Independence Week

Last week's entry was just prior to my parents' departure for the week. It has been an interesting time with both good, and bad, along the way.

With my caregivers changing, I had a few shifts with people that either don't come frequently or just started. One evening, with two of these helpers back to back, I started feeling uneasy and went through training situations in my head. I remembered having the same scenario frequently when I lived on my own in college. However, God saw me through those times as well as this week without trouble.

Thursday, I had my final college class for the year. It had been scheduled for the previous week, but got delayed due to snow. It was a cold morning, but the EMS students were great with excellent interaction and everything went well. All that was left were two appointments in the Des Moines area on Friday.

First, my regular checkup with  my pulmonalogist. My wheelchair has a feature that when I tilt the seat beyond a certain point, it locks out the drive option. When I go more upright again, the drive function is restored. It has been acting up a little the last few weeks, but nothing major. However, as I sat up in the van in the doctor's parking lot, the drive function on my chair wouldn't unlock. With cold breeze blowing in, I tilted again, sat, turned my chair on/off, but no luck. Finally, after several minutes of repeating the process, I was allowed to drive again.

The appointment went well, and I was soon at a library at another Des Moines suburb. I was selected to join a task force to check that people with disabilities in Iowa are living as independently as possible. I had joined one meeting by phone, but this was my first time in person, if I could get inside.

My chair once again wouldn't allow me to drive to exit the van. However, it eventually relented again and let me get into the building. I was joining late, but found a parking spot among the attendees. Lunch break finally came and I joined the line to the pizza. With one small bump, my drive option was again locked out and it wouldn't return. The other committee members with mobility aides navigated around me, but eventually my assistant had to push all my 500 lbs back to my place.

As I sat listening to the meeting, my helper stepped out to call the wheelchair company I use. All technicians were busy though, and won't be able to help until Wednesday. When the day was complete, I had to get pushed onto the van lift, into my spot, and then the reverse when we returned home.

Such is the quad life some days. I'm very thankful for having caregivers both new and experienced that are able to go with the flow. I was at least able to manage without my parents needing to assist. This week may primarily be from in bed, but I'll wait and see what comes.