confession

I have needle fatigue.

I'm coming up to my 2 year anniversary with my disease modifying therapy and it's getting harder and harder to do my injections.

Each shot only takes a total of 5-10 minutes of my time, and it only hurts for about 30 seconds...but each shot can also keep me up at night or make me feel like I was hit by a truck the next morning or sometimes both.  I get hot flashes during the night, muscle aches and even chills. I take a minimum of a tylenol the night of and an advil the morning after, my poor liver probably doesn't even know what to do with them anymore.

My anxiety has gone through the roof and I'm almost ready to recognize that I might even be borderline pessimistic. I have dry skin, my hair is thinning and I have beautiful red marks on my thighs, stomach and backside.

Over the past 2 years, I've stuck it out and haven't skipped a shot...not even one!!

These shots are getting to me and I'm ready to quit.

2014: the year of Nina.

That's right - this is my year - I can feel it.

In 2013 I turned 25 and moved to a brand new city. I've kept most of my great friends, drifted from a couple and made a few amazing new ones. I went on three memorable vacations to the Bahamas, Cuba and Miami. I spent most of the summer on patios - drinking somersby or sangrias and joking with friends. I had a quarter life crisis and also had my heart broken, both temporarily solved by plenty of retail therapy. I learned how to cook, entertain and host a party. Most importantly, my follow up MRI showed no new lesions stating no progression of my Multiple Sclerosis. 

So much has happened in the past year but I'm happy it's gone and ready to start an even better one.

I'm not one to actually make New Year's resolutions, mine are more like guidelines.  And they don't really start until after my birthday...

This past Sunday I turned 26 which means that Monday I was to start following these guidelines.  They're fairly basic and mostly common sense.

circa 1995

Let's review this list I've come up with:

• do what's best for me, not what's best for everyone else
• make coffee at work every day instead of buying it
• learn to say no.
• before buying shoes, clothes, purses, makeup, nail polish, or housewares, ask myself if I actually need it
• remind myself that I don't need new shoes, clothes, purses, makeup, nail polish and housewares...even if it's on sale...I don't need it.
• stay away from every guy that broke my heart in the past as they will just do it again and again and again
• eat healthier; completely cut out gluten and dairy
• get physical.
• volunteer, get more involved with the MS society
• be a better blogger

Bring it on, 2014!