Living life with a chronic illness is definitely not easy. But I do my best to push through all the barriers this illness puts in front of me! In my heart and mind, I believe maintaining a positive outlook on all situations in life will carry us through to much better times! I hope you find the information that I provide both helpful and inspirational!
Happy Friday Eve, y’all! I had to stop calling this post, Pick-Me-Up Thursday because I prefer to bypass that and think of it as Friday Eve. For me, this helps me know the week is almost over. Of course, I have been looking forward to the end of this week since Sunday night, so I need all the help I can get! How has your week been and are you looking forward to the weekend as much as I am? I had mentioned that Tuesday was super busy at work, which I did know was due to several other people being out because yesterday was back to not being as busy. Today, I have an hour of training for a new process at work, which should be interesting.
Even though I am not calling this post-Pick-Me-Up Thursday, I still believe we could all benefit from something that will help us through the rest of this week. I hope the quote that I am sharing will serve as a pick-me-up, inspiration, and motivation! Allow me to explain why I love what this is saying as much as I do. I think most of this has to do with how our society is and why people care way too much about how much money another person has, their social status, or what their job title is when none of those things matter in the bigger picture. The only thing that truly matters is how we treat other human beings because NO one is better than anyone else!
Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you enjoyed what I have shared and that you found the true meaning of the quote. I would love to read your comments, and I will respond as quickly as I can. Of course, my response will probably be when I get out of work today. I hope you have a wonderful day! Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!
Congratulations, y’all, we have made it halfway through this week, and the weekend is SO much closer! How has your week been so far? Yesterday was a SUPER busy day at work, but it was only because there were a few people out, and I had to be about three people. It was hectic, but the day went by fast. The one good thing was, I did learn something new that I am sure will be very helpful in the future. It is crazy, I have been with my company for a year now and I just learned this new task! I enjoy learning new things and feel it will make me a more beneficial asset.
Now that we are halfway through this week, and we can feel how close the weekend is, I think we could all benefit from a little inspiration to get us through the last part of the week. The first part of the week is normally the most challenging, so I believe the last part will be a breeze, or at least I hope it will be. I hope you will find the quote that I am sharing as inspiring as I did. Of course, the reason why I found it so inspirational is because I am my own worst critic and will be twice as harsh on myself as anyone else could be. It stands to reason that even though there are so many other obstacles faced each day, I end up being one of my obstacles. I just hope this is not something you find yourself doing as well.
Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you enjoyed the quote that I shared and you are having a good week. I am looking forward to reading your comments and I will respond as quickly as I can. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!
Here we are again, at the beginning of a new week! I hope you had a nice weekend and are ready to start this week with the best mindset possible. I know most of us are not excited about the new week, but we have an opportunity to accomplish some amazing things. Of course, it seems like it is going to be another long five days, and maybe that is partially true, but maybe this week will be the best one yet! Yes, I know the weekends are way too short, but the weekend will return, again!
I know it is not easy, but it is best to begin the new week motivated and determined. I want to believe this week is going to be a great week for all of us. I hope the quote that I am sharing with help provide everyone reading the motivation needed to get through the week, and that each day will get better. We are all more than the way we look on the outside, and our souls are much more important and much more beautiful. This is the only thing that will never change no matter how much we age. We all need to treat others with respect and kindness, which will not only help, us to stay motivated but may also motivate someone else to do more with their lives!
How was your weekend? Did you manage to do something that makes YOU happy? Or, was your weekend spent doing what makes others happy? I find it is easier to make others happy because that makes me happy. I want to make sure those around me have what they need in life and that I have been able to take care of them. The one HUGE thing that happened for me over the weekend was, I slept in past 7 AM!! This rarely happens!!
Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you enjoyed what I have shared and I hope you have a wonderful day! I do look forward to reading your comments and I will respond as quickly as I can. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!
The life we are living can often feel as though we are constantly dealing with an uphill battle. Or maybe a journey we are not meant to be traveling down. The moment one struggle subsides, another one appears nearly immediately. There may be many times during a week you wonder when life will get any easier, only to realize it probably is not going to. Understanding this fact does not mean you are accepting defeat, but instead, you are learning to realize your strengths and understand that you are courageous enough to handle anything.
