Finally, good NEWS!

Posted on March 15, 2023 by Positively Alyssa

After over two stressful weeks of dealing with my Neurologist’s office and the Gilenya program, I FINALLY got good news late yesterday! Of course, it took me calling Gilenya at least once a day, sometimes more, and speaking to numerous different people all of which continued giving me the runaround. I have never experienced awful customer service as I did with Gilenya, but at least it is over for the next year and my medication is being overnighted to me. Of course, they made me run out of medication, but thanks to the nurse at my Neurologist’s office who also made several phone calls and faxed the prescription several times, all is behind me now.

Does it sound like I am asking for too much? The only thing I was requesting was to get the medication that I need for Multiple Sclerosis shipped to me in a timely manner so that I would not be forced to go without it. This medication is not something that I am wanting, it is something that is a need for my health, to keep the MS under control or at least under control as much as possible. It is not like Gilenya is some kind of recreational drug, so I will never understand why it took so much work for me to get this taken care of. What I have always known is, my cats do not like to see me cry and they have seen me in tears too many times lately.

When medication is required for someone’s health, it should not cause as much stress as Gilenya caused me. There are several things that can cause issues with Multiple Sclerosis to worsen, stress is one of them. Do you know how many other fully developed countries, like the United States, offer free healthcare? As far as I know, the United States is the ONLY fully developed country that charges a ton of money for health insurance and then charges more money for doctor’s appointments and medications. It is the most ridiculous nonsense I have ever heard of. Then these doctors, who I am sure are in the pocket of the pharmaceutical companies wonder why patients are so frustrated and their health fails!

Thank you for visiting my site today. I appreciate the kind words many of you have shared during the past few weeks, while I was dealing with this stress. I hope you are having a good week and you are feeling as well as possible. 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!

Always, Alyssa

Appointment Update and other thoughts

Posted on December 7, 2022 by Positively Alyssa

I was unusually nervous about my appointment today with the Neurologist. I always worry they are going to give me the bad news and that the MS is progressing. It is always something that weighs on my mind and remains in the back of my mind. I know it is irrational, but it is a concern that I live with. Thankfully, the appointment went well, and the PA does not think the MS is progressing. She understands that the issues I am experiencing are worse than they have been, but it is something we will be working on. There is another medication she would like for me to try to help the neuropathy pain, but I am not sure I am completely comfortable with it. She also mentioned a therapy that might help with the increased dizziness I have been dealing with as well.

The medication the PA would like for me to try for Neuropathy issues is Lyrica. If anyone reading this has tried this medication, please let me know how it worked for you and if it is worth trying or if I should not bother. I am a little nervous to try different medications and other neurologists have recommended this before, but I refused. Yes, I know I am stubborn and sometimes we must take chances. I would love to read your opinions on this!

I know the reason I did not sleep well last night is that my nerves were out of control. Crazy how being nervous about a simple appointment can keep you up at night or just not allow for a decent night’s sleep. Of course, I did wake up before the alarm went off, but I did wake up to good news! I do not live in the state of Georgia, but I was focused on the senate run-off election in the state. I was not and never will be a supporter of Herschel Walker because every word that came out of his mouth was a lie. Please excuse me for my next comment, but I did not think someone could lie more than the former President, but Herschel Walker proved me wrong on that!

I am not foolish enough to think any politician is honest, but to hear Herschel Walker speak his lies was offensive and a complete disgrace to the American people. I know how controversial abortion is and everyone has an opinion, but if you have already paid for several, you are obviously not against it. It is hard for me to support any politician because I think honesty is important, but it seems to be a lost personality trait in way too many people. Sometimes it might be hard to be truthful about things and it takes a strong person to overcome this, but it is critical to be truthful!

Is it just me or does it seem like people have lost the ability to be understanding and kind to others? This is something that bothers me tremendously because I feel that people should always be kind to one another. It does not matter if we agree with each other because we are never going to always agree with everything another person does. We are “supposed” to be living in a free country, which to me means we are entitled to our opinions. I know that I am firm in my beliefs and will not allow anyone to change my mind, but I also do not try to change how someone else feels.

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you have enjoyed what I have shared, and I do look forward to reading your comments. I will also appreciate any thoughts you may have about Lyrica. I hope you are having a good day and your afternoon is amazing! Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Tuesday Survival Mode

Posted on May 10, 2022 by Positively Alyssa

Tuesday is an indicator we made it through one of the hardest days of the week, Monday. Yesterday was a challenging and frustrating day for me for a few reasons. Work is getting busier, and people are getting more demanding. There are a few people I work with that are helpful and I can communicate with, knowing they respect me because they never talk down to me. Another person I have a lot of respect for the way she views things, however, she does not always respect me when speaking to me I guess everyone handles stress and busy days differently. Regardless of, how people chose to talk to others, I am trying to not let things upset me because, at the end of the day, it is not worth it.

