Legendary

Published February 20, 2022 by helentastic67

Legendary

There are times, few but worthy when I fall over. Now again, I seem like despite my disabilities you may think I wouldn’t fall over like a toddler or a chick. But I can, I do and I will.

It just always depends on where I am and the circumstances. Some years ago, I was standing beside my bed and fell over. No reason just went sideways to my left and landed like a sack of potatoes.

You may ask, you were so close to your bed, why not throw yourself at the bed, why not throw yourself at the bed? Yes, because that’s how it happens. When you fall, it’s usually a bit of a surprise, so in a way I’m lucky I didn’t land on the bed as I would have collected the hard timber on the side, which would have hurt despite not being as far away as the hard floor I landed on.

However, this Sunday night I had a bit of a tricky stumble. Tripping up on a slipper (it is tragic) and I stumbled backward. Have I mentioned if all I have to do is put my left foot back I won’t fall. Yeah so, I fall because I can’t trigger that response quick enough. But on this occasion, I landed with my back against the kitchen pantry door and made a slow slide downward to sit on the floor. It was like a slow slide, however halfway down I thought, “oh, I’ve got a plastic jug of cold water in my hand.” I briefly contemplated throwing it away from me onto the floor but ended up still holding it as I sat on the floor.

Beside me was a three tier Ikea trolley and I collected it under my right arm. The jug of water jiggled a little water out onto the floor. As I sat there thinking the jug was mostly still full, in my hand and I was dry.

I’M A LEGEND RIGHT.

My carers all agree. Hit like if you do too.

Best Intentions

Published February 14, 2022 by helentastic67

Best Intentions

You know those things we say or do that seem offensive, racist or ageist and we didn’t intend it that way? Here’s one of those posts.

Years ago, my older sister sent me one of those really cool bags that you keep inside your bag or car, or you know, somewhere handy. When you go into a supermarket or shop you pull it out and unfold or open it to put your purchases in. Once home, unpacks fold and return it to your bag for next time. My sister called it a ‘nanna bag!’

See? Not intending to be ageist but nailing it. Nannas are not wrong, that bag was so handy, then it shrank a bit after years of torture and washing. I’ve replaced it with a new model. This one has owls on it! It’s pretty cool, I got it from Wilbur. 🙂

(20+) Wilbur | Facebook

The only problem it’s worse than trying to fold a map one handed, but I’m really lucky these days I’ve got two Japanese carers who live for this stuff.

Clap for Carers / Asian woman applauding at home in quarantine

See? Seeming racist.

Not meaning to be however, they seem to have infinite patience to fold, fold, tuck, fold and well, it seems to be their ‘Jam’. Like their ‘happy place’.

So, while not meaning to be ageist or racist, I’m noticing some vintage/nationalities have and contain certain skill sets or temperaments I don’t have and I have my own skill set and appreciate those that have the skills I lack.

Annoyingly, now I no longer have either of my Japanese carers so need a new one.

Not a Bad Advocate

Published February 7, 2022 by helentastic67

Not a Bad Advocate

So, continuing with the grumpy women who disrespected me and felt she could or should tell me she thought I was a terrible advocate. I’m just saying I made this happen.

I know to a start with it does not look impressive. However, its perfect because down in Clifton Hill there are still some sections of the main roads that have the old grey stones and very deep gutters, where regularly people attempt to drive into a particular car parking spot just near my GP. Fairly certain I’ve made my own Mother nearly lose her mind when she did not want my advice on how to park her car.

But I can tell you I have a carer that wishes she’d taken my advice as this was the predicament, we found ourselves in one lovely Thursday afternoon.

While she consulted her insurance policy on her phone. Checking the fine print if they covered a tow truck? Pretty fine print on a mobile phone. Definitely. I decided to go find some Muscle, as I referred to it. A local cafe yield was two men. Discovered the car was front-wheel-drive and the muscle did not want to risk trying to lift the front of the car, not a big car, but good not to add physical injury to a sad stuck car.

A mum, in hospital scrubs was dropping her daughter to get her braces stopped to offer a hand. A man in not even a cheap suit enquired what our problem was? Note the difference there?

I had rung a few friends; some advice was offered but I couldn’t convince my carer to try it and the not very useful barely-suits man who didn’t want to get dirty. He didn’t look like he’d gotten his hands dirty in his life, would give it a go.

In the end my carers son came from work, swapped cars with us so we could continue our shopping and getting gear for the following days chores. He waited for the tow truck.

