GOODBYE JEEVES, HELLO OLGA

I was quite sad to part with Jeeves, the Ford Mondeo station wagon (estate). I love station wagons and always have. I am not sure why, I just do.  Anyway, I was not very happy to have to part with Jeeves.

Olga, the Ford Galaxy, arrived on Wednesday.  My feeling was not one of joy as it was when I first got Jeeves.  However, I have accepted the fact that I needed Olga so that was that.

I was of course thrilled with the crane in the back of Olga which allows me my independence because it lifts Big Daniel in and out of Olga. I was so happy with this that I went out twice on the first day.  I still did not think much to Olga herself.

On Friday night I had to drive to Potters Bar, 80 miles away to rescue John, whose train was stranded.  The drive there gave me an opportunity to get a real feel for Olga.

Yesterday I had a judging appointment 100 miles from home.  By the time I had arrived back home, I was not just accepting of the fact that I needed Olga but I have in fact fallen in love with her.

Normally after long drives, such as yesterday and Friday night, I am not only very tired, but very sore too. This is not the case with Olga.

For a start Olga has an automatic transmission.  Why on earth has it never occurred to me that an automatic transmission would be much more beneficial to me considering my problems?  The only reason that I have Olga is because she was sitting there in the showroom and I could have her straight away without having to wait several weeks as I did with Jeeves. Had Olga had a manual transmission I would still have bought her. Perhaps I was being looked after .

Olga’s height means that I do not have to drop into the seat nor do I have to to haul myself out.  The seat is bum high when I am stood. This makes a tremendous difference to me.

As for the driving, Olga is a breeze.  Really.  I am astonished how easy she is to drive.  I could almost knit and drive. All I have to do is steer her.  The cruise control makes it very easy as well. If I have to slow down or stop, all I have to do is press resume and she will go back up to the set speed without my foot on the accelerator.

The air conditioning covers the whole of the car with vents at the back also. This is superb for the dogs when I am returning from dog shows on hot summer days. The black windows which cover two thirds of her are excellent too.

Yesterday we had to go to the local Haberdashers and the owner came out to meet Olga but mainly because she wanted to see the wheelchair lift out she has a grandson with cerebral palsy.

A woman overheard me saying how easy it was to get in and out of the driver’s seat and she asked if she could look at it too.  Her husband was parked outside in an ordinary saloon car which he has tremendous trouble getting in and out of because he has muscular dystrophy.  They will now buy themselves a Galaxy.

Like me, this man had not thought through what his needs were before he bought his car.  People may think that those of us with disabilities understand fully what our needs are but this is not the case.  What we really need is somebody who is an expert on disability to talk with.  For example I had absolutely no idea that I could have a wheelchair crane fitted into the back of a suitable vehicle.  It also had never entered my head that an automatic transmission would save me a lot of pain when driving.

This man and I had quite a chat and we had much in common.  Our attitude to medication and pain control was pretty much the same, though I am further ahead than him so I was able to tell him of my experience with painkillers and hopefully he will see his doctor and start to use them.  It is clear from our discussion that we deal with our difficulties mainly by not thinking about it and living within the day.  We both think that this is a good way to live.  We know of others who have conditions and never stop moaning about it! Anyway, the point is that we do not understand our needs fully.  I do not think this has anything to do with denial.  Therefore, I think there is a need for people such as him and myself to have somebody that we can refer to who is au fait with the needs of disabled people.

To end this blog post, I am very happy with Olga.  I have chosen the name Olga because the Galaxy is elegant but very strong and powerful and is able to lift a lot of weight!

UNEXPECTED CHANGES

Life is full of surprises.  Five or six weeks ago I thought my future was very bleak.  The winter had been very hard on me with regard to pain and my disease has progressed quite a lot in the last year.  I thought that my quality of life was becoming poor and I could not see how I could show my dogs.  I have always said that once I got to the point that the quality of my life was such that each day was a chore, it would be time for me to opt out.

I had a chance conversation with a person in Tesco’s who was taking the drug gabapentin which helps them with their spinal cord damage.  As I have the same problems it stayed in my mind.

A few days later I made an appointment to see my doctor because I had reached the end of my rope and I asked her about this drug gabapentin.  Elizabeth smiled at me and just said “what a good idea”!

I am completely astonished at the difference it has made.  From the very first dose I slept for six hours without waking up.  I have slept well most nights since.  I have not slept like this for years because of pain. I would wake every hour and have to get out of bed or just change my position which was difficult.  Often I slept sitting up in bed or sitting on the recliner armchair downstairs.  The drug does not sedate me. What it does is acts as a nerve block. Therefore I am not in pain whilst asleep.

I had been with out good sleep for so long that I had not really realised the effect that it has on me.  I am not such a grumpy sod after all!  My good mood and sunny disposition is my natural self not the result of drugs making me high which is what I thought at first.

Other people have also commented on how well I look how I have colour in my face and how I do not look pitched and in pain.  This pleases me although at the same time I am really surprised because I thought I covered well.

This is not a miracle cure. I have learned that even with good pain relief I am still affected with fatigue from doing the same activities.I may not be feeling the pain as strongly but it still has its affect on my body.  It also has done nothing for my balance nor has it taken away the need to use walking sticks or my wheelchair.

