Thank you

[cjsmith]

Thanks to everyone who offered comments, support, and ideas in response to my "Deadline" post. I appreciate not only the support but the connection, the knowledge that someone out there hears and understands where I'm at with this. Quite a few someones, even. It means a lot to me.

Our culture is very big on the fighters, the people who never ever give up. We don't honor the people who work within their limitations, or who take a break from fighting for a while, even if it's obviously the smart or sane thing to do. There's a subtle disbelief people show when faced with someone who really has tried an enormous number of things none of which has worked. (Sometimes I think Americans believe an amputee should be able to grow a new leg by force of will. Failure to do so is some sort of personality flaw. I have my theories about how all this is a big case of denial, but this post is long enough.) I've bought into this attitude more than is healthy.

Not that I'm giving up exactly. I'll still go to physical therapy and to my doctor. I'll do my exercises and my stretches and I'll apply castor oil to my feet (that's the latest, and it's too early to say whether it's helping, so I won't ditch it now).

I'm definitely going to apply for the disabled parking hang-tag. A group of people in the waiting room at physical therapy this morning said the same: "I did that; it helped!" "Oh, DO it, it's what you need right now that counts." One woman offered to get me some information on a chair for cooking -- a lab chair, so it rolls *and* can go up and down (high enough to stir pasta, low enough for getting pans out of the cupboard). I told her I don't cook much, but to be honest, I admit I did bake more a while back. It was thoughtful of her to ask about cooking and offer to get the name of her "godsend" chair. She can walk, some, but she also uses a scooter, and she's had pain in the soles of her feet for ten years. I think I'm glad I'm not waiting for ten years to get the placard.

And enormous thanks to dizzdvl for offering to send me a swim cap and goggles. I haven't decided between the nearby high school's pool and the Y, but I'll do one or the other. There, you have my word on it: I will swim. Now that I've made a public declaration I'll do it.

Comments

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I don't have it yet but I'm happy to post it when I get it. She's going to find the name and then leave it with one of the staff at the physical therapy center, and I'll get it next time I'm in for p.t. at that place (a week from tomorrow).

I suspect the main problem with a stool is that it wouldn't be tall enough. I could imagine getting off the stool to get something from a low cupboard, but it'd be hard to levitate above the stool so as to stir a big pot! If bending over is bad, though, I don't know any kind of stool that would help with that, so I can imagine just not using the low cupboards. :-(

No one's required to comment on the Deadline post, so no kicking yourself allowed :-), but thank you for the "been there". There's a lot of us who've been there. I'm learning that at least.

[daltong.livejournal.com]

The stool I bought goes up to 33 inches. I hope that's tall enough!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Isn't that nearly the height of the counters? That ought to do it, I'd think!