10:00
I woke up at 07:30, and then fell asleep in the wheelchair in front of the coffee machine.
I have much that needs to be done today. I hope I don't nap the day away.
I worry about having a nap attack in a mall.
I need to buy new shoes. Shoes are not a simple thing for an amputee. I want good shoes to protect the vital good foot. The heal height is important. Otherwise the prosthetic leg will think it is on a slope, and I have talked many times about the dangers of slopes. Usually the prosthesis guy will readjust the prosthesis for each pair of shoes. So I plan on buying new shoes as close as possible to the heel height and slope as the ones I have now. If the shoes are identical in height and cushioning, then they can be swapped without going to the prosthesis guy.
--
I prefer going to the mall with a friend. I worry about falling. My one friend has been given a lecture by me about how to handle things if I fall.
This advise is for a relatively strong amputee that has fallen. It does not work well with elderly, or frail people. They have a totally different fall recovery technique.
One thing is for sure....Never pick a fallen person up without their permission!!!
If I stumble and fall in a mall, I have asked my friend to:
1. Stand and block, so nobody will trip on me, or step on me. Make sure nobody tries to pick me up.
2. I will be in shock. I was walking along, and now the floor is in my face. This will take a few seconds for me to realize what is happening.
3. Maybe I broke something, or injured a shoulder or wrist. If you try to pick me up you can cause major damage. Let ME safely check to see what I may have hurt.
4. If I have hurt something, or you can see damage, call 911 and get help. Let me just lie there and keep me safe from other people wanting to help stand me up.
5. If I am undamaged, then we can think about getting me back on my feet. Balance is more important than strength in getting up. If I am trying to stand, and someone pulls on me anywhere, then my balance is put off. Don't help me up.
6. When I am ready to try to stand, I want someone standing close, and acting like a tree.
7. Stand with wide legs. Put one hand on your hip,and grip it with the other hand. I will climb up you like I would climb a tree. Don't help unless I ask for help.
8. If you are not strong enough to be a tree for me, then once I am sure there are no injuries, drag me to something I can use to climb up, or ask someone strong to be a tree.
9. Only as a last resort ask for someone to help lift me up.
If I fall in a house, bring a strong dining room chair, and put it close. I can climb up it.
--
19:00
At about 13:00 I walked out to the beetle. It started right up, and I started moving out the emergency
equipment out of it into the Atos.
Then I decided to go shoe shopping at a big mall. Arriving there I realized it was 14:00 and I had not eaten anything all day. Nothing except lemon water and coffee. So I had a pepper steak pie.
I went to Takkie Town and looked at lots of shoes, and tried on many. I ended up with some New Balance for 799R.
Then I decided that since it was 16:00 and rush hour, I would walk up and down the ramps in the mall. So I went up and down and up and down the steepest ramp in the mall. I got much better, but still not comfortable enough to do it with out hanging on to the banister. Then I drove home in the traffic.
Once home I put on my new shoes to see if they would work with the leg.
They seem to. I was very careful about heel height and slope of shoe.
I decided to go for a walk. I tried Leonie's suggestions to walk fast.
I did 1 km in 18:30. That is 3.3 km/hr. Zoom Zoom. That would be a park run
in 1 hr 30 min. I'm getting there.
--
Showing posts with label Mall. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mall. Show all posts
Friday, 19 February 2016
Thursday, 29 October 2015
Day 84 - Trip to the Mall.
Morning -
I woke with quite a bit of pain. Back pain and good leg pain. I think I over did it yesterday.
Maddie gave me a fruit salad straight away, so I could take pills.
Noon -
Today we decided to go to the big pharmacy and get prescribed pills.
Tomorrow we have to return the Avis car. Then we only have the beetle till we find a car we like.
Maddie got to drive the beetle, and we had to see if I could get in and out of it. Maddie did so well in the beetle. Even with its funny door opening sequence, and the seat being hard to move, and her arms not reaching the gear shift. I was able to get in easily. The back of the passenger seat is very solid and easy to grip for getting in and out.
Maddie drove us to the big mall. The closest parking was about 200 meters from the pharmacy. I never use the elevator or the escalator because the stairs are free exercise. Today we took the elevator. :-(
I find that while crutching, my concentration is focused on the floor in front of me. I wouldn't notice a rhino beside me. I always used to watch for potential security threats, but not today, just the floor in front of me.
Maddie did all our prescriptions, while I rested on a bench. Medical aid refused most of my medications. Lack of funds. So we only got a few of the most important pills, and paid lots of cash.
