Category Archives: Life

Rainy Sunday

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Hello Sunday and the last day of the weekend☹, y’all! I knew it was going to be a rainy day, but what I did not know was how much my legs were going to hurt today. Of course, we lost an hour of sleep due to what I believe is the last time we will have to time change, but my cats were unaware of this and started to wake me up SUPER early. The older cat started walking all over my legs at 6:30 AM and it hurt more than normal. I think today is going to have to be a lazy day and I will not be doing anything strenuous. How are you planning to spend your day? What do you think of time change?

This is not something any of us should be thinking about because we do have the rest of the day before the workweek begins. Of course, I am always thinking ahead of time and am already planning my day tomorrow because it will involve dealing with the Gilenya nonsense again! I am hoping that things will go better with the MS medication tomorrow because I cannot deal with any more stress involved with this situation. I do think I am going to start today to try to find out if there are any other good neurologists where I live.

Do you enjoy rainy days? Honestly, I would much prefer to have rainy days when I am not working because it is an excuse to not do anything! Rain always increases my pain level. On the pain scale, my normal pain level hovers around a 4, but when it is raining it pushes up to around a 9. While I write this post, my pain level seems to be well past a 10. Unfortunately, there is nothing that helps the pain, so I just have to deal with it and not let it get me down.

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you have a wonderful and relaxing day. Is there anything that you can do to relieve your pain when it gets out of control? 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!

Always, Alyssa

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The Weekend is HERE!

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Happy Saturday, y’all! Let the two days begin with no work and hopefully, NO stress! After the past several weeks, all I wanted to be able to do today is to sleep in a little. Unfortunately, two out of three of my cats had other ideas and ganged up on me to get me out of bed even earlier than I normally get up. I love all three of my cats, but my goodness, the smaller one and the older one can be a little too demanding and needy. I hope the rest of the day can be somewhat relaxing and maybe even be able to take a short nap!

On top of being forced to get up MUCH earlier than I had planned, I woke up with severe pain. I am sure the reason for the intense pain is that to destress and release frustrations, I cleaned the house. I vacuumed the entire house and got on my hands and knees to clean the bathroom and kitchen floor. What do you do to destress and release your frustrations? I do still have a few more things to do before the house is completely cleaned, but it will not involve the vacuum. 

I hope today you can do something special for yourself because we all deserve this. Tomorrow it is supposed to rain all day, so I will be on the couch with the cats and watching something on TV, which will probably be reruns of my favorite show. What does the rest of your weekend look like? Do you have anything planned or will you just relax and chill? It is the weekend, so you do not have to do anything you do not want to! I need to try doing as little as possible because on Monday I will be back to work and dealing with the Gilenya situation.

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you have a wonderful and relaxing day. Remember to think about yourself because YOU are the only person that can make your life better. Many people always put others’ needs ahead of their own, but we can take a stand and make our own needs a priority. I look forward to reading your comments and I will respond as quickly as possible. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Medical Stresses

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The past several weeks have been filled with stress worrying about getting the medication I need for Multiple Sclerosis. I am not sure anymore which one is worse going without the medication, or the stress I have been under because of the medication. I know both could be bad, but the only one that could be detrimental to my health is stress. Plus, stress is terrible for everyone, but even more so for those with Multiple Sclerosis because stress and MS are not friends!  It is not like this is a medication for fun, it is necessary for my health.

With the Gilenya, I am not able to go without it for no more than 7 days, or I would be forced to start the long process again. Of course, since this medication has been helpful with keeping the MS at bay and semi-under control, I do not want to be without it for any length of time. This has been something that I have been on top of for weeks, and cannot understand why the doctor, who is supposed to care about her patients, has not been caring at all. Instead of doing what was needed, my doctor delayed this process for way too long.

I think it might be time to find a new doctor, one that cares about her patients! Doctors take a hypocritical oath. This oath requires a physician to swear upon a number of healing gods that he will uphold a number of professional ethical standards. I think my doctor might need a refresher on what this means because she seems to have forgotten! I do not think I am asking too much, I just want the medication that has been a lifesaver for me. All this does is make me miss my former doctor because he cared and would have already taken care of this.

