I had planned to retire this blog. There have been changes, but I didn’t think I’d have much to talk about.
My MS has transitioned from relapsing-remitting to secondary progressive. I thought, why write about my illness anymore? I pictured myself posting same as yesterday.
My kids are no longer little boys. I’ve got teenagers, and I wondered what I could possibly post about the teenage years. I’m just starting the teen parent adventure, so there’s no way I can claim any insight.
Little did I know…
Secondary Progressive MS (SPMS)
With relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), symptoms come and go. Normally, those symptoms last for while, but after a period of time you’ll improve. Sometimes you’ll get back to where you were before your flare, while other times you’ll just get partly better. When you’re progressive, you’ve got symptoms that are just not going to get better.
When I was first diagnosed with RRMS, I walked a 9K. After several years, I had to use a cane sometimes. Instead of getting my mobility back, I walked with an ankle foot orthotic (AFO) on my weak left leg. Now I use a rolling walker all of the time.
Don’t get me wrong – you still have flares when you’re progressive. But your “normal” after the flare isn’t as good as it is with RRMS.
People with SPMS deal with the same symptoms as folks with RRMS, we just deal with them more frequently. I still can talk MS.
Anyone Claiming To Be an Expert On Teens Is Lying
I originally thought I wasn’t qualified to talk about teens since I have no idea what I’m doing when it comes to my 12 and 14 year old sons. But as I’ve talked with other moms of teens and realized that they’re dealing with the same issues and feel just as clueless.
The other moms understood completely when I had to use the Mom Yell at my son in the pool to get his attention. It didn’t work. They all shake their heads when they hear the word puberty. My older son went to a slumber party, and the host mom texted that the boys had been talking for an hour without using electronic devices. She sent us a picture and hoped she wasn’t going to jinx it by taking photos.
So many teen issues to address!
- Social media – We regularly talk about stupid people posting stupid things (anyone want a Tide Pod?). We have to learn so much about tools that didn’t exist when we were kids, so we don’t have any childhood memories of our own to relate to their current experiences.
- Suicide – I cringe typing the word, but since it’s the second leading cause of teen death, we can’t hide from it.
- Driving – My older son eyes twinkle when he hears the words driver’s ed. How do I bring up kids who will be responsible behind the wheel and responsive to the stupid drivers they will encounter? My cousin died in a car accident on the day he graduated from high school, so it’s a raw topic for me.
- Puberty – Where did my loving, sweet children go and how were they replaced by these maniacs? I still love them dearly, but I could do without the eye rolls and muttering. I also wish I didn’t have to remind them regularly about this strange invention called deodorant.
I could go on and on, but you get the idea.
So far, the best resource for handling teens has been sharing experiences with other moms. I’ve realized that can happen through my blog as well.
One stage in my life has passed, and the new one brings challenges and adventures of its own.
