Maybe I'm Just Lazy: One Woman's Journey Through MS and Life: Emailing Mardene (rhymes with sardine)

Friday, November 09, 2007

Emailing Mardene (rhymes with sardine)

Mardine is my sister-in-law. My older brother John, after NUMEROUS failed engagements, married this lovely and vivacious woman who is a flame eating, unicycle riding, juggler with big boobs and a tiny waist last year (or was it the year before?). Anyway, after living in Hawaii for a few years, John and Mardene bought a house in Lake Tahoe but then decided to travel the country in an RV. We saw them when they came East in the summer BMSD (Before MS Diagnosis).

Mardene and I share our status as clean and sober women and we email each other. Here's our exchange about my MS...naturally, it's in the annoying reverse chronological order.

Julie,Hi there. I am sooo soryy for not getting back to you any sooner. I have not checked my messages in a couple of weeks. It seems to take sooo long with the lap top in the RV. We are almost home, back to CA, hopefully by next Wednesday. I am over being in the RV. We have done soooo well together. I am actually quite surprised. I suppose it's cause we really do love and even really and trly like each other.As for you, my dear Julie. I am soooo sorry that you are going through all of this. You really did explain things to me perfectly so now I understand better. Thank you for that. I wish I could help. I believe that prayers are always good. That will continue, from my heart to yours. I will let John know what is going on with you. After I get home I will keep in touch better. I am glad you are staying positive. Dancing is always good for the soul. I will keep you in my daily prayers. Stay in touch. Be good to you. Say prayers for safe travels.MAY GOD BLESS AND KEEP YOU,Mardene!!!>

Mardene,> Thanks for the prayers.> Hmmm. MS is very hard to describe. I don't totally get it myself. >It's all new to me. I was disagnosed after losing the vision in my right >eye and then starting to lose some in my left.> It is a disease of my brain and central nervous system so it can affect >literally anything (sight, mood, motor function, memory, reasoning, speech, >hearing, etc.) So far, I have lost probably 50% of the vision in my right >eye, more when I'm tired); I have electric shock feelings up and down my >spine and in my wrists, shins and ankles (also worse when I'm tired) and, >as of a few days ago, I have numbness and cramping from my right hip down >to my toes. The fatigue and the body temperature on on and off too. I am >VERY affected by heat and have what I imagine hot flashes feel like. I can >also feel like I need a nap shortly after I wake up in the morning.> I have to talk to my neurologist this week about the new symptoms to see >if I have to go back into the hospital for steroid infusions (outpatient, >thank God). I take a subcutaneous injection of a disease modifying drug 3X >a week, try to get extra rest, try to ask for more help, etc. so I guess >the answer is YES, it definitely affects my everday life. I used to keep a >lot of stuff in my head and I find that things slip through the cracks when >I do that now. Especially at work. I am having to learn new ways to >organize, etc. to make up for what could be MS or what could be just >getting old and/or stress.> I try to stay positive but I don't feel totally like myself. I went to >an AA anniversary dance last night and it was awesome. I danced and danced >and felt like me. Until I got overheated and had to sit down. But the >positive is that I danced and it felt good and I have to find more things >that feel good. Sex is always a good one and when we don't have child care >dilemmas, Ken is always happy to oblige.) I am trying to get power walking >again, but it's hard when the energy level is so low after work.> Long answer. :-) But you did ask.> Keep trucking...er...RVing> Hugs to my brother.> Julie>>

