It's my favorite time of year! I love The holidays - Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years. My wonderful husband and I are hosting Thanksgiving this year for our families in our new home. I couldn't be more excited to host everyone and enjoy a wonderful meal.
I'm thankful for so many things - Josh, our dog Tully, our family and friends, our beautiful planet, red wine, heels. I could go on! But there's one thing I'm not thankful for: having MS.
Every year I rally my family and friends to raise funds for MS research. There is no cure for this disease. It also happens to be one of those invisible diseases - so while I look great on the outside (thanks in advance for all the compliments ;) ), there are things going on in my body that are making me crazy at any given time.
Last Tuesday, I started experiencing my third major exacerbation, or attack. This attack has been completely different from anything I have experienced with MS so far. Typically I deal with fatigue - not just being tired, but physically hurting because I can't concentrate on a task for more than 30 seconds. I also deal with tingling and numbness. My first attack happened in 2009 when half of my face went numb for about 3 weeks. My second attack happened in 2012, my body went numb from the legs down.
This third attack is completely different. It's pain. Last Tuesday, my right arm started to ache. I brushed it off as sleeping on it poorly and went about my day. When I woke up on Wednesday, it was more painful. I took some ibuprofen. It didn't help. I started researching pain and MS. I wasn't quite convinced it could be related. After waking up on Thursday and the severity of the pain was a 6 out of 10. It was getting worse. By Friday, it was an 8 and accompanied by a burning sensation in my arm. I slept 2 hours Friday night. I spent my time researching pain and MS and what kinds of pain are associated. I've self diagnosed myself with a type of pain called Dysesthesia. I don't know how to pronounce it, but the definition is exactly what I'm experiencing: an abnormal burning or aching sensation. We'll see what my neurologist has to say :)
Pain fucks up your quality of life. I haven't been in a very good mood this weekend. I've smiled, I've laughed, I've finished painting my newest DIY project: a dresser. But I feel like throwing up because I am in so much pain. I also feel like I might spend the rest of the day crying. I bought icyhot yesterday as a temporary solution until I see my Neurologist. I'm also making an appointment with an acupuncturist.
I am not thankful for having this BS disease. I try to stay positive and strong. This attack, I am not strong. I am not positive. I am really, really pissed off. But having MS has made me thoughtful and empathetic to everyone out there in the world. Everyone is fighting a battle you don't know about at any given time.
Sunday, November 19, 2017
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Oh my pod! Floating!
I am always up for new challenges and trying new things. So when my sister in law told me about a year ago about this new craze called floating, I thought it would be fun and relaxing! Basically you float in a warm tub of water that has at least 1,000 lbs of salt dissolved into it. Why did it take me almost a year to try it out?
At the time, I was planning a wedding. Then we moved, went on a mini-moon, adopted a dog, went on our honeymoon, started a new job and started looking at houses. It's been a wonderful year and things have finally started to slow down a bit, so I started looking into floating again! Bought a Groupon and scheduled my float. Let me break it down for you, and then I'll cover what I liked and didn't like.
The Prep:
I arrived 15 minutes early as requested to get a tour of the facility and watch a video about floating. This covers the do's and don't of floating. It's pretty self explanatory - don't go to the bathroom in the float pod, float on your back not on your side/stomach, don't get water in your eyes.. etc.
The facility I went to has 3 floating rooms. Two of the rooms are equipped with pods, or isolation tanks with giant filters attached to them. One is equipped with a large tub.
After the tour, I was escorted to my floating room. I was using one of the pods. The room was dimly lit, and soothing music (which you get to pick) was playing in the background. I chose a meditation track and it was fabulous!
So before you get into the tub, you have the option of wearing silicone earplugs and I opted to do that. After a quick rinse in the shower, into the tub I went.
The Pod:
I stepped into the water and immediately felt the buoyancy! It's a strange feeling and I imagine the only comparison is to that of being in the dead sea. Which I haven't been, just a theory. I left the top of my tank open about 6 inches. I'm not claustrophobic, it simply helped me relax. I also opted to keep the tub light on during my float.
I finally situate myself to a floating position I was comfortable with and my mind is full of thoughts and questions. Why do I keep hitting the sides of the tub? I love this relaxing music. So... in here for 60 minutes, that's a really long time. I'll be honest, it was uncomfortable for the first 15 minutes. I started to focus on my breathing, and the rest of the time was really nice! It was a new and unique way to meditate and relax.
Before I knew it, my 60 minutes was up! I reluctantly got out and hopped in the shower to get all the salt off. Once I was read to leave the room, I went to the prep room and dried my hair and had a cup of vanilla rooibos tea.
The woman who owns the business I went to is extremely knowledgeable and it was nice to ask her some of the questions I had after the float. I would certainly consider floating again!
So on to what I liked - and didn't like.
I arrived 15 minutes early as requested to get a tour of the facility and watch a video about floating. This covers the do's and don't of floating. It's pretty self explanatory - don't go to the bathroom in the float pod, float on your back not on your side/stomach, don't get water in your eyes.. etc.
The facility I went to has 3 floating rooms. Two of the rooms are equipped with pods, or isolation tanks with giant filters attached to them. One is equipped with a large tub.
After the tour, I was escorted to my floating room. I was using one of the pods. The room was dimly lit, and soothing music (which you get to pick) was playing in the background. I chose a meditation track and it was fabulous!
So before you get into the tub, you have the option of wearing silicone earplugs and I opted to do that. After a quick rinse in the shower, into the tub I went.
The Pod:
I stepped into the water and immediately felt the buoyancy! It's a strange feeling and I imagine the only comparison is to that of being in the dead sea. Which I haven't been, just a theory. I left the top of my tank open about 6 inches. I'm not claustrophobic, it simply helped me relax. I also opted to keep the tub light on during my float.
I finally situate myself to a floating position I was comfortable with and my mind is full of thoughts and questions. Why do I keep hitting the sides of the tub? I love this relaxing music. So... in here for 60 minutes, that's a really long time. I'll be honest, it was uncomfortable for the first 15 minutes. I started to focus on my breathing, and the rest of the time was really nice! It was a new and unique way to meditate and relax.
Before I knew it, my 60 minutes was up! I reluctantly got out and hopped in the shower to get all the salt off. Once I was read to leave the room, I went to the prep room and dried my hair and had a cup of vanilla rooibos tea.
The woman who owns the business I went to is extremely knowledgeable and it was nice to ask her some of the questions I had after the float. I would certainly consider floating again!
So on to what I liked - and didn't like.
- It was a new way to meditate and relax for an hour. Yoga has the same calming effect on me. I think these two together will be a great way to stay balanced and clear minded.
- The owner was very knowledgeable and was able to answer my questions
- Shampoo, conditioner and body wash is provided. Though, it's basic and I would recommend bringing your own.
- My biggest concern: the pod is not drained and sanitized between floats. It is triple filtered. They say the salinity of the water is enough to ensure no bacterial growth and even so the triple filter would kill anything, but I'm still a bit skeptical. But, essentially public pools are WAY more disgusting and we've all gone in one of those!
I would absolutely go again. They handed out a welcome bag with additional information about The Float Factor, a small bag of Epsom salt and a tea sample. So, have you tried the floating craze? What are your thoughts?!
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