Not Always Family-friendly

While reading an interesting article on one man's battle with limitations from Multiple Sclerosis that I wanted to share, the foul language stopped me from posting it. Why use such crude words to get the point across in formal writing? Then, it hit me. I faced the honest truth that MS is not always family-friendly. When viewed from the inner crevices of a victim's mind, the effects of MS are often a corrupt, gruesome, and distorted excuse for being human.

*sigh*

A Color Full Experience

There is a colorful word in the English language that I have become markedly familiar with: experience.  Embracing the white end of positive, grazing the dark end of negative, and richoceting betwixt the colorful myriad which spans the distance extremes, my life has truly been a color full spectrum.

Yet, when it comes to job hunting as an antiquated neurological scribble, the one repetitive requirement where none of mine applies in the current work force: experience.

And the color quickly fades into the background of irony...

An Interesting Connection: Bell's Palsy Tied to Multiple Sclerosis ?

For me, there has been a curious correlation between Bell's Palsy and Multiple Sclerosis. I recall biting into a Carl's Jr. hamburger...the tang of the special sauce...the immediate tingling across my lips...the burning in my tongue...the lingering taste of metal. Later, an excruciating pain shot through my right ear and across my jawline, as if someone stabbed my eardrum with a javelin. The following morning, while brushing my teeth, the side of my mouth completely froze. I could not rinse or spit; my eye refused to close; the right side of my face paralyzed from forehead to shoulder top. Oddly, the stabbing pain simultaneously dimmed as the paralysis spiked. Diagnosis: Bell's Palsy.

An urgent care visit left me with an explanation that severe inflammation was apparently compressing the cranial nerve which controls facial muscle functions. The steroid therapy would hopefully help tame the symptoms, which could last anywhere from weeks to months. Within three weeks, the paralysis ended and I was able to retire my sexy, black pirate eye patch.

That was roughly 14 years ago. Looking back, I realize the tingling down my cheeks and around my lips and the burning in my tongue that I experience now each day appears to be a magnified extension of my initial episode. The symptoms never truly subsided, only progressed.

In the linked study below on Peripheral (Seventh) Nerve Palsy, "Fukazawa and colleagues reported facial palsy as first symptom of MS in 4.7% of 107 patients with MS." Hmmm. So, it is not too radical for me to question if Bell's Palsy was my first (unidentified) symptom of Multiple Sclerosis.

An interestingly mysterious connection...

https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/443681

Day 6: On Wings of Reflection

My time spent along the East Coast in New York City is now a pleasant memory. I hopped a plane out of LaGuardia this morning and routed through St. Paul/Minneapolis to land back in Boise, just in time for dinner. My legs are still in tact, but the aches from the zillion miles of walking are beginning to pique and lend way to mobility complications. A series of migraine auras, which inevitably lead to grinding heaches, has randomly ensued.

On wings of reflection, the two things I loved about visiting New York:
1) The collision of fiction with reality; being able to stand in landmarks made famous through books, movies, sit-coms, and other forms of media.
2) My familiarity with the insomnia of a city that never sleeps.

On wings of reflection, a few things I noticed about New Yorkers:
1) No one Bluetooths; they only use dangling ear buds and talk through the mouth piece.
2) Everyone eats fries with miniscule pitchforks, instead of their fingers.
3) Despite the diverse population, everyone I encountered was beyond friendly. That was an unexpected bonus.

On wings of reflection, it is now back to the reality of being a West Coast gal...who has Multiple Sclerosis.

Day 5: Silent Noise

I am grateful for tender mercies of the Sabbath Day. A day of rest can help silence the noise of chronic burning, tingling, throbbing pains, and prepare me to face the week ahead.

The Brooklyn Bridge is such a massive structure and masterful work of intricate art. I caught myself soaking in the landscape and history as I walked through its breezy majesty that I only captured one quick photo, but my mind is flooded with memories.

Wall Street. The New York Stock Exchange, Federal Hall where George Washington was sworn in as the first President of the United States, and Trinity Church were points of interest and quick touring.

The World Trade Center. The Memorial and the 9/11 Museum were powerful reminders that America will not bow to terrorism. Photographs were not allowed to be taken throughout the majority of the exhibit, but the walls were filled with quotes, recordings, artifacts, and video of the 2,977 unsung heroes that existed on that horrific day. One such man was simply Bandana. He put a red bandana over his mouth to prevent smoke inhilation, took some people to safety, then went back in the failing building to find others needing rescue. When his body was later found, survivors confirmed it was the same man who saved them. The silent noise in that museum was completely humbling. It puts my complaints about Multiple Sclerosis into perspective.

The Staten Island Ferry paced at a good clip through the harbor, and offered some beautiful views of the city scape and Lady Liberty.

I searched high and low through Little Italy to find spumoni ice cream, but had to settle for the world's most delicious cannoli at Ferrara. I'll take that.

Day 4: R & R

After attending morning services at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints third floor chapel, it was time to hail an Uber and give three cheers for New York style Rest & Relaxation...

Day 3: The Only Thing

Sleep did not fail me last night. I got about four hours worth, and am grateful I felt rested for about an hour afterward...if. Coney Island, Brighton Beach, and Brooklyn were the agenda for today via the NYC Subway F train.

Coney Island. The Cyclone, built in 1927, is a deceptively innocent and wildly fast ride, not for the faint of heart. I'm still waiting for my stomach to find me. I rode as a single rider and nearly flew over the side of my coaster car on the turn landing the first steep drop. No joke. I am a known thrill-seeker, and have mastered modern roller coasters like Tatsu and V2: Vertical Velocity. But the thrill stops here. Scary WOW!

The only thing I have ever wanted to visit Coney Island for: Nathan's Famous hot dog. It did not disappoint.

The New York Aquarium is under major construction after the damage it sustained from Hurricane Sandy, but viewing the few exhibits currently open made it a great way to celebrate World Oceans Day.

The Russian flair of Brighton Beach/Brooklyn remained reminiscent of the yesterdays (circa 1986).

I walked several miles of solid, but uneven, ground around Brooklyn. The air was hot and damp while temperatures quickly crept, but the breeze off the Atlantic Ocean circulated enough cool air to sustain my afternoon energy. Thankfully.

The instant I came up the 42nd Street Subway stairwell and stepped onto Manhattan pavement again, the stagnant humidity settled between lines of high rises stifled my breathing. It felt like I was suffocating. The only thing I could do was stop, double-over (say a quick prayer for help), and force deep, slow breaths. Eventually, a breeze, with a hint of cool refreshment, came through Bryant Park behind the library so I was able to walk the remaining few blocks to my hotel.

My body is completely exhausted from that unexpected episode. It also put a tiny glitch in evening plans. But, at least I have cold air circulating through my hotel room to cool my nerves. Right now, that is the only thing I need.