While waiting, several locals told us there were several cars each day that got themselves into trouble at that location. I couldn’t understand why the council hadn’t tried to make their city more accessible. An email or two later, over a few months where I told them I wasn’t demanding they remove the blue stone gutters that make the street interesting and original but was there something they could do to deter a repeat incident at that location.

Fast forward a few months and this happened

So, to that Hell-Hater. Take that.

I know it’s not ground-breaking and there’s still world peace to solve. Sometimes, the big advocacy stuff is harder than world peace and you gotta celebrate the small stuff.

Not throwing a party. But I wrote this post, little brag.

Bruises

Published January 31, 2022 by helentastic67

Bruises

I’ve previously covered that the definition of “to bruise easily” is finding a bruise on your body and not remembering how you got it. For over a week my carers have been pointing out this bruise on my left arm. And I recall exactly how it happened. This is from when I took on a fence while out on my scooter, it’s still standing but so am I.

I have a tendency to take the High Street to go out on HellOnWheels to do some Hunter/Gathering at times to help get ahead of what I need to achieve with my carer on a Friday and to be a little creative, take a break from the High Street, I take some smaller side streets to cut through the smaller streets, on this particular day I encountered a shopping trolley someone had thoughtfully left on the footpath leaning against a tree. I imagined I could fit through the gap. I was wrong.

I reversed, got off my scooter then pushed the trolley onto the road where a driver could curse the universe later. I continued home.

Since then, when questioned by my carers, I respond, “I took on a fence! The fucking thing is still standing!”

Sharing is Caring

Published January 24, 2022 by helentastic67

Sharing is Caring

Sometimes I will message a friend just to tell him how I am or cheer them up and then I realize oh that really could’ve been a blog post that really needs a bigger audience than audience of one, so he goes.

Twenty-four months ago I bought some sachet’s for a face mask I’ve still got three left this is before and after.

Winning at life.

Different

Published January 17, 2022 by helentastic67

Different

Was catching up on some of my data entry today when I realised how well I cope with my brain injury. So well, people often forget my AVM/ABI is not so much mental but physical.

I guess the point of my blog is to educate people that all brain injuries are different. While catching up on my data entry, which is a lovely excel spreadsheet where I record the carer hours and other services for future reference, I realised a date in November 2020 I had so much on at the same time it wasn’t funny. Yet I can cope. This particular day, I had my Personal Care (PC), carer for an hour. My community access carer, despite not going out arrived just ahead of the PC chick. All of which I can work with, as can they.

I still had to be presentable as I had a committee meeting via Zoom. While I don’t do make-up when I’m not out of my home (apartment!). I won’t do make-up to stay at home, but I do need to not do colour and then I remembered my MOTHER was here. It was not planned; it was very last minute the night before. But it is what it is.

My mum had gone out to her appointment and returned by the end of the Zoom meeting.
By which time my handyman had arrived. My handyman comes once yearly for a spring clean. Does windows on the inside, the fan covers in the bathroom, any areas on walls or floor that take a serious hit and it’s not the light cleaning my weekly HC (home care) carers need to do. Suddenly with too many warm bodies in my apartment, a complaint goes out that it’s too hot and can the A/C go on? Well, it’s set still too hot but here’s the remote, work it out.

Still three people are in my home and I’m to prioritise what everybody wants as the most important thing to solve first. At this point I get a bit grumpy. OK! We are working on it, if you can’t help, don’t be part of the problem my mum gets the heater to cool air.

There is a new calm. Mum makes her lunch and coffee and departs for her long drive home. What she was here for had been achieved.

Despite what she may think of how I feel about my mum. My mum is a ROCKSTAR! She really is.

The second carer gets her stuff done for me and departs. It’s just me and the handyman and a recently departed carer visits for a bit. She distracts the handyman briefly with talk of fruit trees and such. I’m meant to roll with the punches, it’s fine. The handyman goes, as does the visitor.

My brain is fried. But I coped with all the craziness. All these things, they wouldn’t normally happen ALL AT THE SAME TIME.

Out of Order

Published January 10, 2022 by helentastic67

Out of Order

I’m no more broken than normal, however the title refers to me posting some blogs out of order from the previous ones.

