Lost in Bed: Transitioning into an Adult Care Facility
- Author Howard
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Above and Beyond (w/pictures): from Here to There in My Power Chair - Bridges and Overpasses Edition
In this first installment, we'll cover my local gateways to more extensive freedom. Basically, I am hemmed in by a highway and a major thoroughfare (plus, I am not yet comfortable traversing main roadways). However there are ways around these obstacles.
At first, I thought this ascent would...
I am incapable of being unhappy right now. I have a power chair. I can move about as I choose (mostly), when I choose (except at night, because I don't have a lights on my chair….. yet). So much due to my constant giddy-ness, any and all negative outcomes mentioned herein have virtually no...
"It's here!" The voice in the hallway said. And that voice belonged to Betsy. She's been my dedicated CNA since last December. And within seconds after making that impossible declaration, she came angling through the doorway with my wheelchair in tow.
"Yes, it's really happening!" … my brain...
Not Redacted, Not Retracted
I discovered on Friday that my medical diagnosis in my personal medical file includes the following gems: personal history of covid-19, personality disorder, somatization disorder, general anxiety disorder, delusional disorder, other hallucinations, and artificial...
I've written nearly 7,000 words in the past seven days, so clearly the inspiration to string a series of words together is still there. Or here. Or somewhere. So yes, a flurry of activity utilizing virtual pen and paper… some of which I shall reveal here, right before your eyes.
By the way, I...
Wasn't sure if (or when) I was going to blog again (or in what form), but I needed to share this awesome fantastic news.
Yesterday I was officially approved for my motorized wheelchair. And they said the chair will be ready in four to six weeks! Can you believe it? It looks as though I shall...
*This super extensive never ending blog entry involves everyday struggles and a fair amount of negativity (and lots of frustration) with occasional joyous appeasement. Felonious easement? Well, something like that.
Please know that normal people would likely be better able to navigate these...
Monsoon season has kicked into gear earlier than usual. We've had thunderstorms in the vicinity four out of the past seven days. At most, we've had one tenth of an inch of rain total. But that's a lot more than nothing. June is usually all about nothing. Besides heat. Cloudless days. And no...
4:57 in the morning and it burns. Burns like hell! And this keeps happening. Not all the time, but often enough. Often enough to prevent sleeping soundly through the night. Often enough to interfere with just about everything. But everyone's got problems. That's why we are all here. No, not on...
Abracadabra
Seemingly out of nowhere a name popped into my head - the name of a particular person with whom I spent considerable amounts of time while he was staying here at the nursing home (back in the early days). So based upon intuition alone, I looked up his name on The World Wide Web. And...
No Sleep Till Hammersmith
Because I'm an idiot, the battery on my feeding machine died over an hour ago (4am) and I'm still waiting for someone to respond. The unplugged chord lies dormant upon the floor, and I cannot reach it on my own.
Meanwhile, the sky is ever so slightly illuminated...
The Noise You Now Know
Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep … x1,000
It sounds like a billion desperation crickets getting murdered by thoroughly dedicated meth heads!
Anytime my roommate opens, accesses, and / or utilizes the restroom .. the door alarm beeps and blares…...
Sing Sing
Maybe ten days ago Angela came hustling outside into the courtyard (intentions unknown) as Dora and I sat shaded in the grass (her wheelchair, my geri-chair being semi-adjacent to each other).
You remember Dora, right? She's the 87-year-old who mostly says things I cannot quite...
Seeing Her Face First
She drove past me, but I didn't quite see her. The car looked familiar enough, though. A dirty and dusted deep red, which is not unusual here in the desert.
Meanwhile, I was parked in my teal and tan geriatric cart underneath a palm tree in front of the building, the...
Because I've been experiencing physical (pain-related) issues, my recent free time has been more dedicated towards coping with the discomfort, rather than taking part in creative pursuits. There's nothing terrible happening here, but there's a fair amount of "ugly" embedded within my writing...
Free Space
Yes, my brand new plan, my all-new scheme to acquire free goods.. is working! Today I won a single serving container of cinnamon applesauce by participating in a cutthroat competition versus a posse of wily oldsters. The name of the game? B-I-N-G-O! And I was victorious in the very...
B12 or B52?
I got totally crazy here at the nursing home Sunday evening… thought I might try the B12 drops I purchased back in December. Really, I decided to tempt fate in a fit of desperation, seeking out a means to (eventually and possibly) resolve my intestinal disorder. Previously, B12...
(Tuesday)
20 Minutes
That's the total amount of time I spent supporting the weight of my very own (heavy) head today. In comparison, my historic Daily Head Support Average (over the past seven years) equals two minutes or so. And that involves utilizing the commode.
Beyond that encouraging...
Two Weeks Ago
Screaming bloody chaos from across the hall as the "Oh God" Woman further disintegrates. Any time a family member appears she performs an enhanced act worthy of an Oscar. Or, a Tony. And yes, she used to be famous and well regarded, but now she suffers often and out loud...
Nothing to See Here
Well yeah, there may be something wrong with me (after having decidedly failed the EMG / Nerve Conduction Study two weeks ago…), but that "something" remains a mystery. I am now being sent to a neuromuscular specialist to have a muscle biopsy performed.
And here's the funny...