As we catapult ourselves into the middle of August, I thought it might be time to give a wee bit of a life update
Recovery from surgery is going well. Turns out I don’t need to go back to Box Hill Hospital for a check up till sometime next April . This is good as it gives me time to work on myself and get more stable on my feet
I can do things like shower (almost entirely independently) and I have started to walk small, unaided walks to the bathroom and toilet. I can manage about 10 or so steps on my own without a walking aid… although, that is more like a shuffle than actual steps. For the most part I still use Christopher ( my walker) for around the house and Bert and Ernie ( my crutches) for when I go outside. I do have a walking stick but its old and I want to get a new one. ( But I can use that quite well inside)
Work is going through a lull at the moment. This is actually a good thing as it gives us all a chance to breathe and prepare for Christmas. We’re employing more people and, at present, TM’s and TSL’s are being moved like chess pieces on a board to ensure the right person is in the right place for the foreseeable future.
Sadly, this means I am losing my boss to greener pastures ( Metaphorically. She’s not leaving the company. She’s just taking on another role) and so as of Monday, my team will be looked after by a new person. So we’ll see how everything works out
In other news, I am trying to convince myself that I need to start using my rowing machine more often. I used to love that thing. And I still do… It’s just that trying to get on it at the moment makes my hip really sore and uncomfortable. I mean, I know once I’m on the thing, I’m fine, but yeah, the actual getting on the thing.. That’s another matter entirely. That said, It’s still early days and I am working on it.
I am still doing my rehab exercises, my physiotherapy, my hydrotherapy and everything else I need to – but sadly, I’m not running marathons just yet.
Hubby and I just keep on keeping on . We have our routine and it’s working well.
This week I plan to follow up on a few NDIS related things and find out what’s supposedly happening with the NDIS funded bathroom I am expecting to receive – I’ve not spoken to my Provider for months and so this week I am planning to follow up with them and see what’s going on
Other than that, the sun is out and the weather is nice .
Have a great weekend
Ceej
PS: The banner image was created with AI. I think it’s kinda cute 😀
Yes I know. It’s been weeks since my last update but honestly, there’s been a lot going on.
My recovery from surgery is going well. Day by day there are little improvements. I’m finding I can move a lot easier which is good. Don’t get me wrong, I still have months and months to go and yes, it does get very frustrating sometimes …. But I’m getting there.
The drama with the NDIS continues – with my Change of situation being only temporarily approved due to the fact that the Home Mods need to be reviewed by a certain department . I’m still waiting for the forms to be signed or filled in or whatever, but no one is getting back to me *Sigh*
Today I will be following up with my Support Coordinator to see what’s happening with everything
Last weekend I caught up with my sister N and her hubby J. We’ve not seen each other for almost a decade so it was lovely to have lunch and do a bit of book shopping with her for a few hours. They came down from country Victoria to watch the football that weekend so decided to catch up with me as well, which was great!
May is month of birthdays in my family so every week one of us is turning a year older. Throw in Mothers day and you’ve got yourself a busy month!
Work is flat out busy. That’s all there is to say about that
That’s all I have as an update for now
I promise not to leave it so long between updates next time
Here we are. At this point in proceedings I had hoped to give everyone a date as to when I was to receive my hip replacement surgery date.
Sadly I have not. To say I am disappointed is the understatement of the year. Let me tell you how things went.
I arrive an hour early for my appointment at Maroondah Hospital Acute Outpatients department
I am told I need to get x-rays ( despite bringing the x-rays I had done at Box Hill Hospital back in May with me) so I go do that.
Around 45 mins later I am called into a room. I meet a “Doctor” who prefers to be called Pete. We have a quick chat. He gets me to sign some kind of consent form and proceeds to tell me the risks of my operation including but not limited to:
Blood loss
Infection
Numbness / nerve damage
Heart attack
Stroke
Several other not fun things I can’t remember at the moment
He did tell me that a full recovery will take 6 weeks and that they’ll get me up walking the day after the surgery ( He did mention the Spastic Diplegia and asked me how long I’d had it for. )
I enquired about rehab and he said “It could be organized if I needed it”
In the meantime I had to lose weight which he said ” I know is hard with a bung hip”
So there you are.
