This past week has been rather uneventful, other than the usual slings and arrows. Which have annoyed me more than they normally do, merely because I had been having a good run of it over the summer. While I enjoyed having several weeks without daily pain, it has a negative in that, with the return of the distinct feeling that my joints are shredding and liquifying, I am irritated unreasonably. It isn't like I didn't know that my respite was temporary, and I know it seems petty to be grumpy over having the daily pain again when so many never get a break from it ever.
Still.... Poop. I would like to be able to go to TRF without my knees and hips driving me to the point of tears. How to manage it? My ideas from the summer seem so paltry now. Will two walking sticks work? When I tried it out Saturday, when my kneecaps were trying very hard to take up residence on the backside of my legs, it seemed futile. Should I get a new rollator? I hate taking a rollator to TRF, but what else can I do to take the weight off my legs? Scooter? Hated that, too, at TRF. Things that work well on pavement don't work so well on hard-packed, sometimes muddy, dirt. And then there is getting about in the shops to consider. You think your local mall is inaccessible? Look upon the ren fest and note how the lack of shop accessibility is the one area in which there seems to be no anachronism. And my very favorite show is always at the least accessible stage. What do people have against ramps? Grumble, grumble.
It's still not enough for me to not go. Or to not camp. I am looking forward to it. But I also want to have the best experience possible, so if anyone else has ideas, please pass them on.
Oh, also. You know what I hate that isn't usually painful? Waking up to the sudden sound of a joint going "pah!" And those few moments when I wonder, "OK, so can I still move?" It's especially unnerving when the joint in question is a couple of vertebrae. Anyone else have this, or is it just me?
OK, I'm done with my whining. Anyone else want to grump about relatively minor things? The comments are open. Oh, don't tell me how good I've got it or offer (yecch) sympathy. Whine, dammit! Whine! Or tell me your hints for ambulating at Big Events.
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11 comments:
Have you tried those crutches that are like canes with extensions that go up to your elbows? That's not a very good description, but I think they call them elbow crutches. Every so often I look at them online and think how buff my arms would get if I got a set. It probably is a bitch opening doors when you're using them, though.
Or... Maybe you could get 6-8 strapping young people to carry you around on a litter. Sell it to them like it's an authentic renaissance experience, maybe get one with a little trumpet to play to get people to move out of the way. And you could take pictures and post them for your readers! It's win-win.
OK, Tayi, I like that second option. Maybe a litter chair carried by four strapping young men. Proceeded by two women juggling and dancing. And in front of them, another young man with a loud voice hollering "make way!" (I figure, as long as I'm fantasizing, I might as well go for the whole shebang!)
I don't know about the forearm crutches. To me, they look like they put stress on the shoulders. I have been thinking of something called Strong Arm Canes, though I don't know that they would remove as much weight from the legs as I would like. Do you use forearm crutches?
OK, here's my relatively minor (supposedly) thing:
The worst and really only side-effect I have from the meds I take is... (here is some TMI or Too Much Info) constipation. Not your garden variety I-could-go-more-for-my-health but I'm talking serious, nasty can't go at all.
{whines loudly} I'd just like to take a nice, normal, healthy poop or every day, without meds to counteract the other meds, etc. etc etc!!! Just let me go #2 for crying out loud!!!! Waaaah! Not going makes me GRUMPY.
Sorry for the overshare but it really tickes me off!
Lisa,
Magnesium oxide; 100mg 4x a day with food. Check with your doc first, of course.
I don't have too much to whine about ATM. I have been doing better overall, but think the hands are gearing up for another flare.
I'm liking that litter idea, but I would probably go for the Roman style one, where I can recline on silk pillows behind curtains, with a willing slave onboard to feed me grapes.
-OSM
I totally hear you on the spine popping thing. Everytime it decides to pop, go out of place, slip, whatever, I worry whether or not this time will be enough to injure my spinal cord. Also, I have forearm crutches, and for me, they put a lot of strain on my wrists (which are permanently subluxed), shoulders and back. Everyone is different though.
