Joanne’s MS Blog

Last night the  people from Saskatoon came to visit and the one man is funny. He also knows where everthing is and he also said that when you visit they shut down the elevator at 9pm, so you are locked in the hospital. He is funny. It makes me laugh. Until next time.  

Good news. They found a lift for us. This is great news for dad who had to lift her every time she needs to be transferred. He is also getting a massage to help with his back. It is also good news for their next door neighbour, who has to lift his 6’3″ friend all by himself.  A lot of things are done manually around here….we saw a woman carrying her son who was almost the same size of her. Mom is getting her first accupuncture treatment today. She also got a shower today on the commode and it was not a pleasant experience. Dad and I will be going to the Wholesale place today with our neighbour friend. We tried to go by ourselves yesterday, but could not find it. That’s it for now.

Take care and keep the positive thoughts coming!!!!

Mom wants me to tell everyone that Sarah Jessica Parker should come here and write a column on what it is like….maybe Stem Cells in the City…lol. I am writing on behalf of mom and this is what she would like to say……”They don’t speak english, so you can’t communicate with them and they seem really concerned about my bedsore and does not know why b/c I cannot understand what they say. I still have to drink lots of water to keep hydrated and keep my feet up due to the poor circulation and b/c the doctor said so. Today it is snowing, I think. Thank you for the emails, they were really nice and inspiring. I got Jamie to buy me a watch and it fell off, b/c it was too big. Until next time when the internet works, b/c it goes down lots. Talk to you then”.

So to provide a quick update for everyone, we received mom’s treatment schedule today. SHe is to receive her first stem cell IV on March 21st at 16:00. On March 26th she will receive the bone marrow transplant. Her other stem cell treatments are as follows: March 31st, April 4th, April 9th, April 14th, April 18th and April 23rd. She will be required to stay still for 6 hours straight. I think that will be difficult for her, as she has been quite uncomfortable and needs to be adjusted frequently. Physiotherapy is continuing twice per day. The physio room is very interesting, it is packed with patients and their family. I will take a picture b/c it is hard to describe and is not something I am used to. She is leaving for therapy right now. Dad has to take her there, b/c there are no lifts, so he has to physically pick her up to transfer her. I think he will need a some therapy after all the lifting.

Dad and I plan to head to the market today or tomorrow. I want to shop, as some people told me that we can get some great deals. I would also like to check out the Imperial Palace, but it would depend on how mom is doing. We can’t take her anywhere b/c of the lack of services for disabled people and the craziness of the streets…unbelievable! And Lex, we didn’t see anyone else pooping, but I will keep you posted! I know you would get a kick out of that. The weather is very odd, there is so much smog that I am finding it difficult to breathe properly. People here cough up alot of phleum and I think it has to do with the pollution. But it is also gross b/c everywhere someone is hacking….ewwwwww. 

Dad says that his energy is coming back and can start laughing again….but I think that may be due to the beer he bought at Walmart yesterday……lol.  It is funny b/c everywhere we go, people stare. Not just the stare where you look and someone looks at you and then you turn away, but the stare where they continuously stare at you for looooong periods of time. It is hilarious!!

Thanks for all the comments, please keep sending them. We need all the positive thoughts and some socialization. We miss you all.

Jamie

Yes, we are here in Shenyang, China. We have been having problems with the internet and e-mail, so hopefully this will be posted. The plane trip was not fun and they do not have the equipment to deal with disabled people. So, when we finally arrived in Shenyang, we were tired and ready to sleep. Today is our second day in Shenyang and have already seen many dfferences here. We got a caregiver to help us with mom, but she does not speak english. So dad wrote out a list of commands that are numbered and Lucy (a helper at the hospital and the only one who speaks english) translated them into Chinese so that the caregiver would know. Lucy also told us to name the caregiver, so we named her Carol. It had to be an easy name and that is what came into dad’s head. Mom is getting physical therapy twice per day and we do not have the schedule yet for the stem cell transplants. We have met some families here who speak english. Our next door neighbours are from the states, actually the one is originally from Montreal and there is a family from the Saskatoon area. SO it is nice to be able to speak to someone and get them to give us hints on how things work around here. I hope we start finding our groove right away, so it will make things easier. I went to Walmart last night with the assistance of Lucy (thank god) and that was a new world…lol. But I bought some stuff for mom and dad, like food and a few other items. I was having a hard time figuring out the conversion of money…I ended up spending 257 yuan, so I was thinking it was expensive, until I did the conversion. Another story is that I was taking a taxi to my hotel and TRIED to say hello, which is nee-how, but somehow he thought I said something else and wanted to take me there. I had to point to the card showing the address of my hotel to direct him in the right way. Also, today dad and I were walking along the river by the hospital and we got to see someone doing a number 2 in the bushes…..yikes! That’s all for now. I’m sure dad will want to write more, but he is with the caregiver now.

I hope all is well with everyone and keep sending your positive thoughts!!!!!

 Jamie