When we know that someone else is experiencing a challenging or bumpy road and may feel like they are drowning in the turmoil of life, we can understand this feeling because we have been there before, and maybe recently. In a moment we must decide to offer advice or be a shoulder for that person to lean on because that is part of being empathetic and what humanity is supposed to mean.
As I have mentioned many times, I thought the waves of my life had come crashing down on me more furiously than I was prepared for. This tidal wave event was on the day more than twenty years ago when the doctor told me that I had Multiple Sclerosis. I was only nineteen years old and was terrified because I did not know what the rest of my life had in store for me and considering my young age, I did not want to know. I had recently uprooted my life to a new state miles away from everything I had ever known and did not know too many people. I was a nineteen-year-old girl, newly diagnosed with an incurable disease, in a new state, and in a failing relationship, I believed at that time that things were only going to get worst and would never improve.
Do you ever question all your decisions in life and wonder why things went so terribly wrong? Was it because of a bad decision that you made or just an unusual faith? Of course, I have always been the type to second guess myself and often to see that I was not as wrong as I thought I was. I do believe that in life, most of us live and learn. All the lessons learned in life, make us a better version of who we were yesterday.
I used to believe and sometimes still do believe that Multiple Sclerosis is my punishment for something I have done wrong in life. I cannot tell you what I thought I am being punished for because I cannot imagine what I did so wrong to deserve such punishment, but on days when my pain level is at its highest, it does not seem like anyone should have to endure that level of pain if they do not deserve it. What I have come to realize is, we are not being punished for anything we did wrong when we are diagnosed with an incurable disease, it is just the way life is supposed to be. I do not know why this would occur to anyone, but I do know we should do anything and everything we can to hold our heads up high and be proud of the accomplishments we have made so far in life.
I am sharing all of this with you because I want you to know and fully accept that no person deserves what they must face in life, and they are facing such hardships because they are STRONG enough to do so. Maybe they will be able to shed light on things to others when another is feeling down and like they cannot carry on. It is important to be proud of yourself because it is an accomplishment to still be here on this earth, even though you feel like life is too challenging.
Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you are having a wonderful weekend and you are doing the things that bring you joy! This post is meant to encourage you and to help you realize that all of the challenges we endure in life are only making us stronger. We all feel weak at times and that is okay, but it is critical to try picking yourself up and pushing yourself forward. I am looking forward to reading your comments and I will respond as quickly as I can. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!
Although it has been 20 years since I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, there still has not been a cure discovered. When I was diagnosed, there were not many disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) available and the ones that were offered were all injection based. I will never forget the first two I tried because they failed miserably. To be 100% honest, it may not have been the medications that failed, but instead, I was at fault because I found it too difficult to give myself a shot. Of course, injecting yourself with a sharp needle is challenging, but I think that the after-effects were much more miserable.
One can experience side effects with any medication, which I believe is because most medications, no matter how helpful they seem are poison and they require another medication to combat the symptoms. I guess you could say that big pharma knew exactly what they were doing to keep their pockets filled deep and everyone else to be broke.
During the past twenty-plus years, which is more than two decades, there have been many improvements and advancements in the treatment for those living with Multiple Sclerosis. The DMTs are no longer only injection-based and there are now a variety of medications available. Not only are there numerous medications to choose between, but most have copay assistance programs making the medications more affordable. These copay assistance programs are very beneficial, especially, if you lived in the United States where healthcare and medications are outrageously expensive.
In the rest, of this post, I am going to share the different types of medications available for Multiple Sclerosis and if there are copay assistance programs available. Please be advised and understand that I am not a medical professional, nor am I providing any advice on the best medications to try. The information in the remainder of this post is all information I have discovered through the years and research.
I am going to start with my least favorite type of DMT, which was the only type available when I was diagnosed.
Injected-Based Medications:
Rebif, an Interferon beta medication was the first medication I “tried” after my diagnosis. This medication is taken three times a week and at least 48 hours apart. Rebif is administered subcutaneously, which means you are injecting the medication with a short, thin needle just under the skin. Rebif offers three injection options: the Rebif prefilled syringe (which is what I had), the Rebif II autoinjector, and the Rebif Rebidose Autoinjector. There are two options or dosages, 22 mcg, and 44 mcg. The following link will take you to the website for Rebif’s copay assistance. https://www.rebif.com/home/1-on-1-support/Financial-support-specialists.html.
