Well That Went Well

No seriously, it did.  I walked at work on Friday and it went so well I decided we could do it again Monday and then again yesterday.  And I get to walk tomorrow :)

I seem to be having way less fatigue and pain throughout the day; I generally feel more alert and energized which is awesome.

I also found a power standing chair on Ebay that I am waiting to hear back about.


Please pray that walking continues to go well and I begin to feel less stress and anxiety in general.  Pleas pray I will hear (good) things about the standing chair soon, and that I passed my Math final yesterday.  Short blog post, sorry folks (as you breathe a sigh of relief). :)

J

Bruised Nerve? Seriously?!

And yet again I wait in Ortho for an hour and fifteen minutes after my scheduled appointment.  Yet again I get told there is nothing she can do. Keep moving it so I don't get a frozen shoulder.  It's a bruised nerve.  She walks in the room and says "What did you do this time?"  Fell out of my chair.  "So it was an actual injury this time?" Uh, yes? That's good because if it is a repetitive stress injury, I can't help you. I think we've been through this.  Thank you for your prayers about my shoulder, it is super appreciated.


I am having trouble with my ears.  I'm not going to lie, I got into a horrible habit of listening to music WAY to loud.  I am having trouble hearing and the ringing is obvious, but I think it has a lot to do with the fact that my ears are seriously plugged by wax (they feel full, they hurt, I can hear the wax crackling/ popping) and I also think it has to do with stress/anxiety and grinding my teeth as both those things can cause ringing. I think I may also be having some sinus issues.   Please please pray my ears feel better.  I have stopped wearing earbuds period and if I do listen to music on my iPhone it will be at a reasonable level with headphones that go around my ears, not inside.  Please please pray I can get my ears cleaned and that this will help with my ears feeling better and hearing better.  Please also pray that I can stopped being so stressed an anxious all the time which would also help me to not grind my teeth.  Please pray this all works out; I am feeling pretty anxious, scared, and stupid over the whole thing.






I am allowed to start walking and have a PT session on Friday morning and should be able to start walking at work on Friday afternoon.  I am super excited about that, yet as it looms closer I feel really nervous about it because there will be no PT there; it will be me, my boss, and my supervisor.  There will also be people watching.  It will be an experience for all of us and something that is defiantly going to "force" me to trust my boss and supervisor.  I have issues with trust. If my insurance and mom's insurance do not cover my walker, my dad's insurance will cover 100% of it.  We have already purchased it as we were told we could be reimbursed which is great.


I got new breaks put on my chair.  The one's I had were the Quickie Scissor breaks, but, they have given me issues since the day I got my chair (the one didn't make enough contact with the tire. We would adjust it and then, it would move and stop working properly again) so the fall combined with the fact that I will be starting to walk at work on probably Friday and the chair needs to be entirely still for the safety of myself and whoever is helping me pushed us to buy new breaks.  I got the push to lock ones as they should last longer and even though I like the ones I had better as far as they way they work (not how well, but how they work) and of course they way they look, I'd rather be safe.


Thanks for caring enough to read.  I have been posting more lately and appreciate that you take the time to read when I post 3 times a week :)


J


"

Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So love the people who treat you right, forget about the ones who don’t and believe that everything happens for a reason."

Rough Day

I thought I would update on my last post.  I have toughed out being at work, but today, I ended up with a migraine/nauseated/dizzy/seeing spots because I was in so much pain, so I am taking the day off tomorrow and resting.  Then, Wednesday morning I will be going to see my Orthopedic Surgeon.

Thanks for prayers about me getting in to see my Orthopedic Surgeon.  Please pray she will help and I will be  able to be back at work by Wednesday with my pain under control. Please also pray I will be able to start walking at work either late this week or early next week.

Thanks,

J

"He's not jaded or bitter, he's gonna leave the givin' up for the quitters."

I Fell.

Literally.  I caught the edge of my cushion (I got another Ride one for Christmas, so it is higher), and fell. I hurt my shoulder. Bad. For the first 3-5 hours after falling, I couldn't feel my hand amd now I have extreme tingling and pain.  I went to the medi-clinic and the doctor told me take Advil and ice it,but the cold aggrivates the pain.  I called my OT and asked if he knew why my Ortho doctor never prescribed anti-inflammatories and he asked what had happened,  I explained and he told me to go to the ER because he was concerned about nerve damage.  Mom was away and dad was out of town so, I wasn't able to go, but, my mom got back and called my Orthos office and was told she was away until Monday and the on-call Ortho doctor is only there for emergencies and apparently, this is not an emergency. I was NOT happy.  I am so frustrated that we finally got things to a point where I was doing really well and now, I don't know what is going to happen.


Please say a prayer that Ortho will be able to see us soon and that this issue will be able to solved quickly and not adversely afffect my walking, wheelchair skills, or job.

"He's not jaded or bitter, he's gonna leave the givin' up for the quitters."

