I refuse to become housebound and a recluse. While it has been nice to get out of the hospital scene and the constant vital checks, relative lack of privacy and vampire pokes at 4am, the fact that for the time being I cannot just get in my car and go, and stuck on the first floor of my parent’s place can get grating and old. I imagine this will only get worse as the weather starts to turn to spring, I can only hope that I can make it to my parents covered porch, or I can convince my parents to take me to a park or something, I will say the sunshine is good for me as I am officially very Vitamin D deficient (like almost a critical level). Yet, it is February, in Ohio, and that means not the best weather, even on it’s good days, so I must say the cabin fever has not hit in full force yet.
That said, I needed to have a hospital discharge follow-up with my Primary Care Provider, and of ALL of my doctors, he is the one that is most in my corner (at least that is the way it feels). Fact is his staff is WONDERFUL, they regularly go above and beyond to get what their patients need. Initially the scheduler scheduled me for next Friday, but I called the office because I realized the muscle relaxers they gave me wouldn’t last until next week (and the muscle spasms have been crazy bad). I’ve also been waking up with hot burning, electric searing nerve pain most nights, so that’s not helping my rest/recovery I need. The office was able to work me in as the last appointment today on a Friday. This meant I got to get out of the house. YAY!
This was my first adventure out with my chair (which still needs a name) and I generally had a good go of it. First stop was the doctor’s office, and they were all decked out for the Super Bowl this weekend, and in general in the SW Ohio area it is definitely a bad case of Jungle Fever, that if the Bengals lose, I’m not sure this city will survive the depression that will follow next week.
Without getting into too many details, my PCP has my back. He is working on updating my FMLA paperwork, gave me a handicapped placard prescription (I have to go to the DMV anyway to renew my license), his wonderful assistant is going to work her absolute magic and see if I can’t get in earlier to neurology than APRIL- two full months away from now. We talked about how this all progressed, where I am at now, what my goals are for the near and far future, and he agrees that a return to teaching in August, is what is probably best while I continue my extensive rehab. He agrees that I should be on muscle relaxers as I had a massive spasm right in the office, and finally did prescribe something for the nerve pain. I hope it lets me get some rest. He feels my goals of ambulatory around my house with minimal mobility aid is a great goal, and very achievable, but also agrees that due to the nature of my job I will need to probably have a mobility aid (chair, cane etc). To do my job effectively.
After that discussion, we went to Bonefish Grill for dinner. It was nice to get out, and Bonefish Grill was fairly easy to get in- I only needed a small push over the threshold from my dad because haven’t figured out how to pop over those yet. In general though I pushed myself, transferred myself in and out of the car and used the handicapped restrooms with no issues. Mom and Dad had a great Valentines Dinner which I crashed. Still lots of good discussions, and I need to start really putting feelers out on getting funding for my new handicapped accessible place. It is a lot to deal with all at once. I will get through this though, and hopefully in a better place on the other side.
More Later…
Bratschetech Baroque 