Back to Basics

Howdy!

I hope y'all have been having a dandy week thus far. Mine's certainly been interesting. Shall I bring you guys up to speed?

First off, someone hit my car in a parking lot... with me in it. No worries though, there was hardly any damage to my precious Penelope, just a scratch on the car and a few scratches to the rim of a tire. Seriously, it was so minuscule that I told the guy who hit me not to worry about it. It was a scary experience though. One of my main fears about driving is getting into/being involved in an accident and killing myself and or someone else. My thought process getting out of the car was "OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! WHAT AM I GONNA DO? WHAT AM I GONNA... oh... wait... there's no damage here... oh... okay... we're cool." I was a lil shake-y for a while but I calmed down after an hour or two. Now I ain't even mad, just thankful that nothing worse happened.

On to cripple things, the past few weeks have suuuuuccccccckkkkkeeeeedddddd pain wise. How bad? Well, I spent most of my labor day weekend laid up in bed watching "Orange Is The New Black" because I was literally in too much pain to move. Side note, I really enjoyed that show. If I had a "busy" day it would take another day to recover, and I'm using the word "busy" loosely because I really wasn't doing all that much. Anyway, today I went to my pain management doctor to discuss everything. She gave my back a once over and we came to the conclusion that my gait and lack of strength in my back is causing the pain. She gave me some exercises to do so hopefully that'll help. We're also adjusting my medication schedule a bit. I usually take my meds at night. We're now splitting them up so I take some of my weaker meds earlier. This should help manage my pain better and keep it at bay longer. Fingers crossed that it works. On the bright side, my arms having given me much trouble over the past two weeks, which is a welcome change. Pity the other issues overshadowed that.

On to piggie things. Lucy-fer was on a bit of an asshole rampage for a few days, until we discovered "solitary confinement". And by that I mean we put her in a pet carrier and left in there for a little while. One night before dinner Lucy was acting up so I put her in solitary. Her case was on a chair next to me so I could see her the entire time. It was 30 minutes of "WHY AM I HERE MAMAAAAAAA" and lots of sad piggie eyes. She started to learn her lesson after that, but she truly learned her lesson a few days after that. Lucy had settled down, but one her favorite pigs, Maggie, was ignoring her. Lucy would go by Maggie, not touching her or anything, and Maggie would start freaking out and screaming at Lucy until she left. Well... one day I check them and I found Miss Lucy-fer sulking in a corner. I took her out for some one on one time and we had a nice talk. I think she's starting to realize that her actions have consequences.

YOU CAN SEE THE SADNESS ON HER FACE! It's been a few days since we've had that discussion and *knock on wood* Lucy has not gotten into trouble. She's been a very good girl. Maggie is still wary of her and screams whenever Lucy comes near her. Poor Lucy-fer, she just sits there like "WHAT DID I DO!?!?! I JUST WANT TO SHARE A HOUSE WITH YOU".

So that's about it. Fun week. Happy Friday everyone!

Crippie's Tippie - Just because an animal is aggressive at times don't assume it's evil

2011 Re(handi)cap!

Sorry about the lame pun, IT HAD TO BE DONE!

Before I begin my 2011 update, Emma thanks everyone for the ninja vibes thus far. I see a slight improvement today but it's kinda hard to tell.

On to the recap!

JANUARY

-Crippie had her 10th Surgery 

FEBRUARY

-Crippie started this blog!!! 

MARCH THRU APRIL

-Crippie worked on finishing college

-Crippie briefly became "living impaired" after a chance encounter with some zombies. Crippie was cured a few hours later. Brains are oddly tasty.

-Crippie took a road trip to Yale. Mainly so I could tell people I went to Yale, see the impressed looks on their faces, and then see the disappointed looks when they find out it was only a day-trip

MAY

-Crippie has her senior project exhibit

-Crippie FREAKIN' GRADUATED COLLEGE... MAGNA CUM LAUDE BABY!

JUNE THRU AUGUST

-CRIPPLEFESSSTTTTTTT

SEPTEMBER

-Crippie got a job!

-We adopted Helen! 