J

Big Step... or Rather Steps

Yesterday went fantastic. Both my boss and supervisor walked twice with me (Yeah, I overdid it just a bit).   and had a chance to see exactly what they need to do.  I am getting better at steering, but I still need guidance.  I used to use a Reverse Kaye Walker, so not only am I adjusting to walking the opposite way of how I've always walked, but I'm also adjusting to walking with a walker that has four wheels instead of two wheels and two rubber stopper/feet things. I still needs cues, too.  They have to watch my feet because I tend to, when I try and sit, have one foot way farther away from my walker than the other. They need to be placed close to the walker and even. My boss had to remind me a few times to slow down or "watch your feet" :) when we were walking (I think part of that was nerves and feeling like I had to walk at a fast pace so we could be finished).  They were also taught what to do if I fall, so I feel like in any situation that might occur, I'll be safe as long as one of them is around.

The next step will be picking out a walker; I emailed my DME to set up an appointment to do that and my PT will write up a requesition for insurance.   When the walker comes I will walk with my PT to make sure everything is good and then, I'll be able to walk at work.  I have, however, made it VERY clear to my boss that only he and my supervisor can help simply because of making sure everything is being done in a proper and safe manner... and he is totally fine with that and has reassured me that he will make certain everybody is aware they can not help. I did have to sign a waiver stating that I won't sue anyone if I get hurt or something like that and for that reason, it's even more important that people don't try to help because since they don't know how to help, I could get hurt far easier than if my boss or supervisor were helping.

Last night while we were waiting for the bus, my boss asked if I thought that I might get to the point where I could ditch the chair period. I stopped for a minute and thought about how I should respond.  I couldn't look at him and I mumbled the answer; " I don't know." It was right then, as I tried to figure out how to answer him, that I realized I can't imagine my life without the chair. It's not that I don't want to.  It's not that I don't have hope that the idea that he had will one day be a reality, but, at the same time, it's scary.  My chair is my comfort zone, my safe spot.  For me to be standing there with them yesterday, my safety in their hands, it was.... hard.  Don't get me wrong, I don't think I'm going to get hurt; they are both very careful and patient.  It's just.... Hard. It is a reminder of what my shoulder took from me.  It is a reminder that my rehab process did not start over, but it kind of took about 50 steps back.  But that's ok.   I have an awesome PT,  and the support of my boss, supervisor, workplace as a whole, and my family.  That means more to me than any amount of perfect road of rehab could have.

"And everything that's anything  starts out as a little thing. Just needs a little time and room to grow. Step by step, day by day, it all adds up along the way."- Brad Paisley.

The little steps will lead to BIG things and I need to remember that the things that are worth it don't come easy.


Please pray that things continue to go well at work and that therapy continues to do great things in my life.

J

I'm Excited... WALKING!

A few weeks ago, I posted about returning to walking. I never thought I'd be as excited as I am about walking as I am now :). I walked 45 meters with the walker at my last PT session before Christmas and that was after two rounds with the parallel bars.   My PT and my OT (he watched) were both really impressed with how well I did.   It was pretty emotional being back on my feet; When I hurt my shoulder almost 3 years ago,  I honestly though that I might never be able to use a walker again, that it was the end of what I'd once worked so hard for.  Today I am thrilled to be able to say that I was wrong.  My legs are getting stronger and we will also be trying s recumbent bike in PT tomorrow to see if that is something that would work to have at home for a leg workout.

I have two PT sessions this week.  On Friday, my boss and supervisor will be accompanying me so that I can start walking at work.  Did I ever mention, I have an amazingly supportive workplace?

Anyways all, I gotta run.  I'm super tired and have to be up early.

"He's not jaded or bitter, he's gonna leave the givin' up for the quitters."

J

This Time Last Year

Sometimes, I need to look back and see how far I've come and what I've accomplished.

- This time last year I was struggling day in, day out with shoulder pain 

- This time last year I was not cutting up my own food

- This time last year I was not tying my shoes

-  This time last year I was struggling through school

- This time last year I was not able to do nearly as much in the kitchen

- This time last year I was not hopping curbs

Reflecting on the last year is emotional. I'm not going to lie, it has been one of the hardest, happiest whirlwind years of life.  I have had therapists come and go (and I still miss them all :)),  I got to a point in my life where I knew everything was going to be ok.  This year will be full of struggles and challenges, I'm sure.  I have my drivers evaluation in about three months, I am still having respiratory issues, my stress and anxiety remain a daily issue and, I am still struggling with not having weekly OT.  I miss it. I miss the real life, practical progress I could see and celebrate.   I may be returning to OT fairly shortly, but, I know it won't be the same and still struggle with the thought of working with a new OT, but, I know that this year will be full of progress and blessing alike.  One of the big goals for this time next year is to be out on my own and to hopefully be on my way to driving on my own.  This time last year, if you'd of asked me if I'd be where I am now, I'd of told you no. Maybe I'll surprise myself and those goals will be fulfilled by 2013 :)

Happy New Year; may it be filled with good health, progress, and blessings for each and every one of you.,

J

"He's not jaded or bitter, he's gonna leave the givin' up for the Quitters."