2 miles

I did something today, that I've not done since I was probably 17 years old. Abbey and I ran 2 miles together. She was nice enough to run with me (she runs more regularly and usually farther than 2 miles). Back when I was 17, I was running cross country in high school. I wasn't a very good runner, but I liked getting into good shape for basketball season (I wasn't a great basketball player either, but being 6th or 7th guy off the bench meant I usually scored a few points each game).

The temperature outside today was in the mid 70s. At about the 3/4 mile point, I was aware that the flesh of my right leg, the lower femor area was growing numb. A mile later, both knee areas were numb and my forearms, especially my right forearm was very numb. Abbey helped walk me to our home. Climbing the stairs, my head was spinning.

Fortunately, Abbey turned the shower water on at a room temperature for me. Conditions normalized after about 10 minutes of not-too-warm water runner over me. I ran two miles!

Abbey is always doing things to assist me. Recently, she picked up my meds for me. When I got home, she handed me the box of Interferon-B, noting that the box color changed. She wasn't sure the box contained the same meds I usually got from the pharmacist. I told her, they must have changed the price. I've noticed when the box colors change, the price is usually increased. When I looked at the receipt, yup, the price was increased from $2240 per month to $2369 per month. Same meds, different color box colors, no more effective, just more expensive. I wonder how many other people using biological drugs witnessed the color of their med box change this month? This is at least the second time the box color has changed since the start of the year.

If only Abbey had the power to cause congress to pass a law that created an FDA approval route for generic biological drugs -- the patent on Interferon-B is expired -- she'd do it if she was a member of congress. My parents saw Barack Obama in Green Bay today -- I'm confident that Barack Obama would create an FDA approval route for generic biological drugs.

Steady

Went to ride the bike at the Y after work tonight. The ride went better today than during Tuesday. The bike said that I peddled 6.02 miles in twenty two minutes, the bike to 11. My pulse was 150 bps mostly. When I finished, I completed a relaxed cool-down. Then I walked, one step after another step, heel to toe without any assistance maintaining my own balance, to the sanitation stuff. I cleaned my own bike. I walked down all the stairs without assistance. I opened my car door, entered and sat in the seat without help and I drove the car.

On Tuesday, I peddled 7.03 miles during 22 minutes. My pulse was pushing 195 bps. Afterward, I needed help moving from the bike to a bench where I sat for about 10 minutes (while Abbey cleaned up after me (I'm lucky)). My head was spinning. I felt a little dizzy. It was unsettling and a little scary. Abbey helped by down the stairs and out the door, into the car and drove us home. We were not home more than a minute and I was in the shower. I felt a lot better after the shower. I agreed that I shouldn't push myself like that again.

When I peddled today, I listened to the Clouds Taste Metallic. It reminded me of 1998. I was thinking about fear, 1998 and the push for the Employee Free Choice Act in Congress today. For so many reasons, not the least including restoring and affirming the human right to bargain collectively again, it is very important that the next Congress passes and the President signs the Employee Free Choice Act into law.

Heat

The weather forecaster says it's gonna be hot this weekend in Wisconsin, hottest days of the year.

What does heat mean for someone living with ms you ask? Lets put it this way, doctors used to use a hot water tub to assist diagnosis, before MRIs, before spinal taps. Doctors noticed that a person living with ms, may experience symptoms like numbness or renewed numbness, weakness or faint feeling, vision issues, even dizzyness in hot water -- the coroner noticed these people were also the ones whose spinal chords had the plaques (immune system induced scars/damage). Yeah. During 2002, I tried to run in the spring and as the spring turned to summer, I stopped running because as my mileage increased, I'd gotten to about a mile and a half, I just felt really unsafe from symptoms that emerged as my body temperature increased.

In the weirdness that ms is and fortunate for me and as my doctor said a few years ago, "[you] seemed to be getting healthier". I haven't been experience the heat issues like I used to. That's not to say I haven't, just not as pronounced.

The miles on the bike in the sun on the hottest days of the year sorta thrust a gut check -- makes me want to pledge twice as much cash for my ride as I thought I'd do at http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?px=2024772&pg=personal&fr_id=7830.

Lee Rayburn show, 92.1 FM The Mic

I've never appeared on a radio show. Before listening to 92.1 in Madison, I found little use for commercial radio, mostly just listened to cds from referals and live shows, occasionally national public radio for news.

Today, I appeared on the Lee Rayburn radio show at 6:45a. I appear at the last 15 minute portion of the hour. Lee is a good radio host and it was really great that he invited me to join him on air. I'm alway eager to talk about how my InterferonB drugs now cost $2,240, even though they were only $980 per month 6.5 years ago -- worse the patent is expired, but the FDA can't license a generic version because congress and the President haven't empowered the FDA to do so; there is a generic verson in Europe (I hope this angers you as much me, probably equal to how angry you feel every time your health insurance costs incease, your out-of-pocket insurance costs increase).

And I was really happy to announce that people can support research for a cure and programs assisting us, me, all of us living with ms and the people who worry about us by supporting me on the Best Dam Bike Ride this weekend, August 2nd and 3rd, Pewaukee to Whitewater to Madison. (You can give at: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?px=2024772&pg=personal&fr_id=7830)