Text 11083, 296 rader
Skriven 2008-07-25 17:43:22 av Janis Kracht (1:261/38)
  Kommentar till text 11029 av RUTH HANSCHKA (1:123/140)
Ärende: summer gardens in ny
============================
Hi Ruth!

> -> > Allergic reaction to in-laws?
> -> Lol - could be for Ron - nah, everybody seemed to get along mostly ok (g).
> ->
> Hmmm - maybe it was Toxic Sticker Shock Syndrome - if that's when gas hit
> the $2/gallon mark at the first time.

hahahahaha.. you're right, it did (g).. boy, and we complained then about
utility bills... This winter is going to kill us.  We're investigating a number
of things, but you know.. it's all going to come down to how much $$ we have
when we're ready to 'do something'. And what the something is.. I have a
feeling it's not gonna be easy no matter what we do, though.

> -> That's what happens now.. just one wrong turn.. When that happens, he
> stays in
> -> bed working on his laptop instead of at his desk.. he doesn't like
> taking

> At least laying down makes it let up.

Yeah.. after he gets hit with that, and if he's taken the time to work only on
his laptop, usually he can be back to normal sooner than later.

> -> still think straight.  When he gets a bad one, he could stay in bed for
> week or
> -> more though.. thankfully that doesn't happen that often.

> Yuck.  Flexoril is as bad as Benadryl from what I can tell.  I won't take
> the latter if I need to be awake.  I've never taken the other one, but have
> friends who've done nasty things to their backs, shoulders etc.

Benadryl only does that to me the first time I take it on a given day.. after
that, I guess my body adjusts quickly.. I don't get sleepy after that first
tablet, in other words.. but I understand what you mean.. my mom also always
had strange reactions from medications.. Painkillers make her antsy instead of
sleepy, etc.

> -> Paul Sills.. but I'd had funny things happen when I was in college and
> didn't
> -> realize what they were until later.

> My body's always done some weird, unlexplained things.  Sometimes I've
> found the cause years later, but some ...?   I was always a klutz too, at
> least when it comes to large muscle groups.

It was funny though.. in a 'practiced' sport or whatever I was great.. I mean
like running, .. and swimming.. When I'd get out of the pool though, I'd likely
walk into something (grin).  I figure that was 'brain training' going on.  As a
matter of fact, after some of the attacks I had, when I couldn't walk, or
whatever, I swear I felt like some of that was going on as I recovered and
forced new muscles to do things. I'm probably just very imaginative :)

> -> Don't blame you one bit.  I'll tell you the one thing for sure Ron and I
> have
> -> found throughout the years ... Stress is the one big thing that you have
> to try
> -> to avoid.. It is hard since just having the darn disease can be

> Good luck with that. ;-)  You can try but life catches up with you one way
> or the other.

Oh I had to find ways to stop letting stress get to me haha.. I really didn't
have a choice early on.. If I let the kids get on my nerves so to speak, it
went RIGHT to my legs.. they'd buckle.   That's when we realized how important
it was to avoid it.. what I did then was hire a teenager to come and sit with
the kids for a couple hours a day just so I didn't get overwelmed.. :)
Sometimes you have to think a bit more with this garbage it seemed to me.

> stressful in
> -> itself til you realize it's not always so bad .. Once you can let crap
> slide
> -> off your back, it's better all the  way around. For years, we dealt with

> That's one reason God invented prayer; a lot of stuff that happens I just
> say is His problem.  Nothing I can do about it anyway.

That's the truth ;)

> things
> -> like housekeeping because obviously, there were times I couldn't do
> squat, and
> -> we couldn't afford a housecleaning service or whatever.. so dirt wins
> those
> -> days.. and it's not like it has to be that way every day..but I bet you
> already
> -> know all that (g).

> In spades.  I'm allergic to dust mites to start with, and pollen.  I

ah I have some of those too..

