The TENS unit.. I'm loving it!!!

I have learned to take joy in the small victories of life and today (ok, it was really yesterday) was no exception.  I wanted to see for myself if the TENS unit had made any difference yet so I chose not to place the electrodes (pads) on my body and was ecstatic to find that it had already helped quite a bit!  I wore my TENS unit almost the entire day Monday (from the moment my physical therapist put it on me until bedtime) and at least 12 hours Wednesday through Friday and the difference has been astonishing.  I won't claim to be pain-free, but I am standing and sitting almost completely straight with my pain levels lowered from my usual 9.5 - 10 to a 6.5 - 7. I would say that is a massive improvement in less than a week!  Granted, I haven't done much of anything today that would cause much pain but then again, how much do I usually do to feel such a tremendous amount of pain wracking through my body?


As I did Friday, I spent much of the day in the RANT room on Facebook, sharing thoughts, ideas, laughs and pieces of advice from experiences I've had from years with MS.  One thing I shared had to do with constipation or my problem, which is not having any "push," as my former neurologist described it.  Basically, my brain can't figure out how to help me in having a bowel movement since it can't remember how to push anything out so it's futile to even try.. and this leads to constipation.  I choose to treat this problem before I become constipated, which needs to be done on a daily basis in order to remain semi-regular.  I was told, a few years back, that it is perfectly safe to take Colace on a daily basis to treat bowel difficulties as it is NOT a stimulant nor a laxative.  Being that Colace is a bit pricey, I take the Walmart generic version, which is not as potent but is much more economical.  I take two soft gels one day, three the next, and continue in this pattern indefinitely.  It has been working for me pretty well and felt it was important to share this information with those who had no idea what medication was safe to use for long periods of time.

I hate having MS.. I hate it so much!  But in the last few days I'm learning to love what I've learned through my battles, tears, frustrations, pain and I'm hoping others on Facebook and, of course, here on my blog, will understand their own illness(es) a bit more and how to deal with their lives without as much heartache.  The MS will not disappear because of what any of us read or learn but through human experiences and understanding, the transition into a new phase of life can be gentler, less stressful, and this is what I hope to provide in my sharing parts of my life as candidly as possible.  At the same time, in telling my story and exposing myself as I do, I feel an inner cleansing each time I sit down to pour my heart out to each and every one of you.

Oh, my goodness.. I hadn't realized the time!  It's already after 4am and I really should be tucked into bed with my three girls snuggled in around me so I'll head off to bed now.  Once again, I have absolutely no plans for the weekend so I am sure I'll be back soon with more thoughts and ramblings. :)