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you had a nice week, and you have a wonderful and safe weekend. For those of you who must deal with doctors, remember how important it is to stay on top of them to ensure your medical needs are met. It is awful how much we must advocate for ourselves when our doctors fail us. I look forward to reading your comments and I will respond as quickly as possible. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Tuesday is progress

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Happy Tuesday, y’all! Surviving a Monday should make Tuesday seem easier, right? All I can say is, I sure as heck hope so because my day yesterday started off stressful. It was not anything that should have happened because I have been doing everything I needed to do regarding Gilenya, which is the medication I take for Multiple Sclerosis. I would not be as stressed if this medication was something affordable to a normal person, but this medication without the Gilenya Go Program would cost over $8,000 per month. This kind of price for a medication that is necessary to keep this unpredictable condition at bay is ludicrous.

After how stressful my week began, I am hoping today will be easier and far less stressful. Hopefully, my doctor’s office will get the things done they should have already done today and the medication I need will be shipped out to me. How was your day yesterday? I do hope your week started better than mine and that you have a great day today!

We made it through the hardest day of the week, so let’s hope the next few days go well for all of us. I would like to share a quote with y’all and hope that it helps you to view life in a better light. I really enjoyed this quote, so I hope it will bring a smile to your face. I think it is just a nice note to begin the second day of the week.

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you enjoyed what I have shared and the quote offers you peace, and good thoughts for the day. I am looking forward to reading your comments and 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

Motivational Monday

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Well, the weekend has come and gone so quickly again, but I hope you were able to enjoy it! It is crazy how fast Monday returns because it feels like it was Friday only a few minutes ago. I know most of us dread Monday morning, but at least the new week offers another chance to accomplish things we were not able to do last week. Did you do anything exciting over the weekend? I was able to pick out new glasses, which will not be ready for about two weeks. There is always a chance they will arrive sooner, but I am not counting on it. I was also able to get laundry completed and some minimal house cleaning done, but other than that it was a very chill weekend, which I needed!

Starting a new week and letting go of the short weekend is never easy, but we do this every week, and I think we will be fine! Of course, I do believe we should start the new week with the best of intentions and with a positive, and motivated mindset. I hope you will find the quote that I am sharing today motivating and it helps you to begin the week the best way you can! The only thing we can do is try the best we can and hope for the best during the week. I know last week felt like an eternity and it seemed like it would never end, but thankfully it did and we had a weekend to recuperate!

As we are at the beginning of another week, do you have anything you are looking forward to? As crazy as this might sound, I am excited that my supervisor will be back from her well-deserved vacation tomorrow. Yes, things were fine while she was away, but it is nice to have her support when it is needed. I am not sure if work will be any busier, but I am hopeful it will get busier soon. I know most people would love to go to work and it not be busy, but it makes the day drag so much!

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you enjoyed what I have shared and the quote motivates you through at least the first day! I hope you have a wonderful day and you avoid stress as much as you can because it is just not worth it. 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!

Always, Alyssa

My Thoughts

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There are so many things that take place in this world that I cannot understand. Trying to make sense of lunacy is pointless because there are no logical explanations or reasoning. The ridiculous levels of hatred and evil are baffling to me and leave me in fear of where the United States is heading. I have mentioned a few times that our government has failed all of us, which makes it seem that our country is broken. Is there a fix that can change things? Is there a way to make it so the United States can repair the damages that have occurred over the past numerous years? I am not sure anymore if the damage has been over years or decades. 

I am not blaming any specific political party because they both seem extremely weak. Why are there so many that believe they have the right to carry a gun and kill others? Why have there been so many school shootings and other senseless killings due to guns? Why has NO one done anything to fix these issues? Over the years, when there was a mass shooting in another country, the government in that country made changes and ended gun violence. Is it because in the United States, people misinterpret what the 2nd Amendment means? In part, I do think that is the case. There need to be changes made, so that people cannot make the 2nd Amendment read as they want it to read.

Happiness is free and available to everyone. Happiness is a choice that many do not make, which does not make sense. It is not difficult to do because even though everyone deals with challenges and hardships, life could always be much worse. Look at those out there that have lost loved ones, and struggle to find some type of normalcy in their life. Numerous people have been in an accident and possibility lost a limb, which must be difficult, but they do not accept defeat and keep going. Others may have a debilitating disease with no cure that cripples them, but they do what is necessary to keep living.

Why do so many decide that misery is easier, and they then try to bring everyone else down to their level? Why when something difficult happens due to an individual’s bad decisions, do they try to blame others and not accept responsibility? Is it difficult to accept when we make bad decisions and then must live with the consequences, absolutely, but it is not the end of the world, and we can learn from these decisions. Life is a journey, and we learn lessons through the journey, but it is what we do with these lessons that matter the most.

