Countdown to lift-off: 12 days until we leave!

Friday, April 10, 2015

Countdown to lift-off: 12 days until we leave!

My test's are done. I need to go to the hospital and get all the hard copies and cd's, but the hard part is over. I am getting my packing list ready and a list for my amazing husband of all the things he will need to take over when I am in Israel.

My husband is my number one supporter! He will be taking care of everything while I have my HSCT. Not only will he be working, he will be taking care of my parents, 3 dogs, one cat, and all of the things that I do everyday. To top it off, he will have to take care of me when I get home!
I am so thankful for my husband and family!!

I'm blessed to have a very close friend, Marilyn, that is going with me to Israel. Marilyn is taking 6 weeks off work and putting her life on hold to take care of me during my treatment. Words can not express how thankful I am for her!!

Marilyn and I are members of P.E.O. At our meeting yesterday the woman surprised us with a going away gift!

As you can see in the picture, our gift has all of the necessary things for our plane ride! The chocolates are from La Chatelaine and the caramels are from Bequet Caramel. I am only pointing out where the candy is from because both of these candy company's are right here in Bozeman, Montana and we are very proud of our local businesses! I am predicting that the candy won't make it to Israel. It will probably be eaten before we even get to Newark. The women in our P.E.O chapter are very special friends and I am so thankful for each and every one of them!

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What is MS

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic degenerative disorder affecting the Central
Nervous System: the Brain and Spinal cord. MS is one of the leading causes of
neurological disabilities in young adults. MS affects both genders, more
commonly in women than men.

The Mayo Clinic lists four main patterns of Multiple Sclerosis:

Relapsing remitting: This type of MS is characterized by clearly defined flare-ups,
followed by periods of remission. The flare-ups typically appear suddenly, last a
few weeks or months, and then gradually disappear. Most people with MS have
this form at the time of diagnosis.

Primary Progressive: People with this less common form of MS experience a
gradual decline, without periods of remission. People with this form of MS are
usually older than 40 when symptoms begin.

Secondary Progressive: More than half the people with relapsing remitting MS
eventually enter a stage of continuous deterioration referred to as secondary
progressive MS. Sudden relapses may occur, superimposed upon the continuous
deterioration that characterizes this type of MS.

Progressive relapsing: This is primary progressive MS with the addition of
sudden episodes of new symptoms or worsened existing ones. This form is
relatively rare. (MayoClinic.com 1998, 2004).

The signs and symptoms of MS are fatigue, weakness, numbness, and difficulty
with coordination and loss of balance. A percentage of patients complained of
visual disturbances including blurry vision, patchy blindness and total blindness.

The disease process of MS involves the nerve cells called neurons. In Multiple
Sclerosis nerves are hardened in multiple locations of the body, the breakdown is
scattered irregularly throughout the body, decreasing aspect of functional abilities,
depending on which nerves are affected.

The cause of MS is unclear at this time. Presently research is done in the areas
of viral, immunology and genetic factors. Autoimmune response triggered by the
exposure to a virus or environmental trigger in genetically susceptible individuals.
The exposure to a virus causes reactions that form antibodies to fight the virus.
Antibodies attack the myelin instead of the virus- an autoimmune response.

There is no cure for MS. The medications given to the patient are for pain
management and relief of symptoms. Side effects of these medications are:
weakness, fatigue, grogginess, decrease in alertness, all these symptoms can
interfere with the performance of Activity of Daily Living (ADL).

Kristin's Trip To Israel - Stopping MS

Friday, April 10, 2015