Have ms & R fused ankle & L ankle is bone on bone

Rensy2

Hi!

I know my title leaves a lot to be desired, but there aren't any gyms where we live and I would be too tired most days to get there & back if there was. During my over 20 years of MS my weight yo-yos like crazy. I've been on enough prednisone it caused diabetes & I'm definitely pear shaped. I no longer have diabetes, but besides the MS, I have RA, fibromyalgia, migraines, peripheral neuropathy, stenosis in my lower back & neck, Sjögren's syndrome etc. I think you get the picture. It is hard to walk so I do chair exercises or chair yoga put out by MS for free. I also do some small weight work outs. The hardest thing I do is make it through each day trying to be as normal as possible & not complain. Sometimes my husband is extremely understanding & other times, not so much. It's hard to live for over 20 years as a caretaker to someone who could "do it all even when our children were little!"

Now we are empty nesters & he got let go of his jobs (both of them) and we are living on our retirement money - which isn't that much! How do we pay for my copaxone / which has made my mind very sharp once again? With assistance & have to rely right now on the unemployment & my disability - it's not much money. Does anyone else have these problems? Then I know I need to lose 50# and I have thyroiditis. It really doesn't help. But on I go because it's the right thing to do & God would never let me down.

If you have any other words of wisdom, please let me know! I'm a very optimistic & happy person even though I've been through hell - I haven't even begun to tell you the whole story!

Thanks for listening!

Ambermarigold

Hi Rensy,

My situation is very different to your own but I can understand the isolation and frustration that your situation must present. I'm glad you found this group and I hope you locate others through it who have more similarity to your diagnosis. Though I do not have MS.... or any of the other conditions, I do use low impact and chair exercises like yourself. I'm currently finding one off Youtube particularly helpful and use it several tinmes a week.

I hope today was one of your better days. All the best with meeting your targets on MFP.

Amber xx

Veggiesexercise

Hi Rensy, it sounds as if you are going through a rough time. I have been dealing with MS almost as long as you. Not knowing from day to day what will crop up next is not easy. My husband has also lost his job a couple of times but has started a business. He is on my health insurance. You can contact your local national MS society office and get information on keeping your Copaxone. Sometimes the drug companies will help out with the cost I am told. Unfortunately Medicaid does not cover disease modifying drugs. I have been told by others who have MS that they will pay for Avonex but you must get the shot weekly from the Doctor's office you can't self administer it. With the new Obama Care I am hoping more people will be able to have access to these kinds of medications. However being some states are refusing to participate and leaving it all up to the Federal Government to implement the plans we may have less options available then we could have had. As time goes on and the plan fully rolls out we shall see how it works. There may even be some emergency funding for you to get counseling through the MS Society to help you with a plan forward in your life . I am not positive of that but it does not hurt to call and ask. It is a travesty that our country refused to sign on to the treaty to set an example of how people with disabilities should be treated in other countries. The US should be setting an example to other countries and have them strive to have laws like we have with the Americans with Disabilities Act, ADA. I try and do a little more every day when I exercise. I have gone from 15 min of walking to 20 minutes of walking and from 10 minutes on the stationary bike to 13 minutes. I am making small strides. My doctor told me about a half ball to get balance exercise. It is really hard so I mainly am standing on one leg but I am trying a minute on the half ball. You really need a bar though to hold onto while you use it. Anything I can do to try and reroute those nerve pathways from my brain to my leg. keep us informed of how you are doing. it is good to talk with others who have some idea where you are coming from.