I just have to wait for a phone call / letter to see when my surgery date is and God knows when that will be .
From tomorrow ( Monday – for those wondering) I begin clean eating. In the hope that I can lose some weight before my op.
I have no idea how much I weigh. ( last I checked was at the beginning of the year and that was 103. 9 kgs or 229.06lbs) so I’ll have to figure that out somehow.
In other news – things regarding the NDIS are slowly happening. Had some new taps and things installed in the bathroom the other week so now I’m just awaiting approval for the shower to be useable .
Anyway, I don’t really have much else to say so I’ll just end this here
Destination: The Quest Apartments Collingwood, Melbourne,Victoria
Before I begin this blog I want to tell you a bit about the NDIS process to arrange Respite.
IT TAKES FLIPPING AGES!! Months and months and months of planning and waiting and wondering and re-hashing plans and re-hashing plans and changing the where, when, why and how about 8,754 times before everything is sorted
Once everything is sorted and in place- You can have a nice relaxing time with everything paid for ( including food and transport if required)
There. That’s what I learnt regarding Respite paid for via the NDIS. Now then… Moving on.
My Respite was planned for a period of 4 days from Saturday February 24th to Tuesday February 27th. I had arranged the whole 4 days around HUBLANDER – Australia’s first ever Outlander Convention and given the event was to be held at The Timber yard in Port Melbourne, I had arranged to stay at the Quest Apartments in Collingwood- which was just a short 15 minute trip from the venue.
With my bags packed and Eleanor Wheelie fully charged, my Support Worker & Partner in crime ( for the next four days at least) Miss C came and collected me from my door at just a bit after lunch.
It was an easy drive with not much traffic on the road and we arrived in good time. After checking in and getting handed the keys, we made our way up to the 3rd floor to our home away from home for the next 4 days .
I had never stayed at a Quest apartment before, although, at the time, as we walked in and dropped off our bags – I remember thinking about a point in my life in 1996 when, in an effort to find suitable employment, I signed up to do a two week long course in Hospitality. I have vague memories of turning up to a Quest Apartment in the City and having to clean rooms and learn how to make Hospital corners on some of the whitest bedsheets known to man.
Suffice to say that didn’t pan out as after one particular day – I came face to face with vomit in the bathroom of one room after the occupant had …. ‘partied to excess’ the night before and, by the looks of the state of the room – had made a swift exit & check out so as not to be held accountable for any of the mess. (Unfortunately for them.. places like that have ways of finding people like them and so, I have no doubt in my mind they were caught out and dealt with accordingly.)
Anyway… Where was I? Oh yes! The Quest Apartment…
As I was saying, I had never stayed in a Quest apartment before .. let alone one that was disabled friendly.
I could easily get Eleanor into the room and there was plenty of space to move around in. I could even take her into the bedroom and pop her in a corner with ease. We were lucky to have a two bedroom apartment.
We had:
*A main bedroom with ensuite bathroom
*A second Bedroom
*A bathroom/ shower/ toilet area
*Dining and lounge area
*A washer/dryer machine ( I’d never seen one of them before . In fact, neither of us had .. so we had a time trying to figure out how it worked. I’ll tell you that much!)
*A Balcony with a little outdoor setting .
Speaking of the bedrooms, Here’s a picture of the Master Bedroom. As you can see – we were very spoilt and the beds were very comfortable ( Yes, that is me in the reflection!)
So, suffice to say we were pretty impressed.
The first order of business was grocery shopping to cover us for the days that we were going to be there. After much discussion with my Support Worker and those helping me arrange my Respite – It was decided that we’d prefer to make our own meals as opposed to living off take out.. (which neither myself or Miss C wanted to do anyway) so we got ourselves organised and set off to find the nearest Coles to grab what we needed.
