So I thought today was a simple day. I had meetings all morning that were best done on the phone from home (whew). Then I happily noticed that it is indeed Tuesday, and based on my last post, my 3PM appointment on Tuesdays was even more critical than usual for it was with my precious, otherwise known as Cheryl, my therapist.

I woke up feeling dizzy again. I called Nurse Carol and begged for more drugs because more times than not this week, I get the dizzies then I get the sickies and that kind of puts a damper on leaving the house (which implies moving around which appears to be the thing that makes me even dizzier). I took my meds today since I knew there were more meds waiting for me at the pharmacy and I no longer needed to ration the glorious puke-killing pills. Another great reason to leave the house!

I was feeling shaky though so I decided to depend on my new friend Stan, my very sophisticated but simple black cane.

There were crews working outside at two houses across my street and I didn’t relish the idea of getting from my house to my porch to my car (a relatively low difficulty task) but there’s a rather longish stretch of grass to get to my car without a railing to hold on to – and, well. I wasn’t willing to face plant in front of two teams of remodeling men.

I used Stan. I got to my car. I turned on my car and realized I didn’t have my mobile phone (“Beth’s Iphone cannot be found” my car informed me)…Well dammit. I had to do it again – the low difficulty trek from my car TO my front door. My legs are now tired. Then it hit me…my phone was actually upstairs on my second floor. I had to climb the steps.

OK then! I can do this. I climb the steps on shaky legs, holding onto the railing to keep from falling, and grab my stupid phone. By now I’m running a little late for my very important date. I realize when I get to the front door (again) that Stan is looking at me from the passenger seat of my car. Ok then (again) it’s not that far! I can do this.

It was just about to the curve of stones that signify that I’m almost close enough to hold on to my actual car on one side and my actual house on the other side, when my legs kind of lost their will to be legs and I started to go down. Now, if you are a human who falls often (whether or not you are luckily enough to have MS) you know that there are good ways to fall and bad ways to fall. My friend Sandy throws her purse to the ground with great vigor as she’s going down. We’re not quite sure why (perchance to have both hands available for maximum impact support) but I’ve witnessed this with my own two eyes and it is nothing if not an impressive strategy. I have nothing in my hands but my keys and my iPhone. I panicked.

In no particular order the following thoughts raced through my broken brain;

• omg I’m going to fall in front of not one but TWO teams of construction workers. IN MY FRONT YARD.
• omg one of them might have to carry me to my porch like that one time that moving company guy told me not to worry when he attempted to pick me up – “I was gonna move couches all day, lady, I think I can handle you.” Um. Right. So not a compliment, dude but thanks anyway.
• OMG I AM GOING TO END UP BACK IN THE HOSPITAL THIS CANNOT HAPPEN.
• omg I am going to miss my appointment with my precious and this also CANNOT HAPPEN.

My lizard brain took over. My feet started some bizarre combination of random jump moves that may have resembled someone having a fit and trying to tap dance simultaneously. At the very same time, my arms begin to windmill because somehow, my obviously broken brain thinks this will help save me.

My arms and my legs are now moving in many directions all at the same time trying to keep my face from hitting that little strip of craggy concrete that is my driveway. From my mouth is coming a sound something akin to a squeak, or moan, or some animal noise that I am trying not to make too loudly so as not to attract the attention of the teams of construction workers.

I didn’t fall.

It was a goddamned straight up MS miracle. But I didn’t succeed in not attracting the attention of the construction workers at both houses who commenced to applaud. Had this been an actual Olympic sport, I’d probably  have seen them hold up cards giving me low scores for technical difficulty but all 10’s across the board for artistic interpretation of falling on your ass in your own front yard.

I get to my car, my heart is racing and my hands are shaking. Stan looks at me from the passenger seat and practically laughs. I text Cheryl to let her know I am on my way but I may be late because I had yet to pick up my drugs at the pharmacy and I may or may not have legs that will allow me to both get to the pharmacy AND TO  Cheryl’s office. I suggest we might have our session by phone.

Not a second goes by when I get a response: “Oh my…and what’s worse (not really) I’m in Paris, mon amis.”

Um. Yeah. She definitely told me about this. She planned this trip as a re-do of her birthday celebration that she was not well enough to enjoy when it had been her actual birthday. I’ve told you before that Cheryl, also by coincidence, has MS. I cannot tell you which milestone birthday she was celebrating because she’d probably fly home right now and kill me, but rest assured we had discussed this schedule change in our last session (you know the one? I cried for an hour straight).

I knew damn well about her big trip to Paris. We talked about my own trip to Paris not that many years ago. I completely forgot all of those details until I got her text.

I took my life in my hands for nothing. I walked like a hard core afternoon drunk into the pharmacy to get my drugs for the dizzies and the sickies. I just couldn’t wait for those drugs. Those drugs are currently vital to my days and nights. Then I had to conquer my fear and get myself back in my damn house taking the opposite path as pictured above without once again providing several construction crews with yet even more comedic material.

I take so much for granted. I just think…of course I can do that! But when I can’t? I really can’t. There is exactly zero gray area. The problem is, it’s also impossible to know when my legs are suddenly going to turn into useless, twitching lumps off uselessness. It kind of just happens. And here’s the kicker! Stan doesn’t really help. If he did, I would take him with me everywhere I go! But I did use him when I got back home again and I was concentrating so hard on how to walk with Stan in my hand, that I almost straight up tripped up my front steps. Thank goodness for that very sturdy (and quite pricey) wrought iron railing I had put in a few years ago.

I’m really ready for my next infusion, thankyouverymuch. Bethy Bright could use a break that doesn’t involve one of her legs or facial bones. And there. I probably did it again. I cursed myself by complaining, acting as if things just couldn’t get any worse. Believe me. I know they can and in a blink of an eye. I see your posts and comments about sudden symptoms that have you not able to walk at all! It can always, always get worse.

But here’s to hoping that I will still have it in me to find the humor in those situations when it does get worse. Cause I still have moves. As it turns out.