Social site for MSers....

I just recently signed up for a new web site that seems to be devoted to people with MS, like me called: http://www.mymsteam.com.  I think it will be nice to discuss, compare and contrast MS issues with others.  Maybe this will encourage me to continue blogging on this site and learn a bit more about CCSVI.    I have recently read about and am interested in stem-cell transplant and what its impact will be on MS.

I'm Still Here...

I know it's been quite some time since I've written anything.  A lot has changed.  I'm on disability and need to wait until January 2014 for medical. (can somebody explain this to me.  I had social security agree that I cannot work and need to get my income from disability, but have to wait 24 months after I get my first payment for medicare).  Go figure.  Live in a totally different state where the rest of my family live, so I can get help if I need it.

Even though I had the liberation treatment, I did not have the positive results others had.  My MS condition is quite bad now.  I can no longer walk, my speech is almost non-existent.  I still believe in the CCSVI theory, but I feel it's quite a lot more complicated than we realize and it should be pursued.  I need to research the current status of CCSVI, so I can continue to make somewhat intelligent comments.

Note To Self: Walker Is Not a Step-stool

The last few days I have been very determined to clean up as much as possible.  At the end of my lease, I have intentions of leaving Texas - at least temporarily.  I feel it behooves me to begin straightening  and packing unneeded items now.  Procrastination is generally one of my stronger suits. I look to my bedroom closet as my initial priority.  Over time it has become somewhat cluttered, becoming home for items that don't even belong.  My girlfriend and I had procured a small, transportable charcoal grill for a previous vacation to a park.  It was never used because it was far too windy to to safely maintain a fire.  In the end, it traveled home unused only having been removed from the box and assembled.

Outside I felt that my walker was no longer a benefit to me, I had already determined that my wheelchair was my only means of external transport.  My previously mentioned grill and this walker moved into my bedroom closet as it had become my metaphorical rug; storage for items that needed to become "out of sight, out of mind."  My closet had become somewhat unusable having become the residence for the grill and walker, the grill having been perched precariously on top of the walker. I eventually freed up enough room to relocate the grill from the "seat" of the walker to the floor directly underneath for fear of it toppling.  This was a premonition.

Surveying the closet, I decided to clean off the upper shelves in hopes that I would find my missing social security card (which I needed to accompany an application that I was about to turn in).  I was desperately trying to avoid vising the social security office to apply for a replacement.  The upper reaches would have been difficult for those far less vertically challenged than me, so some form of step-stool would definitely be needed.  Spotting my recently cleared walker I looked both ways and decided to demonstrate my unlimited resourcefulness to nobody (while my lonely and stable step-stool awaited its retrieval in the kitchen, knowing that laziness would win this fight).  I should have known that this was a bad idea when I had to made use of various objects to maintain some balance and stability to my two foot journey to the walker.  Knowing that this cleared area of the walker was only intended to be used as a seat, I made the step up (which is surprising because getting in the car is a multi-step process in which I sit first, than lift my legs by hand into the car one at a time).  I was totally shocked that for a small instance in time, I was standing on the top of the walker.  This didn't last long as I immediately fell backward over the top of the walker and into the corner of my closet.  At this point, my upper half was upside down and wedged against the wall while my right foot was still resting on the walker.  I reached up and used my hands to remove the rest of me still clinging to my walker.  I notice a throbbing pain in my head, probably hit the back of it on the wall on my way down.  I quickly spot checked to insure that I was not impaled by some long since forgotten about object.  The grill that was out of the way stored under the walker was now...  in my way.  being very careful, I maneuvered the walker and grill out of the way, and slowly made my way to freedom.  Keep in mind, as one with MS that is normally wheelchair bound this tends to be a timely process.  Seeing that I was still alive, I realize that it's quite possible that my social security card still remains hidden somewhere within my closet.  I need to remember that my walker is not a step-stool.