Living on a busy intersection in an apartment complex. I want to put a sign up on the tram stop downstairs. It will state!
“PLEASE LEAVE YOUR ADDRESS SO WE CAN BE A BOGAN IN FRONT OF WHERE YOU LIVE”

It’s so convenient living in an apartment with a tram stop at your door, a supermarket close by, but add a tram depot around the corner, drunk people wait too late to get the tram to the city and get left at the last stop before the depot. There’s a pub too and a random bogan who overuses my favourite word and a petrol station.

A bogan downstairs who just ignores basic etiquette. Anyway, I’m just saying I hear an engine and I can tell it’s a Coles or Woolworths delivery truck.

And I’m the weirdo.

Welcoming in 2022

Published January 3, 2022 by helentastic67

Welcoming in 2022

So I guess it’s time to say a belated Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, so I suggest as 2022 starts I’m going to make a New Year’s resolution. A simple one and that is to better be able to decipher my own handwriting. As I’ve been one-handed for over 10 years now, I’ve started to develop carpal tunnel so I think this year will be getting much-needed carpel tunnel surgery. Imagine this means ill have no hands for a bit. A week if all goes well. To be continued.

January, I learnt years ago, that it is really hard is achieve anything in the Disability sector. So now I just have learned to relax and take time off. Not racing around trying to fit everything in, is a holiday in itself. So much still to do, including the now overdue Ladies Lunch with the Ladies in my family for our Christmas get together. Yeah, I know! Someone recently said, “You get together once a year with family for Christmas and realise why you don’t bother to see them during the year” Yes, a comedian, of course. Covid hasn’t made it any easier, but I think the less time we spend with family the less we have in common and the less we understand how to best communicate.

So, Christmas day I had a migraine because well I don’t get a day off from having migraines.
A friend came over for an hour to set up some tech and three days, later he told me he had to isolate and get tested for Covid-19 he was fine but he was very stressed about the two people he’s going to spend some time with on Christmas Day.

It is summer in Melbourne, I don’t tell many people I am spending Christmas alone, it is better to not disclose this until after the fact. It doesn’t help when people give you lots of pity, for some people spending Christmas at home alone is better than all the alternatives. In my case staying at home means I get Carers from my normal agencies, I don’t lose my independence and it is easier to deal with being alone rather than spending time in someone else’s home and spending time alone.

The best time on my balcony as my Hot Chocolate Calla Lillie’s are in bloom.

A special mention to the anonymous person/ ‘s who gifted me my new iPhone 13. I’ve been learning new things. And hopefully I’ll get better at doing things Hands-Free. Briefly.

So, going forward please stay safe. Covid, sorry the Plague, is still kicking our asses, so be mindful, we don’t get to celebrate and have big parties (Plague-spreading events) just because we fear another Lockdown. Melbourne holds first place for the most to date. (6) Not something to be proud of. But here we are.

Spasticity

Published December 27, 2021 by helentastic67

Spasticity

I was sitting in the shower today on my shower stool and I sneezed, my left leg shook, like, a lot.

Continue washing

Sneezed again

My left leg shakes again, uncontrollably

Sometimes my left arm shakes

No reason.

It’s called spasticity.

Spastic – Wikipedia

Wrong

Published December 20, 2021 by helentastic67

Wrong

Sometimes having carers can go wrong. I know I’ve only had good things to say but occasionally in the past, but at times it has gone rather badly.

In my early days, fifteen years ago, getting carers, I had a few older ladies who were due a hip replacement. One woman would do her shift later in the day with me and I noticed she was always a bit grumpier on those days. I nailed it and we discussed, it turned out by the time she made it to me her morning pain meds had worn off. So, I suggested she take another one? She was fine. We stayed in contact for a while, even after she was no longer my carer. She’d bring me her ground coffee she didn’t love and created a blend with what I had and coped better with a coffee. Coffee always makes a shift pass easier.

Another lady I had around that also needed a hip replacement, she was really sweet. I still see this lovely lady out and about. One particular day, she had put a big bag of kitty litter on the front of the trolley underneath, it had a little hole in it. There we were trailing a litre of Clay kitty litter around the supermarket. My carer got down on her knees to fix the bag of litter and she couldn’t get up, I got down to help her. She was really embarrassed, but I don’t embarrass easily these days. I laughed. And then a staff member, who mistook our relationship, came to help us. He thought I was her carer. Right? Seriously, she was this lovely Indian woman who had been in Australia fifty years or so. She has a son my age. In her car she had all kinds of Catholic ‘stuff!’ Jesus! Rosary beads! Etc!