Saturday, March 19, 2011

Paper or Plastic?

Spring is such a beautiful time of the year.  The flowers are beginning to peek out of the ground, the trees are budding and the birds are tweeting and fluttering around.  Color is coming back into the world after being mostly grays and browns for the winter.
Unfortunately, I often look through eyes that seem wrapped in plastic wrap.  No matter how much I blink them or wash them out, the world does not get any sharper.  This blurred vision usually comes with a pounding head and eye pain.  It is not uncommon with MS.
One of the biggest complaints those of us who are patients have is that we have symptoms, but when checked out, there is nothing there.  This is typical MS.  A particular eye problem, with one of those long really medical sounding names, will not be present…….only the pain and the blurry vision that have no rhyme or reason. 
When we have doctor appointments, the first thing the doctor usually asks is what symptoms we are having.  I often feel like a hypochondriac as I rattle off a list of things that have come up between my last visit.  The doctor patiently writes it all down and I sit there wondering what he is really thinking. 
I have an aunt who is blind from macular degeneration and cataracts.  She is in a rest home, having had to leave her home and most of her belongings.  It is very sad to see her sitting there, not being able to see you.  Fortunately, she is a high-spirited woman, full of life and joy, and a pleasure to visit.  Only rarely does her situation get her down.
I hope we can all gather strength from each other, from deep within ourselves, and from our God who rules the universe.  Only then will we be able to defeat the demons who try to ruin our happiness.
Besides, it is so much more fun to J than to L!!!!

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