OCTOBER

-Crippie got a car! 

NOVEMBER

-ummm... nothing really happened in November

DECEMBER

-Crippie turned 23

-Crippie got a tattoo! 

So that's about it. I seriously want to thank everyone who's been reading this blog, posting comments, etc. it really means a lot to me. Crippie hopes you all have a happy and healthy 2012. CHEERS! 

Crippie's Tippie - The cure for Zombie-ism? It's simple, all you need is to splash the effected person with make-up remover. 

Crippie Has A Set of Wheels!

Hi Everybody!

I hope everyone has been having a lovely week. My week has been pretty good, mainly because I got my first set of wheels! Well, technically my wheelchair was my first set of wheels but this is the first vehicle I need a license to operate. This is probably one of the biggest steps towards independence I've ever made and let me tell you it feels freakin' awesome. For someone who often has to rely on other people, having the ability to just do what I want to is incredible.
Some people have asked me "Did being a cripple effect your car choice?" My answer: You bet your ass it did. I opted to lease a car so I could get a better car with better gas mileage first of all... so I essentially could pick any car that fit my price range and personal tastes when it comes to cars. Once I picked out cars that I liked in general I had to factor in my crippledness. I had to pick a car that was high enough off the ground that I could get in and out without putting any additional wear and tear on my hip sockets. The pedals needed to be in a place that was comfortable for me to use both of my legs while driving (many of my car choices didn't pass this test). I also needed to be able to use all of the features of the car on my own, a folding seat is nice but if I am too weak to fold it down it's useless. In other words it took a lot of effort and lots of visits to dealerships to narrow my choices. Ultimately I went with a Chevy Cruze. It fit my normal person requirements but it best fit my cripple needs. It's at a nice height (bonus points for the trunk being higher up too), the pedals are well positioned, and it has some bonus cripple perks...
-Chunky steering wheel so I can still get a good hold of the wheel when my arthritis flares up.
-Supportive seats for fewer back problems
-A back-up sensor, since I can't turn my head very well it adds extra security

So without further adieu I give you... Penelope Cruze (10 points to the people who get the name, it took my relatives a good long while to laugh)

I cannot explain how happy I am to have made my first real "grown-up purchase". I missed a lot of milestones in my childhood and teenage years (as a post by a 22 year old discussing their first car ever might indicate) and reaching proper adult milestones like graduating college, getting a job, and buying a car give me hope that I will catch-up. Hell, I reached three major milestones within 6 months... not too shabby right?

Crippie's Tippie- Do lots and lots of research before obtaining a car, I didn't think about the height of the car until I read it in an article. 

Life's Not As Bad As It Seems

Ohai!

I hope all my lovely readers had a lovely weekend. My weekend was pretty good, did some work, played with the pets, and um... oh yeah I GOT A CAR!!! Well, Crippie started the process of obtaining a car, I should actually have the car in a week. I'll post about it as soon as I get those keys in my crippled lil' hands.
So today after starting the whole car process I got to thinking "wow, this time last year I was afraid to drive on my own" once I starting thinking that a whole bunch of "wows". I thought about how it's been over six months since I've had surgery and how *knock on wood* I haven't had any major complications since my last surgery. I thought about how even though there are times when I have been in pain is thankfully manageable. Ultimately I came to the conclusion that my life is going pretty damn well right now. It's funny because for the past few weeks I haven't been feeling like that at all... far from it actually. Sure there are some really craptacular things going on my life now both disability related and not, but that's not what I am focusing on. I am focusing on the strides I have made in the past year, the milestones I have achieved so many things in the past couple of months. I cannot let the bad things shadow the good.
I am also making sure that I take advantage and appreciate the time of "good" health that I am having. I am well aware that this time of good health is only temporary and that sooner or later something will creep up and bite me in the ass, but in the meantime I'm enjoying my health while I have it.

Crippie's Tippie- Heated blankets and throws can be your best friend on an achy day.

PS. One of the reasons I have been sad is that one of my close relatives is very sick, so if my readers could send some healing ninja vibes to Crippie's Auntie I'd greatly appreciate it. 