When my spine does a big shift I usually wiggle my fingers & toes, just to make sure, lol. It's a spine, anything moving about unattended is just plain wrong.
I love the idea of a litter, might not be affordable, but it would be perfect. Let me know what you end up doing & how it goes. I've been avoiding all types of fairs because they just aren't easy to navigate.
I once made a litter when I was younger. It only took two people to carry it (there were only two people available, and they were not always enthusiastic). They are simple contraptions, really - just make sure you get a well-made one! It would not be very dignified falling to the floor because it wasn't properly nailed together.
Now to whine - I am REALLY bored at work and want out, right now. Yes, a minor whine, but you started it ;-) If you want to employ me as a litter maker/carrier, let me know! My rates are very reasonable, but my workmanship has not been tested recently.
Lisa, I'd love to say I have no idea what you mean. But I'd be lying. Daily bowel movements rank right up there with breathing through one's nose and not being able to touch the floor with one's palms when knees are straight as things I didn't know most people thought were normal. I am happy if it's a once a week. Two days in a row, and I think I have diarrhea.
OSM, if I got an onboard slave to feed me grapes, I'd have an even harder time finding litter-bearers. But I suppose, as long as I'm fantasizing, why the hell not?
Yay, Tiger and Queen Slug! Someone else to nod and say "yep" with!
Tiger, I don't think I'd want to try anything that would put stress on my already craptacular wrists. How do stand it having them permanently subluxed? Have you given up using your hands? When my wrists are out, I find that I end up just sort of banging at things like a cat trying to turn a door knob.
Queen Slug, it is true that fairs are hard to navigate. Yet I just can't seem to stay away. I go, I grumble, I go again. This weekend will be Maker Fair, being held at a place being sued over inaccessibility. And inaccessible the place is. Yet I will go, and probably end up pushing Carapace in her wheelchair some. And going home to collapse. Evel Knieval jumped canyons. Elizabeth McClung does marathons. I go to fairs. Woo-hoo! Crazy risktakers all!
Abi, I can put you to work so's you won't be bored. Exasperated and exhausted, but not bored! Well, not right now. Ah, the paperwork side of education.... What was the occassion of your litter chair creation before?
Exhausted sounds good (if due to physical exercise, It will take about 10 minutes), exasperated less so (have enough of that at the moment). I'm getting bored of being exasperated ;-)
Last time I made one was probably when I was about 10 - we were given a massive construction kit for Christmas, which amused us over the next few years with construction projects. You can see it here: http://www.quadroplay.co.uk/acatalog/index.html
That was the best Christmas present I ever got. I suspect I made the litter chair because it seemed like a good idea at the time. It's always fun to have a new toy to play with, and my brother and the boy over the wall could be persuaded to carry it for a bit. It felt very unsteady, but that's probably because they were smaller than me.
Scooters can be painful on rough terrain but you may be able to rent one or a wheelchair if you get there early. Does TRF have a lot of gravel? Other places do, and that is no fun, understatement.
I want to go!! I've been there before.
Abi, I looked at that construction set. What lucky kids you were, to be entrusted with so much potential mayhem! Dangerous engineering for boys and girls! If you had also been given an old fashioned chemistry set, you could have built a mad scientist lair and doubled the danger! I heartily approve.
Ooh, Frida, it would be so neat if you could go! We are now aiming for the second weekend in November. There is not so much gravel, but a lot of cobblestones. We rented a scooter there last year, and while being able to sit was nice, it definitely had enough major drawbacks that I don't want to use one again. I think a wheelchair would handle it better, but my shoulders are crap, so that's out. You know what is comfortable, is the rickshaws. I am going to have to make heavy use of the rickshaws, I think, to cut out some of the walking. It should end up costing me no more than the scooter did.
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