sturdyteam registered for MS Walk 2012

sturdyteam at the 2011 MS Walk

We are once again completing the MS Walk (in Edmonton again this year) to raise awareness of and funds for MS research and related programs. As many (most, all?) know, I was diagnosed with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis in 2009. The disease initially affected my vision and balance. I have been on 2 different medications in the past almost 3 years, Rebif and now Copaxone. (both are injectable - I have written about this before). I have also completely overhauled my diet, fitness, and lifestyle. I won't bore you with the details, but many of the links on the side of my blog lead to other sites that are in line with my changes. Things have been going very well with only small bumps in the road (mostly from the medications themselves). I do not know for certain how much of this is due to the medications, other significant lifestyle changes I have made, or just luck. I guess it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. Nothing sounds sweeter than people telling me that "they had no idea" that I had MS. I hope to keep it this way. Please consider sponsoring us and supporting this worthwhile cause. 

sturdyrant: Getting a hate on for needles

I don't know whether this will be a recurring series of "rant" posts, but I am sure my wife, colleagues, friends, and neighbours will be happy to see me channelling my energy into writing blog posts that they can choose to ignore rather than me bending their ear for an indeterminate amount of time about things that irk me. The point of the post below is just that, a rant, and is my opinion alone, and not that of my employer, or of anyone else of importance. Just me. It is also not meant to serve as a "pity party". Just a rant. Pure venting.


I have been on a so-called "Disease Modifying Drug" (or DMD) since June 2009. I can safely say that any infinitesimal amount novelty that may have existed around the idea of injecting myself 3 (first DMD: Rebif) and then 7 times a week (current DMD: Copaxone) has long since vanished. Lately, I've been getting a healthy hate on for needles and the nightly "routine". 


Don't get me wrong, the current drug appears to be "working" (or is it my Whals-esque paleo style diet and lifestyle?) at preventing relapses, and maybe even reducing the number and size of lesions in my brain observed on a 4.7T (strong) MRI, but finding spots to "stick" it is becoming increasingly difficult. (This is at least a step up from the awful, flu-like side effects I had with the interferon and that it kicked the snot out of my bone marrow. I eventually dropped it after two failed "attempts".) Not to mention that I think I may be developing a spot of lipoatrophy on my abdomen as a result of the injections. (It's interesting to note that lipoatrophy caused by Copaxone is one of only two listed causes on the Wiki page, the other being caused by an adverse reaction to medication for HIV/AIDS.) I am not certain about the lipoatrophy, but it is worrisome. Besides appearing unsightly, lipoatrophy causes you to be unable to continue to inject in the affected location. If this happens enough and in enough locations, you may not be able to continue to self-administer your Copaxone. And here's the rub.


You need to maintain a "healthy" layer of adipose tissue to facilitate injecting Copaxone (a product that costs my insurance company almost $17,000 per year, by the way). No fat, or damaged fat, and no injections. Forget being healthy any avoiding all the other ills that can still befall an MSer (such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, etc.) or the fact the the food you used to eat that made you chubby (and a good candidate for injections!) also very likely contributed in a real way (i.e., caused) your MS in the first place. No, don't worry about that. Just be sure to have a little extra junk in the trunk to pump the medication into each day.


In closing, I must add that my nurse, an RN who contacts me periodically to ensure that things are going well and to offer advice, has been excellent. This post has nothing to do with her. I am just choked in general about the situation that is fraught with contradictions.

The tables have turned: Look who's the experimental test subject now

For the past two years or so I have been participating in an MRI study examining the relationships between MS, disability, and iron in the brain. The study was headed up by my neurologist, Dr. Gregg Blevins and Dr. Alan Wilman, both from the University of Alberta. I also participated in the media release: click here to view Global Edmonton's piece.

sturdyteam registered for the MS Walk 2011!

sturdyteam at the 2011 St. Albert Enerflex MS Walk

It is time to start building an increased awareness of multiple sclerosis and to start fundraising again as the 2011 MS Walk is only 2 months away (15 May 2011). This year, we are participating in the Edmonton Enerflex MS Walk instead of the St. Albert MS Walk because of conflicts with the girls' dancing schedules. Like last year, we'll be doing the 10 km walk. Please click here to donate to sturdyteam or our individual members.

I was diagnosed with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis in May 2009. I am currently taking Copaxone, a standard MS disease modifying drug (DMD), via daily injections. Before this I was on Rebif for two stints, but it caused nasty side effects so I moved over to Copaxone (Glatiramer acetate is its generic name - Copaxone is the trade name used by Teva Pharmaceuticals).

Although there are many new therapies being researched and introduced all the time (here's a new pill-based therapy introduced in Canada just two days ago), my goal/hope is that research will be directed towards uncovering what causes MS so that people can avoid "modifying their disease" through DMDs and instead live a long, healthy life, free of MS. Here is an example of the direction I think we need to be pursuing more vigorously, especially the dietary suggestions that are in line with a Paleolithic diet (and related to a recent blog post of mine).