> haven't been able to mow the lawn for a good decade anyway without a gas
> mask and eye goggles.  Housecleaning has never been high on my priorities
> list.

Luckily, I haven't ever been asked to mow.. my brother can't do it though
because of his allergies.. my allergies to pollen are mostly to those lovey
yellow and purple flowering plants NYS is SO full of (Ragweed and Goldenrod)..
I almost died laughing one day when I picked up a jar of honey that had some
kind of name like "Wild Flower" honey.. when you checked the ingredients it was
Ragweed and Goldenrod :) :)  Put that one back on the shelf fast haha

> -> Great - don't forget, I've had this since 1975.. And the copaxone will
> probably
> -> make quite a difference for you. When I was getting those symptoms, the
> only
> -> treatment was steroids and Immuran, a cancer drug that reduced your

> I've never even heard of Immuran.  Steroids are nasty suckers that do as
> much harm as good.

Immuran is still in use for people who'd run their course with the CRAB drugs,
if they can't continue them for whatever reason... but they don't like to use
it much. It's a drug they give people who've had transplants so that they don't
reject the transplanted organ - and what it does is lower your white blood cell
count to perhaps 4000 cells per whatever.. where normal for a woman IIRC was
7,000 -8,000.. It worked well for me for years (like 15 or more) after I saw
the neuro in NYC, but then it just suddenly stopped working.  He had no idea
why.

As far as steroids go, yes, they can be really nasty.  But if I couldn't see,
or I couldn't walk, I'd be calling up my doc for an app't and req. for them :(

> -> started going to NYC for treatment, the prednisone treatment was short
> but very
> -> heavy high doses. But it worked.
> ->
> They'd titrate you off of it.

Yes, he did.. you have to.. that cortisone is replacing the natural cortison in
the body while you're taking it.  That 'local yokel' I first went to had me on
a 'maintanence' amount every darn day, and that's I'm sure why things were just
getting worse. It was never high enough to reduce the inflammation from the
attacks, and it didn't stop them from starting either - it just made you
miserable. When I went to NYC, I'd be on 100MG for 5 days, then drop by 20MG
(like 80MG for 5 days, 60 for 5 days, etc.).  He also had me take the whole
mouthful of pills at once.. not split them up like the fellow in Warwick did..
It thought all of that was interesting... but what a difference it made.

>  Ever get stoned on it?  They tried it on me
> once and that's what happened.  Needless to say I quickly figured I'd
> rather deal with the symptoms than the side effects.

No, I never had that happen.. were you extremely silly-punchy, that kind of
stoned? I was very 'happy' when I was on it in general... and some depression
would set in as I was getting off it but that's it.

> -> Ouch.  That sounds like steroids.
> -> Nope, that was the disease.. before I went on Steroids (prednisone
> generally).
> -> After that attack, I asked my dad to find a "really good doctor" because

> The reason I said that is that steroids can do nasty things to bone
> density.

Sure, all kinds of good things like that from that drug :( ..Prenisone gave me
arthritis in my knees, shoulders, and wrists (some of which I would have
developed anyway given my family history) but it never caused problems like I
got from the MS. But when I'd get a bad attack, it's the only thing that would
help.. even after I was on the Immuran for a long time.


> -> I said, "what about "The Headache"? I have to sit up in the car to go
> home,
> -> etc.." (most doctors tell you you have to stay flat for something like
> 24
> -> hours..). He said, don't worry, you only get the headache if the doc.
> doesn't
> -> know how to do it correctly. (g).. and he was right.  I got up after the

> They didn't do mine right then; I got the headache.

Yep.. same with the first guy I went to in Warwick.. man did that headache
hurt.. couldn't believe it.

> -> get it differently.  Some are bothered by heat, some cold, in my case it
> was
> -> any extreme.  Now, I can handle cold again just like before I got this..
> but
> -> heat is a killer still.  That's why I'd love to move to Hawaii or
> Southern
> -> Italy (g).. nah, I like NYS.. works for me ... :)

> Hawaii would kill me in two weeks flat.  I'm all for moving to Yellowknife

Wait a minute (g)...I thought it was supposed to be like 70F there all year
long? Sounds nice :)

> with Jim, or would be if the ice road weren't the only way to get medicines
> shipped in.