Mardene Baker wrote:>>Good Morning Julie,>>We have left Tony's. It was nice to stay there. He lives right on the>Canal in Cocoa Beach. He likes to smoke pot a lot though. I can only take>so much of that. He is a lawyer and he was gone most of everyday. I>enjoyed the house when he was at work. We went to a couple of meetings>while we were there. Now we are at Ft. Myers Beach. It is lovely here. I>have never been here. Just until tomorrow. We wanted to be at the Beach>with our RV.>>So, your friend wants to rock out in a RV? It certainly is a way of life.>The first one, the one we rented, those people had three kids and traveled>and lived in there 36 foot RV. WOW!!! That takes a lot of patience.>Please, do give her my address. Please tell her to put the topic of RV so I>open it.>>How are you feeling? I must ask Julie and I hope you don't mind. Do you>feel bad on a daily basis? I have never know anyone, personally, who has>MS. I would like to know what you feel. Has it affected your body and will>it and what is this process? I only read your blog once in a while, that is>why I am asking you to write to ME and explain so that I understand what >you>are going through. You are my Sister In Law. I pray for You... everyday.>You are the J in my A to Z in my morning prayers. Let me know how you are.>I don't get on line everyday. But, Just For Today.... I could. Have a>great Sunday. Be good to you.>>PEACE, LOVE AND BLESSINGS,>Mardene!!!>> >

From: JM Baker> >To: Mardene Baker> >I love Paella! I actually ate it in Madrid, Spain once.> >> > I have a friend who is thinking about taking her husband and two kids on> >the road for a year in a big RV like yours. Can I give her your email> >address? Her name is Liz and she is also a friend of Bill W's.> >> >> >

Mardene Baker wrote:> >> >Hi Julie,> >> >I am glad to hear back from you. We are in Cocoa Beach, FL. We staying> >with John's friend, Tony Hernandez. He said he never did meet you. He is> >cooking dinner tonight. It's called Paellea. It's a Spanish dish. We are> >getting the RV worked on. It should be ready by Friday and then we will> >head out west, back to where we actually live. We are doing well. I hope> >we can keep on chatting like this. Be good to you.> >> >PEACE, LOVE AND BLESSINGS,> >Mardene!!!> >> > >

From: JM Baker> > >To: Mardene Baker> > Thanks, Mardene. Where are you guys?> > >> > >
Mardene Baker wrote:> > >HI Julie,> > >I finally could get on line and check out your Blog. I love the Volvo. >It> > >looks like you are doing well. I am soooo glad that you got the car you> > >wanted. I h ope your body is strong and not bothering you. You keep up> >the> > >good positive blogging. Be good to you.> > >PEACE, LOVE AND BLESSINGS,> > >Mardene!!!

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MS is Lazy!

I just read this on an MS support group site and it made me feel better about feeling "lazy."

When the myelin covering on the nerves is lost/disappears/whatever it does, the nerves don't conduct brain messages nearly as effectively. It's kind of like the nerves have to find new pathways for the messages from the brain. So the messages are much slower in reaching their destination and it takes more energy, trying to find the right paths. This made a lot of sense to me and helped my not feel so 'lazy'.

The Spoon Story

I would love to give the proper attribution for this story but I have no idea where I found it! I think it may have been posted to an MS community site.

My best friend and I were in the diner, talking. As usual, it was very late and we were eating French fries with gravy. Like normal girls our age, we spent a lot of time in the diner while in college, and most of the time we spent talking about boys, music or trivial things, that seemed very important at the time. We never got serious about anything in particular and spent most of our time laughing.

As I went to take some of my medicine with a snack as I usually did, she watched me with an awkward kind of stare, instead of continuing the conversation. She then asked me out of the blue what it felt like to have MS and be sick. I was shocked not only because she asked the random question, but also because I assumed she knew all there was to know about MS. She came to doctors with me and she saw me walk with a cane. She had seen me cry in pain, what else was there to know? I started to ramble on about pills, and aches and pains, but she kept pursuing, and didn't seem satisfied with my answers. I was a little surprised as being my roommate in college and friend for years; I thought she already knew the medical definition of MS. Then she looked at me with a face every sick person knows well, the face of pure curiosity about something no one healthy can truly understand. She asked what it felt like, not physically, but what it felt like to be me, to be sick.

