Welcome Mammaw... I too, am a 'gamma'... welcome aboard! For the record, my 'real' name is Marlene... I use NRaye as a login sometimes... it's in honor of my sister Nancy Raye who died in 1992 from a brain aneurysm. She was my best friend.
I am off to take a class right now but will return to write more later... just didn't want you or Gracie to think that I'm ignoring you
Marlene

Greetings to all of you!
I went back to my neuro on Monday and received some good news for a change. My vision seems to be stable with slight improvement. My pupil defect has even improved a bit. I actually identified all the color charts which indicates that my optic nerve has resumed more normal functioning. This is great news especially now. I won't have to go back again for 6 months as long as there are no other symptoms. I have 3 weeks before foot surgery now. I have lost a few pounds and feel better but still have a long.....long.... way to go
see you all later
gracie

Help!
What kind of exercise can you do when you can't walk? I'll be off my feet for several weeks and even though I won't have an eating problem (husband will be bringing me the food!!!) I am liable to gain weight anyway due to the inactivity! Do hand held weights do anything? How am I gonna lift all this weight while on crutches? I am beginning to panic now.
Any suggestions?
Gracie
(husband will be bringing me the food!!!)

Hi Gracie...
You can do what we call at work "chair exercises"... do the top half of jumping jacks...side bends....arms out front,to the side,over your head, to the side, out front.... anything to get your heart pumping...and this does do that!! and try adding 2# weights...after you ask your doctor if that's okay!! Richard Simmons used to have a video for chair exercises that was really good. I don't know if they could hook you up or not! Try contacting his web page and see if they still have that. Write to him... he loves that! I work with adults with ******ation and we wrote him a letter and told him how much our folks love him and he wrote back and sent a picture!!
Good luck
You can do it!!
Marlene

Gracie.. just saw your post about your good news with your eyes!! Congratulations!!! I'm so happy to hear that wonderful news. Keep up the good work with your weight loss and your positive attitude. It WILL pay off!!!!
Marlene

Hi everyone:

This is the first time I have posted on 3FW in over a year. I didn't remember my name and password and had to register all over again!!

I would love to join your support thread. about a year ago i lost about 45 pounds before my wedding. i wasn't as thin as i hoped to be but it was a huge accomplishment to get that far. i didn't post a lot, but read a lot and found this site to be very supportive and informative with my diet and exercise program. Two weeks after my wedding I was diagnosed with "probable" MS. (one scar in the brain and some irregularities in the visual evoked potentials.) I was went to see a doctor because my older sibling was diagnosed and had similar symptoms that I had experienced ( I just thought stress from was causing some numbness and tingling)/Over the past year I have dealt with my stress over this situation in a really adult manner by eating back about 30 or so of the hard lost pounds, and trying not to think about it at all. I am just now wanting to get back into a healthy lifestyle and take care of myself.

My husband is tremendously supportive, but I find it really hard to even talk about. This whole disease is so strange, and the fact that they can't tell me if I do or don't have it makes it all worse. My husband's aunt is in end-stage MS, and seeing first hand a worst case scenario, well...it hasn't helped. My neuro explained to me that her case is extremely rare , and even if it wasn't someone diagnosed well over 30 years ago does not have the advantages that the research, knowledge and drugs have provided the world today.

I don't want to be "poor me" I want to be "strong healthy me." I would love to join you all. My eating habits are poor, my job stresses me all the time and i haven't worked out in over a year. I know that if I can just get back on track with nutrition and exercise, that will help me manage my stress. I also want to start trying to have a baby next year and that is another motivation to get my health together.

The thing is my symptoms come and go and right now I don't feel terrible - - I think that my fear is the worst symptom of all!

That is my story in a nutshell. Hope i didn't go on too long. I plan to start walking tomorrow and then moving into strength training and yoga. I hope to do this and really change some things in my life. Hope I wasn't a downer!

Have a great day!

Cate

178/162/125

Welcome Cate!
On behalf of everyone on this thread, we welcome you. I'm glad that you came back and that you want to try to make sense of all the things that are going on in your life right now. I know that it is hard to deal with MS, or "probable MS", or "you are in the risk group for developing MS" as well as these other nerve debilitating diseases mentioned in these posts, but we are all here to help each other. It isn't enough that we have to deal with these issues but we also have the burden of excessive weight to contend with! This is a great place to go to for support. We can lift each other up and be that one place to come when it seems that no one else can understand our frustration.

Personally, I slipped a little bit today and didn't make very good choices. NRaye, I'm not "gung-ho" today. My chin is dragging even though I know that tomorrow is a new day and I can pick myself up again. Thanks for the exercise tips, I will definitely try them.

Mammaw and Gamma, I hope you two are having a good day! I'll be thinking about you all!

