Multiple sclerosis ain't no picnic

I don't know about the rest of you but I'm glad to see the winter of 2007-2008 go away.  The months of November, December and half of January were tolerable but the last two and a half months have gotten long.  Temperatures in North Dakota, USA during this last stretch of winter got a little chilly.  It started around Janauary 17th.  There were a few days in the second half of the month where we had a minus 40 degrees below wind chill! 

It can change so quickly up here in the upper midwest of the USA.  I'm writing this on Sunday April 6th, 2008.  Yesterday, it looked like spring had finally come.  It was about 52 degrees Fahrenheit in the afternoon.  The sun was shining and there was little wind.  I went out for a pizza about 9pm last night.  I left the pizza place with a friend about 10pm.  At that time the wind was starting to pick up and snowflakes were starting to fall.  It was about 32 degrees Fahrenheit. 

When I woke up this morning it had snowed in the night and there was about 2 inches of fresh stuff on the ground.  It continued to snow all day Sunday until about 4pm.  I didn't measure it but we must have gotten about 6 inches all together.  I like to think spring is here when The Masters golf tournament is held every April in Augusta, Georgia.  It's supposed to warm up again this week and melt our latest snowfall.  However, it snowed enough so that we might still have some on the ground when the players tee off on this coming Thursday!  

This winter has just seemed to drag on!  I use an electric scooter 95% of the time now and I could be seen scooting downtown all winter.  I've done this for the past three years.  This winter I think I only missed two days of not going downtown to either one of our gas stations, the grocery store or the drugstore.  The only place on my body that gets cold is my face.  I have a Bomber hat for my bald head and for the rest of me I simply wear jeans, shirt, sweatshirt and my winter coat.  It can be chilly on my face but I don't stay outside too long!  I'm only three blocks from my grocery store which is the majority of my trips in each day.  I've stopped driving my van when it's really bad out, too.  Since I don't walk so good I figure it's not wise to be driving on the interstate highway.  If my van would breakdown or if I would slide into the ditch I might be sitting there for awhile. 

Now you may ask why do I live in such a state with such cold temperatures?  First, I like to think our weather makes us a heartier bunch of people!  Second, I've lived in Minnesota, Wisconsin or North Dakota my whole life.  I don't know anything different.  I'm used to this!  Third, we have cold in the winter but it also doesn't get too terribly warm in the summers.  As a multiplictic sclerictic (person with MS) and heat sensitive this is the only place I want to be except for maybe Canada or Alaska! lol  Lastly, we have the occasional blizzard or tornado but we don't have droughts, hurricanes, typhoons or any of that kind of stuff.

 

The week of March 17th of 2008 we had warmer temperatures (30's) but on the 19th and 20th we got a spring snowstorm which left about 10 inches of new snow on the ground.  The only good thing about that is a person knows it's going to melt very quickly and as of this writing most of its gone!  We seem to be getting a lot of snow in March this year but it will never match the snowstorm of April 14th, 1984 for me.  On that particular day it was warm and we were enjoying being outside after a rough winter.  My roommate at the time and I decided to have a cookout on our little grill.  We had burgers, chips and beer.  

After we ate we decided to go to a suburb of Minneapolis which was only 30 minutes away.  Once there we partied hard, closed down the bar we'd  been in and about 1am we headed for home.  As we were driving home it started to snow.  Now snowstorms in mid April can happen in Minnesota but it's rather unusual.  By the time we got back to our little town the snow was beginning to accumulate and we knew we were in for some more winter.  We didn't know how much we'd get and we didn't really care.  Both of us wanted to go to bed.  The last thing we said to each other was, "I think we're in for a good one". 

As we went to bed we could still see our little grill out on the yard.  But when we woke up at  9am the next morning we couldn't see our little grill anymore.  It was completely covered with snow along with just about everything else!  During the night it had snowed 14 inches and everything was covered with white stuff.  Now in mid April it's warming up nicely in the upper midwest of the USA.  We knew that any snow would soon be replaced with slush and water in a day or two but for me it will go down as one of the weirdest snowstorms I've ever encountered!  It came on so quickly and there was a lot of snow very fast!  It's the kind of storm that makes a person respect the weather and what it can do and also do very quickly!

Jon Wegner is a 50 year old resident of a small town close to Fargo, ND, USA .  He's lived there for four years after being a lifelong Minnesotan.  Jon's had multiple sclerosis symptoms for over 25 years.  In 2007 his MS took the majority of his walking.  He now rides his electric scooter 95% of the time to get around and he has other MS problems.  Jon's website and e-book can be found at http://www.mymsbookandnewsletter.com   You can also sign up for his FREE newsletter there. 

I have the wonderful disease of multiple sclerosis!  I'm kidding! Multiple sclerosis (MS) isn't too wonderful and it can be life changing!  It's changed my life in some good ways and some bad.  MS is a weird disease.  What makes me mad is that I look perfectly healthy!  I joke with people that I'm the healthiest looking sick person they're ever going to meet!  They always agree with me.

