All in with Bears

An MS whine without wine

I’ve been thinking about bears a lot lately. And it is not because it was just bear week in my hometown- a lovely week catering to Provincetown fun in the sun with the loveliest of bear visitors.

Nor is it because I miss the cool temperatures of the fall when my favorite bears, the Boston Bruins, take the ice once again.

It is because I am a bit overwhelmed and all I can think about is the children’s book- The Berenstain Bears Too Much Stuff.

There is too much stuff in my world this summer and it is starting to do me in a bit.

First- bugs. I have had an infestation of earwigs. Actually, it’s more like I have earwigs coming out of my ears.

Ok, now that I have totally skeeved you out I can’t be the only one who has ever said that. They are redoing the landscaping around my complex and the earwigs have been rudely displaced. Plus, it seems they hate the humidity too, so are seeking their own comfort by my AC, without even helping with the electric bill!

It is not just me who is grossed out about this. A friendly neighbor who is dealing with the same thing kindly brought me a gift- Soy Sauce.

Reduced sodium soy sauce to be exact.

He admitted that he knew this was a weird gift but explained that his research showed that earwigs love the smell and mixing soy sauce with a little olive oil in a small bowl will attract them and then they will get stuck in the mixture, drown in it leading to a pleasant death for them and then I can just rinse them down the sink.

Eeeeeww.

No.

I appreciated the thought but I’m not about to become a serial earwig murderer. What will they call me- the great Soy Sauce killer? Yikes!!

Just as the new landscape project settled down and the earwigs found new dirt to cool off in, tiny spiders started hanging out around my computer, dropping down to Google whatever spiders are curious enough to Google about. And they are so tiny they must be baby spiders and so I know they are definitely NOT helping with the rent.

They would be too small to worry about, but they add to the floater problem and every little spot out of the corner of my eye is now just to be as likely to be an invader rather than an old age trick of the eyes.

There is too much weather- and gross sticky not fun weather. Bring on Bruin Bears! I know they only play on nice, cold, frozen ice.

There is also too much scary politics. I want to avoid it, but it is everywhere!!!

But mostly, there is too much medical.

First my mom fell and broke her right ankle; not enough to need surgery but enough to need a boot, rehab and more medical appointments. Not to be outdone, and in the world of Ripley’s Believe It or Not or in you just can’t make this up, two weeks later my sister also fell and broke her right ankle; not enough to need surgery but enough to need a boot, rehab and more medical appointments.

No, I did not just make an MS brain fog mistake and type the same sentence twice.

Then, a recent MRI showed some progression which has led to my beloved neurologist recommending switching from my DMD in pill form to monthly infusions of Tysabri.  He made it sound easy and I trust him completely. Then he sent in the infusion coordinator who talked about testing, side effects, appointments and the need to cancel appointments with any, even the most minor of infections. 

Covid? Need to reschedule the Tysabri infusion.

 UTI? Need to reschedule the Tysabri infusion.

Sniffles?

Well, you get the idea…

Since my neurologist told me this I have been contacted and told to set up portals with the new drug company, and the new patient support company.  Too many portals…

And like the Grinch, another famous children’s story book character, “Oh the noise, noise noise….”

Text messages, phone calls, new passwords, emails- all for medical appointments.

My neurologist’s office did all three to confirm my appointment, sometimes multiple times. 3 text messages, 2 emails and one phone call. Is it because they know multiple sclerosis causes brain fog which means I can easily forget my appointment? Don’t they also know that people with MS get easily overwhelmed?

Just in the time it has taken me to write a rough draft of this blog I have received 3 phone calls, 2 emails and 6 texts, all for medical stuff for me or my mom. It feels like it will take days to catch up.

I have another doctor’s visit scheduled in 3 weeks and they have already started the confirmation calls. My eye doctor’s appointment next week has already sent two emails explaining their Covid protocols.

It is just too much!

I turned to the comfort of the Berenstain Bears and their Too Much Stuff book. And, as it turns out when I was doing my blog research, there was NO SUCH THING! The Berenstain Bears have a book called Think of Those in Need which has a heading of “Too Much Stuff” but they are talking about property that can be reused, repurposed (are they the same thing?) and thus given away. The book has nothing to do with “Too Much Stuff” as in being inundated with being overwhelmed.

(There is a kid’s book called Too Much Stuff by Emily Gravitt which does have a teddy bear in it so I’m going with it.)

The Berenstain Bears do have books called Too Much TV and Too Much Junk Food. Which is completely ironic as what is the best release from too much stuff and too much stress?

TV and junk food are my go tos!

When I want to shut down- junk TV works for me.

(Except for those Lume commercials. Really? What a way to make women feel inferior- they must have every part of their body smell like a bed of roses or they are gross and stink. And the ads for Lume are constant and everywhere!!)

And say what you want about eating healthy and being healthy, but when you’re rushed and overwhelmed my local convenience store has the cheapest snacks that can easily substitute for lunch, or breakfast, or hell, even dinner if necessary. 

It is enough to make an MS’er resort to giving in and drowning her sorrows with a nice glass of wine. But even that doesn’t work so much anymore. My taste buds are changing, and it is also too much. I have lost my taste for wine while my taste to whine increases!!

What can I do? 

Maybe I will research the internet to see if the Bears have a book titled Too Much Whine?  If not, maybe I will write it.

In the Fall, when the bugs and the humidity go away, hopefully the politics have calmed down and all my appointment reminders have finally shut up and my favorite bears will play once again.

Dog days of summer indeed! 

This July, I am relying on the support and promise of bears…

PS For more Bear/ MS analogies check out my prior blog post, Bipolar Bear.