Crippie Discusses Her Day

Oh Hai!

AND THE AWARD FOR MOST INTERESTING POST TITLE GOES TO ME!

Moving right along, today I went to a meeting with a potential freelance client. It went rather well if I do say so myself. Apart from possibly getting freelance work... I DROVE THERE! I drove the 45 minute drive without flipping out! Granted, my mother was in the car with me (she had a meeting too) BUT I DROVE! Considering I get rather anxious driving longish drives to places that I have never been before, I am very proud of myself.

This whole getting insanely excited about a seemingly small event is a technique I use to help myself overcome this whole driving anxiety thing. It puts extra emphasis on the progress I am making and helps build my confidence, thus helping the anxiety go away. 

Another thing that made this drive soooooooo much better was that I used a GPS. My grandma recently obtained a GPS so I borrowed it today. OH MY GOD WHAT A DIFFERENCE. I am terrible with directions and I have had anxiety attacks about getting lost, missing turns, fun stuff like that. Having the GPS took away so much anxiety. I could just concentrate on the road and not have to worry about getting lost. BTW, the GPS I used is a Garmin Nuvi 1450. I highly recommend it. It's easy to use and works really well, and there is a "avoid highways" setting that makes me happy. Seriously, my grandma uses it without difficultly, THAT says something. 

Crippie's Tippie- Celebrate the living daylights out of the small victories in life. Not only is it really fun, it makes you feel really awesome.

Driving Miss Crippie

Shalom!

YAY I managed to post in a timely matter *pats self on back*!!!

So as mentioned here, I am in the process of acquiring transportation so I can function in the workforce. Apart from the general issue of paying for a damn car (CARS, INSURANCE, AND GAS... Y U SO EXPENSIVE) I'm in the process of "re-learning" to drive if you will. Several surgeries on my legs and hips have kept me out of the driver's seat for a few years. You see, in order to drive I have to be comfortable behind the wheel of a car. Along with the physical pain that driving occasionally brings I also have a bit of anxiety about driving.

Me thinks the reason behind my anxiety is a mild case of OCD. I have a tendency to worry about wrecking the car and killing all the passengers in the car. Sometimes this fear keeps me from driving. This could be considered a very huge issue, seeing as how driving is necessary to find a job given my current location. While I consider this an issue, I don't consider it a huge issue. As a matter of fact, compared to all the other issues I have, anxiety is the least of my worries.

Now comes the true question, "Well, how the hell are you gonna drive?" The way I see things is that my form of anxiety can be treated rather easily. What I have to do is force myself to drive. I go into "Lieutenant Crippie Mode" Here is Crippie's thought process...

Crippie's Anxiety- I don't wanna drive
Lieutenant Crippie- DO YOU WANT A JOB
Crippie's Anxiety- Well... of course
Lieutenant Crippie- THEN SUCK IT UP BUTTERCUP
Crippie's Anxiety- But... what if I wreck?
Lieutenant Crippie- Then you'll wreck... what if you never get a job?
Crippie's Anxierty- Then I won't be a functioning member of society
Lieutenant Crippie- WHAT DO NORMAL PEOPLE DO?
Crippie's Anxiety- NORMAL PEOPLE DRIVE TO WORK
Lieutenant Crippie- CAN YOU DRIVE?!?!?
Crippie's Anxiety- SIR YES SIR
Lieutenant Crippie- THEN GO OUT THERE AND BE NORMAL!!!

Yes I actually do that in my head... what... it helps. Here are a few other things I do to avoid having a panic attack whilst driving...
1- Listen to music- For some reason the soundtrack to "Assassins" always calms me down.
2- Channel your anxiety into other places- When I'm driving I keep my pocketbook on my lap and I keep the AC from blowing in my face. It just makes me feel more secure.
3- Try to Rationalize- I constantly try to remind myself that the chances of me wrecking are slim, this isn't always successful, but it doesn't hurt to remind yourself of it.

Crippie's Tippie- If you suffer from anxiety that you cannot get rid of and impacts your quality of life... see someone about it. There is no reason for you to suffer in silence.