Like all places, Collingwood is not without its interesting characters. Upon leaving the Quest Apartments, there was a rather unkempt looking shirtless gent who wished me to .. how shall we say … ‘Go like the clappers, make it go full speed and put some fire under those wheels!” in reference to Eleanor Wheelie .. a suggestion, I can assure you, I politely declined.
One of the things I’ve really began to notice as a semi ambulant wheelchair user is just how uneven the ground is. Now, don’t get me wrong Eleanor Wheelie (Model C2 Whill) is pretty much an all surface /terrain chair and can tackle just about anything.. but my gosh does she let you know just how crooked and angular everything is! Going along the side streets and then on to the infamous SMITH ST I cannot tell you the amount of times I felt like I was going to topple forward and or fall out of my chair because of uneven ground. It was an experience – that’s for sure!
We arrived at Coles, purchased our groceries and returned back to our lodgings with a minimum of fuss to set about getting ourselves ready to settle in for the night. Dinner was Fajitas and I discovered that Miss C was a rather good cook. We also decided that seeing that Sunday was going to be a BIG day (and it was .. believe me! But more on that later) that we’d make our own food and take bottles of water with us.
That night we watched the Simpsons on Netflix and then went to bed. Our alarms were set for the ungodly hour of 5am ( Not that this is an issue for me as I am used to getting up early – but on a Sunday? Yes.. Exactly!)
The next day was Hublander day … and as I drifted off to sleep that night I wondered excitedly what was to come.
Until next week,
Thanks for reading
Ceej
PS: The banner for this blog has nothing to do with the event.. I just thought it looked nice 😀
(Authors Note: Though I am a 46 year old Disabled person- I am not expert on anything. I do not have a degree or fancy letters next to my name. I simply aim to look at my situation (specifically) with the humor intended.
That said, not one Disabled person is the same. We are all different and each one of us has needs that must be met and it sucks balls that in the year 2023 (almost 2024) we’re all still here fighting for our right to be seen and heard. To be given basic access to day to day life. I hope one day that changes. I truly do. But for now I hope you’ll enjoy this blog and laugh along with me)
This morning I woke up. Like every morning I hurt all over. My hurt seemed to be amplified . Radiating like some kind of modern day pain beacon. Come to think of it – if my pain becon made a noise – it would probably be ” Ow! Ow! Fuck! Ow! Ow! Fuck” but I digress …
After grabbing hold of Penelope for support ( And before you lot get some idea – please get your mind out of the gutter! There is no Horizontal Blanky Dance afoot in my abode! Not for lack of wanting to mind! It’s simply due to the fact that my body is no longer able to perform accordingly *ahem* due to things hurting way to much) Penelope is my trusty bed pole that I use to help me turn over onto my side while in bed and, to help me sit up and get the legs out and the feet on to the floor in the mornings.
Next, I grab Bert and Ernie . Burt and Ernie ( called so because they’re always together) my trusty el cheapo ‘got em from the Chemist’ crutches that I’ve had since Moby Dick was a tadpole ( My Father’s expression – Not mine. Although, Moby Dick was written in 1851.. which was inspired by a whale who died in 1838 -Which presumably was a Beluga Whale, which according to Google can live upto 50 years … means that technically speaking- and it’s one HECK of a stretch- Moby dick was legitimately a tadpole in the year 1788)
Anyway…
I use Burt and Ernie to help me go to the toilet. Depending on how difficult things are, Hubby may need to help me. I find that I am at my stiffest in the morning – So does my Husband funnily enough ( No… Not like that! Do we remember what I said about gutters?) and the two of us struggle to get me sorted before things get to the point of no return.
As a rule Bert and Ernie are my main mobility aids to help me get around the house. I have Henry Rollins in reserve ( another pair of rather expensive, sleek, black , slimline, lightweight crutches) – but they’re no good when I need to open a door or turn a light switch on and off – as they have no cuff around the arm for support.
