Last weekend we walked for MS.  As usual, we had a wonderful time.  This year we raised over $4500.  Here is a little video that I put together of all the pics that I took at the walk.   I would like to say thank you to all my family and friends who participated in fundraising for Multiple Sclerosis and supporting me.

                                         http://youtu.be/uuoEFgN-80Y

Give Back Night @Chili's

Last night Chili's hosted a give back night for the MS Warrior's, my walk MS team for the National MS Society.  We had a great time.

For every table with this flyer, Chili's donated 15% of the bill to our team between the hours of 4 and 10.  We earned $160 for the MS Society Nevada Chapter.




Linda Lott, MS Society regional manager for the Nevada/Southern California chapter.  This woman has more energy than the pink Energizer bunny and if Duracel had a mascot, they wouldn't have nothing on her either.  She makes it easy for me to be a walk team captain.  She is a huge part of every effort that I make to raise money for the MS Society.

My husband and one of his brothers from another mother, Steve.  What I want to know is, who is the father?

This is part of the group that accompanied Steve, there were 12 of them all together.  They really know how to have a good time.

The rest of Steve's entourage.  Super cool people.

G Money (green shirt) and his wife Jennifer with their children and grand kids.

Left to right: My husband, me, daughter Aliya in the shadows, Brooke and Steve.

Aliya and her best friend Sarah and Dayna behind them.

There were a lot more people that supported us through out the night and I want to say thank you  to every single one of them   I also met some people that plan to walk with us next weekend.  I felt like a star last night!

My Health Update

I wanted to let everyone know what I've been up to and how I am doing.  My treatment and other medications make having MS as comfortable as possible.  My walking and balance are good these days.  My toes on my right foot are always slightly numb.  If I do too much or get too stressed, the numbness in my toes increases and it feels like I have a giant rubber band wrapped around my toes.  As soon as I get rest or calm down, it lets up.  I also get random stabbing pain all over my body.  Not all at once, sometimes it's in my back, or my face or my head but it never lasts for more than a few seconds.  It doesn't happen every day and when it does, it may only be one isolated incident and other times it's intermittent over 30 to 45 minutes.  Fatigue continues to be my number one complaint.  After a good night of sleep, I am drained within 4 hours to 6 hours of waking up but by late afternoon or early evening I begin to feel revived again.  Some days are better than others.

Mentally I am very forgetful but I think I am better in that area these days.  I mostly struggle with words or short term memory.  For example, my oldest daughter has a role in an upcoming play and I keep asking her when it is.  I know that it's in March but I can't tell you exactly what day without asking her for the hundredth time.  When it comes to word fishing, I have gotten much better at recalling the word I am looking for a lot sooner.  Otherwise I am sharper than a tack.  After a while, once I get it locked in, I got it.

I am preparing and fundraising for the MS Walk coming up in May.  So far I have raised $200.  If you are interested in making a donation, please click on this link:  donation
 then click on "Donate to Starla".

Thank you to those who have donated to me and the MS Society.  Your donation means so much to me and other MS patients.  Treatments for MS has come a very long way because of your generous support.

Flu Bug?

There is a nasty flu like cold virus going around.  One person (my cousin) ended up with pneumonia.  This virus has been really difficult to shake.  Since I am on Tysabri, I have to avoid sick people.  We all know how difficult that can be so I try to be proactive.  I like to use natural ingredients for different ailments as much as possible for me and my family.  I recently made a home made cough syrup.  It's super easy. 

There are only 5 ingredients: 
garlic
red onion
ginger
lemon
dehydrated cane juice (raw sugar)

You will also need a jar with a lid.

Just slice the garlic, onions and ginger.  Layer ingredients in the jar with the raw sugar, squeeze 1/2 the lemon into jar and place the lid on.  Within 1 to 4 hours, a concetrated syrup will begin to form.  I drained the syrup and bottled it.  It keeps in the fridge for 6 months to a year.  It tastes ok, very sweet and you may want to rinse with mouth wash to eliminate that garlic and onion after taste. 

My husband has come down with a cold but it's not flu like at this time.  I gave him  2 teaspoons of my home made syrup a few nights ago.  This is some very concentrated syrup.  I will continue to give him 1 teaspoon daily for the next 3 days.  I also gave a bottle to my Mom who is also sick.  I believe it's safe for kids too.  I gave 1 teaspoon to 2 of my daughters because they were complaining of sore throats a few months ago.  I also gave them some zinc.  It knocked whatever it was right out.  They did not end up with any long term infections.