Why are people so scared when another person is different? Do you think if we were all the same, the world would be better or boring? I think it would be very boring. Why does anyone care who another person loves, even if that person is the same gender? Why is it so upsetting when a person is born one gender but decides they are the opposite gender? Do people really think anyone would make this kind of choice if it did not come from somewhere inside them? Everyone knows they will be judged and even discriminated against, so no one would make this choice if they did not believe it. I think it is the same when a person loves someone that is the same gender. I think people are born this way and why should we judge them for it? Love is love and we are all human beings with beating hearts and emotions!

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you have enjoyed your weekend and you have been able to recover from last week. I am aware that not everyone is going to agree with the things I have said in this post, but I would still like to read your comments. Our weekends are so short, but it is not over yet and we have a little bit longer to enjoy. As always, please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes! 

Always, Alyssa

31 Reasons

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Most likely many of you are aware that March is Multiple Sclerosis Awareness month. There are only 31 days to raise awareness of a disease that impacts and changes the lives of those living with the disease for the rest of their lives. Although I am sure there are more, I am going to share with you 31 reasons why I detest MS. Of course, I do not mean to sound negative, but this disease is anything but pleasant or easy to deal with. Please know these reasons are not in any specific order.

1. This disease is incurable and a lifelong condition.

2. Multiple Sclerosis is unpredictable and can strike at any time without any notice.

3. Neuropathy is something that can cause issues such as pain, numbness, tingling, weakness, and a pins and needles sensation.

4. Random and frequent headaches, which no one could ever get used to.

5. Numerous appointments with different doctors.

6. The expenses of medication are higher than they should be in the United States where free healthcare is not an option.

7. Vision changes can happen to anyone but seem more common with MS.

8. Multiple Sclerosis can be hard to control considering there are no answers to the causes.

9. Never-ending fears of losing mobility.

10. Constant daily changes.

11. Back Pain, which I have lived with for years in my lower to mid back.

12. Leg pain, mostly neuropathy. This can make walking challenging.

13. Heat intolerance, which living in the south can be miserable.

14. Weight gain due to the inability to exercise much because of the pain.

15. Sleeping troubles due to waking up with pain and not being able to fall back to sleep.

16. Frustrations! You can do everything the doctors recommend, but it does not appear to make a difference.

17. Memory issues.

18. Missing the feeling of being normal.

19. Adjusting to weather changes can be challenging. Too hot creates issues, but too cold can cause me to tense and cause even more pain.

20. Dealing with doctors that do not always listen or understand. Doctors may understand the disease as much as they can, but they have no idea what it is like to live with it. Studying and reading can only do so much.

21. Understanding what creates additional issues, such as food, lack of sleep, stress, etc.

22. Worrying about the possibility of progression. This has always been a huge concern for me.

23. No answers regarding the causes of the disease.

24. With the unpredictability, one needs to always have a backup plan. This may be easy, but it is not easy explaining to friends and family.

25. Trying to stay positive without any changes in medical progress.

26. Knowing the best medication for the disease can be different for each person.

27. MS Hug. This is a painful hug that no one would ever want!

28. Dizziness

29. Flareups and steroids can weaken teeth causing them to break easily.

30. Fatigue. It is difficult to always feel tired because you are unable to get enough sleep.

31. Trying to explain to others how one can appear normal but are always in pain.

I have always known that this disease can take away my mobility and it has terrified me since I was diagnosed. Of course, I am always aware that it could be worse because my form of the disease is minor in comparison. I used to believe this disease was a punishment for something I did wrong in life, but logically know that it is not. We all have negative moments in life and trying to push past those thoughts can be challenging, but also necessary. This disease does not discriminate and can happen to anyone.

It is always important to remember that no matter what we are dealing with in life, someone else is dealing with something worse. While I do detest MS, I do know that no of us will have to endure something that we cannot handle. Whether this is true or not, it does help me to keep moving forward. Plus, I did make my late grandfather a promise that I will never all this disease to get and keep me down.

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you have a wonderful weekend and you are able to recuperate from last week because I know it was a long week. I hope you found what I have shared today interesting and I look forward to reading your comments. 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

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Happy Friday eve, y’all! How has your week been? I cannot believe it is already March. It seems like the first two months went by fast, and apparently, even Mother Nature is confused because these temperatures in the south are insane! I mean the temperatures seem more like early summer rather than what March temperatures should be. Maybe I am wrong, but it should never be close to 80 degrees at the end of February! As most of you already know, I have lived with Multiple Sclerosis for pretty much half of my life, and the heat makes things MUCH more intense! 

