Change in Life

Change can come in many forms in our lifetime. It might come fast like a tidal wave or come creeping in slowly like a glacier. It might come in the form of an overwhelming tragedy, tough choices, shattered relationships, or even new chances you are faced with. Many times, change can be for the better even though it may be difficult. 

One thing to realize is that change takes time to get used to, whether in life or business. Also, by merely changing your attitude, and not focusing on the past or present, you can change the future. Whatever type of change you might be going through or up against, just know that you will learn to cope, and you have an opportunity to become something unimaginable.

Jenni

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting for the old, but on building the new.”

-Socrates

"Some periods of our growth are so confusing that we don't even recognize that growth is happening...Those long periods when something inside ourselves seems to be waiting, holding its breath, unsure about what the next step should be, eventually become the periods we wait for, for it is in those periods that we realize that we are being prepared for the next phase of our life and that, in all probability, a new level of the personality is about to be revealed."

-Alice Walker

Help, I Need Somebody!

This morning both my day nurse who works 7 AM-7 PM and my PCA who works 7 AM-12 PM called in. I’m not sure why, the companies don’t tell the reason for it. Luckily, my PCA company was able to get someone to work the shift. Also, the PCA that works at night from 6 PM-10 PM came in at 2 PM-10 PM. Unfortunately, the nursing agency ended up not finding anyone to fill the shift, so my mom worked it.

It’s very difficult on everyone when one or more of my caregivers can’t work. Especially when there is nobody to replace them. It is usually up to my family to help me, do my cares, and make sure nothing goes wrong. Since I need to require 24/7 nursing, especially in case something went wrong with my ventilator or tubing, it’s very important that someone is always within earshot. My ventilator will alarm if the tubes pop off and I can’t breathe because of it.

A good example of this was just the other day when I was out for a walk with Brody, my nurse and a nurse in training. Something within my circuit came apart and she could not find it right away, so she had to use my Ambu bag on me. In case you don’t know what that is, it’s something they hook up right to my trach and squeeze air in inflating my lungs so I can breathe (also known as a “self-inflating bag”). It was also helpful that I had an extra set of hands along to assist.

Hopefully, everything gets back to normal. It can be stressful when people call in for their shifts, especially nurses. At this point in time, I don’t have a lot of people to call for backup who are trained specifically for my case. Although sometimes anybody is better than nobody to help out.

Jenni

Wheelchair, Standing and Health

The other day the company that helps me with my wheelchair, took it for the morning and worked on it. They replaced my tires and put in a better backrest. Also, they adjusted the seating of it, so it fits me better. They even switched out the display screen that I look at to a more “high-tech”, colorful ne space.

The only problem was that since I don’t have a back-up wheelchair, I was forced to stay in bed until they brought it back to me. It was a good thing that it didn’t take too long to fix it. They picked it up at 8 AM and brought it back to me by 12:30 PM. Even though I wake up around 7 AM, I normally get out of bed by 10 AM every day, so it wasn’t that much longer. I just had to eat lunch while lying in bed, since I usually eat around 11 AM.

As far as standing, I still haven’t been able to do it yet. Although my right tibia is no longer fractured, my left kneecap still slips out of socket. I have a physical therapist comes twice a week. One of those days (so once a week) she puts Kinesio tape on it to help hold it in place. It seems to work well, as long as the tape sticks well. I don’t get it wet when I shower, so that helps.

Hopefully, I can get back at it soon. I think it will help me lose some of the water weight that I’ve gained. My doctors still can’t find a reason why I am having so much edema. I’ve had a few different doctors order labs and done multiple tests. Even though there been many theories thrown out there, none of them seem to be the answer based off results. I have faith that someday I’ll figure out what it is.

Jenni