Live Well, Stay Active

Acupuncture, Rolfing (deep tissue massage aimed at realigning the body with gravity), hypnosis, and chiropractic care are examples of Complimentary and Alternative Medicine also known as CAM.   CAM Therapy is not an area that is typically covered by insurance.  Here are some ideas to cover costs from the Spring 2012 edition of Momentum, the magazine of the National MS Society.

If you are employed, ask your employer or health plan administrator about a "rider" in which people buy additional insurance coverage specifically for CAM services.  You may be able to get a pre-negotiated discount.

Take advantage of a flexible spending account or FSA.  This allows you to set aside pretax dollars for qualified medical expenses.

Ask CAM providers if they offer payment plans or discounts for paying upfront or in cash or save money by  researching community-based providers in your area that offer services such as yoga, massage and acupuncture.

The National MS society often provides access to free or low priced services such as yoga, massage and acupuncture.  Call 1-800-344-4867 to ask an MS Navigator about community providers and organizations in the area including your Society chapter.

Biogen Idec has a great website that offers a full range of assistance for MS patients.  They will send you free exercise DVD's, all you have to do is register.   I received my free copy and it's a great video that provides different ability levels.  They also have fitness and diet education, healthy recipes, an online journal for tracking your progress, games to stimulate your brain, free personalized support, a peer mentor program and many other resources. Simply go to MSActiveSource.com and get started.  It's a great website.

Live well and stay active.

Battling MS Fatigue

Lassitude a.k.a. physical or mental weariness a.k.a. MS Fatigue.  This is fatigue like no other.  It's not caused by lack of sleep or running around like a headless chicken even though it feels that way.  Fatigue typically hits me between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.  I start to feel very sluggish despite the fact that I slept for 6 to 7 hours the night before.  I don't drink more than one cup of coffee per day because I am naturally hyper.  Some doctors might be tempted to diagnose me with ADD if they were to ask my family what I'm like between the hours of 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.  For me that's my down time which is usually spent blogging, talking, doing puzzles, cooking, reading, or watching TV and doing at least 3 of these activities at the same time.

Here are some things I found about fatigue that I thought would be helpful for the MS community or anyone  else trying to combat fatigue.

Get a B12 boost, especially if you take meds used to treat heartburn, cholesterol and diabetes which hinder B12's absorption.  Also if you are a vegetarian since the vitamin is found in red meat.  By taking 1,000 mcg. of sublingual (under the tongue) B12 daily, your energy levels can improve within 3 weeks.  They are absorbed 5 times better than regular B12 pills.  Always check with your doctor before starting a new supplement.

Potassium beats fatigue!  Fatigue is the number one symptom for those who are low in potassium.  Eat one cup of potassium rich foods daily, which is essential for energy production inside muscle and brain cells.  A few great picks are: spinach, sweet potatoes (love these), beans, lentils, tomato sauce and potatoes with skins.  Of course you could always go BANANAS!


Brighten your mood with clary sage.  Yes, this essential oil locks onto the same brain receptors that antidepressant medications do which increases serotonin output and can cut fatigue and tension as much as 50%.  Keep a vial of clary sage oil handy and inhale slowly and deeply four times daily or whenever you need an energy boost.  You can find this oil at just about any health food store.

Skip coffee.  Hmm, did I just say that?  Well, maybe in the afternoon, once you've already had at least one cup of coffee for the day.  Really, try cocoa made with dark chocolate instead.  Antioxidant rich flavanols in dark chocolate pump more blood to the brain, providing it with energy-revving nutrients.

Prayer for Receiving Healing

My Mom loaned me this book almost a year ago.  I finally started reading it today and I came across a page that was actually folded as a way to book mark it.  On page 85 of this book, I found the most amazing prayer.  Actually, below is the last paragraph of that page.  I plan to meditate on this prayer as much as I can.  I know that if it be God's will, I will be healed from MS.  If not, I believe He will continue to make it possible for me to live my life to the fullest regardless.

Dear Lord,
If this sickness has been caused by an infectious organism, show me the weakness in my immune system that has allowed it to find entrance into my body.  Show me if I am eating wrong.  Show me if I am relying on medications and man-made answers that are not in your will for me.  I loose, strip, and destroy the power and hold of this infection or disease from my body.  I loose, strip, and destroy the reproductive cycle of this organism.  I loose any wrong beliefs, any wrong attitudes, any bitterness from my soul that are sustaining vulnerability and weakness in my body.  I ask you to reveal any other sources of access that are in me.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

Breaking The Power--Liberty Savard
(Bridge-Logos Publishing 1997)

Whether you have MS, or some other illness in your body, consider meditating on this prayer.