Copaxone was one that I did try for a short time. Both myself and my doctor knew it was not working well enough for me as I had already proven I was terrible at giving myself injections. This type is also given three times a week and at least 48 hours apart. It is best to do the injections at the same time and day each week. Copaxone 40mg can be administered with autoinjector 2 in a glass syringe. There is a copay assistance program for this medication, which you can visit at the following link. https://www.copaxone.com/shared-solutions/copay-assistance.
Avonex is a once-a-week medication. This is a 30-mcg intramuscular self-infection that is injected into the muscle. Avonex is available in two ways. One way is the Avonex pen which is a single-dose autoinjector. The second way is an Avonex prefilled syringe that allows you to inject your weekly dose. Copay assistance for this medication is available, so if you are interested in this, please see the following link https://www.avonex.com/en_us/home/support-and-events/financial-information.html
Although, oral medications are easier and do not involve needles, not all oral medications will be the most effective treatment for everyone. I am going to share the oral medications that are currently available and if there are copay assistance programs available.
Tecfidera was one that I did try, but it was because I was having issues with increased headaches, and everyone I know (not my doctor) was blaming them on the Gilenya. This medication is taken twice a day with or without food. This medication does have a copay assistance program available to help with the costs. Please see the following link if this is something you are interested in. https://www.biogenoptions.com/en_us/home/biogen-support-services/financial-insurance-cost-assistance.html
When on Vumerity, during the first week, the patient would take the starter dose of 231 mg as one pill twice a day. After the first week, the patient would begin the regular dose of 462 mg as two pills twice a day. As with all the others I have gone over so far, this medication also has a copay assistance program. https://www.vumerity.com/en_us/home/biogen-support-services/financial-support.html
With Bafiertam, during the first week, the patient could take the starting dosage of 95 mg, which a day. After the initial seven days, the dosage would increase to the normal dose of 190 mg twice a day. Copay assistance for this medication is available, please see the following link to learn more https://copay.bafiertam.com/
Gilenya is the medication that I have been on for many years. The first dose of 0.5 mg needs to be monitored for at least six hours by a healthcare professional. After the first dose, this medication is taken once a day with a daily dosage of 0.25 mg. There is a copay assistance program, which is a lifesaver as this medication is insanely expensive. For a better understanding of the copay assistance that may be offered, please see the following link https://www.gilenya.com/ms-pill/co-pay
Zeposia is another type of oral medication that I have not heard much about and it surely was not an option when I was diagnosed. This medication is taken once a day as well. There is a copay assistance program available, please see the following link for further information. https://www.zeposia.com/multiple-sclerosis/copay/
Another oral medication that I am not too familiar with, and it was not available when I was diagnosed is Ponvory. This medication is a once-a-day pill, but it does involve a special way to begin the medication. There is copay assistance available for this medication, please see the following link to view more information https://www.janssencarepath.com/patient/ponvory/cost-support
There are numerous other options available to treat Multiple Sclerosis and so many more than I was offered when I was diagnosed. Of course, I do encourage anyone who has been battling with this disease for years or those who have been recently diagnosed to do research on different medications. I am including a link to the Multiple Sclerosis Society, as this website explains the different types of medications available and if there are any assistance programs available.
I do think it is also good to talk with your specialist because they should be very knowledgeable about the medications that are available. I did share several in this post, but I did not want to make you read about so many medications, when you can read about the types that seem appealing without reading as much as I have already shared. Plus, I do not want to encourage anyone to try any medications because again, I am not a medical professional. The only thing I know is, I have been fighting this disease for over 20 years and I am still waiting for a cure to be available.
Thank you for visiting my site today. Even though I am not making any suggestions on the best medications, I hope the information I shared regarding copay assistance was helpful for you. Considering I have been dealing with these copay assistance programs for a long time, I am happy to help if you should have any questions. I hope you are having a lovely weekend and I am looking forward to reading your comments or questions, which I will respond to as quickly as possible. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!
Finally, it is Friday, and time to be released from the hectic chaos of the workweek! How was your week? I think our workweeks are far too long, and our weekends are WAY too short! How would you feel about a four-day workweek and a three-day weekend? Yes, that might mean the work days are longer, but would it not be worth it to have a long weekend? I would be happy to work 10-hour days if it meant, I could enjoy a long weekend, which would be wonderful! I guess that is easy for me to say because I do work from home, but it is still a struggle to get through the weeks!
