Re: Re: Still Hanging In There/Lorrie

[Guest guest]

Ugh! All this talk about walking around big stores has me jealous of you

FORMER flatbackers!

I did what little Christmas shopping happened this year at the drug store,

and a couple gifts from the grocery store. All last minute. That was it.

Even with my new handicapped parking placard I couldn't bear the thought of

dealing with a Wal-Mart or whatever. Malls have been out for years. Funny

how these things have snuck up on me, so gradually that it sort of seems

normal not to want to walk more than absolutely necessary. Funny how I just

kept saying it's a nuisance, it's tiring, I'd like a new body, but I really

don't have much pain, and I don't want the risks, pain, and recuperation

time of surgery, especially since the original Harrington surgery was so

brutal and this surgery is WAY BIGGER.

Dr. Rand couldn't even get out of me that standing causes pain. But then it

occurs to me that I've been wall-sitting for years as a natural defense,

also counter-leaning. I get one tiny job done in the kitchen and then

remember that I have to check my email -- so there I go sitting for relief.

He suspected that was the case. I've just adapted and become incredibly

unproductive!

http://community.webshots.com/photo/85431158/85489364pXydBz

In this pic you can see me (3rd from right) in my wall-sitting posture.

Maybe I should call it wall-leaning, but I really park my butt on any wall,

door jamb, whatever that's available. It's so automatic I don't know I'm

doing it. So yeah, I guess standing hurts, I just avoid it enough to keep

the pain level down.

Anyway, I'm still jealous, because you folks are on the other side of the

big, scary, unavoidable surgery.

You're just so brave, and I'm happy for you too, so it's ok to be jealous.

:^)

Sharon

[ ] Re: Still Hanging In There/Lorrie

> Lorrie,

>

> You WALKED AROUND TARGET for about an hour and you are only 52 days

> post? That is HUGE! I can barely do that now using a grocery cart!

> You go girl! You are doing great.

>

> Kathy

[Guest guest]

Sharon, I just finished "visiting" with your family at your birthday party! You are just beautiful, and so photogenic. The picture of the little girl alone holding the guinea pig looks like an old time painting! I love that one! Thanks for sharing!

Carole

[Guest guest]

I think a lot depends on where you live. We were back home over Christmas following the wedding, and ambling round Redruth, my right hand on the back of my waist because the stenosis was all grumbling a bit thanks to the hard bed and all the travel, and people were just so sweet - the biggest problem was managing to get away quickly, before it started hurting rather than just grumbling, from random people who asked if I was ok and wanted to chat and be sympathetic.

I work in London though, and it's a very different state of affairs there. While I was brought up to offer my seat to anyone less able to stand than myself as a matter of common courtesy, I don't actually expect for anyone to ever offer me their seat. This is just as well as it is a rare day that it happens. That's ok though, because of course in London you just put your head down, look inconspicuous and try to get from A to B as quickly as possible, without drawing attention to yourself and so a lot of people really aren't looking any further than their own feet. What winds me up are the people who can see that I have a stick, that my balance isn't great (some evenings it's pretty obvious - if I've been in meetings a lot of the day so I've been sat badly it can be quite noticeable), and actually quite deliberately take advantage of this to barge me out of bus queues in order to get to seats ahead of me. It makes me absolutely furious to the point where I sometimes think I'd be better travelling without the stick because it might make it less apparent to those toerags, and also one of these days I'm just going to get so narked off, I'll conk one of them over the head with it, and working for a major human rights organisation, violence by staff is kind of frowned upon!!! Seriously though, I just can't get over how many people will deliberately take advantage - it's in a league of it's own, deliberately abusing disabled people like that. I've noticed as well that it's most likely to be poor, rough-looking young boys, mid 30's business men, old people who look no more able to stand than myself and pregnant women who are most likely to offer me a seat. Oh yes - another source of significant disgruntlement - mothers who won't have their small child on their lap for a short journey on a crowded tube or bus (except that once they've commandeered the extra seat, kiddy will want a cuddle a couple of minutes later, so they plonk their bag in the seat and hug the kid for the rest of the journey, but refuse to give the seat up by putting the bag on the floor or luggage rack instead), and ones who insist on getting each of their little anklekickers into it's own seat when 2 can easily cuddle up together, and indeed do given half a chance. Drives me mad. As did the morbidly obese woman who was so large that she projected forward so far that she took up an entire set of facing seats on the train - the reason this made me cross?? Not her size or the fact she took up facing seats (it was unavoidable due to her size, and who am I, fat myself, to criticise another for it?), but the fact that she plonked herself down in a 6 seat bay when she could have fitted in a 4, and left me having to stand! I don't even try to stand these days on the train, it lurches too much. I just sit on the floor. And if the reason I don't have a seat is that someone charged up behind me and barged me out of the way to get to it, I take malicious pleasure in watching them squirm.

