Jeepers Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Lots of mixed feelings here. That is normal after an injury like that. Quote Link to comment
Jeepers Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 I'm really worried about you Ambergris. I hope you are doing better. Quote Link to comment
Ambergris Posted May 24, 2014 Author Share Posted May 24, 2014 I'm doing somewhat better, and to an extent I'm adapting. I have a wonderfully effective chiropractor. I have learned to always step up with my right leg when going up stairs and to never put any torque on my knee at all. I've learned to use a piece of cardboard to keep my place on the page when reading on paper. Also, while some fonts squirm a lot, there are some (like Calibri) that hold still. Also, scrolling up the size of the font helps. I can sometimes read as many as three or four paragraphs of 14 pt Calibri, if they're short, before I have to take a break. Reading has always been my favorite things to do, but now it's just too much of a chore to enjoy. One of the scary things is not realizing how bad something is (or was) until a noticeable improvement occurs. Then the retrospect...agh! I was supposed to hear this week about whether I'll need knee surgery, and if so what kind of surgery. Because I was sitting at the office waiting for a call when the call came to my home phone, the appointment was not made and I'll have to try again next week. Getting through to this guy is such a pain. I called, and spoke to someone who asked how she could direct my call. I explained what I needed, and we chose "appointments" from her list of options. She put me on hold for a few minutes. The lady who picked up listened to what I needed and put me on hold for several minutes. The guy who picked up listened to what I needed and said, "Okay, I will transfer you back to Kelly." Then he put me through to a voice mail machine. I left a message and asked for a call-back with an appointment. No response. The next day, I had to go through most of the same process (skipping the guy), and got the same result. The third day, today, repeated day two. Today he returned my call within minutes--but called my home number instead of the office number. The doctor I'm seeing for the brain injury said I could try working up to thirty hours per week, but once I've worked four or five hours in a day, I'm a zombie--I have to go home and nap for an hour or two. The simple act of thinking has become such a labor that it wears me out. I'm not very good at it, either, although tonight my son said I'm much better than I was two weeks ago, which was better than two weeks before that. I'm taking nutritional supplements (one of which is responsible for a twelve-pound weight loss even taken on a full stomach) and several prescription meds including Amantadine, which was developed for Parkinson's but has shown interesting results in concussed people. I have three herniated disks in my neck, too. I'm seeing a chiropractor and a physical therapist for that. It's so frustrating to have all this spare time, and not be able to use it. Reading is too hard. Following a movie's plot is too confusing. TV shows on the computer are just annoying noise and visual clutter--I can't focus. Can't work on my web site. Kitchen work stiffens me up enough to make my chiropractor scold me, and gardening is right out. My dog has apparently sensed that the pack leader is infirm, so suddenly there are dominance issues. He's lost his leash manners. He's also muscling past me, knocking into me and pushing me aside, in the hallway and even in the yard. I can't fall right now. I checked with the vet, who recommended a special harness to pull his nose down, which I'm to use to dominate him every time I get up to go to the bathroom. I haven't bought it yet because, guess what? The mental issues? I spent a whole lot of money at the beginning of the month that I didn't have to freely spend and now I'm holding my breath, waiting for the end of the month and payday. Quote Link to comment
Jeepers Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 (edited) Oh Dear. You have so much going on. I am glad you are staying on top of it though. How frustrating! If your son noticed a change for the better that's a good sign. Sometimes we can't see the forest for the trees. Especially when we are in the middle of that forest.The dog...yep you have to remain the pack leader. He can not get the upper hand. Totally unacceptable. I might have an idea. Will send a MP. Edited for terrible spelling and grammar. Worse than usual. Edited May 24, 2014 by Jeepers Quote Link to comment
Annarchy Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 (((((Ambergris))))) When I had my car accident concussion, it took a few months to get most of my sight and thoughts back to a somewhat normal feeling. Quote Link to comment
Mt_Rider Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 ....how are you driving?? Glad you are improving, tho slower than would be preferred. You could try an audio book instead of reading. But it really depends on how well your brain will process thru audio right now. Might work better/ might not work at all. There are free sites for audio books .... but I can't remember the name. MtRider Quote Link to comment
homeschoolshe Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 (edited) Librivox dot org free audiobooks Edited May 24, 2014 by homeschoolshe Quote Link to comment
Mt_Rider Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 yep, that's one of them. Thanks, HS-She! MtRider ...hope it works. Reading is SUCH a benefit to me as I must be immobile so often. Quote Link to comment
Jeepers Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 Thanks for the site Homeschool. I really like audio books too. Everynight I listen to old time radio MP3's I bought, to get me to sleep. It blocks out the tinnitus. When I'm on the computer I listen to 'radio stations' that broadcasts old time radio programs. I like Dragnet and Lum and Abner the best. Quote Link to comment
Ambergris Posted May 25, 2014 Author Share Posted May 25, 2014 (edited) Librevox was recommended by a friend at work, too. My son is doing a lot of the driving. When I drive, I either take a route I've taken daily for years or I take a map plus written directions, usually printed off the computer. Sometimes i can make sense of the map, sometimes I can't. Written directions are usually much easier, but it's hard to remember to get them in a large enough font to read while I'm wearing my driving glasses. So I pull over a lot. You have to play the cards you're dealt. Edited May 25, 2014 by Ambergris Quote Link to comment
Jeepers Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 So true. You make adjustments along in life. Sigh. But hopefully, this will be a passing phase for you and you will get your functions fully restored. Or at least enough where you don't notice so much. Quote Link to comment
snapshotmiki Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 I hope the special harness works for your dog! I had to use a halti on Buddy to keep him from dragging me all over creation. I'm sorry you are going through all this and am praying for you! Quote Link to comment
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