This is my FAVORITE TIME OF YEAR - SYTTENDE MAI!!!! What is that you ask??? It means, 17th of May in Norwegian. This is significant because, this is the HUGE festival celebrating Syttende Mai in Stoughton, WI. Syttende Mai (17th of May) is the Norwegian CONSTITUTION day. "The Constitution of Norway was signed on 17th May 1814 at Eidsvoll and as per the constitution Norway was declared to be an independent nation. The reality that this CONSTITUTION came in context with a very strong movement in NORWAY for INDEPENDENCE from SWEDEN." -- THIS CONCLUDES YOUR WORLD HISTORY LESSON OF THE DAY!!!!
So anyway -- why does it mean so much to me??? Well, there are several reasons. I was born and lived just north of Stoughton in Madison. My husband had a family cottage in Stoughton. This cottage was built by my husband's father and grandfather. We spent a considerable amount of time at the cottage. Our children grew their and in the lake in the summers. We ALWAYS attended the Syttende Mai festival every year. Then for four years, I participated in the run/walk (17 miles) from Madison to Stoughton. I LOVED this!!! It was really hard work and this is when I first noticed symptoms of my Multiple Sclerosis (M.S.)! I did not understand at the time and neither did my doctor. M.S. can be misdiagnosed for years and that is EXACTLY what happened to me. After I was diagnosed with M.S., my body really fell apart. I had a HORRIBLE time walking. I had to use either a walker or cane to get around. It was a very rough few years (understatement). I longed to get back to a point just to walk that kind of distance. My children knew how much it meant to me and how much it hurt my heart not to participate. So they did the 17 mile race, Jeremy did one year and Elyse did 2 or 3 years. In the meanwhile, I was working on my nutrition and exercise. I was actually getting better and stronger. I achieved being able to run the 10 mile RUN - 3 YEARS IN A ROW. Last year, was pretty much a disaster!!!! Yes, I did run the 10 miles without question. But at the same time my M.S. was really working on my body. It had deteriorated and weakened my left hip and ankle muscles. I ended up with MULTIPLE TEARS IN MY LIGAMENT IN MY LEFT ANKLE. (This has always been my weaker side.) I still ran the 10 mile run last year and finished running on Memorial Day with a 5K in Pecatonica. Since, then I had STOPPED running on the advice from the doctors and physical therapist. They wanted me to allow the tears to heal. I started running again this spring. The whole time, I was noticing that my left foot/ankle seemed to be falling outward. So my ankle bone is moving closer to the floor instead of nice and erect like my right ankle. I went to my Neuro doc and asked for maybe needing a brace for this ankle. He sent me to the Orthopedic Rehab. Now my diagnosis is that I am developing a club foot and need surgery to correct this. GREAT!!!! I have been dealing with this SHIT (YES - I said, "SHIT") for 1 1/2 YEARS... I have been going to Drs and try to be proactive with my health issues. Then I had another HUGE WHAMMY from my monster - MS!!!! I became ill with an UTI (Urinary Tract Infection). Since, the MS has deadened some of my nerves - I NEVER HAD A CLUE. So I did not have any of the obvious symptoms - ie burning upon urination. Yes, it sometimes took me longer to urinate but.. that is not an uncommon issue with folks with MS... You deal with it and get over that... Well, one morning the UTI decided it was not getting any attention so, it decided to FUCK with my M.S.. I was LITERALLY at the gym, doing my usual early morning workout. I had ran, done pushups, planks, etc.... Then all of the sudden it felt like I had a REALLY BAD "charlie horse" in my legs. Plus, I had a very strong, urgent feeling to defecate. I crawled and held on to wall to get to the bathroom. I was a bit late. So I cleaned myself up and was hurting so horribly from this "charlie horse" feeling. I thought maybe the warm water in the shower would help to calm down the nerves. As I was getting undressed, I realized that my stability was deteriorating more and more. So the thought of wet flooring and being less and less able to stand unassisted was probably not a good idea. So, I got back dressed and just sat still for awhile and tried to do some breathing exercises to calm myself. As the story goes, I ended up calling my daughter to assist me and ended up in the hospital. My mobility and neuropathy has been HORRIBLE, and this is saying it mildly. I have not been able to run. I have tried but, there is NO WAY. I have really been focusing on my Pilates during my early morning exercises. This week, I have really noticed a break through. My walking ability has really improved. Also, my overall strength and stamina has improved. Last night, I was teaching Pilates - and noticed - WOW - I was really plowing through some of the more advanced moves. I WAS SO EXCITED!!!! This made me plow through more and longer Pilates holds... I was just ripping through 1 minute planks like it was nothing. The students were pretty toasted by the time I was done... This is the first REAL ENCOURAGEMENT I have experienced from my body. I am still not able to run but, MAYBE by Memorial Day -- who knows... Right now, I am focused on my biking. Tomorrow, I am off as an OFFICIAL FOR THE SYTTENDE MAI 10-MILE RUN. How many miles I will actually do, we will find out. So YES - the MS Monster has been really working on FUCKING with me.... But, I am DETERMINED AND VOW - NOT TO ALLOW IT TO TAKE ME DOWN EASY. It messing with one EXTREMELY STUBBORN AND MEAN IRISH GIRL!!! SO YES -- TO HELL WITH THE MS!!!! I REFUSE to let it inhale me... I will always fight and work my damnedest!!!! So YES --- FOREVER FORWARD!!!!
