I'm Here! Continued...
Still another challenge will be to contact the bus folks to find the buses I will need to get on to get to Harborview. I tried driving in Monday [had a medical problem come up] and once again, I found that 45 minutes was my limit... I pulled over, after a few minutes got going again, and of course, missed my exit... I was grateful to get back home...
That day [Monday] was filled with things to do-each one reducing the time between "hikes" and none of those, none of those would be a big challenge to most folks. I called to get my phone line hooked up, daily I must cook for myself, shave, shower, etc...
So far I am not there today. I have for example cooked some hamburger and baked potatoes, but the shower and shave? OTOH I have started this section of the page, and got to some of my e-mail... so that is good...<g>
And brain is "hiking" again...
That was at 1700-it's now 2200...[4/7/99] and I am back.
There are emotions tagged with moving too-some very happy indeed. Let's frame this: Prior to my move I
1. lived in the hospital for over a month,
2. I moved to an addult care home where they cooked for me, did my laundry, gave me meds, helped me in the shower,
3. moved to Kirkland at lady friends house-there I revamped the RV but had multiple daily contacts with people, was responsible to take my own meds, had my meals cooked for me, did my own laundry and had to go inside to do everything but take a shower...
In all cases my finances are handled by someone else-I cannot do that yet...
In Kirkland I also, tried my hand at grocery shopping... For me, that's been a 4 hour proposition and $80 deal...
Now... I am responsible for my meds, my laundry, my cooking but-I can use all the facilities inside my RV, I have cable [v/s a shoddy tv antenna] and I do not have daily contacts with people-if I am to do that, I must make new friends, and that is not so easy for me to do now...
As it sits now, I have cooked twice in the past 6 days, showered less than daily, but have shaved at least once a day-sometimes late, no matter...
I am told that for a tbi-er to recover, he/she must "push the limit" often and that is what I have done since waking up-this page is evidence of that...
So-though I considered my move to the Pacific Northwest to be an adventure, that was back when I had a whole brain that worked efficiently. Now? Learning how to cook, do it as part of a routine, do dishes, all of that-is a challenge that I am not at this time up to completely. I now weigh 165 lbs-and for years lived happily at 140, so if I loose weight, so be it... I must eventually learn how to live on my own-and I will... I am not one to give up on much...
I still want to learn to roll a kayak, re-learn my navigation skills, etc... But I must also get my cognition up to speed [I have high hopes-but realize it all takes time...] so that I can regain employment somewhere...
For those of you who have taken the time to read to this point-thank you. One of my motives with this page is to "make myself an open book" so to speak... that way perhaps it will provide others with the encouragement needed to keep working at themselves, or help others...
There are many wonderful Kayakers out there who have read and appreciate this page, TBIers too and that is good...
Understand this: for now I am handicapped, but I refuse to stay that way-I understand that I will need to develope a NEW life, that I cannot ever have my "old life" back-and that I am going to do!
Latest counciling session indicates that I have recovered 50% and that to see 90% I must work as hard for the next four years, as I have the past year-and I'm gonna do that too!
I am going to get involved in the community one way or another-and that process actually scares me a bit-but I know it too is necessary. Heck, this whole move scares me a bit...<shrug>
If you are a kayaker-perhaps I'll see you on the water, if a TBI-er, perhaps we can sit for a cup of coffee-heh, same with the kayak too I guess...<g>
Perhaps I should get these new pages linked and uploaded... It's now about 2240 and I should have it up tonite... Thanks for stopping by...
Tom...