, August 8, 2011 - So for the last year and half to two years I have despised cold fronts. Every time we have a front I am in pain. My legs hurt so bad to the point that I can not get out of bed at times. I am not sure how many days of work Jerry has missed because I can't get out of bed, can't sleep and am in pain. Well, apparently there was a slight shift in the upper level high last night that has been over us forever and guess what - I felt it. My left leg has hurt all day. I have taken Tylenol and of course it does not help at all. What will the first real cold front bring?
The other issues I have been dealing with for a couple of weeks is my vision in my right eye. It has been very blurry. I can not see far away or up close with it. Everything is blurry. I am sure the heat is the cause of the problem. Nerves effected by MS DO NOT like heat at all. They don't function very well. I am hoping and praying for some rain and cooler temperatures very soon. I am so sick of the heat!
Okay I promise my next post will be more positive. :)
Amanda
The other issues I have been dealing with for a couple of weeks is my vision in my right eye. It has been very blurry. I can not see far away or up close with it. Everything is blurry. I am sure the heat is the cause of the problem. Nerves effected by MS DO NOT like heat at all. They don't function very well. I am hoping and praying for some rain and cooler temperatures very soon. I am so sick of the heat!
Okay I promise my next post will be more positive. :)
Amanda
Argh!!!!
Monday August 8, 2011 - This is the time of year I curse insurance companies. Oh wait, that is every day. Jerry's office changes insurance plans September 1st every year instead of the beginning of the year. It is a pain for lots of reasons but the main reason is the plans are never the same so all the $$$$ that we have paid since January 1st toward our deductible somehow does not count. So we start over September 1st and then again on January 1st. This is why we had $18,000 in medical expenses last year!!!
So I have not seen the plan details yet but it is with the same company (that covers nothing) and our premiums are going up $1,000 a year and our deductible is going up $2,000 more. Argh!!! We can not get ahead. So needless to say I am trying to cram all the appointments in this month that I have to have. I have to go back for a follow up mammogram, so I will be doing that in two weeks instead of two months. Also, we have spent a ton of $$$ on occupational therapy recently for Dylan and I am sure all the $$$$ we just spent will not count for anything. On top of the fact that our insurance will only cover 6 weeks of therapy after we have shelled out $5,000.
Sorry I am griping but I just have to vent. I get so angry when it comes to this time of year because it never fails that we get screwed.
Amanda
So I have not seen the plan details yet but it is with the same company (that covers nothing) and our premiums are going up $1,000 a year and our deductible is going up $2,000 more. Argh!!! We can not get ahead. So needless to say I am trying to cram all the appointments in this month that I have to have. I have to go back for a follow up mammogram, so I will be doing that in two weeks instead of two months. Also, we have spent a ton of $$$ on occupational therapy recently for Dylan and I am sure all the $$$$ we just spent will not count for anything. On top of the fact that our insurance will only cover 6 weeks of therapy after we have shelled out $5,000.
Sorry I am griping but I just have to vent. I get so angry when it comes to this time of year because it never fails that we get screwed.
Amanda
Tea Party
Sunday August 7, 2011 - Here are some pictures of the tea party Emily and I had a few weeks ago. She was so thrilled she could not stop smiling. :) We had another tea party a few days later with some friends and she loved that as well.
Saturday I decided we would have a tea party for our breakfast. So it was Emily, Dad, Dylan and me. Afterwards while I was cleaning up Emily asked when we could have another tea party because that was not a real tea party. She wants one without the boys. ;) She is so full of herself.
The Results Are In......
Friday August 5, 2011 - My brain MRI came back stable. This is good! This means that my MS is stable and not progressing right now. I will meet with my neurologist on the 18th and I will let you know what he has to say after that appointment. He is not going to be happy with me.
I tried starting my medication again and I still can't do it. I know I need to take it and any other medication is going to cost me an arm and a leg but when taking medication makes you depressed every time you think about it is it really worth it? As much as I don't want to take the oral medication due to side effects that may be where I am headed.
I hate that my medication is a constant drain on me. Not just the side effects but also the mental drain is almost unbearable now.
I hope you all have a great weekend! Stay cool (I know my parents will ;) )I am going to try to post some pictures this weekend of some of our summer activities. I want to start posting more often. We will see if I can get off my rear and do it. :)
Amanda
I tried starting my medication again and I still can't do it. I know I need to take it and any other medication is going to cost me an arm and a leg but when taking medication makes you depressed every time you think about it is it really worth it? As much as I don't want to take the oral medication due to side effects that may be where I am headed.
I hate that my medication is a constant drain on me. Not just the side effects but also the mental drain is almost unbearable now.