Take care of yourselves...............Gracie

Dear Cate...
Welcome to both of my worlds!!!! Bless your heart... I understand everything... and I mean everything... you said! And how ADULT we are to handle our diagnoses in such a healthy way. I keep telling everyone that I'm fine...I'm not depressed...I can do this...I can handle anything.............. then I eat!! Consequently, I have gained about 40# (on top of the 40 I already wanted to lose!!) since I was diagnosed using the excuse that I can't exercise because it's so tiring and I'm not supposed to get over-heated!! Isn't that convenient!!?
Well, I'm with you... it's time to take control of MY life and make ME healthy and make ME feel good and get MY body in some sort of healthier shape than I am right now.
I'll never be Heather Locklear...shoot! I wasn't before I gained weight... but I can be a healthier ME!! I can get me in better shape and I can eat healthier!!
I recently purchased Suzanne Somers book re: diet and it is very similar to Sugar Busters. It makes a lot of sense to me but you have to find the diet that's right for you!
I have joined our local Healthplex which the doctor had to write me a script to join ... a PT is with me now guiding me through the machines and since he knows I have MS, he doesn't push me hard . In another couple of weeks, he will "cut me loose" then I can go exercise on my own...which I am looking forward to! You might talk to your neuro to see if you have a similar program anywhere near you (I'm in Ohio). If you do, ask him/her to write you a script to exercise!! My insurance company pays for the exercises as long as the PT is instructing me and then I'll pay a monthly fee.
You hang in there... rely on us to support you through this and if you need MS support... please check out the Delphi Forum MedSupport at http://forums.delphi.com Register and join the crowd of people with MS who talk daily to one another! It's helped me tremendously!!
Marlene

Hi Gracie!!
Get that chin up off the floor... let me see that beautiful face and great smile... let me hear those words..."I screwed up today but tomorrow is another day"... you can do this! You're allowed to mess up from time to time... you're allowed to 'slip' Just know that with the sunrise comes a whole new chance to start over again... and DO IT!! I believe in you and I know that you believe in you!!
This isn't easy!! No one said that dieting was an easy job... coz it isn't!! We didn't put this weight on overnight and we're not going to lose it overnight!! The problem is...it was more FUN putting it on But it is much HEALTHIER to take it off. Every 1/4 pound counts... every glass of water helps... every by-pass of the dessert counts!!
Suzanne Somers new book has good recipes in it... check it out!
Hang in there, kiddo!!!!
Marlene
keep me posted!!

Hi Marlene,
Hope you're having a good week! I am trying to pick myself up again.....but it's going a bit slow. Sunday was my birthday and I had the blues. It wasn't necessarily because I'm getting older (the alternative is a killer!) I don't know exactly what it was. Maybe it's the pressure of all that is going on around me. My husband has been really good about all this but I think things are getting to him now and we are all a bit edgy. I only have a couple of weeks left before the surgery and so much is going on. I was doing well and then my husband went out of town on a business trip last week for a couple of days and I made the "fast-food" choice for dinner those days. Whenever I put "junk" into my body, I feel alful! I know better and I wouldn't have done it if my husband had been home. It just seemed easier at the time. Then after a couple of days of junk, I'm hooked and then I crave the carbs and fat! Breaking away from them is always so hard for me.
You keep up the good work on your exercises/PT! Thank you for your encouraging words. You always lift my spirits.
Take care,
Gracie

Hi Gracie!!
HEY!! You can do this... look what it took to get you started in the first place... you can get back on track...because you know that your health is worth it!! YOU GO GIRL!!!!
I want to tell you this...not to brag but to let you know how important "moving" is I have now gone to the Healthplex 5 times to exercise...and they put me through the paces for about 30 minutes each time... (point being this hasn't been excessive)... anyway, I've lost 8 pounds since I've started working out! I was floored!! They're not weighing me but we have a scales here at work and I couldn't believe that I'd dropped that much weight in this short period of time. I can also tell the difference in my 'luv handles' and other pockets Now I know that there is no way that the weight will keep coming off like that BUT it is proof positive of how important moving is!! Do not underestimate the chair exercises either!! You'll find that anything you do will get your heart pumping (aerobics) and that is movement!! Do you have an exercise tapes? If so, put it in the VCR... sit in a straight back chair and do from the chair what they're doing...move your legs & move your arms... don't worry about it if you poop out! Just try each day to increase the amount of time you stay with it... if you start with 3 minutes, that's 3 minutes more than you were doing ... RIGHT?? Then gradually increase the amount of time you are getting your heart pumping. From what I've read, it's okay to do aerobic exercises every day but if you feel that every other day is the way to start, that's ok! When you're up to it, get 2# weights to hold in your hands while exercising... then when you're up to it... start a walking program! There are some great audio tapes out that you can listen to while walking that coach you through your walking. That's something you will have to build up your endurance, too... meaning that if you can only walk for 1 minute...that's where you start! There's no shame in doing it YOUR way... don't let anyone try to shame you into doing it anyway but what's right for you!!
One of the girls I supervise has lost around 100# following the Sugar Buster diet... they have that out on audio tape, too, if you'd rather not read it! Try your darnedest to get off the sweets and carbs. Don't eliminate carbs... just be careful what you eat them with. The Carbohydrate Addicts diet advocates for eating a carb meal.. but don't couple it with protein/fats... If you eat a plate of spaghetti and a large salad...that's okay... just don't put meat in your spaghetti sauce. Protein & veggies or carbs & veggies are the couples of the year!! And Suzanne Somer's book says that you can eat fruit... but eat them alone and on an empty stomach. You can have fruit for a snack in between your meals or eat only fruit for one of your meals but don't eat it with anything else... because of the fructose. I'm having cantalope and a peach for my breakfast right now... as I write this So you don't have to eliminate anything... just know portions and what to eat with what!
You can do this, Gracie.... and you know why??? 'Cause you're worth it!!!!!!!!!!
Keep in touch... I enjoy talking to you!!
Marlene