I went to a major show on Sunday for the first time since last July.  I really enjoyed myself and had forgotten just how much I enjoyed these events.  Because John was with me I was able to use my wheelchair and I spent most of my time sitting in that apart from when I was in the ring and because of my tablets I felt pretty good.  However I started to have serious problems with my gut by the late afternoon.  When I awoke the following day I was extremely tired and my gut was the worst it has been for a long time.  So what I now know is that the stress on my body has to express itself somehow!  Fortunately one of my medications will stop the gut spasms so that I will not have my dog show days ruined.

However I am extremely pleased with my current situation.

I am also very pleased that I finally have a vehicle that is suitable for me.  I know that it would appear to be sensible that a disabled person would understand what their needs are but in fact I have learned this but slowly.  The car which I have been driving for the last year, and the previous car, were not at all suitable for somebody with my difficulties.  I have to say that none of these things crossed my mind.

I did not realise that if I drove a a car with an automatic transmission it would be much less wear and tear on me.  I also did not know that I could have a wheelchair Crane fitted into the back of a car with a suitable opening.

If you read my blog yesterday you will know that I now have a fully automatic Ford Galaxy a seven seater MPV.  It has a crane in the back and what looks like a remote control which I used to get it to lift my wheelchair up move it out and down onto the ground and vice versa.  The freedom this gives me is thrilling.

One of the things I find so exciting about life and keeps me interested is that there is always something new to learn.  I have learned a lot about my needs recently and also about my personality.

There is a man who I meet a few times a week at the swimming pool. He is more agile and mobile then I am and he goes there to swim every day. He is 90 years old!.  I fully intend to be doing my swimming when I am that age.

I prefer to swim along the edge of the pool so that when and if I have spasms I can easily grab hold of the wall because I would be able to do that more quickly than a lifeguard would notice I was in trouble. The thing that surprises me is that when I get in to the pool if that lane is occupied by another swimmer they nearly always move to allow me to use it.  I have never asked anybody to do so and I would not dream of doing so.  I am touched by their kindness.  Even this 90 year old man moves for me.

Give yourself a Gold Star if you read this far! xoxo

DEALER / PIMP

Not thought of a name yet. Suggestions welcome.

As you can see, s/he has Dealer / Pimp windows. It's a 7 seater. Below is the crane thingy that gets Big Daniel in and out.

THE GOOD LIFE

I have experienced quite a lot of frustration recently.  John is a man who is not good at talking about his feelings or what is going on.  This leaves me frustrated and having to guess.  You can imagine that my guesses are usually more than worrisome!

I wrote him an e-mail in the hope that he might write that and be more forthcoming.  It worked and I feel very much relieved.  He said that he did not want me to worry which is why he keep quiet about things because he thinks I have got enough on my plate with my disease!

He now understands that what worries me is being kept in the dark.  He retires a year from now and I really need to know what our options are and what he plans on doing. I now know.

The dogs are a delight.  Pussy, Plenty, and Fin are 12 1/2 weeks old now. They are just about crate trained.  They have the most wonderful temperaments.  I am extremely pleased with them.  I am also extremely pleased with their mother Whitney.  The has produced puppies of excellent quality and I think at this moment in time, better than herself.  This is what one hopes for when breeding a litter.  To have a champion that produces well is the hope of dog breeders.

I have been enjoying crocheting.  I have crocheted and scarf / wrap for my friend Dawn and I am now crocheting another for my friend Gail. I am also using crocheting on a sweater that I have knitted. I have crocheted the neckband the cuffs and the hem.

I am doing much better physically.  The gabapentin has made a big difference.  It is not a hundred percent perfect of course. I am very pleased though but I have now added this to my arsenal.

With any luck I ought to be getting a new vehicle this week.  I am getting a Ford Galaxy with automatic transmission.  It will also have a wheelchair lift in the back.  I am sad to be parting with the Ford Mondeo but it really is not suitable for me and never has been.  You would think that as I am a disabled person I would understand my needs and therefore would have bought a suitable car in the first place.  It is not that simple.  Yet another example of how what we think and believe affects our lives.  It did not occur to me to get an automatic.  I did not think that a car like a Galaxy would be easier for me to get in and out of and would also have been enough room for my wheelchair and everything else.  This time I am sure that I have the right vehicle for my needs.

The government cuts and their attitude to the long-term sick and disabled is rather worrying.  I have read up on the information available on the Internet directly from the government.  It was only help to a certain extent but the information I read contradicted itself it said one thing at the beginning and then changed its mind halfway through! Whilst I think I will be okay in this regard, it is still a worry I could do without.

I have a championship show to attend on Sunday. It is the Midland Lhasa Apso Association. Then on May 1, the show season really starts.  I am obviously looking forward to it but at the same time I have some trepidation because I have not done this since July last year and I am physically worse that I was a year ago.  However, I will deal with it and this new drug gabapentin will really be put to the test!

Starman

Knitted in Regia Galaxy col: 1554, 75% superwash wool and 25% nylon. I used Hiya Hiya 2mm needles, one circular needle for each sock, knitted alternately so both finished at the same time, more or less. These are knitted toe up.
Again I used my own heel, Andersson Heel Mach 2.