I hope you all have a great weekend! Stay cool (I know my parents will ;) )I am going to try to post some pictures this weekend of some of our summer activities. I want to start posting more often. We will see if I can get off my rear and do it. :)
Amanda
MRI Done
Monday August 1, 2011 - Well, I made it through my MRI today. Hopefully, I will have the results in the next few days. I will share more info once I know anything. Hope everyone has a great day!
MRI on Monday
Thursday July 28, 2011 - Well, my MRI is scheduled for Monday. I can not wait until it is over. Thankfully we are only doing the brain again this time and not the spine. I am going to have to take a Xanax before. I hope that will help keep me calm. I will once again have an open MRI but it is still not open enough for me. I am so claustrophobic.
Need Sleep
Friday July 15, 2011 - Happy Friday! I am so glad it is Friday. It has been a rough week. I have had reactions to my medication twice this week and hoping to not have them tonight. On top of the shivering violently and feeling like I have been hit by a truck the next day I have insomnia. I have had two nights of about 2 hours of sleep. I lay in bed and I cannot go to sleep. I have also been having some of the same MS symptoms. The one that I can not ignore anymore is the constant muscle spasms in my left leg. It is so often now that I am in pain. I have also had a new symptom this week that I am choosing to ignore, the top of my right foot is numb.
I think the heat and lack of sleep is really starting to get to me. I am so sick of the heat. I cannot tell you the last time I spent anytime outside. The kids have even been complaining that they want to go out and play. It is hard for them to understand that I can't go outside when it is 100 degrees and play.
On a happier note....Emily and I are going to have a tea party tomorrow. She went to a tea party at a friend's house last week and we have been very excited to have our own. I have spent all week looking for a real tea set. I have found tons of children's tea sets and miniature tea sets that are reasonable in price but too small. We want a regular size floral (fancy) tea set. I did find some on eBay but they are way out of our price range. I ended up getting some mismatched pieces at Ross. I would still like to have a full set someday.
Dylan and Jerry are going to see Transformers tomorrow while Emily and I have our tea. I am not sure who is more excited about the movie. I am sure Dylan will come home and have to tell me all about the movie without pausing to catch his breath.
Well I guess that is all I have to report now. I hope everyone has a good weekend!
Amanda
I think the heat and lack of sleep is really starting to get to me. I am so sick of the heat. I cannot tell you the last time I spent anytime outside. The kids have even been complaining that they want to go out and play. It is hard for them to understand that I can't go outside when it is 100 degrees and play.
On a happier note....Emily and I are going to have a tea party tomorrow. She went to a tea party at a friend's house last week and we have been very excited to have our own. I have spent all week looking for a real tea set. I have found tons of children's tea sets and miniature tea sets that are reasonable in price but too small. We want a regular size floral (fancy) tea set. I did find some on eBay but they are way out of our price range. I ended up getting some mismatched pieces at Ross. I would still like to have a full set someday.
Dylan and Jerry are going to see Transformers tomorrow while Emily and I have our tea. I am not sure who is more excited about the movie. I am sure Dylan will come home and have to tell me all about the movie without pausing to catch his breath.
Well I guess that is all I have to report now. I hope everyone has a good weekend!
Amanda
Tired!!!
Thursday June 23, 2011 - Well we are all exhausted. Last night was the last night of VBS and we are beat. I am hoping for an early bed tonight. We had a good time but I am sure glad it is over. Now we have a couple of days to try to recoup before camp next week. I am sure the kids will be even more tired after next week. Bring on the crabby kids.
I am not feeling 100% today. My left leg is a little numb. I am hoping after some stretching and rest tonight it will be better tomorrow. The closer I get to my MRI the more nervous I get. I will not have it done until the end of next month but just having to think about it makes me crazy.
Well I think we are off to get snow cones to try to beat the heat. Have I mentioned I am ready for November?
Amanda
I am not feeling 100% today. My left leg is a little numb. I am hoping after some stretching and rest tonight it will be better tomorrow. The closer I get to my MRI the more nervous I get. I will not have it done until the end of next month but just having to think about it makes me crazy.
Well I think we are off to get snow cones to try to beat the heat. Have I mentioned I am ready for November?
Amanda
Stuff
Saturday June 11, 2011 - Wow it has been a very long time since my last post. I keep telling myself that I will be better about posting and then I am not. :( Well we have started our summer and I am ready for it to be over. The kids keep arguing and just can't seem to get along. I am keeping them busy but it does not seem to be helping. Maybe by the end of the summer I will have it all figured out.
Dylan is now officially a third grader and Emily is a kindergartner. I am not ready for either of them to be so BIG. Dylan is a little worried about third grade because he will now get letter grades. It will definitely be an adjustment for all of us. Emily I am afraid may be bored in Kinder. We have been working on worksheets and she did all the kinder worksheets last summer so I guess we will be moving onto 1st grade worksheets.
I had a great end to the school year and hated to see it end. I am, however, very excited about having my very own class from the beginning of the school year. I will have to post pictures when I start getting it put together.