Marlene,
Thanks so much for the encouragement. I really needed it. Tomorrow is a new day and I CAN get back on track. I think I need to plan things out a little better so that I don't make any "fast-food" decisions!
Great news about your weight loss and I am so glad to hear that you are doing so well on your PT program at the Healthplex. Way to go! Are you still with the trainer or are you on your own yet?
Thank you for the advice about the chair exercises too. I don't have an exercise tape but I still have some time to get one. Maybe Richard Simmons would be a good one since he is always so "gung-ho"! Also, that Sugar-Buster diet sounds like it may work for someone like me. I will try and find the book since I'll have lots of time for reading soon. I also will try to find some 2# weights because the ones my son has are 5# and they really tire me out too quickly!
Take care of yourself and I'll talk with you later.
Gracie
(I love this little waving smile. It always makes me smile!)

Hi Everyone...am crashing in on your thread as I think I walk in similar shoes. About 13 years ago I was first diagnosed with imbalance from an inner ear infection, migraines and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Umpteen tests...you know the drill...and then it was Optic Neuritis, Fibromyalgia and Probable MS. Now I am "just" MS and Fibromyalgia, but usually every symptom I ever have gets dumped into the MS file. Still have a lot of the Optic Neuritis symptoms, balance and depth perception are certainly not my strong points, and I do hurt a lot. But the crazy thing is, if someone asked me how my health was, off the top of my head I would probably say it is excellent! Am I in major denial or what??? Maybe I take positive thinking to the absurd, but I still believe I can do most anything. Obviously, that doesn't always work...duh...so I turn around and try something else...sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But I'm gonna' keep trying!

Due to lack of exercise and a great love affair with M & M's (or anything chocolate!) I gained about 70 pounds over the last 13 years. Seemed to be gradual at first, then Whamo! Here I am. I tried everything from Suzanne Somers to Atkins and beyond. Lost and gained, Lost and gained...Then I was shocked at some recent pictures taken when my newest grandbaby was born in June...so June 13 I joined Weight Watchers and have lost 24 pounds so far...Hooray!!! I am still far too sedentary and know the next 50 are going to go much more slowly, but I am going to start a daily swimming program. We are moving to a community that has an indoor pool specifically so that I can do this. My neurologist is a huge believer in swimming for MS, or moving whatever you can in the water. I am really looking forward to just stretching out in a big ol pool of water...mmmmm....

Anyway, I am new to this whole website and was delighted to find a thread devoted to this topic. Good luck to everyone. I look forward to getting to "know" you...feel like I sort of do already just by reading your posts. Hang in there everyone...thanks...Judi

Welcome Judi!
Looks like you have really been through a lot over the years too so we welcome you and hope you will continue to be a part of this group.
I have been away for a few days and so has everyone else it seems! Hang in there and keep up the good work at WW. I have had some success there in the past, but with the new points system - and diabetes- I wasn't able to make it work. Seems like all the lower point items are the ones with the most carbohydrates! My WW leader told me there wasn't a plan that converted the points for Diabetes usage and she told me to try and eat the lower carb points. I found this to be too hard for me to do. Even the WW frozen entrees had too many carbohydrates in them for my metabolism. (Evidently!) Anyway good luck and keep at it!
Again welcome!
Gracie

Hi Gracie...thanks so much for the warm welcome. It's nice to find some people who share some of the extra challenges we have. Am afraid you are right about the carbs on WW. I try hard to avoid refined carbs...no white flour, no sugar, no white rice or potatoes. I have increased my vegetables to mountainous proportions and only eat one fruit per day. I do eat soy products as my main "meat" source, and they definitely have carbs, but so far so good. I make a lot of soy milk smoothies and substitute low carb veggies for the refined foods as often as possible. Like mashed cauliflower instead of potatoes...we love this "comfort" food a lot! And I do make a lot of soups that are loaded with lower carb veggies.

Trying to keep my carb intake low and stay on plan with WW is not an easy task...but I'm really trying and have a long, long way to go.

How are you feeling? Hope this is a good MS day for you...some certainly are better than others, huh? Thanks for your support...Later...Judi