Oh, how I'd like to move back a more pleasant area.

- in answer to your question, my standing and walking did get ever so much better after revision. Since the major stenosis aggravation, it's been back to not being so good again, but it's still infinitely better than it had been, and if either the epidurals work, or eventually when I move on as far as having decompression, I expect it to be as good again ) Basically before revision I'd reached a point where I couldn't shuffle round the supermarket any more, even with the other half dropping me at the door and picking me up again from it, and queues could have me in a total state so that if there was any delay sometimes I'd just well up and be in tears because all I could think of was getting out of there, back to the car, back home, and couldn't even do that because at that moment in time I couldn't walk the couple of hundred yards to the car. I still don't like queues and find I'm better on the move, but they don't fill me with a sense of dread any more.

titch-- Something unknown is doing we don't know what

[Guest guest]

Dear SB,

There are so many things that are soooooo much better after revision, and

waiting on line or standing is one of them. Before revision I could only

stand a couple of minutes before the pain was too great and I had to sit

down. Now standing in line is okay, zero pain, just hate the time it takes

out of my life. Standing like to cook dinner, is fine too. I almost enjoy

waiting in line at the DMV, such a blessing to be able to.

I'm astounded at your Dad's girlfriend, I think all of us that have gone

through this has an awful story like that, and in my experience relatives

can be the worst and most insensitive. I found going through three major

surgeries in two calendar years, that you will be amazed at who will step up

to be a help to you and who won't. My husbands parents were the worst, even

insinuated that I was addicted to surgery. I found kids to be more in tune

to a hurting person, would open doors, ask how I was etc. I'm good at being

one to show my after revision X-rays to family who pooh-pooh off my surgery,

who just have mean or unfeeling comments to make. when you do have a moment

where someone is really helpful and kind, it really makes you forget the

unkind or insensitive comments. I'm hoping that your revision will give what

mine did for me, the ability to wait in line, to stand and walk as far as

you'd like.

[ ] Re: Still Hanging In There/Lorrie

>>

>>

>> > Lorrie,

>> >

>> > You WALKED AROUND TARGET for about an hour and you are only 52

> days

>> > post? That is HUGE! I can barely do that now using a grocery

> cart!

>> > You go girl! You are doing great.

>> >

>> > Kathy

>>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

> scoliosis veterans * flatback sufferers * revision candidates

>

[Guest guest]

Thank you, Carole, for the kind words. I love that pic of my niece Marilyn with the guinea pig too. Those photos are 2 1/2 years old. You should see how gorgeous Marilyn is now!

Sharon

Re: [ ] Re: Still Hanging In There/Lorrie

Sharon, I just finished "visiting" with your family at your birthday party! You are just beautiful, and so photogenic. The picture of the little girl alone holding the guinea pig looks like an old time painting! I love that one! Thanks for sharing!

Carole

[Guest guest]

You look very much as I had pictured you, which is cool ) And your niece is such a cutie!

titch

On 12/31/05, Sharon Green <sharon.green18@...> wrote:

Thank you, Carole, for the kind words. I love that pic of my niece Marilyn with the guinea pig too. Those photos are 2 1/2 years old. You should see how gorgeous Marilyn is now!

Sharon

-- Something unknown is doing we don't know what

[Guest guest]

Hey, that is cool, Titch. You too, only even prettier.

:^)

Sharon

Re: [ ] Re: Still Hanging In There/Lorrie

You look very much as I had pictured you, which is cool ) And your niece is such a cutie!

titch

On 12/31/05, Sharon Green <sharon.green18@...> wrote:

Thank you, Carole, for the kind words. I love that pic of my niece Marilyn with the guinea pig too. Those photos are 2 1/2 years old. You should see how gorgeous Marilyn is now!

Sharon

-- Something unknown is doing we don't know what