Another reason yesterday became challenging is because the MS hug is back. It has been happening on and off, but when it is in full force, it is awful. The MS hug is the kind of hug no one wants. I am sure it feels different to everyone, but for me it hurts and takes my breath away, making it hard to breathe at times. I have no plans on letting my specialist know because I do not like their ways of healing it. I hate steroids more than most anything else. Steroids make me miserable and cause my personality to be altered and not for the better.

On a positive note, on June 10^th, one month from today, I get to meet my literary role model. I think of James Patterson as an icon with his writing. I view him as one of the best and most memorable authors of our time. His books are creative, engrossing, and captivating. Once I start one of his books, especially in The Women’s Murder Club series, it is nearly impossible to put down. I have thought a lot about what I will say to him during the brief encounter. I have decided to call him Mr. Patterson. He is an elder and deserves the utmost respect. I want to tell him how much I love his writing and how much I respect his abilities, and of course, I would love to know how he does what he does. Unfortunately, I also know my time will be limited.

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope your week is going well so far and that it only gets better as the days pass us by. Thankfully, we have survived one day of the week and have four to go, but I think we can handle it. Yes, each day brings us new demands and it takes determination and a strong will to make it. The truth is, this is never easy, but we are all strong enough to handle anything thrown our way. I look forward to your comments and will respond to them as quickly as I can. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Saying goodbye to unemployment!

Posted on March 20, 2022 by Positively Alyssa

Hello and happy Sunday! I know the weekends are short, but I hope you were able to enjoy yours as much as possible. The days are getting longer, and the weather is warming, which means summer will arrive sooner than some of us are ready for. I do enjoy summer because I love the beach, but the hot weather tends to cause me issues because Multiple Sclerosis and heat are basically enemies. Does anyone reading this post enjoy summertime? If not, what is your favorite season?

I am happy to say that today will be the last day I have to file with unemployment because I start my new job tomorrow. Unemployment has been extremely frustrating because it does not seem to matter how many hoops they make you jump through, they always have something to complain about. Honestly, I hated every moment being unemployed and it was the longest three months of my life.

Last week I mentioned I was waiting to receive the medication I take for Multiple Sclerosis. With Gilenya, you are not able to miss more than 14 days before having to start the process over again and it can be a long process. I waited almost two weeks to get this medication and was getting close to being off it for 14 days and ended up calling the office Friday afternoon with a lot of frustration. I guess I made myself clear to the pharmacist’s manager because she said she would have it overnighted to me. Thankfully, I finally received it on Saturday afternoon and will be fine for the entire year 😊.

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you are feeling well, and you enjoy the last part of the weekend. We all need to use today to prepare ourselves for the weekend ending and a new week starting tomorrow. I look forward to reading your comments and will respond as soon as I can. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Good News, Finally!

Posted on March 12, 2022 by Positively Alyssa

Hello and welcome to Saturday! Hopefully, you will have a nice, relaxing, and safe weekend! There are so many challenging and disturbing things happening in the world today and unfortunately, many of these challenges feel like they will not end. Ukraine is still under siege, but the people are staying as strong as they can. I admire the Ukrainian people’s determination and their President’s strong will to stand for his country. We all need a leader that has hope, loyalty, faith, and strength in the country they represent. I know I have said this in all of my posts recently, but please continue to pray for those in Ukraine because they need as many prayers and hope as we can offer.

After several days of being stressed about getting the medication needed to prevent my Multiple Sclerosis from progressing, I finally heard from the Gilenya Go Program yesterday morning. I was terrified I was going to be forced to go without the Gilenya for an extended period, but thankfully I am going to be receiving it on Wednesday. Missing three days of this medication will not cause too many issues, so my stress levels have decreased somewhat. I am fully aware of how bad stress is for everyone, but it causes me to experience unwanted relapses.

What do you have planned for the weekend? As always, I do not have anything super exciting planned, but I will be working on the essay for the writing contest and the short story I have been working on. I also have a few posts that I want to finish before the weekend is over. I am wanting to finish the book I have been reading by one of my favorite authors, James Patterson. I find James Patterson’s writing to be inspiring and amazing. If you were able to meet one author, would you want to meet? I think it would be amazing to meet and chat with James Patterson because I would love to understand where his thoughts and processes come from.