Dreams

Dreams.  Not those of future ambitions, but the kind you have when you sleep at night.  Although my optic neuritis hasn't gotten worse, I'm still having a darkening, fog in my left eye.  I've felt the need to sleep a lot lately and that's when the dreams happen.  This is generally not something to note, but with MS dreams are few and far between.  They are not prophetic by any means, if they had been, I would have jumped right on it.  No lottery numbers to play.  The dreams I've been having seem to be related to television I watched the night before.

The Nice Guy Finishes Last...

One thing that has not been discussed through my various rants about CCSVI and MS is my child support responsibility.  I have two children that I have paid many years of child support for.  One is in Colorado, one in Texas.  I won't even get into my thoughts of my support paid in Colorado, considering my marriage was performed here and the child was born here.  So why is my support in Colorado?  The mother left with my child and went to Colorado.  I signed a 'waiver' agreement to relieve her of additional fees to have me served.  I was trying to be 'nice' of course.  What I didn't realize at the time is that when I signed this waiver, I was also agreeing to Colorado jurisdiction.  I wasn't told that until it mattered.  Ten thousand dollars was paid to a corrupt Colorado lawyer who guided me along with a false assumption simply to continue collecting money.  I 'lost' and built up a year in child support back pay.  In the end, I fired my lawyer and determined my fate with hers.

I had already been ordered and agreed to the child support in Texas.  The determination was based on the amount of money that I was making from my job, and my general expenses.  I didn't have any problem with the amount I was ordered to pay in Texas.  I considered it 'fair.'  Now keep in mind, this was the only child support responsibility at this time.  My income and expenses mentioned above didn't consider any other child support paid.  When I got home and informed my wife of the child support agreement that was made, her response was, "Why didn't you try to have it lowered?"

By this time, the child support that was ordered for both Texas and Colorado were to be garnished from my income.  Upon the initial garnishing of my pay for Child support in both states, ADP (who supplied my company payroll) refused to garnish such a large amount from my pay (the total amount of child support which included Colorado back pay equaled a small yearly income close to $30,000.00).  I talked to a Texas lawyer who understandably stated, "You are still responsible for the amount ordered in Colorado.  The only thing that can be done is to have the support paid in Texas lowered."  I replied, "No, that's not fair - I'm not going to request any modification in the amount I pay here."  My only real concern at this juncture was the step ADP saw fit to follow - this did not only affect my pay, but the everyone I worked with. This was resolved by sending an email to ADP stating, "Yes, it's OK to garnish this amount from my pay."

As stated in my previous articles, I was diagnosed with MS in 2007.  This diagnosis came about at about the time the child support amounts were being determined in Colorado.  Although I made this known to both mothers, I didn't inform either of the states.  I felt that so long as I was still working and collecting an income, there was no need to bring the MS issue into the forefront.  I was terminated from my job in June of 2011 after about 17 years of employment.  By this time, I had migrated to a wheelchair.  A liberation attempt did not help me.

After my termination in 2011, I finally pursued disability.  Before the end of 2011, I was approved and both of the children I paid child support for were claiming some of this disability amount by 2012.  An amicable agreement was reached between myself and the mother in Colorado.  Through the end of 2011, I was pulling from unemployment - as mentioned above, my SSI was not to come to fruition until January of 2012.        From this unemployment (which was not near the amount of the income from my job), Texas garnished the ordered amount which began to build up the the child support account in Texas.  The Texas mother knew nothing about this until I informed her.  This was about 8 weeks later, so this amount that was so dreadfully needed built up in this account.  Suffice it to say, some of this I could have made use of.  There was one two week period of my unemployment that was not garnished, so this is now 'arrears' in Texas.  There have now also been several weeks since 2012 that I have not been claiming unemployment that have increased this amount.  Several meetings in Texas have not drawn a conclusion.  Even though disability benefits are being paid to the child in Texas, since an award letter from social security for this Texas dependent  has not been provided to the Texas court, an adjustment has not been made.  I have now received a collection letter from the Texas State Attorney General's office indicating an amount of back pay that needs to be paid, and that a collection agency would be pursuing this.  Regardless of how much I have worked to settle this, the nice guy finishes last.