Get yer sleep!

In case you thought you were getting enough sleep by skimping and only getting 6-ish hours of sleep a night, think again. Recent results from a two week sleep study show that there are many problems displayed by subjects who were deprived, and that these were worse than the subjects themselves were even aware of. 

For years I skimped on my sleep, but in the past year or so (since my MS diagnosis) I have made a real effort to get enough sleep (i.e., more than 7 hours a night). So far it has gone pretty well and I feel good. This study makes me think I had better keep at it.

One way, or another

I started taking Rebif (interferon beta-1a) as a disease modifying drug (DMD) for treatment of my MS in July 2009. Injecting myself thrice weekly was no joy, but then again neither is the prospect of MS progression, so I learned to work it into my routine. Unfortunately, Rebif and I did not agree with one another. I came off Rebif in late November, and then back on it again in January 2010. That lasted only until about the end of March when I came off it for the second time, again because my lab work showed that Rebif was affecting my bone marrow and blood counts.

At this point my neurologist suggested I switch over to Copaxone (Glatiramer acetate) because it is not associated with the same side effects as Rebif (fever, aches, chills, headaches) and because it doesn't typically affect the same things that the interferon was affecting in my lab work. The downside, of course (there always is a downside) is that you need to inject Copaxone every day, not three times per week like Rebif, and Copaxone can cause skin irritation, lipoatraphy (damage to subcutaneous fat so that you develop "pits" in your skin) and it can cause muscle spasms if injected into or too close to a muscle.

I have had few to no skin issues so far, but this may happen in time. On the other hand the muscle spasms have been an issue when injecting my legs and arms because I have almost no fat to inject into (contrary to the training nurse who visited me a week and a half ago who claimed I could use an 8 mm injection depth on all sites - wrongo!). Using the automatic injector (autoject) in my legs and arms also turns out to be a nonstarter and part of the problem because controlling the depth of the injection is tricky. When the spasms start, your muscle dances as if it were hooked to a car battery and feels as if the meanest, biggest guy you know just gave you a charleyhorse. Then  did it again just for fun. The stiffness lasts through the next day.

The support nurse from Shared Solutions (who is very helpful) suggested that I manually inject at a 45 degree angle into my arms and legs to avoid the spasm issue. Two nights ago the injection into my arm was much better done manually than the previous night with the autoject, and involved much less swearing post injection. Other than some burning, all was basically fine. The manual leg injection last night was another story. I did not manage to get it into the tissue at 45 and the muscle was jumping before even half way into the injection. My SO couldn't watch it was so intense. Rah! I sent an e-mail to my support nurse and she suggested to dump using the legs and to use my abdomen as two areas to give me a total of 6 areas (abdomen X 2, butt X 2, arms X 2). Good call.

On the lookout for fitness

The MS Walk was a great success on many fronts: fundraising, family bonding, raising awareness and a real sense that people with MS are not alone. And the 10 km walk was a great, relaxing way to spend the morning getting low level cardio the way we are meant to get it.

Here are my workouts for the past week. The only hiccup is a sore lower back that flared up after Wednesday's LHT/HIT session. It didn't happen until later after sitting for some time at my desk. The pain and stiffness in my back has been brewing for a bit and I think it is a combination of poor posture and extended periods of time sitting (especially at my desk in front of my computer) combined with less yoga/flexibility work than I should be doing (my yoga class at the University ended at the start of April and a new one starts in just under 2 weeks) and, possibly, a sight lapse in lifting form. I am more inclined to think it is the posture/sitting/reduced flexibility that are the more likely causes than the lifting, since I have been lifting for months with nothing similar, but have spent even more time sitting recently.
Anyway, I have been taking it a bit easy, as you'll read, to let things heal up. I'll just focus on walking, some swimming and yoga but not pushing any of these activities too hard.

Here's the deal.

Saturday 24 April

• Walk ~ 25 min 

Sunday 25 April

• St. Albert MS Walk 2010 - 10 km, 1 hr 43 minutes
• Walks X 2 ~ 58 min and 15 min (with the dogs who stayed home from the MS Walk - that is them "On Duty" in the photo at the top, not pining for us to return as they stay in their crates when we are out)

Monday 26 April

• Walks X 2 ~ 25 and 15 min
• Swim, 1,000 m, 21:55 (faster and easier than last week)

Tuesday 27 April

• Walks X 2 ~ 20 min each
• Yoga, Rodney Yee Strength and Flexibility DVD (did the "Flexibility" workout) ~ 28 min