As I tried to gain my composure, I glanced around the table for help or guidance, or at least stall for time to think. I was trying to find the right words. How do I answer a question I never was able to answer for myself? How do I explain every detail of every day being effected, and give the emotions a sick person goes through with clarity.

I could have given up, cracked a joke like I usually do, and changed the subject, but I remember thinking if I don’t try to explain this, how could I ever expect her to understand. If I can’t explain this to my best friend, how could I explain my world to anyone else? I had to at least try.

At that moment, the spoon theory was born. I quickly grabbed every spoon on the table; hell I grabbed spoons off of the other tables. I looked at her in the eyes and said “Here you go, you have MS”. She looked at me slightly confused, as anyone would when they are being handed a bouquet of spoons. The cold metal spoons clanked in my hands, as I grouped them together and shoved them into her hands. I explained that the difference in being sick and being healthy is having to make choices or to consciously think about things when the rest of the world doesn’t have to. The healthy have the luxury of a life without choices, a gift most people take for granted. Most people start the day with unlimited amount of possibilities, and energy to do whatever they desire, especially young people. For the most part, they do not need to worry about the effects of their actions.

So for my explanation, I used spoons to convey this point. I wanted something for her to actually hold, for me to then take away, since most people who get sick feel a “loss” of a life they once knew. If I was in control of taking away the spoons, then she would know what it feels like to have someone or something else, in this case MS, being in control. She grabbed the spoons with excitement. She didn’t understand what I was doing, but she is always up for a good time, so I guess she thought I was cracking a joke of some kind like I usually do when talking about touchy topics. Little did she know how serious I would become?

I asked her to count her spoons. She asked why, and I explained that when you are healthy you expect to have a never-ending supply of "spoons". But when you have to now plan your day, you need to know exactly how many “spoons” you are starting with, which you wont know until you wake up. To answer your question we’ll start your day with twelve. It doesn’t guarantee that you might not lose some along the way, but at least it helps to know where you are starting. She counted out the12 spoons. She laughed and said she wanted more. I said no, and I knew right away that this little game would work, when she looked disappointed, and we hadn't even started yet. I’ve wanted more "spoons" for years and haven’t found a way yet to get more, why should she? I also told her to always be conscious of how many she had, and not to drop them because she can never forget she has MS. I asked her to list off the tasks of her day, including the most simple. As, she rattled off daily chores, or just fun things to do; I explained how each one would cost her a spoon. When she jumped right into getting ready for work as her first task of the morning, I cut her off and took away a spoon. I practically jumped down her throat. I said " No! You don’t just get up. You have to crack open your eyes, and then realize you are late. You didn’t sleep well the night before. You have to crawl out of bed, and then you have to make your self something to eat before you can do anything else, because if you don’t, you can't take your medicine, and if you don’t take your medicine you might as well give up all your spoons for today and tomorrow too." I quickly took away a spoon and she realized she hasn’t even gotten dressed yet. Showering cost her a spoon, just for washing her hair and shaving her legs. Reaching high and low that early in the morning could actually cost more than one spoon, but I figured I would give her a break; I didn’t want to scare her right away. Getting dressed was worth another spoon.

I stopped her and broke down every task to show her how every little detail needs to be thought about. You cannot simply just throw clothes on when you are sick. I explained that I have to see what clothes I can physically put on, if my hands hurt that day buttons are out of the question. If my shoulders and back hurt I wont be able to put on a bra. If my hair is falling out I need to spend more time to look presentable, and then you need to factor in another 5 minutes for feeling badly that it took you 2 hours to do all this. I think she was starting to understand when she theoretically didn’t even get to work, and she was left with 6 spoons.

