There are 18 days till MS camp. Yes I am getting excited. Emma and I will have so much fun. We got great news. My friend Tanya was on the waiting list...you guessed it now she is going and will be in our cabin. I am just thrilled. I hope my other roommate Judy won't mind us talking at night. We are like girls at a sleepover - we have so much fun. Last year I went to May cam and she went August. I am just so very very thrilled. I don't see her much aside from camp. She makes me laugh and is so good to Emma. Now I know both my roomates will like being with Emma.

At the women's getaway I was sad that one women would not sit at my table due to the dog. I felt very defensive as Emma is such a good dog. This woman one time came around the corner and surprised Emma. Emma made a little grumble but not more than that. I assured her I was fine and that was it. Now the women maintains Emma does not "like" her. Truth is she was afraid of dogs long before she met Emma. She made such a big deal about it at the table on Saturday that I felt so bad I was near teargs. Gentle Emma was under the table as good as gold. In fact, the woman at first did NOT even realize Emma was there. That is the first time I ever encountered someone who objected to Emma's presence at an event. The staff quickly moved the women and everything was fine.

I want to say hello to Holly who sat with me during some of the Women's getaway. The tables were large so we didn't get to talk as much as I would like. It was fun though to be at the same table Friday night. Thanks Holly for reading this blog.

Today we went to my counselor, to get my glasses fixed and then home for a nap. Now I am packing for my sleep study tonight. Emma is going to be with Greg. I am having trouble when i sleep feeling like I can't breathe, and waking up feeling out of breath. I have sleep apnea and they are going to check and see if the machine works correctly or is set accurately.

The cleaning lady comes tomorrow also so I have some picking up to do. I have some laundry to take care of also.

Emma and I better get outside. It is in the 60's and sunny so that is awesome. Yeah for camp. Are you getting ready Kathy? Emma says hello to all readers.

Check out tiga's blog - those puppies are getting bigger.

Mary and Emma

We are sad today to hear the news that my Dad's cousin Arvid Holt died yesterday. It was unexpected. Our love goes out to Eileen who reads this blog. I hope the love of family and friends helps her cope with this sudden change in her life. We will miss him as will his many friends and family. Arvid was a fantastic photographer and i will miss seeing his photos.
Eileen keep us posted if there is anything we could do to help. If I lived closer Emma and I would be right over to give you hugs and dog kisses. Hang in there. Please readers remember Eileen in your prayers. He was a very special father, husband, cousin, and friend.

The weather seems pretty unimportant in comparison. Though we are happy to say it is warmer though very windy. We went to water exercise, and then to visit a friend in the nursing home - Jeanne Angel. Yes her last name is Angel and she is well suited to the name. She is one of the sweetest people I have ever ment. She has MS but her problems are related to other health concerns. She was glad to have company. She really liked having Emma come by her and petted Emma. YES petted a working dog - but sometimes that is the best help Emma can be - moral support both to me and others.

We are off to take a nap. I hope to write again to day but we will seen
Thanks for reading this. Please pray for Arvid's wife and family.... more soon.

Mary and Emma

Women's Getaway was fun!!!

19 d ays till Camp.

I will write more later. We had to rest a lot on Monday. Also Ashwin Madia did win the DFL endorsement to run for US Congress. It was a thrill to be there for that event. Now I will have to see what they want me to do to help get him elected..

We have water exercise I will write more later. Yesterday we also had Rosa with us for several hours - oh did we have fun!!

Emma and Mary

Water exercise was the main event of the day. Emma and i were glad to be here and not out in the weather when the snow/sleet started. You could hear the window and ice crystals hit the window glass. Brr. Greg said the drive home from work was slow. Water and other place ice on the road way. We will see what tomorrow brings.

Tomorrow I see the lung specialist which will be good. Just a check up but having some problems so am interested to talk to her especially about my medication. She is a dog lover. She likes Emma a lot. She moved to Edina which is further from us then the Plymouth office but we think it is worth the drive to see her. I have my map with directions ready. I also have my list of questions.

I am so nervous about getting Emma out for bathroom needs at this Getaway. We checked it out and it is block after block of pavement. I will let you know how we dealt with the situation.