As y’all already know, I think Friday is the perfect day to let go of all the stress and negativity the week may have created. There is NO point bringing those feelings into a weekend that is already WAY too short! I hope the quote that I am sharing with you today, helps you to let go and just enjoy the weekend. We all can agree, Monday will be here before we know it, so some things can wait a couple of days! I know it is not easy, but there are some things that we must let go of and be released from. This may be something in our personal life or our professional life, but once we are free from whatever is weighing us down, we will feel much better and FREE! Do you agree that it would be wonderful to feel a heavy weight lifted off our shoulders? I know I think it would be an amazing feeling!
Now that we have finally made it through the week and the weekend is hours away, do you have anything planned? I used to hate when people asked me that when I was working in the office because I had just spent an entire week doing something that I was forced to do, and I just wanted a little peace, and quiet. Therefore, I am happy to say I do not have anything that I have to do this weekend, however, I do have a few things that I want to do!
Thank you for visiting my site today! I hope you enjoyed this post and the quote I shared with you. I am looking forward to reading your comments and I will respond as quickly as I can. I hope you have a lovely and enjoyable weekend! Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!
Happy Friday eve, y’all! I hope you have had a good week, and that you are looking forward to the upcoming weekend. Remember, this is your weekend, and you do not have to make any plans, but you can if that is what you want to do. My plans for the weekend are to, hopefully, sleep in a little because that is normally something that I never do. I also do not plan on doing anything that is not something that I want to do. Of course, one thing besides sleeping in that I want to do is to clean the house because I do enjoy cleaning the house and getting things organized. This is something that makes me feel accomplished😊! I also want to do at least one more post for Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month!
Do you believe there is power in positive thinking? Is it possible that our thoughts send positive or negative thoughts out into the universe, and those thoughts can become our reality? If we try turning a negative situation into something positive, is it possible that we can change the outcome? Unfortunately, I do think it is possible most people will become consumed with whatever challenge they are dealing with at any moment and cannot see a positive outcome or anything positive at all. It is easy to feel there is no way out of a negative situation and drown in the darkness, but it does not need to remain this way.
There is a chance that I am wrong, but I do believe something is amazing about positive thinking. It may not always work, but what would it hurt to at least try? Life is still going to keep going, and time is not going to stop, so it will not harm anything or anyone to try to think positively😊! What if we try to think more positively and start seeing great changes in our life? Maybe one at a time, we can start making some truly amazing and positive changes in the world! I hope you will find the quote that I am sharing helpful and that it provides you with the pick-me-up we all need on Thursday!
Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you enjoyed what I have shared and the quote was beneficial. We have almost reached the end of this week, which I think is a blessing. My week was not too bad, but I am ready for it to be over and hope I can have a few days with NO complaints or argumentative attitudes. I am looking forward to reading your comments and I will respond as quickly as I can. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!
We have made it through the first half of the week successfully, now we just have a few more days before the weekend will return! I tend to think the first few days of every week are always the most challenging, but what do you think, is it the first few days or the last few days? The first days of my week provided me with an amazing surprise as I received several fantastic compliments at work. I do not know about you, but I find people are quick to complain or make negative comments, and rarely pay compliments to others. I do not work to get recognition but work to provide the best service I can, so when it is noticed, I am shocked!
The weeks tend to feel long, and at the halfway point, I think we could all use a little inspiration because we know there are a few more days left. I want y’all to read and reread this quote because I want you to be reminded of how successful you are, and how much power you have within you. Each decision we make during our lives may provide us with new possibilities, and we need to take time to notice them. Some of these possibilities and opportunities may seem small, but in the bigger picture, everyone is extremely important.
What has been the best of your week so far? Of course, I am sure it will end up being Friday because that will mean the week is finally over. Do you have anything planned for the weekend? The only thing I am planning to do is, try to sleep in a little, clean the house again, do laundry, and attempt to finish the article I am writing for the competition. I am still unsure if anything I write will be good enough, but if I do not at least try, I will always wonder what might have been.
Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you enjoyed what I have shared, and I am looking forward to reading your comments. I will respond to all of your comments as quickly as possible. It is important to know that there are people out there that appreciate you and all you do, even if they fail to let you know! Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!
How is it already Monday again? Does it ever feel like the “weekend” was nothing more than a dream or a wish? It always seems like the weekend goes by way too fast. I think it would be amazing if the workweek was four days, and every weekend was three days😊! Even if this was the way things went, the weekends would NEVER be long enough. How was your weekend? I did not do much of anything, but I was able to sleep in a little on Sunday, which was a HUGE difference for me. Normally, I am awake every day by 7:15 AM, and yesterday I did not get up until a little after 8:00!
We should always try to begin our week with a positive and motivated mindset. Yes, I do understand it is not easy, but it is better than starting a new week with a negative mindset because then the entire week would be negative. Even though it is not easy to say goodbye to the weekend and get back into the normal workweek, how do you do this? Of course, we do not have a choice, but we can decide how we will proceed with the week. Is there anything you are looking forward to this week? I just try to have hope for a good week and that my workweek will be and stay busy. I have my normal one on one meeting with my supervisor tomorrow, but as crazy as this sounds, I enjoy meeting with my supervisor!
I mentioned in another post that I was thinking about doing another writing competition. The due date for this competition is not until May, and I already have it mostly completed. The only problem I am having with this is, I do not ever feel like my writing is good enough. Yes, I know I am the only one that can change this, but I do not know where to begin with building confidence in myself or my abilities. How do you build confidence in yourself? Unfortunately, this is something I have not been able to learn.
Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you enjoyed what I have shared and I hope your week goes well. Even if Monday does not go great, each day afterward gets better until we make it back to the weekend. I am looking forward to your comments and I will respond as quickly as I can. Please never forget I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!
Our emotions are powerful, strong, intense, and can be terrifying. We can experience numerous forms of emotions each day and may feel several of these emotions simultaneously. Not all of the emotions we encounter will be positive and enjoyable, but there will also be negative emotions that we will need to handle and adjust to. Of course, positive emotions are always welcomed, and “most” people will not have any complaints. Unfortunately, there are some people that can find a reason to complain no matter how well things are going in their lives.
Negative emotions can impact anyone’s life. Positive or negative emotions do not discriminate and will invade your life, heart, and mind without notice. There is a part of me that believes that some negative emotions, such as anger, can create positive changes because we may feel so much anger, we will do whatever it takes to fix the situation. What do you think about this, is anger only a negative and cannot ever have a positive outcome?
Overall, I try to avoid negativity because this can be toxic, and some people may allow negativity to consume their lives. For anyone that can turn on the news and not feel angry, I would love to know your secret. I mostly try to avoid the news because I cannot help but feel outraged by what I see. There have been too many countless incidents of gun violence where innocent people have been killed, or law enforcement killed unarmed people instead of trying to de-escalate the situation. I do understand people protesting against the many wrongs that have occurred such as Roe vs Wade being overturned or when law enforcement kills innocent and unarmed Black Americans because this is just cowardly.
Recently, I did see a news segment that was positive and displayed what justice should be. It has been said that on Tuesday, the former President, Donald Trump is going to be formally indicted. Do I truly believe this man will spend any time behind bars as he deserves, probably not, but I can hope this will happen. No person should be allowed to get away with any crimes and it should not matter if the alleged criminal was a former President. The shame for their criminal behavior falls on them for behaving in an unethical and deplorable manner, but also on those that will vote for him again in the 2024 election.
What do the terms anger and justice mean to you? According to the dictionary, anger is a strong feeling of annoyance, displeasure, or hostility. Justice is the ethical idea that people will be treated impartially, fairly, properly, and reasonably by the law and that laws are to ensure that no harm befalls another, and that, where harm is alleged. I feel like many people have forgotten what justice means because it is rarely seen in the United States. If people have money, they can get away with any criminal acts they do and this should NEVER be the case! If any ordinary person did any of the criminal acts the former President did, there would be no questions, and they would be in jail. No person is and should have be above the law!
Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you enjoyed what I have shared, and that you are having a good weekend. Unfortunately, our weekends are short and we are close to the end of it, but hopefully, you are able to enjoy the last day before the workweek starts again. I am looking forward to reading your comments and I will respond as quickly as I can. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!
Fightmsdaily 