Update:
A number of
people have asked how the sore on my ankle is doing. It is healing quite well. The redness is gone; just a small scab
remains. I caught it early enough so it
wasn’t too bad. It is always more about
the fear of where it could have gone so it must be taken very seriously. With good reason I am paranoid about any
wounds to my legs (my doctors have pounded that song into my head). Yesterday I opened a cardboard box with big
staples in. Before I carried it out to
the garage, I thought about how to carry it so that those staples couldn’t scratch
my legs. Mentally that is quite a trip—worrying
about something that before my amputation I would consider it insignificant and
never given it a thought. It is a daily
part of my “New Normal.”
I sold my
ATV on Monday. It made sense to do
it. I know it was the right thing to do;
but it was still a bit hard emotionally to let it go. I realized that I wouldn’t be riding it much
like I used to do. It just seemed to be
a lot of machine to store and to do the maintenance on if I wasn’t going to
really use it. I had a lot of fun with
it but it was time to go. Over two years
ago, the first event that led to my amputation happened because of an ATV ride—I
haven’t ever gotten over that, so I wasn’t entirely comfortable riding anymore
(sort of like if you get sick eating food from a restaurant once, it is hard to
go back to that restaurant to eat for years).
So I know it was wise and right; but still hard to do.
On the
positive side, selling the ATV gave me the cash I needed to pay for a
membership at Gold’s Gym. I really have
enjoyed going and working out there. It
has been healthy for me and will help me continue to lose weight and regain my
strength and stamina. My leg muscles
really need to be strengthened and I’m looking forward to doing some cardio
inside during the winter. Working out at
home on the floor was beneficial; but could accomplish only so much. I’m hoping to get to the gym at least three
times a week.
One of the
things that I found out the last time I hunted was that the tripod stool that
I’ve used while hunting before my amputation wasn’t going to work for me
now. Last week when I hunted, the stool
really hurt and became unbearable after a while. It also was so low that it was extremely
comical watching me try to get out of it and stand up. I found a new hunting chair on Monday night
at Scheels. It sits as tall as a regular
chair and will give me legs the support that they need. Hated to have to buy it; but if I am going to
hunt I needed a chair that would work well with my prosthetic leg.
One thing
that I still cannot do is carry something large or heavy down the stairs. Yesterday I sorted through hunting clothes
that I would need this fall and put them in a black and gray tote that I left
up in my old room. This morning I asked
Karen to carry it down the stairs for me.
I was washing my hands in the bathroom and she was already walking up
the stairs when I called out to ask her.
We laughed pretty hard when I looked at the black and gray coat that she
found and brought down. “No…I said tote,
not coat.” We got a bit silly naming all
the other things she might have looked for: a black and gray boat, a goat, a
stoat, etc.
It seems
sort of weird all of the accommodations that I have had to make in my lifestyle
and in day-to-day activities. I have
found that I can do most things that I used to do—it is just more of a
challenge in how I do them or what “accessories” I need to be able to do
them. Everything takes more energy, more
thought, more preparation and more time to do.
I am grateful that I find that most things are possible and that I have
the resources that I need to make them happen.
As I think back over the last ten months, I realize that there are a lot
of difficulties that I have overcome and still plenty ahead for me to still
do. Many things that initially were
impossible for me are now possible. I’ve
made great progress and still have a long way to go. But I just keep taking the next step in my
journey and I know that eventually I will get there by the grace of God, my
determination, and the awesome support I receive from so many people.
Thought for the Day:
As I pulled
into the handicap parking space at Scheels sporting goods last night, I noticed
one of the managers walking from the parking lot into the store. He saw me pull up in my Chevy Silverado. I noticed that he glanced at my license plate
(looking for a handicap plate). I could
tell that he was about to turn around to ask me to move my truck, when I put
the handicap placard on my rearview mirror.
He gave a little smile then turned around and walked into the
store.
People are
used to seeing little old ladies or men in handicap spots, but I look pretty
healthy from the waist up. Going to
another store, I got “the stare” from people in the regular parking space next
to the handicap spot I had pulled into.
They didn’t like the fact that I had taken up a handicap spot that was
reserved for someone who needed it. They
visibly relaxed when I opened the door and swung my leg out and walked off with
my cane.
Even one of
my kids commented on how I use a handicap spot “even though I don’t need to.” He thought I was just taking advantage of the
awesome parking spaces. In reality I am
still under distance restrictions from the doctor and if I use up all my
allotted number of steps getting into the store, I cannot go shopping. If a store has it, I always use the motorized
shopping carts to save my energy for the next stop on my list of errands. I have to conserve energy wherever I can so
that I can go to more places on one trip to town.
By the way,
Menards only has one motorized cart for the entire store; but it is a pretty
zippy ride. Most carts go so slowly that
if turtles were shopping, they would pass me and leave me in their dust. But the Menards cart actually travels at a
decent pace! I’ve got a need for speed
that just cannot be quenched!
Anyway, I just
wanted to remind everybody that not all disabilities or handicaps can be
seen. You never know what restrictions
their doctors have placed on them or why they might need a handicap spot at the
store. They may seem pretty spry at this
store; but you’d be surprised at how much energy it took for them to make that
trip and they may not have too much energy left in reserve for the rest of
their day.
Secondly,
please don’t ever take a handicap spot because you’ll “just be a minute.” Enjoy the health that you have and take a
moment to stretch your legs and walk a bit further. In my mind, it is even worse when someone
decides to leave their empty shopping cart in the stripes around a handicap
spot. Technically they haven’t taken up a handicap parking space, so it seems
harmless enough. With my prosthetic leg, I have to open my
truck door fully to swing my leg out. I
need that buffer zone around my truck to get out of my vehicle. Sometimes it is hard enough to find parking
space with enough room that I feel confident that I will be able to get back
into my truck when I am done shopping. I
have a hard time getting back into my truck without fully opening the door as
well; that’s one reason why a regular parking spot doesn’t work for me unless I
have someone else along who can back the truck out so I can get in. Once I had someone park in the stripes around
the handicap spot next to my truck once after I went inside a store. I had to stop someone and ask them to back my
truck out of the parking space so I could get in—how embarrassing and inconvenient!
So please
pay attention and be polite!
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