JBSJUNK Needs Help
Donation protected
This is not one of Jeff's “Woe is me” posts. Read on and welcome to my world. It's not a delightful trip.
February 2014, my body couldn't handle my mechanic job any longer. Would not support my weight for long and any balance I had was at minimum or less. It was a struggle even getting dressed. I figured I might try how I take or use things to see what was the problem was and fix it. It ended up not being that easy in the end if I even tried. We'll get to that in a bit.
I May, tried filing for unemployment and played by their rules for two months with no help from them. In the end, they couldn't help and said I was not employable. No kidding. But I didn't know where to turn for help.
I finally filed for help in June for financial aid, food and medicare. They sent a Bridge card within a week and Medicaid a month later. But to this date, there is no financial aid, but I now have a lawyer currently on my case.
My legs were getting worse and not better by this time. Walking was more of a struggle. If you were at Bigb's party over the summer, you had a glimpse of my struggle. Still no aid from any corner. I had to sell many things to pay rent and bills. Those don't rest. Enter into fall and winter.
By this time, I had food (Bridge Card) and Medicaid covered but still no financial help. To this point, fall/winter didn't do me any good physically or mentally. I just wanted to be done with everything by this point. Nobody wanted or cared for me. In my mind. Worse case, the mind wins.
Mid January, I had enough bitching from my brothers and went to the emergency room. I told them of my lack of coordination and balance issues then proceeded with the tests. It ended up they could not handle this locally (Zeeland) and was transported to Butterworth in G.R. for diagnosis. After being there a week and many tests, by the third day, they had my problem pinpointed. It was Multiple Sclerosis, no doubts now. I felt like someone handed me a death sentence by that time. It took a couple days for that to sink in and after talking with one of the M.S. nurses, it wasn't as big of a deal as I thought. It still took time to come to terms with it. I had daily steroid injections for 5 days to jumpstart the treatment. By this time, my arms looked like pincushions from all the times they drew blood and fed things into me.
Then I transferred to Blogett for starting my rehab. They had me attempt walking with a walker a few steps then went on to other parts of the treatment. I was there for two weeks. My walking improved but was still far in the woods when I was transferred yet again to Providence in Zeeland which is a retirement community. It felt odd being the youngest paitent there. More rehab of the three types, physical, occupational and speech. Some was a pain in the ass, but looking back on it now, it was all necessary to get to where I'm currently at. I was there for another two weeks. My walking got better inside.
I went home after five weeks of being in various hospitals. Walking and everything else still was not a strong point. This was mid February. Going to the store was a challenge in the Amigo but it worked. I now had Doctors appointments and various counselors to go to now. Which is good. I'm now walking around the apartment complex, usually with the cane in hand and not using it to walk. I just have to know my limits and not push them. That includes asking for help. Hard for me to do. It ends up my off road club took up a collection for me in mid December.
I'm now on Rebif. Three times a week I give myself a shot. I was trained in doing this. But the pills they have me on are minimal. Once a week pill of vitamin D since I was dangerously low, depression medication and for some odd reason, a stomach pill. Kind of like a Tums. I never had a reflux problem, but now with the meds, it's better safe than sorry.
My physical therapy gal left the pages of instructions for me to do and marked off what to do for my leg exercises now that I'm at home. The therapists only lasted for a couple weeks but I still use their instructions three times a day. I added to the exercises I do to do them all that are there after looking at what I wasn't doing. My Rebif nurse asked what I was doing for my arms to which I replied “Nothing” after telling her what I'm doing. She had me do 10 pushups every time I exercised my legs. I do them three times a day and have increased my pushups to fifteen per workout.
It's the reason I can walk, sometimes not so good. I was at Trail Junkies a couple weeks ago and that told me that I still have a long way to go because I fell twice. Screwing up a couple ribs. In my defense, it's uneven there but I still did not ask for help. TJ did help after that along with Greasy. I still need to ask for help. I have a cane that I use, or sometimes carry depending how my legs are doing.
Now you know what's going on in my world. No highlights.
If you can help, it would be very much appreciated. Bills wait for nobody. But if you can't, life gets in the way of everything and don't worry about it.