I also have a sparkly blue walking stick that I’ve named ‘ The Doctor’ but I’ve not been able to use him for quite a few years. Now that i think about it – I’ve not used him since the very beginning of 2020. I hope to be able to use him again one day. He was always fun. He took over after Edna ( my pink walking stick) was retired after many years of use.
(There’s also ‘Bernard- Brown McBlack’ my four pronged walking aid – but we never really gelled or got on so he just kinda sits in a corner gathering dust.)
Thankfully I am not going anywhere today – but when I do I either take my red manual Wheelchair ( Bernard Barge-Ass) or Eleanor Wheelie
One of the things I have noticed since becoming reliant on mobility aids ( and people) for support is the way society tends to treat you. You’re either invisible (not seen) talked at or over ( not heard) and it infuriates me when people assume I’m stupid because I’m sitting in a wheelchair. ( I plan to write a whole other blog on that subject soon. You have been warned)
Whenever I do go out – I’m either with my Support Worker ( who can fit me, my Wheelchair and crutches in their car) or I require a Maxi Taxi ( shout out to Roy at 13cabs) to go somewhere. I am also the proud owner of a Taxi Card and a Companion Card – which makes travelling a hell of a lot easier.
Currently, it’s 11:33am . Hubby has gone out to do the weekly grocery shop (I’ve tagged along a few times in Eleanor. So far I’ve not crashed into anything LOL) When he gets home he’ll make us both lunch. After which he’ll have to help me shower.
Relax folks! It’s not as kinky as you think. ( Hello? Gutter HAHA) I know that when we Married we spoke our vows ” In sickness and in health” ” For better or worse” Yadda Yadda Yadda – but no where in there did it state that “When your Wife gets to her mid 40s she’ll be permanently disabled and you’ll be stuck washing her Foo-Foo McGoo for all eternity!” and honestly, the Man needs some kind of reward for doing it. (THE FOO-FOO- McGOO Award? Anyone?)
Not many Men would wash their wives Foo-Foo-McGoo I’d wager. He is a wonderful help to me, (despite his constant complaints to Management that his role in things was to remove me of my clothes …Anyway, never mind! The way we do our laundry is none your business! LOL!) so in that respect, I’m very lucky.
Thankfully, thanks to my new NDIS plan, which comes into effect in January next year – I’ll have Support Workers in to take over helping me shower – so that’ll be one less thing he’ll have to do – which will hopefully mean we’ll no longer have to get up at 4am every day and get some extra sleep!
We’ve got a quiet day planned ( at least in theory anyway Most of the time my Husband is running around like a blue arsed fly getting all the things done.) Tonight we’ll have dinner, then watch another episode of LOKI -Se 2- while I sit with my feet on Mr. Wilson – The mean, green, peeing machine – for 30 minutes so I can work on improving the circulation in my legs.
Now, because I know you’re going to ask – Mr Wilson is my Revitive machine. It’s a Circular Disk that you can put your feet on and it sends electric currents up through your legs ( which are at a 30 degree angle mind) in order to stimulate circulation and stop your legs and feet from swelling. I got it on the advice of my Physiotherapist who suggested it might help and so far, he’s right. It certainly hasn’t solved all of my problems – but it has helped. The only drawback is that the electric current tap dances like Fred Astaire across your bladder and *Surprise!* You need to Pee! Hence my name for it.
You know, I had started out with wanting to write this blog with my thoughts regarding how I found Disabled Access to places and to start a discussion on whether it’s reasonable to discuss your needs with a venue or not – But this blog kinda went in a different direction and that’s OK .
I hope by reading this blog, people will have some understanding of what my day is like.