Emma and I are off to bed. I packed the camera for the weekend my goal to also get more photos of Emma.

Take care now. Have a good weekend.

Go Twins!! Last year at the ball park.

Thursday

I had a good cry this afternoon. At the Wed session my Dr. Schapiro a wonderful MS specialist announced he is retiring at the end of this year from private practice. He will concentrate on his work as a speaker and in teaching about MS. That has been part of his mission throughout his career. A very touching letter from him was read prior to it being mailed to patients. He got all choked up and the tears flooded my eyes.

What you have to understand is after 13 years of tests, odd symptoms, rude doctors, and so on - I finally was able to see him. I called and they said there was a two year wait. I said fine I will wait two years. After 15 years what is two more? The receptionist was flabergasted. I told her I met him at a seminar and he agreed to see me. I waited many months and did see him indeed.

The last doctor a neurologist that I saw before him said I had a back injury and that is why i couldn't walk and sent me to neurosurgeon. Though by then I had most the symptoms of MS it could not be confirmed on her horrible MRI. She decided it was all psychological. She made that clear to the neurosurgeon. When he saw my back studies he said Let me look at you - you do NOT need surgery. I would NOT go back to that dr. I think your symptoms do look like MS. You need to see a specialist. Yeah by then I only had another six months to wait to see Schapiro.

The first thing Dr. Schapiro said to me - You have been through so much. No matter what this is if you want I will be your doctor. He ran a new MRI and I had two visits before he confirmed I did indeed have MS. He made the diagnosis. I thanked him. He still chuckles that most people don't say thank you about that diagnosis. But gosh at least I found a doctor who did not think I was crazy.

I could tell other stories about how kind he has been to me in various ways. Maybe over the year those will be shared. The other thing I thank him for is he was so delighted when I wanted to get a service dog. He thought it was great and was supportive. He adores Emma and tells me she is his favorite of all service dogs ever. I promise I will have a picture taken of him with Emma and I and post it.

Dr. Jonathan Calkwood will take over the clinic. He is already there both seeing MS patients but also seeing MS patients who need help with vision. He is a neuro-opthamologist or something like that. So he already has worked with me many times. He will become my main MS doctor now. He was there today also and reassured me that he will keep working with me. I can do the math though and know despite promises how could he possibly seel all his patients and all of Schapiro's. Since I already am seeing Dr. Calkwood I probably will be okay. He was so reassuring the tears came again.

I just couldn't cope with this tough disease without having a good team of doctors. The MS specialist being the most important for me.

I wish Dr, Schapiro well and am happy he has made a decision for his sake. He will be able to spend time with his wife, their grandchildren, children, and continue speaking/teaching both here in the US and internationally. We kidded him because recently he got to be the MS Doctor on a MS Cruise. That would be a neat way to work.

I think until he leaves they will continue to have the free sessions on Wed. It goes 1-2:30 and it is first a presentation by the two Doctors and then questions, and discussion. Today they talked about the role of your pharmacist, insurance issues and medicine came up also. The discussion was very interesting but a bit disheartening too. Due to the rising cost of medications, some drugs don't get covered or approved. Or not approved unless you first try other cheeper drugs even if they are NOT the same drug or even if the Dr. has good reasons why they selected the drug they did. It is very tough on the physicians and pharmacists trying to help patients.

Emma and I will try to go to as many of these sessions as we can. The issue always is how to get a ride home. I take Metro Mobility there but they NEVER have been able to take me home even if I wait. So I go if a friend can pick me up, or if Greg can pick me up. Greg had to bring me to his work so that is where I am typing this.
I brought a book and Emma and I have gone outside a few times. He works at a church so it is not a bad place to wait -- but gosh it is getting annoying to not be able to drive.

On the other side to all this is the reality for 8 years I have had one of the best MS Doctors in the World. He has written books, lectured all over the world, both spreading knowledge and also advocating for people with MS. His Mother had MS and he has spent his career helping others with MS. At the end of the year it will be time for him to change his focus off private practice. We will miss him but perhaps get to hear him speak at event.