Fiercely Independent Pam

Tag: Don’t Let the Hard Days Win!

  • UTI’s, Antibiotics, Standing, and ,More, All Good Things Happening

    So, it finally happened. My UTI came back with a vengeance. I started having symptoms yesterday and it got bad overnight. Luckily, my primary care already had sent a urine culture out so we know what we are dealing with an what antibiotics are a match.

    I have a call into infectious disease and hopefully the antibiotics won’t be too expensive.Last time they were $3000 which is crazy!

    I had all sorts of trouble calling the infectious disease doctor, but I finally was able to leave a message and the receptionist called me back and will call me back again when the doctor gets in from the hospital.

    Hoping this round of antibiotics clears everything up, as there is nothing more annoying than having a UTI. I am pretty sure the antibiotics will be via IV and not oral, but just hoping they aren’t too expensive.

    In other news, I did great today with PT standing up about 99% by myself, which is a huge improvement. It’s also not a scary for me. PT/OT and I created a calendar for this week to keep trying to stand and hopefully even try some pivots.

    I am so eager to get to the point that I can use the Zeen, but I’m not there yet. I am thinking I will be using it in the next two weeks.

  • Sometimes, A Surprise Really is the Best!!!

    There isn’t too much that surprises me anymore. As a teacher, my students use to love to find ways to surprise me. Sometimes it was a M&M toy or treasure or other times it was a full pancake breakfast. I loved it, but I always knew they were up to something.

    Fast forward to yesterday, as I was getting ready to go to lunch, there was a knock on the door. I was quickly greeted by Bill and Vicki, my neighbors from Florida, who I haven’t seen since leaving Florida two years ago. I was so surprised to see them.

    Good neighbors are hard to come by. Bill and Vicki did so much for me when I was alone in Florida, especially for Sofi. I don’t know what I would’ve done without their help!

    Their visit changed my whole outlook for the day, and hopefully longer. It was not an easy thing for them to travel to Myrtle Beach out of their way, but it meant so much to me! Their surprise wasn’t like my students would pull, it was beyond thought out and they even checked with the front desk to make sure I was still home and not back at the hospital. My goal is to take this positive energy and turn it into standing and walking when OT comes later today!

  • The Honest Truth of Where I am… the Good and the Bad!

    The Honest Truth of Where I am… the Good and the Bad!

    So, I’ve been pumping out blog posts and making sure they match the highest SEO, which means I have to write with a specific pattern. I feel like I’m not able to simply write anymore and I don’t like that. I want to connect with my audience and the truth.

    Here is the honest truth. I feel like a squirrel having to use the transfer board to go from chair to wheelchair to bed to wheelchair and all over again. It is less than fun. It’s a lot of work to line up the transfer and then make sure all is set to go. Luckily I’m getting good at it, but It truly is not fun.

    Second truth, I am unable to use the toilet. It is super low and I am not strong enough to lift myself off of the toilet. This is going to take the most time and I really miss using a toilet. The OT helped me order a 5 inch lift so when the time comes that will be helpful.

    I desperately want things to go back to normal, or even better than normal when I use my Zeen. It’s hard to fight the urge to create timelines in my head for when everything will happen. The more I do that, the harder it is to meet those goals.

    Until then, I will do everything I need to to get in exercise, rest my bottom, and dream of days of taking my service dog out for a walk with my Zeen- This is the image I need to focus on!