The other blogs will be happening over the coming weeks
Like last week, the featured image I’m using for this week’s blog has nothing to do with anything – other than its something nice to look at. In fact, If memory serves me right – I took it from the 22nd floor from 180 Lonsdale St not long after my place of work moved in. It’d been raining all morning and when it stopped- a rainbow appeared thus the photo that’s currently the image for this blog.
Enjoy.
Where to begin?
My mental health fell into the toilet this week and has pretty much remained like an unflushed turd in the bottom of the bowl. With everything that’s been going on .. I simply wish to cease to exist for a bit, until everything goes away and/or I stop hurting.
I’ve not exactly been feeling like I could take on the world head on. It’s affecting my job ( I’m beginning to feel like I am a burden and am letting the team down) and I am constantly exhausted and tired. I’m finding it difficult to concentrate and want nothing more than to nap in the middle of the day. I take vitamins every day ( including extra Vit C and Vit D) and it makes little to no difference to my energy levels.
Even writing this blog is a struggle. I mean I just sat here for 15 minutes watching tik tok videos for no apparent reason. (And please, don’t throw “You’re Neurodivergent” at me. I’ve not had an official diagnosis of anything of the sort and if I’m being perfectly honest, the fact that people just throw that word around like it’s nothing or as an excuse to justify really shitty behaviour – really gives me the shits)
But yeah, I’m just not feeling much of anything at the moment and it’s really getting me down.
That said, I have taken steps to help myself by reaching out to E.A.P ( Employee Assist Program) which is the free counselling service provided by work . 6 sessions at no charge – at anytime you see fit. It’s not the first time I’ve used them and I very much doubt it’ll be the last .. But anything is better than nothing.
As well as my mental health being in the toilet – it’s entirely possible I have carpal tunnel syndrome in my right wrist. I’ve had a clicky weird thing going on in my right thumb and very recently pain began to radiate from my thumb down to my wrist so yeah.. That could be a thing.( From using the crutchers I suspect) I’ve also pulled/pinched a muscle in my back ( Right side – because of course) so that’s a thing as well. Thankfully, I am taking celecoxib.. A really strong anti inflammatory for all the things so hopefully it helps.
On the NDIS front – My DAY CHAIR arrived! I mean, it arrived out of the blue, with no warning after 6 months .. Completely the wrong colour and a slightly different design to the one that I ordered – But, it arrived nonetheless. And given that it took 6 months of asking, emailing back and forth, invoices being lost, found, lost and then found again, payment being made and finally have it turn up on my doorstep in a truck just before lunch on Wednesday – I was hardly going to complain about it.
The funny thing was, I was talking to my Support Coordinator about it that morning and we were discussing pulling the pin on my entire order as by that point, we’d both agreed that it was ridiculous and the company we were using had dicked us about long enough.
Funny how things work out huh?
As well as this, I’m still in discussions with my OT ( Occupational Therapist) regarding a lightweight wheelchair ramp and modifications to our bathroom. Will keep everyone posted about how that goes. As I’ve mentioned before, I live in a rental and anything that needs to be done requires permission from the Landlord .. Invisible man that he is.
On the homefront, the alternator went to god on Wednesday afternoon and so we had to get it replaced. It was all pretty easy – thanks to the RACV – but yeah, happening just after we’d paid rent? Not ideal to be sure. Oh well, what’s done is done and there we are.
Tonight we’ve invited my Dad and my Aunt over for a Roast Lamb. So that’ll be a nice way to end the week at least.
To start with – The header of this blog has nothing whatsoever to do with the the subject matter – it’s simply a cool pic ( thanks to IG for the filter) and frankly describes how much I wish I could drink – Given just how much stress the NDIS has caused me in the last 5 days.
Five days ago I received an email from the NDIS regarding the outcome of my S100 application and then, everything went to pot.
