I lost a wonderful job working in a local Public Health Department. I had worked there for 12 years & loved every minute of the job. I went to the doctor with severe numbness & loss of motor function, I then saw a neurologist & after a 36 years as a nurse, my career was over. I left work that day & was never able to return - very hard to deal with & probably took 2-3 yeas to finally accept. I miss dancing; I was not the greatest but I enjoyed it. The main thing I miss now is only having partial use of my hands. About 2 years into TM I developed essential tremors in both hands (especially the right hand & I am right handed). I take Primidone but it really doesn't help a lot. The main thing that helps the tremors is alcohol & I can't drink every 4-6 hours, (but some days I try). Between the severe numbness & tremors, using my hands can be difficult. I had always enjoyed sewing, needlework, crocheting, scrap booking, & just anything involving arts & crafts. I got rid of 95% of my craft & sewing items because I could not stand not being able to use them (I had a whole room for crafts). I have found I can do jigsaw puzzles - the 3-D ones with larger foam pieces or a little crocheting if I keep it at 15 -20 minutes. I try to be positive as much as possible, knowing there are many people with much worse difficulty than me. On a good note, I have a wonderful supportive husband (helps with laundry & tries to help cooking), good medical coverage, & am able to afford someone in to help with the house 3 days weekly. Life is what you make of it. Linda E.
________________________________ From: john snodgrass <jcs...@yahoo.com> To: transverse myelitis <tmic-list@eskimo.com> Sent: Saturday, January 26, 2013 5:44 AM Subject: Re: [TMIC] Tonight, Today, Tomorrow i was a work-a-holic i sure miss that! ________________________________ From: "heyjude48...@aol.com" <heyjude48...@aol.com> To: tmic-list@eskimo.com Cc: heyjude48...@aol.com Sent: Friday, January 25, 2013 10:32 PM Subject: [TMIC] Tonight, Today, Tomorrow Hi everybody, Tonight, sitting here doing nothing, I'm wondering how Transverse Myelitis has affected your life. What has it stolen from you. Maybe everything, maybe nothing. I'm sure it is a personal thing. Some people choose to focus on life and believe that everything in life happens for a reason. I love life and refuse to let TM steal one minute. Life is made up of many joyous moments and I choose to focus on those moments, not TM. Because of my love for life, I refuse to feel sorry for myself. I've learned to be outspoken about my TM and I've become a demanding person because of TM. I hate that I've had to give up driving and remember how it used to feel heading down the highway with my arm resting on the window turned all the way down. Always remember that today could be potentially the best day of your life. Never take today for granted. When you wake up each morning remember to thank God for giving you another day. Always end the day with a positive thought. No matter how hard thing were, Tomorrow is a fresh opportunity to make it better. (unknown)