The good news for today is, tomorrow is Friday, and the weekend is almost here! Of course, even though the weekend is much closer, we do still have one final day to get through, and I think we could all use a little pick-me-up. I do hope you will find the quote that I am sharing as a mixture of inspiration, motivation, and encouragement! Sadly, even though it is 2023, many people feel it is their right to judge another person. This could never be further from the truth because no one has the right to judge anyone else. Instead of judging, or deciding who is right or, who is wrong, we should all try to lift others up. Maybe it will take more than this to fix a broken country that has failed all of us, but I think it would be a step in the right direction!

With the weekend being so close, do you have anything planned for the weekend? My husband has to work all weekend, so I think it is safe to say that my weekend will be quiet and relaxing as I do not have to work😊! I might try to go to Vision Works to see if I can find another pair of glasses. I do have a new prescription and while I am going to get contacts, I would prefer to not be without my glasses for two weeks while the lenses get changed. I do not like wearing my contacts all day and always wear glasses after work.

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you enjoyed the quote that I shared today and I look forward to reading your comments. I will respond to all comments as soon as possible. Whatever you have planned for the upcoming weekend, I hope you enjoy every moment of it. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

First day of Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month

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Not only are we halfway through the week today, but it is also the first day of Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month. Of course, I am thrilled we are halfway through the week and that much closer to the weekend! How has your week been? I know there are still a few days left before the weekend returns, but is there anything you are looking forward to this weekend? This is out of character for me because I do not like or endorse violence, but there is a UFC fight happening on Saturday that I am looking forward to! The two fighters I am interested in watching are Jon Jones vs Ciryl Gane. Of the two men, I am hoping Ciryl Gane wins because Jon Jones has allegedly hit his wife, and I cannot support anyone who does this!

Normally, I enjoy writing about things during the awareness months because it is interesting and provides useful information to those reading, but this one is a little harder for me because it is not just one month out of the year this affects me. I must deal with Multiple Sclerosis 365 days a year, and it never gives me a break. It would be amazing to get a break from this disease, even if it was just for one minute, but it is something that refuses to take a break. Honestly, I do know it could be worst, and I have an easier form of it, but for lack of better words, it still sucks!

Anyone that has been following my blog for any length of time, already knows that I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis when I was 19 years old, which was over 20 years ago. It was a difficult diagnosis at such a young age, but in a way, it was better because I was able to start treatment early. Regardless of when I was diagnosed or how thankful I should be that I was able to start treatment early, it was terrifying because I knew next to nothing about the disease. This is just my first post of the month about Multiple Sclerosis and I plan to do more each week with the information I have learned during the years having lived with this not-so-fun and unpredictable disease. I do hope you will find the posts I shared with information useful!

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you enjoyed what I have shared and I look forward to reading your comments. Please know that I will respond to all comments as quickly as I can. I hope you have a wonderful day and remember that anything that does not get done today, tomorrow is another day. Please never forget that I am always sending y’all LOTS of love, comfort, support, and MANY positive vibes!

Always, Alyssa

Motivational Monday

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It is not easy to say this, but Monday is back again. I know it was not long enough, but I hope you had a wonderful and relaxing weekend. I have been working on the paper I am doing for the writing competition and I was unable to write about the continued neuropathy I have been experiencing, but I will get to that another time. Maybe someone can tell me why the weekends are so short and why Mother Nature is so confused about the time of year it is. I guess it might just be an issue in the south of the United States, but it should NOT be close to 80 degrees in February.

I guess it does not matter if we are ready or not because the new week has started. I really liked the quote that I am sharing with you and hope it is a little motivating. I think this is a difficult lesson to learn because I do not understand why people do what they do or behave the way they do, but that is not my job to fix them. Maybe they are right and I am wrong, but I do not think most of the things people get upset about, such as who people love or who they want to be because, at the end of the day, it has no effect on my life. I do not understand why there is SO much hate in this world and causing the high levels of mass shootings. Why can we not all get along and be more accepting? Why does politics have to create so much hostility and anger? Yes, there are things I am unable to accept, but I will not be hateful to someone because of their beliefs, even if it is the opposite of mine. 

Thank you for visiting my site today. I hope you enjoyed what I have shared and that you have an amazing start to your week. Even if today does not go exactly the way you wanted it to, I hope each day will get better for you. 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!

Always, Alyssa