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Friday, February 25, 2011

Another day from Hell

I certainly hope the weekend is better than today has been, man what a day.
Had an appointment for my motorized wheelchair as I was having problems with the tilt mechanism, it had been working intermittently yet the problem was becoming very persistent.
My appointment was for 8 AM what some of you would call paratransit here is called STO picked me up at 7:15 AM, we drove for less than a block when the driver realized he had picked up the wrong passenger so back home I went got dropped off lost a ticket because I dropped it somewhere and waited patiently for my bus to arrive. No less than five minutes later my bus showed up, I should also mention both of these buses were going to locations less than 200 feet apart "I'm not kidding"

Finally into the repair shop where my first priority was getting a coffee and a muffin that is after I had checked in and they had taken my chair. At approximately 11:30 AM I was told the part they required was not in stock and had to be ordered but before they ordered it they needed to weigh me to see if my weight was within the operable limits for the tilt mechanism.
Once that was done I was hoisted from the manual chair they have provided during my appointment to my electric chair.
By this time I knew I should visit the men's washroom and it was exactly that a visit the moment the washroom door opened my bladder decided it was a go! Crap talk about an uncomfortable feeling sitting in my chair and listening to the rain hitting the floor, and if you've ever been through this you know that you have absolutely no control.
First when you complain of urgency the neurologist prescribes medication to help, in my case after several years of taking I believe it was called Ditropan than one that stopped working something called oxibuten chloride until one day I had a urinary tract infection my first. A visit to the emergency ward where the urologist on duty took the pills and discarded them installed a Foley catheter which I wore for a week or so learned how to self catheterize in case I ever needed to and that was it.

No problems for several years but lately it seems it has a mind of its own. I left the washroom mentioning to the attendant someone should be called to clean up the mess I had left behind and proceeded to get ready to catch my bus. Now everything I own is wet except for my winter cape which I threw over myself zipped it up for the ride home.
Upon arrival the first thing I wanted to do was hit the shower yet I didn't want to chance it on my own especially after the day I'd experienced, fortunately my spouse was able to leave work early I was quite relieved to see her. Needless to say we did not waste any time I stripped the clothes went in the washer and I into the shower except I Slipped and fell to the ground in the shower. I was so pissed off at myself you cannot imagine, my legs hurt like hell from being twisted in ways they haven't been for a long long time. With my bath chair on the fritz "I'm still waiting for my battery" our only option was 911 again. Of course since it's not an emergency you may have to wait, I waited In the Dam Shower For Two Bloody Hours before they showed up and of course when they did it only took them less than three minutes to pick me up and put me back into my chair. This is no longer funny I am ticked off like you would not believe tomorrow I start looking for a real lift with a sling so that if correction when it happens next time we will be able to do something about it.

I'll tell you everyone has a mountain to cross I was just not ready for Mount Everest!

Keeping my fingers crossed for the rest of the weekend.

PS: I've decided that this year since I am not going to be walking in support of the MS Society I will be soliciting funds from my friends and family members yet it will be for the sole purpose of purchasing a lift.

3 comments:

Matt said...

Wow.

I've not been blogging as much lately because I just didn't see the point. I've been blogging about everything: my dog, my friends, tv shows I watch for years now and it's left me feeling exposed.

But then I read this post, and like so many of your posts I realized that if things get bad for me, having read this is going to be so helpful to me. You really took a risk. If I wet myself in public, which is probably likely to happen at some point in my future unless they find a cure, I will remember this post and I won't feel so bad. I've already had bathroom issues at home that taught me not to wait.

So I guess even if blogging leaves me feeling vulnerable, sharing my experiences really may help other people, like you sharing yours helps me.

Also, I think everyone involved, including the MS Society, would be in full support of you collecting direct donations for a lift.

Judy said...

I read this with an aching heart. What a damned stupid disease this is. I don't know what else to say except that I hope a cure comes soon. No, sooner than soon.

Judy

Karen said...

Oh dear, sorry Michael. Isn't there some kind of undergarment you could wear for going out. I know for women there are the tena bladder incontinence liners.

I hope things turn around for you soon.

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