Wednesday 28 April

• Walks X 2 ~ 20 min each
• LHT/HIT/SS:
• Bent over rows X 8, TUL = 1:42, 70 lb barbell
• Standing overhead press X 3.5/4.5, TUL = 1:08, 70 lb barbell
• Deadlifts X 5, TUL = 1:20, 110 lb barbell
• Bench press X 5, TUL =  60 s, 90 lb barbell
• Squats X 9.5, TUL = 1:53, 90 lb barbell
• as usual, having a rach to walk into for squats would make it easier to get to positive failure and then unload
• Yoga forward bends etc. to loosen stiff muscles in lower back

Thursday 29 April

• Walks X 2, ~ 20 min each
• Swim ~ 550 m, slow, 13:28

Friday 30 April

• Walks X 3, ~ 20, 20 and 30 min each
• back still a little stiff, maybe some yoga later or else just rest

I was going to add some food shots here too, but I think I'll save that for another post including tales of my first attempt at Thai red curry beef soup with coconut milk and cilantro! Until then.

sturdyteam at the 2010 St. Albert MS Walk

Well, we did it; 10 kms in 1:43, including the girls, sick spouse, and the girls' friend from school (who took the photo above). It started out quite gray and cloudy, but we didn't get rain or snow and they were forecasting both. There were a lot of people participating and tons volunteering. It was a great time and we plan to do it again next year for sure. The last time I checked we were over $3,400 in pledges. Thank you to all who donated! Here is the story in photos.

Morning weather.

Let's do this!

Lots of people up early for the walk.

And we're off!

Past St. Albert Place and the Sturgeon River.

Nice scenery on the walk.

About 3 kms in and still smiling.

We're on the right path at least.

Stroll around Lacombe Park Lake.

In the home stretch.

There it is!

Almost...

Success! Now where's the coffee?

Approval from my former student, Scott, who now works for the MS Society. Irony = lots.

Aren't they cute?

They're the reason why I walk: to find a cure so they don't have to deal with MS.

Work outs of the Week (and a bit)

I have been remiss in posting for a while. The end of the academic term is always busy and this one is no exception. The SO, kids and I are participating in our first MS Walk tomorrow morning at 9:00 am; 10 km and hopefully no rain or snow, or at least not too much of it.

Here's the workout deal for the past little while.

Thursday 15 April

• Walks X 2, 20 and 30 minutes, respectively 

Friday 16 April

• Sprinting: 
• walk ~ 10 min warm up; 6 X ~ 40-50 m @~50% with about 20 s between each; 6 X ~ 50 m @~ 75-80% with about 60 s between each (some of these ended in "tag" with Finlay); walk ~ 10 min cool down (nice, warm and sunny, ~ 18 C) 
• Walk ~ 25 min 

Saturday 17 April

• Walks X 2, 15 and ~ 35 min, respectively 

Sunday 18 April

• HIIT/Bodyweight: 
• 60 s each of: Jumping jacks (X 57), Burpees (X 15), Plank, Triceps dips (X 41), Prisoner squats (X 36), Wall sit, Side plank (left side), Lunge jumps (X 78), Side plank (right side), Wall sit (no push ups this time b/c of stiff lower back and tweaked right wrist) 
• Walks X 2, ~20 min each 

Monday 19 April

• Walks X 3, 20 min (kids to school), 50 min (from department around Hawerlak Park and back) and 40 minutes (very warm and sunny 20 C+) 

Tuesday 20 April

• Walks X 2, ~ 20 min each 
• Swim, 1,000m, 25:10 (slow!) 

Wednesday 21 April

• LHT/HIT/SS: 
• Bent over rows X 6, TUL = 1:23, 70 lb barbell 
• Standing overhead press, X 3.25, TUL = 1:07, 75 lb barbell 
• Deadlifts, X 4.5, TUL = 1:05, 110 lb barbell 
• Bench press, X 3, TUL = 43 s, 100 lb barbell 
• Squats, X 11, TUL = 1:43, 80 lb barbell 
• Walk ~ 20 min 

Thursday 22 April

• Walk ~ 35 min 

Friday 23 April

• Yoga - Eoin Finn Daily Dose of Bliss, 42 min 
• Walks X 2. 25-30 and 35+ minutes 

In virtually all cases, unless I am at work, all of my walks are with my small furry partners, Libby and Finlay, pictured at the top of this post. Finlay is hidden under the comforter behind Libby.

2010 MS Walk - sturdyteam

For those who don't already know, I was diagnosed last May 2009 with Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis. Things are going pretty well for me and my family all things considered, but there are many others who are considerably worse off than me. Not to mention that it would be excellent if future MS treatments didn't involve injections and the associated side effects. Please consider donating and sponsoring us while we walk for the cause.

My SO, kids and I will be participating in the St. Albert 2010 MS Walk as "sturdyteam". The plan at this point is that we'll be doing the 10 km version (at least I hope we will) this April 25. You should be able to pledge online through this link. You are also be able to join our team online if you are so inclined.

I apologize for the short notice. I'll be better prepared next year and get this arranged earlier. The link below should take you to our team page.
link to "sturdyteam" on MS Society Web Site