Onto MS stuff.... I have still not been good about taking my medication so I had a nurse come out yesterday and do a retraining with us. I will basically start from scratch and hope I can stick with it. I am hoping that we learned a few tricks to keep it from hurting so bad. I really want to get better at taking it so I don't have to start taking the oral medication. I know you are thinking why would you rather stick yourself with a needle that take a pill. There are so many side effects with the new oral pills and I would have to spend tons of time under close watch. Some even in the hospital. Ugh! I don't have time for that.
My symptoms have not been any worse. Thankfully! I still have weakness in my left arm and leg, fatigue and muscle spasms in my legs and hands. I tend to ignore all my symptoms and just push through them. I don't have time to slow down!
I did see my ophthalmologist for a recheck recently and he said he was happy with my left eye. He thinks that what he is seeing is just the anatomy of my eye and not a cause for concern.
This summer I will have my annual MRI done and I also have to go in for another mammogram. Crossing my fingers that both come back normal with no changes. I will keep you posted.
I just registered for Walk MS Austin. It is on Saturday October 29, 2011. You can visit my page to make a donation or join me for the walk.
http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Walk/TXHWalkEvents?px=6864140&pg=personal&fr_id=17354
I hope everyone is enjoying their summer and staying cool.
Amanda
Dylan is now officially a third grader and Emily is a kindergartner. I am not ready for either of them to be so BIG. Dylan is a little worried about third grade because he will now get letter grades. It will definitely be an adjustment for all of us. Emily I am afraid may be bored in Kinder. We have been working on worksheets and she did all the kinder worksheets last summer so I guess we will be moving onto 1st grade worksheets.
I had a great end to the school year and hated to see it end. I am, however, very excited about having my very own class from the beginning of the school year. I will have to post pictures when I start getting it put together.
Onto MS stuff.... I have still not been good about taking my medication so I had a nurse come out yesterday and do a retraining with us. I will basically start from scratch and hope I can stick with it. I am hoping that we learned a few tricks to keep it from hurting so bad. I really want to get better at taking it so I don't have to start taking the oral medication. I know you are thinking why would you rather stick yourself with a needle that take a pill. There are so many side effects with the new oral pills and I would have to spend tons of time under close watch. Some even in the hospital. Ugh! I don't have time for that.
My symptoms have not been any worse. Thankfully! I still have weakness in my left arm and leg, fatigue and muscle spasms in my legs and hands. I tend to ignore all my symptoms and just push through them. I don't have time to slow down!
I did see my ophthalmologist for a recheck recently and he said he was happy with my left eye. He thinks that what he is seeing is just the anatomy of my eye and not a cause for concern.
This summer I will have my annual MRI done and I also have to go in for another mammogram. Crossing my fingers that both come back normal with no changes. I will keep you posted.
I just registered for Walk MS Austin. It is on Saturday October 29, 2011. You can visit my page to make a donation or join me for the walk.
http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Walk/TXHWalkEvents?px=6864140&pg=personal&fr_id=17354
I hope everyone is enjoying their summer and staying cool.
Amanda
Life has been busy to say the least
Friday March 25, 2011 - Life has been busy to say the least. I just finished my first week of teaching. It went great. I LOVE my job and look forward to going to work. I don't think I have ever had a job that I was excited to go to. It makes me a little sad that the school year will be over soon.
We started Dylan in a soccer academy and he likes it. I like it because he is actually learning skills. I think we will continue the academy until he is more comfortable on the field.
Emily wants to go back to dance class but we can not seem to fit it into our schedule right now. I am hoping that there is a class during the summer that will work for us.
I have been feeling okay. I am tired most days but go to bed early and just keep chugging along. I have been having a little more pain in my leg and arm this week but I am sure some of that is due to lack of sleep and added stress. I have had a lot of muscle spasms in my left leg over the last several weeks but I refuse to let it slow me down.
I found this link and thought I would share it.
http://www.youtube.com/v/UIBbgWabzUw?fs=1&hl=en_US
I hope everyone has a great weekend!
Amanda
We started Dylan in a soccer academy and he likes it. I like it because he is actually learning skills. I think we will continue the academy until he is more comfortable on the field.
Emily wants to go back to dance class but we can not seem to fit it into our schedule right now. I am hoping that there is a class during the summer that will work for us.
I have been feeling okay. I am tired most days but go to bed early and just keep chugging along. I have been having a little more pain in my leg and arm this week but I am sure some of that is due to lack of sleep and added stress. I have had a lot of muscle spasms in my left leg over the last several weeks but I refuse to let it slow me down.
I found this link and thought I would share it.
http://www.youtube.com/v/UIBbgWabzUw?fs=1&hl=en_US
I hope everyone has a great weekend!
Amanda
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