I'm 6 ft tall and weigh about 205 pounds.  I should say I'm 6 ft tall when I'm standing up.  For all practical purposes my MS took my walking in 2007.  I now ride my electric scooter (Max) about 95% of the time.  I had a physical at my doctor's office the week of 3/10/08 and I checked out just great!

I live in a little town close to Fargo, ND, USA however I'll soon be moving to West Fargo, ND which is right next to Fargo.  My ex and son are moving to West Fargo so I'm going to do that, too.  I want to live closer to my son!  All my doctors are in Fargo and West Fargo so for me it makes sense to make this move.  I currently ride Max everywhere in my little town and I should be able to continue that in West Fargo.  People know me as Scooterjon.

I'm looking forward to 2008 because 2007 wasn't much fun.  In 2007 my MS got worse.  When 2007 started I was walking with a cane and able to get around my apartment pretty well.  I still used my scooter when I went outside but I was walking unaided or with my walker in my apartment.  I'm now considered to have secondary progressive MS.  Now I've lost almost all of my walking!

Now that 2008 is here when I wake up I immediately reach for my walker because it helps with my balance and walking.  I can stumble around my apartment but why do that?  I had a bad exacerbation (worsening of my symptoms) in February 2008.  My legs were not working at all during the exacerbation.  I actually had to use my scooter even in my apartment.  That exacerbation taught me that I could do everything from a scooter including cooking, cleaning, bathing and working.

I turned 50 years old in March and I've had a great life and I feel it's only going to get better!  I'll even admit that I kind of like being disabled the way I am.  At least I'm learning to like it!  I rest whenever I need to.  The best thing about my MS is it got me to quit drinking alcohol (mainly beer) in 1996.  I still go to my favorite bar in town to have an occasional beer but I'm no longer "hooked" on it.  I never thought I could get along without my beer but I've learned that I can and I like my life better as a sober person.

I've also found that writing my e-book and articles is cathartic for me.  When I was a kid if there was ever a problem at home my father would always say this about the situation, "she ain't no picnic"!  I'm sure it was to make us laugh or diffuse a situation and he always said it at just the right time.  He probably would have made a great standup comic.  But how true that statement was and still is!  I thought it would be a great title for my newsletter and blog that I also write because MS is certainly no picnic!

I feel I can talk about my MS with confidence because my body has experienced just about everything MS can dish out.  I was diagnosed in 1991 but since I've been writing articles I can now trace my symptoms back to at least 1980.  I've only been in my current condition for the past year and I still feel it's not that bad!  I'm still looking forward to the future!

Sometimes I think there must be something wrong with my head.  I should feel sadder or something about my situation but I don't.  I accept what I have and I'm trying to make the most of the rest of my life!  And that's not a bunch of bull, either!  My life is still good!  I get up in the morning and I go to my computer to check my emails.  Then I can write articles about my MS or e-mail to friends.  I've been telemarketing for almost 20 years now.  I used to telemarket for my own businesses but in 2007 I started telemarketing diligently for insurance agents in the Fargo, ND area.  The agents pay me to schedule appointments for them.  It provides me extra money to add to my social security disability checks.

I figure as long as I have my scooter Max who needs legs!  I joke with people that walking is overrated anyway!  lol  Max will be my legs for the next 30 years and I know it sounds weird but that's OK with me.  I find myself now using my walker as soon as I get up each morning!  This has all happened in the past year.  I'm continually amazed at what the human body can do or not do to itself!  It's kinda weird to experience losing your legs first hand.  I didn't get shot in a war, I didn't have a diving accident and I didn't have a bad car accident.  Multiple sclerosis just happened to me.  I was born with it!

I always said that when I moved to my little town by Fargo that it would be my last move!  Since my ex and my son decided to move it's makes alot of sense for me to move, too.  Gasoline prices are out of whack and my fatigue is as bad as it was in the 90's.  I'll be moving by June 1st into West Fargo, ND!  I would do anything to live closer to my son.  Right now its 20 miles to get him and bring him back to my little town on the days that I have him.  I don't think of the move too much right now because the thought of moving overwhelms me.  I already have an apartment picked out and it's only 3 blocks from where my son will be living.  I can be a regular Dad and see him everyday! Now that makes me very happy!!

Jon Wegner is a 50 year old resident of a small town close to Fargo, ND, USA.  He's lived there for four years after being a lifelong Minnesotan.  Jon's had multiple sclerosis for over 20 years.  In 2007 his MS took the majority of his walking.  He now rides his electric scooter 95% of the time to get around and he has other MS related problems.  Jon's website, e-book, FREE newsletter and articles can be found at www.mymsbookandnewsletter.com   You can also sign up for his FREE newsletter there.

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