Flu shot – I got my flu shot yesterday. I was worried there would be some hassle, since one of the questions on the consent form is, “Do you have an active neurological disorder?” I doubt they get a whole lot of “Yes” answers to that one during these clinics at businesses. But when I explained to the nurse that I have MS and had talked to my neurologist, she just made a note on my consent form and stuck the needle in my arm.

Now that shot hurts. My arm still aches today, and it hurt to sleep on it last night. I told Tim that if I had had the flu shot before he gave me my last shot, he would have easily scored a ‘5’ on the comfort scale, because the last shot he gave me hurt a lot less than this one. I know I’m comparing apples to oranges, but both of the needles went into my right arm.

Other stuff – Last night, I was cleaning, and I found a CD of David’s Landers book Fall Down Laughing. Now, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who’s newly diagnosed, or to the support people for an MS patient. It’s the autobiography of the actor who played Squiggy on Laverne & Shirley. I read it right after my diagnosis, and laughed and cried as I read about his struggles to keep his MS a secret. He was so concerned about how his diagnosis would affect his ability to get work that he preferred that people mistakenly attributed his behavior to alcoholism. It was enlightening to read someone else’s day-to-day struggles, but most importantly, I needed the reminder of how important it is to keep your sense of humor. Some of the personal stories of MS patients are depressing and can really be intimidating to a newly diagnosed person, while others can be quite helpful. This one falls into the latter category.