Yes, that could be a drag.

> -> >of the > crab > -> drugs.  Anyway,  hang in there (guess we don't have
> -> >choice huh? :))
> ->
> -> > There's one other option, but I don't own a .357. ;-)
> ->
>-> Lol :)  Well you can always kick the cat.. I'm tempted some days, she can b
> -> such a pia (g). Just kidding :)

> I've got two.  Pest is an understatement.

yeah, I've technically got two, but I convinced one of them to "live" upstairs
and be my son's friend Lol  Tazzi is a nice chubby cat that my daughter adopted
from a animal pound in Indiana when she was in college there.. then when they
moved from here to Ithaca, they couldn't take her.. so I "inherited" her .. and
I'm so allergic to her dander, it's a blessing to have her stay upstairs in
their apartment :) :)

> -> > I've seen a few tomato plants more recently, but no basil.
> -> Yeah they sell it early on.. there are still seeds you can pick up
> though.

> If I didn't have an indoor black thumb, I might try it.

It can be a pia too.. potting mix, containers.. put 'em in a window, and watch
them so they don't dry out.. unless you get professional and get a plant-light,
etc (bg). Actually, you can look at Agway and see if you can find one of those
kits that comes preplanted with the seed, etc.. that might be easy to do.

> -> > Green tomato mincemeat and fried green tomatoes here we come.
> -> Yep.. you got it.. :)

> Luckily we like fried green tomatoes.  I found green ones in the supermarket
> this spring once, in with some cluster tomatoes.  THese weren't a green
> variety; they were supposed to be red.  I glommed the greenies - some people
> must have thought I was nuts.

Heh :)  I've never seen green tomatoes at the store.. maybe local farmers? I
know Wegman's over here gets some produce that they say is "local".

Ron and I went to the Binghamton Farmers Market today.. MUCH nicer than the
little one here in Windsor :) :)  The McRay farm where we've visited and bought
beef and pork from was there, so I loaded up on a few roasts, etc :) There were
also a number of fruit and vegetable stands (more than 5 I'd say).. and a live
Jazz band heheh.. it was great to see the local farmers there with such good
fresh food!

> -> hahaha.. nope, no dogs in the house.. just people and IIRC, 3 main coons
> (g)..
> -> Pete was the last one to find a home.

> Pete was a Coon Cat to the core, then.

Oh yeah..

> -> > He was just plain big.  Bobcat sized, pretty much.
> ->
> -> Yes, sounds about right.. :)

> I've seen bobcats around here about that size.  THey don't have the feather
> duster tails though.

I've never seen one up close :)

> -> from the floor, and just surveying everyone and everything below.. :)
> That
> -> was shock the first time I saw him do it..

> Max sat on top of the den door once in a while.  He liked the top of the
> china cabinet too.  It was about six feet off the floor and flat.  Great
> place for a cat perch.

I wonder if they're thinking they can take down an eagle or something??? Lol I
mean, why does the breed like to jump up SO high and perch like that :) :)

This was one of Pete's favorite dinners (heh, not FOR him, and he knew it) but
he knew I wouldn't mind if he was around while I was cooking (grin):

===Calamari al Bianca over Rigatoni===

1 pound cleaned squid tubes cut in rings 1/4 pound butter (1 stick)
1 lemon
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup parsley, chopped
2 Tablespoons white wine
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound rigatoni macaroni


Cook rigatoni according to package instructions, al dente. In pan, saute garlic
and parsley in butter. Add the squid rings and saute until just cooked.  Add
lemon juice and wine. Heat through.   Serve Calamari
Blanco over rigatoni.

===

Pete got the heads (grin).

Take care,
Janis

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