Day 21
Back On My Feet Countdown: 86 days
I have been home 5 days now and we are beginning to get a routine in place on living in a wheelchair. I have found that you can do pretty much anything you want in a wheelchair. There some limitations and plenty of frustrations. Two notable frustrations:
- First, having to ask for assistance with tasks I have never needed assistance before. For example, I can't reach the plates in our kitchen cabinets or I can get to my huge spice rack in my pantry. So frustrating, yet so surreal....it causes me to think about people who are in wheelchairs forever.
- Second, it takes a long time to get simple things done. Taking a bath, going to the restroom, making dinner....all of these simple tasks (simple for those who can walk) take a lot of time and energy to complete.
Well today, I believe I went a little over-board on activities. This morning, we went for a walk around the block. I knew it would be difficult, but a good work out for my arms. Wow...I was right...very hard and I was dead tired when I got back. But it was so much fun to be out with my family and hearing Collier squeal all around the block....he loves to ride in his car outside...so the squeals were happy ones!
In the afternoon, we made a trip to Wal-Mart. We had a long list of things to get. We left soon after Collier woke up from his afternoon nap....but as we began our Wal-Mart tour, we soon realized that it was Collier's snack time...and boy did he remind us of it. So we went to the baby food isle first....grabbed a bag of whole wheat cookies and opened them up. This is not one of our preferred snacks, but sometimes, you just have to go with the flow. Our Wal-Mart trip took forever....we sat in check-out lane #7 for the longest. Our cashier was being extra slow at a time when we needed her to be a little more efficient. Collier was starting to melt down...time to exit!!!
I just started laughing...here Robbie was with a cart full of stuff, a screaming baby and a disabled husband in a wheelchair. She was just taking it all in stride...not letting it affect her at all. I was doing all kinds of stupid tricks to keep Collier entertained while Ms. SLOW Wal-Mart #7 continued at a snail's pace. All you could do was laugh and pray!
We got home....Robbie unloaded Collier and I. She brought in the supplies and I did my best to put them up. I then started dinner. I made home-made calzones. Yum! Yum!
By the end of the day, I quickly realized that me feet were swollen and I was exhausted. I had engaged in a little too much activity......but let me tell you, it was well worth it....I will take exhaustion from being at home with my family, than another day of sitting in a bed at the hospital.
Needless to say, I had no trouble sleeping last night!!
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