I then explained to her that she needed to choose the rest of her day wisely, since when your “spoons” are gone, they are gone. Sometimes you can borrow against tomorrow’s "spoons", but just think how hard tomorrow will be with less "spoons". I also needed to explain that a person who is sick always lives with the looming thought that tomorrow may be the day that a virus comes, or a treatment reaction, or any number of things that could be very dangerous. So you do not want to run low on "spoons", because you never know when you truly will need them. I didn’t want to depress her, but I needed to be realistic, and unfortunately being prepared for the worst is part of a real day for me.

We went through the rest of the day, and she slowly learned that skipping lunch would cost her a spoon, as well as standing on a train, or even typing at her computer too long. She was forced to make choices and think about things differently. Hypothetically, she had to choose not to run errands, so that she could eat dinner that night. When we got to the end of her pretend day, she said she was hungry. I summarized that she had to eat dinner but she only had one spoon left. If she cooked, she wouldn’t have enough energy to clean the pots. If she went out for dinner, she might be too tired to drive home safely. Then I also explained, that I didn’t even bother to add into this game, that she was so dizzy, that cooking was probably out of the question anyway. So she decided to make soup, it was easy. I then said it is only 7pm, you have the rest of the night but maybe end up with one spoon, so you can do something fun, or clean your apartment, or do chores, but you can’t do it all.

I rarely see her emotional, so when I saw her upset I knew maybe I was getting through to her. I didn’t want my friend to be upset, but at the same time I was happy to think finally maybe someone understood me a little bit. She had tears in her eyes and asked quietly “How do you do it? Do you really do this everyday?” I explained that some days were worse then others; some days I have more spoons then most. But I can never make it go away and I can’t forget about it, I always have to think about it.

I handed her a spoon I had been holding in reserve. I said simply, “I have learned to live life with an extra spoon in my pocket, in reserve. You need to always be prepared” It’s hard, the hardest thing I ever had to learn is to slow down, and not do everything. I fight this to this day. I hate feeling left out, having to choose to stay home, or to not get things done that I want to.

I wanted her to feel that frustration. I wanted her to understand, that everything everyone else does comes so easy, but for me it is one hundred little jobs in one. I need to think about the weather, my temperature that day, and the whole day's plans before I can attack any one given thing. When other people can simply do things, I have to attack it and make a plan like I am strategizing a war. It is in that lifestyle, the difference between being sick and healthy. It is the beautiful ability to not think and just do. I miss that freedom. I miss never having to count "spoons."

After we were emotional and talked about this for a little while longer, I sensed she was sad. Maybe she finally understood. Maybe she realized that she never could truly and honestly say that she understands. But at least now she might not complain so much when I can't go out for dinner some nights, or when I never seem to make it to her house and she always has to drive to mine. I gave her a hug when we walked out of the diner. I had the one spoon in my hand and I said, “Don’t worry. I see this as a blessing. I have been forced to think about everything I do. Do you know how many spoons people waste everyday? I don’t have room for wasted time, or wasted “spoons” and I chose to spend this time with you.”

Ever since this night, I have used the spoon theory to explain my life to many people. In fact, my family and friends refer to spoons all the time. It has been a code word for what I can and cannot do. Once people understand the spoon theory they seem to understand me better, but I also think they live their life a little differently too. I think it isn’t just good for understanding MS, but anyone dealing with any disability or illness. Hopefully, they don’t take so much for granted or their life in general. I give a piece of myself, in every sense of the word when I do anything. It has become an inside joke. I have become famous for saying to people jokingly that they should feel special when I spend time with them, because they have one of my "spoons".

Maybe I'm Just Lazy: One Woman's Journey Through MS and Life

Friday, November 09, 2007

Emailing Mardene (rhymes with sardine)

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Maybe I'm Just Lazy: One Woman's Journey Through MS and Life

Friday, November 09, 2007

Emailing Mardene (rhymes with sardine)

No comments:

Post a Comment

Sharing is Nice

Subscribe

Where are you?

MS Books and Related Titles

MS Blogs

The Facts of MS

Info About MS

Who Gets MS?

MS is Lazy!

Blog Archive

The Spoon Story