Fiercely Independent Pam

Category: Updates

  • The Legacy of An Amazing Grandmother- Francis! She Was Always A Guiding Light!

    So I am trying my hand at Crocheting again- trying a Woobles kit. This time it is Grumpy bear! It’s not the easiest but keeps me doing something. I still have quite the vision of my grandmother ripping stitches out of my crocheting when I was a young girl. She was kinda fearless and made so many great creations including my favorite tree skirt that I thought I lost. She also created a lot of special afghan blankets for everyone- Liked to call them “Nanny Blankets.” They were warm and cozy for anyone to use.

    The legacy of my grandmother is big! She like I said was a force of nature and always just knew where things belonged even if she didn’t see them for a while. It never ceases to amaze that she knew exactly where things were in the upstairs bedroom even if she wasn’t there for many years.

    My Grandmother, Francis, was always getting us to buy yarn so that she could crochet, at the time it wasn’t too expensive so it kept her busy, but now it would be a very expensive hobby. I remember that I brought one of her blankets to Russia to give as a gift to my host family. I wish I had a picture of one of her blankets/afghans to demonstrate her fine detail work.

  • I’m Working So Hard Independently And Making Progress But Hopefully I am Not Running Out of Time!

    So much attention has been spent on making sure I can stand without much support, I am exhausted I did not realize how much my abs are working. I am sore and tired, but moving along to be able to stand independently. In the meantime, I am still using a slide board at times to move myself since standing isn’t fully happening. I will continue to practice lifting my booty up and off the wheelchair seat. My arms are tired and fear is running high.

    I wish I never lost so much strength. I kept telling the folks at the hospital that I was losing strength and needed to be evaluated for rehab or even just PT/OT, but they did not listen to me.

    Today I was able to complete 10 minutes on the Nustep independently, which felt wonderful. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to stand and pivot to get on the NuStep independently. This needs to happen before I get home. The weekend is coming up, which means less therapy, but I am “owed” some therapy, so I am hoping that happens.

    In other words- I am working hard at growing my audience online through Facebook, Instagram, and even Tik- Tok. I completed a few online courses to help me figure out the allorgrithms to grow my followers. If you see my accounts, please follow them- it would mean the world to me! I am thinking I finally got a hold of what I am doing with the various accounts.All of this is being done Independently!

    I am also enjoying the Winter Olympics tonight is the opening ceremony and I am watching it carefully. It’s enjoyable and hopefully better than the Paris Summer Olympics.

    I’ve managed to figure out how to charge my various devices, including my visible armband. Thank goodness for Amazon deliveries even here!

  • Wrapping My Head Around The Idea That I’m Not Going to Be Dropped and Break My Leg Again: I Can Stand!

    I have a mental break that I am going to fall and break my leg again. I am trying so hard to get over it, but it is still there- past trauma rears its ugly head at the worst possible times. I want nothing more than to stand up and have the strength to stay there and take a few steps. This is mission critical to be able to stand and walk again. I know I play the role of someone who is tough and able to handle so much, but when my brain plays tricks on me it’s so much harder. When I was in Florida and learning to walk again, I had an unfortunate incident where I was dropped by a staff member and broke my leg.

    Then in October, I had my accident with getting run over by a car and breaking my leg once more. So, I am struggling with my confidence to say the least. All of this coupled with getting stuck in a few bathrooms and needing the fire department to lift me out of some bizarre situations, has left me more than vulnerable. It does amaze me that I am not embarrassed but just need to do what needs to be done!

    I am so fortunate that I had amazing primary care from Your Health- Lindsey was able to work magic and get me registered here at Encompass, which is exactly where I am supposed to be. I am willing to spend as much time as possible to get this right, even if it means rescheduling important appointments down at MUSC.

    I’ve also been dealing with crazy bloody noses again. It seems that I just keep dripping blood and trying not to make a mess. I appreciate that they are giving me full size tissue boxes and tissues instead of the little packages. I will eventually get back to the ENT and figure out how to control this! It seems that trying to stand also makes my nose bleed.

    I will try again maybe today, but definitely tomorrow. I know I can stand and take a few steps. I am also trying to keep track of my weight, which is hard to do, but I’ve managed to step up on the “kitchen scale” each day. I am gaining weight, instead of losing, but considering the experience, I am ok with that.

    I totally miss my electric wheelchair and all the freedom it brings me. I look forward to getting home and using it again. I feel like learned a lot about it and how it can help me out in even bigger ways.