Thank you for stopping by my site today. I hope you enjoyed what I have shared, and I look forward to reading your comments. I promise to respond to all comments as quickly as I can. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Let It Go Friday

Posted on May 14, 2021 by Positively Alyssa

FINALLY, HAPPY FRIDAY Y’ALL

How has your week been? My week has felt all over the place from work changes and craziness to going back to the dentist. My appointment with the dentist yesterday was just cleaning, x-rays, and coming up with a treatment plan for all the issues with my teeth. With the combination of my insane and irrational fear of the dentist and all the medications I have had to be on due to the MS, there is some work to be done. Thankfully, the dentist is a very nice lady and her assistant is also very nice and they took their time going through things with me and explained things as needed.

Honestly, the changes and craziness with work are good. I have always been able to get along with most everyone else, but I am not my team lead’s biggest fan (I am not a fan at all). She is one person that I will try to avoid as much as I can because she is very unpleasant and creates a little too much frustration making me feel like I do not know what I am doing. Obviously, if I have a question about something, it is because I have not seen the issue before, not because I am not good at my job.

**The large one is Willow and the little one is Luna**

Very soon, I am going to be taking our two new kittens to the vet. All three of our cats have adjusted very well to one another and there has never been any fighting. I will say that our boy cat is about 11 years old and the most passive, good-natured, and loving little boy ever. The only issue with his passive nature is, the two girls will walk all over him and he lets them. I give the three of them their special Fancy Feast treats twice a day and if he walks away from the treat, one of the girls will start on his treat (mostly the little girl). The smaller of the two girls is absolutely fearless and very feisty, but the poor girl has breath that will clear a room out, which is why I want to take her to the doctor. The larger one of our girl kittens is about 11 months old and the smaller girl is about 7 months old, but the way they play with each other is hilarious! Poor boy cat runs away from both of them and he is not a small cat.

Now that we have finally made it through this week and the weekend will be here shortly, I think today is the perfect day to let go of any negative feeling the week brought on. The weekends are so short and we should be able to enjoy them the best we possibly can! Do you have any plans for the weekend? I know you will not be surprised, but I do not have any plans besides ordering groceries, cleaning house, hopefully writing some, and making progress with the book I started. I did want to share a quote with y’all that I hope will help you let go of any negative and unpleasant feelings to help you enjoy your weekend a little easier.

Thank you for visiting my site today! I hope you enjoyed this post and I am looking forward to reading your comments, which I promise to respond to as quickly as I can. I hope whatever y’all have planned for the weekend, you will continue to stay as safe as you can. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Finally, some good news!

Posted on March 12, 2021 by Positively Alyssa

Good afternoon y’all! I was not able to do my normal Let It Go Friday post, but do have an even better one to share with y’all! I hope you had a good week, and you are ready to enjoy your weekend safely! Do y’all have any plans for the weekend? We were thinking about going to look at kittens, but I think we are putting this on hold for a little while. We might hold off for summertime because there is a ragdoll mama that will be having kittens and they will be available!

There is always so much bad news we hear about daily, so when we finally get good news it is something to celebrate and share! I believe I told y’all that I was waiting for my reapproval for my Gilenya copay assistance. This medication had worked very well keeping my Multiple Sclerosis at bay, which is wonderful. The only problem with this medication is the cost. With insurance, but without copay assistance, this medication would cost $8,000 per month. Logically, who can afford something this outrageous?

I had mailed the application to the Gilenya Go Program about 2 weeks ago because I do not have a fax machine at home, we all know how slow mail is! Anyways, last week I received a request for additional information from the Gilenya Go Program. Thankfully, while I was at my doctor’s appointment last week, the nice ladies there faxed the paperwork that was requested for me. Today, I heard the BEST news I have heard all month, and my application was approved. Instead of paying $8,000 per month for this medication, I will pay nothing!

Of course, I have not had an appointment with my Neurologist to go over the results from my MRI, but I did read the report. From what I read and not having a medical license, it appeared that the results were stable, and nothing had changed from the previous MRI I had a few years ago. In my naïve and not professional thoughts, no change is much better than changes for the worst! This is all thanks to the Gilenya that I take daily for my MS. Previously, after I had an MRI, I dreaded the results because there were normally negative results.

I have an appointment on March 23^rd to hear my neurologist talk about the results in medical terms. I am not dreading this appointment because from what I read, my results are not awful and remaining better than they were in the past! I am just extremely relieved that my application with the Gilenya Go Program was approved and I will be able to get the medication every month, without any delays or problems!

Thank you for stopping by my site today! I know we are all busy and I appreciate you taking the time to read what I wrong, and share your amazing comments. I hope you have a great Friday and a fantastic, and safe weekend! Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Tranquil Tuesday

Posted on October 20, 2020 by Positively Alyssa

We Need More Tranquility Daily For Our Sanity!