We bought 2 more extension grabbers. I want to put large cup hooks in the ceiling by my bed, over the computer, and in the bathroom. That way when not in use, I can just grip the hook with the grabber, and the grabber will hang out of the way, but in easy reach.
We went to a good restaurant next, another 100 meters. It seems best to have Maddie go ahead and scout out places before I get there. She walked ahead to the restaurant, and found a crutches friendly table, and it was easy for me. I expect in a few weeks, I'll be the zoomer, and she will be trying to keep up with me :-)
Maddie went off to do shopping, and I sat awhile and had another coffee. Then I crutched to the book store, another 100 meters. They have a small reading room there. The chairs are fluffy deep cushioned chairs. Bad news. I sank into one, and would just have to wait for Maddie to rescue me. A relaxing hour later she came and pulled me out of the chair, and we went to the car and drove straight home.
Over all about 500 meters crutching for the day. My hands are sore, my wrist, elbows, and shoulders are sore. My good knee is also sore. The good leg is taking strain. I refuse to even think what a catastrophe, a simple injury to the good leg would cause in my lifestyle. Something like an ankle sprain would make me bedridden for weeks.
The guys that use the same crutches I use for long distance walking, say that even a poor prosthesis is much, much better when using crutches. They still use crutches the same way, but the prosthetic takes most strain off the arms.
Using crutches without a prosthetic usually results in back pain. The poor spine never is able to enter the pelvis at the correct angle. It is always wrong. My back is going to be a big problem until I can get some sort of prosthesis to balance the forces on the pelvis.
I found a car place that has 3 high mileage BMW 330Ds for sale. a 2004 model, and 2 x 2005 models. Each is about R60,000 ($5000). Diesel, and automatic transmissions. Of course the BIG thing too keep in mind is that somebody got rid of these cars for a reason. Like a big maintenance bill coming.
I still think I prefer the Mercedes Benz C220-ish type of car.
I very good, and pleasant day. Very tiring, but well worth it.
--
I woke with quite a bit of pain. Back pain and good leg pain. I think I over did it yesterday.
Maddie gave me a fruit salad straight away, so I could take pills.
Noon -
Today we decided to go to the big pharmacy and get prescribed pills.
Tomorrow we have to return the Avis car. Then we only have the beetle till we find a car we like.
Maddie got to drive the beetle, and we had to see if I could get in and out of it. Maddie did so well in the beetle. Even with its funny door opening sequence, and the seat being hard to move, and her arms not reaching the gear shift. I was able to get in easily. The back of the passenger seat is very solid and easy to grip for getting in and out.
Maddie drove us to the big mall. The closest parking was about 200 meters from the pharmacy. I never use the elevator or the escalator because the stairs are free exercise. Today we took the elevator. :-(
I find that while crutching, my concentration is focused on the floor in front of me. I wouldn't notice a rhino beside me. I always used to watch for potential security threats, but not today, just the floor in front of me.
Maddie did all our prescriptions, while I rested on a bench. Medical aid refused most of my medications. Lack of funds. So we only got a few of the most important pills, and paid lots of cash.
We bought 2 more extension grabbers. I want to put large cup hooks in the ceiling by my bed, over the computer, and in the bathroom. That way when not in use, I can just grip the hook with the grabber, and the grabber will hang out of the way, but in easy reach.
We went to a good restaurant next, another 100 meters. It seems best to have Maddie go ahead and scout out places before I get there. She walked ahead to the restaurant, and found a crutches friendly table, and it was easy for me. I expect in a few weeks, I'll be the zoomer, and she will be trying to keep up with me :-)
Over all about 500 meters crutching for the day. My hands are sore, my wrist, elbows, and shoulders are sore. My good knee is also sore. The good leg is taking strain. I refuse to even think what a catastrophe, a simple injury to the good leg would cause in my lifestyle. Something like an ankle sprain would make me bedridden for weeks.
The guys that use the same crutches I use for long distance walking, say that even a poor prosthesis is much, much better when using crutches. They still use crutches the same way, but the prosthetic takes most strain off the arms.
Using crutches without a prosthetic usually results in back pain. The poor spine never is able to enter the pelvis at the correct angle. It is always wrong. My back is going to be a big problem until I can get some sort of prosthesis to balance the forces on the pelvis.
I found a car place that has 3 high mileage BMW 330Ds for sale. a 2004 model, and 2 x 2005 models. Each is about R60,000 ($5000). Diesel, and automatic transmissions. Of course the BIG thing too keep in mind is that somebody got rid of these cars for a reason. Like a big maintenance bill coming.
I still think I prefer the Mercedes Benz C220-ish type of car.
I very good, and pleasant day. Very tiring, but well worth it.
--
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)