I need help and that is where you come in. Can you help me?
February 2014, my body couldn't handle my mechanic job any longer. Would not support my weight for long and any balance I had was at minimum or less. It was a struggle even getting dressed. I figured I might try how I take or use things to see what was the problem was and fix it. It ended up not being that easy in the end if I even tried. We'll get to that in a bit.
I May, tried filing for unemployment and played by their rules for two months with no help from them. In the end, they couldn't help and said I was not employable. No kidding. But I didn't know where to turn for help.
I finally filed for help in June for financial aid, food and medicare. They sent a Bridge card within a week and Medicaid a month later. But to this date, there is no financial aid, but I now have a lawyer currently on my case.
My legs were getting worse and not better by this time. Walking was more of a struggle. If you were at Bigb's party over the summer, you had a glimpse of my struggle. Still no aid from any corner. I had to sell many things to pay rent and bills. Those don't rest. Enter into fall and winter.
By this time, I had food (Bridge Card) and Medicaid covered but still no financial help. To this point, fall/winter didn't do me any good physically or mentally. I just wanted to be done with everything by this point. Nobody wanted or cared for me. In my mind. Worse case, the mind wins.
Mid January, I had enough bitching from my brothers and went to the emergency room. I told them of my lack of coordination and balance issues then proceeded with the tests. It ended up they could not handle this locally (Zeeland) and was transported to Butterworth in G.R. for diagnosis. After being there a week and many tests, by the third day, they had my problem pinpointed. It was Multiple Sclerosis, no doubts now. I felt like someone handed me a death sentence by that time. It took a couple days for that to sink in and after talking with one of the M.S. nurses, it wasn't as big of a deal as I thought. It still took time to come to terms with it. I had daily steroid injections for 5 days to jumpstart the treatment. By this time, my arms looked like pincushions from all the times they drew blood and fed things into me.
Then I transferred to Blogett for starting my rehab. They had me attempt walking with a walker a few steps then went on to other parts of the treatment. I was there for two weeks. My walking improved but was still far in the woods when I was transferred yet again to Providence in Zeeland which is a retirement community. It felt odd being the youngest paitent there. More rehab of the three types, physical, occupational and speech. Some was a pain in the ass, but looking back on it now, it was all necessary to get to where I'm currently at. I was there for another two weeks. My walking got better inside.
I went home after five weeks of being in various hospitals. Walking and everything else still was not a strong point. This was mid February. Going to the store was a challenge in the Amigo but it worked. I now had Doctors appointments and various counselors to go to now. Which is good. I'm now walking around the apartment complex, usually with the cane in hand and not using it to walk. I just have to know my limits and not push them. That includes asking for help. Hard for me to do. It ends up my off road club took up a collection for me in mid December.
I'm now on Rebif. Three times a week I give myself a shot. I was trained in doing this. But the pills they have me on are minimal. Once a week pill of vitamin D since I was dangerously low, depression medication and for some odd reason, a stomach pill. Kind of like a Tums. I never had a reflux problem, but now with the meds, it's better safe than sorry.
My physical therapy gal left the pages of instructions for me to do and marked off what to do for my leg exercises now that I'm at home. The therapists only lasted for a couple weeks but I still use their instructions three times a day. I added to the exercises I do to do them all that are there after looking at what I wasn't doing. My Rebif nurse asked what I was doing for my arms to which I replied “Nothing” after telling her what I'm doing. She had me do 10 pushups every time I exercised my legs. I do them three times a day and have increased my pushups to fifteen per workout.
It's the reason I can walk, sometimes not so good. I was at Trail Junkies a couple weeks ago and that told me that I still have a long way to go because I fell twice. Screwing up a couple ribs. In my defense, it's uneven there but I still did not ask for help. TJ did help after that along with Greasy. I still need to ask for help. I have a cane that I use, or sometimes carry depending how my legs are doing.
Now you know what's going on in my world. No highlights.
If you can help, it would be very much appreciated. Bills wait for nobody. But if you can't, life gets in the way of everything and don't worry about it.
I need help and that is where you come in. Can you help me?
Organizer
Jeff Browning
Organizer
Saugatuck, MI
