THE WHOLE BODY IS WHAT WE WERE BORN WITH - Why do we just pay attention to just the parts? - Personal - http://maxpages.com/happymspage/Understanding_The_Whole

UPDATE AUG.20,2003 You still can do a lot for an aging body.The body integrity and
unity remains in tact most of our lives.There is messages cell and organ to organ that
seems to communicate the body's needs.Even when we have SPMS or PPMS our body craves exercise of mind and body.
There can be a program the satisfy even the advancing age body.First the mind .Everyone needs a challenge here,not a full day of watching the TV.Play card ,do puzzles,draw,paint,play music write and read.But keep the mind working.Deteration and
dimencia of the mind is fended off with those that do mental work.Science has proven this.

Now about body exercise.If you are a wheelchair user you still need exercise.If your arms are in shape to propell yourself ,then do so.A power chair should only be when your arms become too weak.
If you have lsot use of your legs then keep doing water exercise or home exercise with the arms. You may not be able to take a lot of exercise but build up gradually.
RET
UPDATE April 14,2008 This ends up with many of us as a reinventing our life styles to fit our bodies. I'm told by two of my doctors ,both my General Praction doctor and my neuro doctor that many of us with MS and even the wheelchair users if they take care of themselves their life span will be much longer that the last generation of MSers who were wheelers. My GP doctor encourages me to go and do a lot of places and do things I never expected I could do.He has got be going to swimming more ofteh and doing some exercises I never thought I could do.
He is also very supportive of me traveling more both in near distances places of less than
100 miles away ,and takinging as many cruises as I have money to do so he says.
Here is a quote from him" You always seem in such great spirits before and after one of your ocean cruises."

We actually know our body better than the doctor we go to
He/she will depend upon what we tell them.they can't read our minds.We even know
more that the MRIs usually tell.Recently my doctor thought I should have a fresh MRI
He told me the machines are better that the last one which was 9 years ago.
There has been many changes also in my MS.Progression had done a thing on my over the
time of 10 years.Many would be satified with the small amount of progression I have
had in 10 years and many ask me at ou MS \support group how I do it.In the same
time many of my friends have gone into full time wheelchair livein and have
wondered why I haven't .
I have had several times Ithought I would but I still remain a crutches user.
I get the body feelings that it will happen someday.But not for a while.I know
my life on earth will be long.I accept the MS as part of it.It doesn't shock me like
it did one time.
But I can't tell someone else how it works for me as I'm a separate set of cells
that behave intirely different to the disease MS.
I tell my doctor what is happening and he writes it all down.He will prescribe almost
any thing short of illigal dope.he realizes I know the body better than any one else
on earth.

Update: Jan.11,2001
I have found some luck with a combination of primerose oil,
the Histomine-caffeeine patch you make yourself and my betaseron.
Finally I'm seeing light at the end of the tunnel. I have been
in this wheelchair since Sept2000 and wondered if I would ever get
out. I'm not out yet ,but I have been able to stand holding
on to something solid for a minute or so. Also I have been moving
my legs a bit. i took off the foot rests and I'm using my feet
to help propell the wheelchair.The next step is taking a few steps.
While I never expect to be free of the dependence to a wheelchair
getting back to a small amount of walking with my crutches andAFOs
thrills me.RET

There never was a perfect Body,all are born with defects.
Let us start with this as a given.You may see what you think
looks perfect. The athletic who hardly ever makes a mistake.
The 60 year old who still looks 30.The newly born baby who
we think has no defects yet. With all these there is something
just lurking below to go wrong someday.
Then what I'm I talking about?While we don't have a perfect
body. It is one that responds nicely to challenge and change.
Change in life snd the style we live by is the only thing
we can count upon.
If it weren't for body change you wouldn't even be reading
my page under the general topic of multiple sclerosis.We
have one of the most unpredictable diseases in the book.
We have a disease which demands we be ready to make adjustments
nearly at a moment's notice. One day we are walking but
then the next we need a wheelchair. One moment we just
finished relieving a bladder, but we have to do such again
in several minutes.One minute our eyes are functioning
but after some fatigue we have blured and double vision.

We tend to focus onthe negatives that affect us. We have
a lot of body doing it right.It would do all of us a lot
of good to restudy the body functions.When I'm in the pool
I realize how well my heart and lungs are working. My arms
are doing most of the work.
Put down to the cell level of life. There are probably
cells in my body totally untouched by the MS.Much of my
brain is functing at it's best.

Given the brain,we hold the means to really control
all other parts in the body. The pitutary gland in the
brain is the one to do it. There are days I sit in the
wheelchair or I'm out rolling in the village.I start to
think what a good function I have with my arms ,eyes and
brain all working to wizz me along.I'm traveling as fast
as any one is walking. In fact faster than some.

My brain and mouth are working together when I carry on
a conversation with folks I meet.I have a nice smile. My teeth
are still in great condition,and all my own after 66 years.
My ambitions to travel is almost boundless.There are
really few places I would hesitate not to go in my chair.

All I survey tells me I need to take the best care
I can think of. Eat the best food and keep my muscles
in great shape.Advoid infections ,and keep all vital
body functions singing with joy.

We should stop bad minding ourselves. there should be very
little we can't do. I met a woman on our trip back from Australia
who had done more traveling than we had. She had been in
her wheelchair for over 12 years. She was traveling alone
also. We got a lot of time to chat as we had been put into
a room almost by ourselves. Our wheelchairs had to be checked
and our baggage too The rest of the party was in another
room I don't know why to this day. Segration of crips I guess.

Don't undersell your value. I see too much in the other
direction to be moping about with MS.Do all the things
that you would do if you wanted to live over 100 years.
You would do a lot of health care. It has been said
our heredity gets us past 50. But our care of our health
gets us the rest of the way.

If your attitude of your life and the MS you will probably
either shorten or lengthen your life depending how you
feel about yourself. Be proud. Keep smiling. Do all the
good health things like brushing teeth with apower brush
as it is preferred.the dirt you get out may save your
heart they tell me.You probably learned all I would remind
you of in the 6th grade or earlier. Rethink them, you
need that care.

Start thinking your are still in great shape and you
will do anything to keep it that way.See your doctor regularly
ask him to advise you on body maintance. Skip over the Ms
lightly as it will be easier to control of the rest of you is
in control. My doctor has pounded this attitude into me.
He wanted me to forget getting a power wheelchair.
"You need the exercise to keep your best health"

Where does it end? Your MS case isn't like mine.I'm
not even sure I can describe my own.Some would give
it a name, say secondary progressive.

Eileen Lukeman and Richard Tanner

FL.

Eileen(Lobosgirl) and Richard (RET1000) both at aol.com

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Page Updated Wed May 7, 2008 9:45am EDT