(For those playing at home a S100 means a “Review of a Reviewable Decision” in NDIS terms. Frankly, after I read it, I thought someone was playing a cruel joke.. Although, to be fair… The NDIS is a governing body; ergo run by clowns .. so I really shouldn’t have been as shocked as I was)
The NDIS – National Disability Insurance Scheme is designed to support Australia’s Disabled and Chronically ill – giving them access to all the things, all the time with a minimum of fuss. It’s to ensure that the Disabled and the Chronically ill have a fair chance at life and oh.. hang on.. That’s on paper..Heh. Oops!
In reality however, it is a ginormous, twat-berking shamozzle of a shit show- that not only leave those of us who are disabled up shit creek without a paddle – but also our able bodied full time carers with nothing more than a leaky canoe with no lifejackets to help us out.
At time of writing this blog, the NDIS is going through a massive overhaul of how it does things, why it does things and when it does things which means .. everyone and their dog is confused!
Hooray!
Here’s my story. ( And the reason behind today’s blog)
So, I got to the NDIS in 2022. My funding was just over $75K for two years.
Pretty much straight away, I began a “Change of Circumstances” because there was no way I could stretch $75K over two years.
At this point though, my Allied Health providers( My Chiropractic, my Remedial Masseuse, my Podiatrist, my Psychologist, my Physiotherapist, my Occupational Therapist and my Exercise Physiologist) were being covered by the NDIS as enough medical evidence has been provided in my original application for them to be so.
After almost a year of pushing for a Change of Circumstances – it gets approved and I end up with just over $159K over two years . This allows me to purchase Eleanor Whillie ( my Electric Wheelchair) a DAY CHAIR ( that I am STILL waiting on) and a pair of shoes from Dr Comfort. *
On this plan however, ALL of my Allied Health services have been dropped..well, nearly all of them. They’ve kept my Occupational Therapist and my Physiotherapist in. This is great and all but… Hello? Really? Are you kidding me? They’ve also included ( as a money saver, they tell me ) a TherapyAssistant.
I have no idea who or what that is.
I ask around .
No one has any idea of who or what a Therapy Assistant is. Like, literally nobody!
No one on my team has a clue. There are questions asked :
Are they a T.A.F.E Student? A Support Worker with benefits? Who or what are they?
Eventually we turn to Google and look up this mysterious profession. It doesn’t take long to realise that a Therapy Assistant is a person who comes along attempts to be a whole lot of Allied Health providers all at once – (while getting paid less than an Allied Health provider, I might add – hence the “Money Saver” angle they try and sell you) and their job is to try and implement all the things your Allied Health provider does without all the experience that goes with it.. Or, something like that anyway.
Joy.
At this news I completely lose my shit and have a breakdown. I am at a loss as to how I am going to cope with having to pay for all of these services ( I mean, I have my Allied Health team for a reason, guys! And while I’m at it.. What in God’s name I am going to do with this Therapy Assistant funding??) given my Husband and I are not made of money and have only just managed to clear up our last lot of debt. I lodge a complaint with the Office of The Honorable Bill Shorten MP and a representative from his office advises me that my Allied Health invoices can continue to be submitted and paid for under the NDIS
In the meantime my Support Coordinator and I take steps to lodge an S100 – A Review of a Reviewable decision. We have 100 days to gather all the required information to support our argument that my Allied Health providers are imperative to my continued well being and continuing to function etc etc
We began that process in August this year. It’s now December. Five days ago I got the email. In this new, new, new plan I now have just over $206K over a two year period.
As far as my Allied Health Providers are concerned – They’ve kept my Podiatrist, my Physiotherapist, my Occupational Therapist and 2023’s Money Saver of The Year – Therapy Assistant– in … While giving my Exercise Physiologist, my Psychologist my Remedial Masseuse and my Chiropractor the ass claiming either that “Not enough evidence was provided” or “We believe an Occupational Therapist will suffice in these areas” which is an absolute load of bull-twang. There were 40 very heavily worded, exceptionally well written documents submitted for my S100 .. and, frankly, what it all boils down to is one extraordinarily lazy NDIS person by the name of Neerusha who skimmed the whole lot because they couldn’t be bothered to read it properly.. Thus here we ( my Support Coordinator and I) are again. Another 100 days. Another round of reports and supportive letters explaining why these things are important to my mental health and general wellbeing .. Etc Etc Ect …
It just never seems to end.
