Belated Happy World MS Day! (In Which I Give Tips for Surviving MS)

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Totally Not Defying Gravity: In Which We Learn About Life from the Perspective of the Fallen

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I fall down. A lot. As you can read here , there are many reasons why people with MS have trouble walking. Me, I experience foot drop on my left side, which causes me to trip over my own feet. My balance isn't great, nor is my energy. All of that plus a habit of moving too fast and pushing too hard means plenty of falling. Usually it’s a simple toe-caught-on-the-uneven sidewalk sort of thing. Or maybe a changed-directions-too-quickly-at-home collapse. Or a it’s-3am-and-I-forgot-our-bedroom-has a-step-in-it spill. (Yes, our bedroom has a step in it. I know, I know.) Whenever/wherever/however I fall, my first thought is always the quickest of body scans before my mind races to witnesses and how to appease them. I spend significantly more time worrying about ensuring that those around me are okay with what has happened and minimizing their embarrassment than I do about my own welfare. Maybe it’s a lady thing. Maybe it’s a Rebecca thing. It’s just what I do. Tuesday morning I wal
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The Urethra Monologues, Part Two: In Which I Am Thrust Into the World of Self-Catheterization

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Six months after braving Urodynamics, I was still on Doxazosin and pursuing a new approach: physical therapy. I first met with a wonderful woman outside of DC whose office was welcoming and yoga studio-like. I desperately wanted her to take care of me but knew that a 90 minute commute each way via Metro (ah, the good old days when I still traveled independently!) was too much. She referred me to a rehab practice in DC where I worked with a woman who definitely knew her stuff but was significantly less nurturing. Under her tutelage I did Kegel after Kegel  to strengthen my pelvic floor. I was sent home with a rented device to put inside me  while I did my exercises. It was a hard and unpleasant couple of months, but I did come out of if with better bladder control. For a while. I continued to see the wonderful Dr. Phillips and returned for my second urodynamics study (some girls have all the luck!) the summer of 2012, two years after my first one. There were some unexpected updates.
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