St Croix River Road Ramblings

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Friday, July 6, 2012

Myasthenia Gravis Update

I am in the waiting period gradually increasing prednisone to slow down my immune system that is creating the antibodies that are attacking my nerve muscle interface.  I am up to 40 mg of prednisone a day on the way to 60 eventually to hold at that for a few months to see what happens.  In the meantime I take Mestinon, a pill that helps with the symptoms.  Sometimes I almost feel normal, and other times I am just slow/tired/and weak.   

It is a waiting game--a few months and I should find out if this strategy is working OK.  The hot weather aggravates MG, so I haven't done much outside for the week.  

Trying this week to update the 3 history websites I support as a volunteer.   
    http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~wiselhs/   Sterling Eureka and Laketown History Society now has a donate button that lets you use credit card or paypal to donate
    http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~wilahs/ Luck Area Historical Society has minor changes for hours open.  Hope to add some photos and stories. 
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~wipolk/  The Polk Genealogical Society has minor updates on contact person as well as is up-to-date on the great monthly newsletter by our member Helen Stoltz-Wood.  This one needs a lot of updating with information we have. 

   One of these days I need to start putting more content into the pages!   I start typing now and often my fingers quit working, so I take another Mestinon, wait 40 minutes and if it works, can type another 30 minutes.   Wreaks havoc with my writing and getting books together. 
The Firestone family from the Twin Cities built a log cabin on Balsam
Lake in 1931. They used it for 20 years and then sold it.  Last week, their
daughter traveled from California to see if she could find it again.
With help from the Polk County Genealogical Society, she not only found
it, but toured it and found it very much like it was when she last went there
in 1949.  Even the furniture her grandfather made was still inside!  The
major change was that the cabin was raised in the air and a basement added.  

   A wonderful story I am working on is how a woman from CA and her daughter from WA came to WI to find the mother's log house on Balsam Lake where she went as a child in the 1930s and 40s, through contact with the Polk Genealogical Society.   I have photos, the cabin was still there, and they stopped at the museum in Luck to visit about "going home" again.  Have a phone interview to do about what it was like to leave the Twin Cities for a weekend at the cabin in 1940,

We had 1.2 inches of rain this week (according to neighbor Loren Nelson on Bass Lake) that really watered the gardens well. They are growing wonderfully!

Preparing for Lucky Days and making aebleskivers is next, then comes the county fair where Margo and I help with the School House with the Genealogical society.  We have a lot of exhibits for the fair this year with fruits, vegetables, writings, baked goods, butter and more.  We aren't submitting any maple syrup this year as we didn't make any and I help judge it.