Thanks for reading
Ceej
*I wish there was some kind of sarcastic font for this.
Have not long gotten home from doing the grocery shopping with Hubby and running a few errands down at Chirnside Park.
For those not familiar with Chirnside Park, it is one of many local shopping precincts near my house ( I live near 4 such places) and while its smaller and doesn’t boast as many shops as the others, it is the most disabled friendly by design and thus I get to zoom along in Eleanor Whillie and join in the fun.
Today I also purchased a new handbag ( one that’s easier to carry while going out and about) a new hat ( more about that in a moment ) and a quick pit stop at SpecSavers to get my glasses adjusted, cleaned properly and get a quote on some potential transition lenses or sunglasses.
Todays weather has been nothing short of spectacular and to be able to go out in it – despite the obstacles I currently face (and believe me, there’s a lot) makes me very happy.
However, I digress. Today’s outing is not the purpose of today’s blog. By now, I would wager, you’re probably wondering what the title of today’s blog has to do with my shopping extravaganza and the answer, dear reader, is nothing. Absolutely nothing.
It has everything to do with what I got up to yesterday!
( And if you’ve read you’ve read this far, then I congratulate you for sticking it out with me)
Park Orchards Market is held the 3rd Sunday of every month 10am -2pm at the local Primary School
It was my first time at a local market and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere. It was also my first trip back to Park Orchids (it’s literally 15 minutes from my house) since 1995. Back then, it had one bus that travelled there every hour and it was one of those small *blink and you miss it* places that no one really paid any mind to – unless you had to go there.
In the 20 years since it has grown to be quite the affluent suburb where the locals know everyone ( and their business apparently .. but you didn’t hear that from me) and houses are worth in the vicinity of $1 million dollars + on any day ending in Y .
The people of Park Orchids seem to be quite the snobs .. what, with their fancy cars, designer dogs ( in lieu of designer children) and the suspected illicit affairs taking place right under your nose – just as you sit down for lunch. (Long story, I’m getting there, I promise)
That is, except the lovely folks at the Park Orchids monthly market. As I have already said, it was my first time at a Market like this and I was pleasantly surprised at what I saw there.
Through my NDIS plan, each fortnight I am granted Community Access with a support worker. I have an allocated 5 hours whereby I can go out and do some small activity independent from my Husband -who is also my full time carer – and give him a break from taking care of me. I can pretty much do as I wish – Go to the movies, do some shopping, visit a reserve, go out for lunch, visit a friend – any number of activities as long as it’s none to costly and can be completed within the allocated 5 hours
Yesterday’s choice was the Market. There were plenty of things to look at and peruse as well as live music from a local musician. Entry was free (bar a gold coin donation) and plenty to eat and drink .
Members of the CFA popped in ( For my American Readers – CFA stands for Country Fire Authority. They are a group of volunteers who are trained as Firefighters to assist during our Summer bushfire season) which kept the little ones entertained for hours!
Myself and my Support Worker “Miss B” spent a good few hours there . I went away with a lovely scented candle, some homemade Baklava and Turkish Delight and a jar of Christmas Pesto (your basic basil & pine nut mix combined with sweet chilli and cranberries – Bloody delicious!)
Pleased with my purchases, Miss B and I decided to go and find a local Cafe for lunch.
We found a small place just down the road and around the corner (Eleanor Whillie and I had an interesting time navigating the wee bumps, cracks and dips in the pavement) and although they had no disabled access to speak of – they were soon able to rustle up an extra table from inside and bring it outside.. which was nice of them.
