Fiercely Independent Pam

Category: helpful products

  • And It Is “GO Time!” Just Need To Stand Up! Eager To Try Today!

    So, I think I figured this out! A new post means I can share what I am up to. I am still trying to figure out my Woobles- Grumpy Bear- I really messed it up but will start again. I am eager also to try to stand- it just needs to happen today- going to try to use a walker and just stand.

    I am also reading The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah. She is the author of many different books including The Women. I enjoy these books and look forward to reading even more. I challenged myself to reading a book a week. Often I was listening to the books on the Nustep and people tried to talk to me despite using my AirPods. I also need to practice standing.

    I am looking forward to getting back on the Nustep each day and building back my cardio rehab plan. It’s important to get back to my 21 minutes (plus 3 minutes each week) to build up to 45 minutes. In addition, I will begin using my Zeen to build up endurance. Hopefully I will be able to stand and walk into my Zeen. It will be important that I stand as well.

    Once I am able to stand, I can put away the purchases I made. My brother Tim is going to come over and put up some shelves I bought to put over the toilet as well as putting together the beach walker I purchased (I’ve been looking at this for quite sometime- it will allow me to get to the beach and have a mobility device to use on the beach).

  • Dreaming of Wet Noses Again… Gaining Strength and Making it Happen…

    Well it was bound to happen… I made a giant leap and ordered my first new pet product. It’s a smart collar that is almost like a fitbit for a dog. I was excited to do so and being then”gadget queen” I just knew it was a good purchase. But now I wait. PAALS is accomplishing amazing things, with this, being their 20th year. I am excited to hopefully attaining/befriending my service dog this year.

    I have learned a lot more about the process that PAALS uses to place service dogs with clients and am very ready to take on training, fundraising, and the hard work that is needed to build a bond between dog and handler.

    I spend a lot of time dreaming about a service dog and all it will be able to do for me. I think of dropped items, holding doors, accessing areas of the grocery store that I can’t access now. And the biggest thing- companionship- I long for sharing my bed with a sloppy, lovable beast of sorts. It’s been a long time since my dear Sofi was able to come into bed with me, but I remember it well, and it felt so perfect.

    Next steps include a site visit that will be combined with a community visit. PAALS is going to bring a service dog to help me negotiate the grocery store and gain some skills with cues. I so appreciate their willingness to help with transportation since the beach and Columbia is not the closest. It looks like this visit is going to take place in either March or April.

    I am also enthusiastic about the training process. I love learning new things and processes. Learning cues, signals, and directions are right up my alley. I am looking forward to daily training exercises and getting outside for walks several times a day.

    October is the big deadline. My 25th College Reunion is in October in Baltimore. I am so looking forward to seeing my friends, and having my service dog and making the big travel plans by flying to Baltimore. I missed my 20th reunion because my dad was dying so being on campus is even more important to me. It sounds like its a long shot to have my dog in time for reunion, but patience is the name of of the game and I will demonstrate that the quality of the process is more important than than the timing.

  • It’s Beyond Time to Get Home and Reset…

    So, I finally got a new picc line– a little different than imagined, but it’s in and I am able to get my IV antibiotics through it as well as my IVIG infusions. I am so thankful for the team in IR this morning that “just made it happen.” Then I got back to my room and my breakfast was waiting for me! All good signs of things to come.

    If I haven’t said it before, chronic illness is expensive. My 3 weeks of IV antibiotics is going to run over $3000 and that’s with excellent insurance. Told them that I was just going to have to make small payments towards that expense.

    My first priority in getting home today is having an amazing lunch with an old friend who we have been playing phone tag for a long time. It will be great to catch up with her. My apartment is going to be a little bit of a mess as I organize my new mobility devices, like my ZEEN. I am hoping the Zeen is really the change I require to gain some strength and independence.

    Tonight will be about showering and organizing a little with one of my caregivers. Hopefully, after a shower tonight and moving around today, I will gain some more strength. I won’t lie, I am very nervous about getting “stuck” on the toilet due to low strength, but it will be what it will be!

    Then it’s back to my regular schedule- newsletter this weekend after taking my niece for facials for her birthday! I have a lot going on at times, and other times, nothing but crickets!

    I have a ton of follow up appointments, and eager to find out what is next for this giant kidney stone. Apparently it needs to get “blasted.”

    All of this will pass as well and then it’s back to getting ready to welcome my service dog. I am hoping the committee meets soon and I am able to schedule a community visit. I really want to see some progress in bringing this game changer to life. My 25 year reunion is in October of 2026 and I am eager to travel back to Baltimore with my new service dog and flying for the first time in 5+ years. BIG things are happening!

    Also on the agenda, is getting back into tutoring- specifically dyslexia tutoring. I have always enjoyed tutoring 1-1 with students. I use the Wilson Reading System and have a lot of materials. Please reach out to me if you have any leads in this direction.