Friday, May 15, 2015
May 15, 2015
This is my FAVORITE TIME OF YEAR - SYTTENDE MAI!!!! What is that you ask??? It means, 17th of May in Norwegian. This is significant because, this is the HUGE festival celebrating Syttende Mai in Stoughton, WI. Syttende Mai (17th of May) is the Norwegian CONSTITUTION day. "The Constitution of Norway was signed on 17th May 1814 at Eidsvoll and as per the constitution Norway was declared to be an independent nation. The reality that this CONSTITUTION came in context with a very strong movement in NORWAY for INDEPENDENCE from SWEDEN." -- THIS CONCLUDES YOUR WORLD HISTORY LESSON OF THE DAY!!!!
So anyway -- why does it mean so much to me??? Well, there are several reasons. I was born and lived just north of Stoughton in Madison. My husband had a family cottage in Stoughton. This cottage was built by my husband's father and grandfather. We spent a considerable amount of time at the cottage. Our children grew their and in the lake in the summers. We ALWAYS attended the Syttende Mai festival every year. Then for four years, I participated in the run/walk (17 miles) from Madison to Stoughton. I LOVED this!!! It was really hard work and this is when I first noticed symptoms of my Multiple Sclerosis (M.S.)! I did not understand at the time and neither did my doctor. M.S. can be misdiagnosed for years and that is EXACTLY what happened to me. After I was diagnosed with M.S., my body really fell apart. I had a HORRIBLE time walking. I had to use either a walker or cane to get around. It was a very rough few years (understatement). I longed to get back to a point just to walk that kind of distance. My children knew how much it meant to me and how much it hurt my heart not to participate. So they did the 17 mile race, Jeremy did one year and Elyse did 2 or 3 years. In the meanwhile, I was working on my nutrition and exercise. I was actually getting better and stronger. I achieved being able to run the 10 mile RUN - 3 YEARS IN A ROW. Last year, was pretty much a disaster!!!! Yes, I did run the 10 miles without question. But at the same time my M.S. was really working on my body. It had deteriorated and weakened my left hip and ankle muscles. I ended up with MULTIPLE TEARS IN MY LIGAMENT IN MY LEFT ANKLE. (This has always been my weaker side.) I still ran the 10 mile run last year and finished running on Memorial Day with a 5K in Pecatonica. Since, then I had STOPPED running on the advice from the doctors and physical therapist. They wanted me to allow the tears to heal. I started running again this spring. The whole time, I was noticing that my left foot/ankle seemed to be falling outward. So my ankle bone is moving closer to the floor instead of nice and erect like my right ankle. I went to my Neuro doc and asked for maybe needing a brace for this ankle. He sent me to the Orthopedic Rehab. Now my diagnosis is that I am developing a club foot and need surgery to correct this. GREAT!!!! I have been dealing with this SHIT (YES - I said, "SHIT") for 1 1/2 YEARS... I have been going to Drs and try to be proactive with my health issues. Then I had another HUGE WHAMMY from my monster - MS!!!! I became ill with an UTI (Urinary Tract Infection). Since, the MS has deadened some of my nerves - I NEVER HAD A CLUE. So I did not have any of the obvious symptoms - ie burning upon urination. Yes, it sometimes took me longer to urinate but.. that is not an uncommon issue with folks with MS... You deal with it and get over that... Well, one morning the UTI decided it was not getting any attention so, it decided to FUCK with my M.S.. I was LITERALLY at the gym, doing my usual early morning workout. I had ran, done pushups, planks, etc.... Then all of the sudden it felt like I had a REALLY BAD "charlie horse" in my legs. Plus, I had a very strong, urgent feeling to defecate. I crawled and held on to wall to get to the bathroom. I was a bit late. So I cleaned myself up and was hurting so horribly from this "charlie horse" feeling. I thought maybe the warm water in the shower would help to calm down the nerves. As I was getting undressed, I realized that my stability was deteriorating more and more. So the thought of wet flooring and being less and less able to stand unassisted was probably not a good idea. So, I got back dressed and just sat still for awhile and tried to do some breathing exercises to calm myself. As the story goes, I ended up calling my daughter to assist me and ended up in the hospital. My mobility and neuropathy has been HORRIBLE, and this is saying it mildly. I have not been able to run. I have tried but, there is NO WAY. I have really been focusing on my Pilates during my early morning exercises. This week, I have really noticed a break through. My walking ability has really improved. Also, my overall strength and stamina has improved. Last night, I was teaching Pilates - and noticed - WOW - I was really plowing through some of the more advanced moves. I WAS SO EXCITED!!!! This made me plow through more and longer Pilates holds... I was just ripping through 1 minute planks like it was nothing. The students were pretty toasted by the time I was done... This is the first REAL ENCOURAGEMENT I have experienced from my body. I am still not able to run but, MAYBE by Memorial Day -- who knows... Right now, I am focused on my biking. Tomorrow, I am off as an OFFICIAL FOR THE SYTTENDE MAI 10-MILE RUN. How many miles I will actually do, we will find out. So YES - the MS Monster has been really working on FUCKING with me.... But, I am DETERMINED AND VOW - NOT TO ALLOW IT TO TAKE ME DOWN EASY. It messing with one EXTREMELY STUBBORN AND MEAN IRISH GIRL!!! SO YES -- TO HELL WITH THE MS!!!! I REFUSE to let it inhale me... I will always fight and work my damnedest!!!! So YES --- FOREVER FORWARD!!!!
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