We placed our order ( Two Chicken Schnitzel burgers) and waited. ….. And waited ….. And ..waited. Almost an hour after we placed our order our meals finally arrived. We thanked the waitress?? Owner?? I dunno .. and began to eat.. Only to discover we were not given any cutlery! Not a knife. Not a fork . Not a spoon. Nothing.
Thank God for fingers .. am I right?
So there we were eating our meager meal, with our fingers, in the well do to suburb of Park Orchards, surrounded by snotty nosed well-to-do’s with their designer doggo’s (OK, so the one we saw was cute AF and super friendly) all the while listening to ( not deliberately I might add) a guy who spoke a few too many decibels above fucking reasonable – discuss his vacation plans with his (future ex – I could just tell. Girl was bored and annoyed as hell) Girlfriend/ Wife/ Fling to Singapore over a cup of coffee.
While I won’t go into anymore detail – because frankly, it’s none of my business but ….Some things are best left discussed in private, you know what I mean? Not loudly at a Cafe with no cutlery ( did they even get a spoon, I wonder?) on a Saturday afternoon in a place where everyone gonna be knowing your business by the time you ask for the cheque.
Over all, it was a lovely afternoon and I am seriously thinking of going back. Everyone was super friendly there and I was so sorely tempted to buy one of everything!
For those playing at home, I have a Floof sitting on my desk …Well, I did have until I moved a whole bunch of stuff off my desk for her to sit next to me and she moved on … Pfft! Cats!
But I digress.
I apologize for not writing a blog last week but I had all the things happening all at once.
For a start I had my 1 week off in October ( I had an appointment with a Rheumatologist mid week so it made sense to simply take the week off ) The good news is, I DON’T have Rheumatoid Arthritis .. The Bad news is .. We’re still no closer to figuring out the cause of all the things that are wrong with me .
That aside, In some absolute epic news .. After 7 months of waiting, wondering and a new OT later – ELEANOR WHILLIE is finally here! I’ve had her a week and my god she’s awesome!
The Picture I’ve posted doesn’t do her justice but It’s just so you can see what she looked like
She’s got
A horn
Sensors ( for when you’re too close to something)
A convenient carry basket ( that can carry 6kgs of stuff)
The ability to become a manual wheelchair – for a brief period of time if required
The ability to be controlled via an app on your phone
The ability to lock down completely when I am away from the chair at any point
The battery can be removed from her to be charged ( requires only a standard powerpoint)
She’s occasionally passive aggressive and will tell you off if you try and do something its not made to do .
She has 4 speeds ( and three levels of sensitivity for the control stick) and at full speed can go 8kms /5mph
Distance before battery dies – 18kms /12 miles (Which, according to Google is from about my house to Menzies Creek)
She’s pretty much an all terrain dealo – can go anywhere within reason.
So, as you can see – she’s a wealth of fun and activity!
So far, I’ve taken her out to the following places:
A Cafe
A Reserve / Mini Museum
The local shopping precinct
And so far, things are going OK. There are still a few things to tweek and fix
(such as the seating and back support) but other than that – she’s a dream to use!
In other news – I seem to have injured myself. At time of writing, I have torn a groin muscle on my right side. About a week ago I lost my balance in the bedroom while trying to turn off the bedroom light. My right leg slid out sideways and the rest seems to follow in a game of 1-player -only – Twister that left me doing the splits. Suffice to say that two days that followed were some of the most painful I’ve ever experienced and my ever loving but long suffering Hubby had to stay home with me for two days just to see me to rights.
I’m currently taking Prodeine every 6 hours for the pain and so far… It’s taking the edge off .. but that’s about it. The only saving grace is the Wheelie Walker my Physiotherapist gave me – I can sit on it and be pushed from the toilet to the bathroom or my office if need be. ( Ironic really when you think about it – Given it was given to me to assist with walking. I found the frame to large and the wheels to cumbersome for turning corners)
Will keep you updated on my progress
On that note, it’s almost 5pm and I should post this before I forget… again
Bitz 'N' Blogs with CJ Cross 