Happy Tuesday y’all! How has your week started off? My week has actually started pretty great, except for the ridiculous pain in my legs. I am thankful that I do not need to leave the house and do not have to walk much, but it still hard to deal with. Honestly, if I did have to leave the house and go to an office, I might not be able to because the pain in my legs is just that awful. Anyways, enough of that negativity and onto more positive news! Things with my job are going very well and I have even been requested from at least one of our lenders. I have made nice with them and really enjoy working with the lender!

We have made it through one day of this week and have four to go! From how the week started, I am thinking it is going to be a good week! I have my first appointment with my new neurologist on Thursday and thankfully it is virtual! I have heard nothing but great things about the new neurologist, so I am actually a little excited about it. I do not want to get my hopes up too high because I do not want to set myself up for disappointment, but we will see how it goes! From my own personal experience I know the typical personality of neurologists, but hopefully this one will be different.

To try to maintain the much needed tranquility we all need during these very challenging times, I have found what I think is a great quote. I do look forward to reading what you think about it though because your opinions matter so much to me! I find your comments truly amazing and insightful! I will do my best to respond to all your comments as quickly as I can, which might not be until I get off work.

Thank you for visiting my site today! I hope you are having a good week and of course, you are staying safe. Times with COVID are unfortunately getting even more scary, but as long as we are following what the experts are suggesting we should be okay! Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Pick Me Up Thursday!

Posted on October 8, 2020 by Positively Alyssa

Happy Friday Eve Y’all!

I have some very good news for y’all! It is almost the weekend! How has your week been so far though? I do hope your week has been wonderful and your are of course, staying safe! I know none of you will be surprised, but I do not really have any plans for the upcoming weekend and as boring as it might sound, it is the kind of weekend I look forward to. I do not have to get up early or work 8 extremely long hours. I plan to catch up on my favorite show, General Hospital and maybe even watch a movie I have been wanting to watch for months now, Bad Boys For Life!

As this week is coming to an end and we only have one more day to get through, I think we could all benefit from a pick me up! I am hoping the quote I am going to share with y’all will give you the little pick me up and optimism we all need! I do of course, look forward to reading your very valued comments and I promise to respond as quickly as I can!

We all know there is so much going on around the world that is not all that positive, but we are all doing the best we can. Unfortunately, COVID-19 is getting even more dangerous each day.

When a leader of country doesn’t take it seriously, why would we think anyone else would? I am saying this because even though the president of The United States did in fact end up in the hospital because of the virus he said was nothing more than a hoax or not that serious, still is subjecting people to the virus by NOT wearing a mask! I am just asking y’all to please follow guidelines that were given by the experts and really do know what they are talking about. If only more people would have acted in a more logical manner months ago, 212,000 American’s might still be a live today. I am not trying to get political about this, but these are the facts I have learned over the past few months!

Thank y’all for visiting my site today! I always appreciate your continued support and love reading your comments. I try the best I can to not put in my posts anything political because I do not want to offend anyone and believe we are all entitled to our opinions. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and many positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Inspirational Wednesday!

Posted on October 7, 2020 by Positively Alyssa

Our Goal Should Be To Inspire Others Daily!

Happy Wednesday y’all! Can you believe it, we are finally halfway through the week? I still can’t believe it is already October and the new year will be here before you know it! I would really love to hear from you and know how your week has been so far! I say this because I am always interested in how things are going for you, I mean I already know how my week has been and knowing about yours will make mine better!

As we are getting so much closer to the weekend and we only have a couple days left, I believe an inspiration quote might help us a little! i have a slew of quotes that I love, but the one I am sharing today is a little new to me and I hope you will not only enjoy it, but also find it inspiring! I am looking forward to reading about what you thought and promise to respond as quickly as I possibly can!

I am still trying to do more posts, but sometimes working gets in the way. Then on weekends, I am so tired and do not have the energy. I appreciate y’all always being understanding and continuing to visit my site. I do want y’all to know that I do have several things I have started writing about and working on making them perfect for you to read or as perfect as I can get them. I am hoping to have at least one of them up and published before the end of the weekend, so please stay tuned!

Thank y’all for visiting my site today! I hope you are having a lovely week and you are continuing to stay safe. I am sure you will agree with me, but I am beyond ready for a little normalcy to come back to us all! I hope you know how much I am looking forward to reading about how your week is going and what you thought about the quote I shared with y’all. I do have one last question, are y’all enjoying the quotes I am sharing Monday through Friday? Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and many positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa