Friday's Accomplishment

Today my major accomplishment took me by surprise. My PT woman, who I really like whose name is Joyce, said I was going to walk from the therapy room back to my room. I'd never walked that far. It scared me a bit, but I thought if she thinks I can do it, I can... and I did.

I don't know how far it is, but the PT room is on the first floor, off the elevators, down a hall, through a room. When I got back to my floor, I have to walk about 2/3rds down the hallway to my room. So that felt good.

The other thing I did in PT was to get my foot up a 10-inch step. Joyce had asked me to get photos of my apt building front steps and have them measured -- and that killer big one is 10 inches. All she wanted me to do was to lift my foot up on top of this 10 inch box which I could do. So she had me do it  8 times and we'll continue to practice that.

The annoying thing that happened in PT was that Joyce was called away from me for a few minutes and I could tell the two were talking about me, and when Joyce returned, I asked who that was. Turns out it's my "caseworker" -- not from social services or PT or medical -- but from my health insurance company checking up on me, making sure I'm making enough progress. The good news is that I am, but this horsepucky about medical decisions are between you and your doctor is ridiculous. As soon as Big Insurance Company decides it's over, it's over.

I have to say the day started badly with my waiting and waiting and waiting to have my bedsore bandaged. I can't go to PT without that happening and I can't put anything on below the waist until that happens. So I'm lying there, bareass, with a sheet pulled over me, just waiting while the clock ticks by... I finally rang the bell,which was ignored, and then decided I am just going. The reason I'm here is for PT and I was missing it.

Of course, as soon as I sat up and got dressed, the nurse appeared. My boiling point is very high, probably too high, but once I reach it, it's explosive. I surprised myself by how loud I was yelling. I really lost it. This meek little nurse, or whatever she is, felt obligated to remind me that I am not the only resident. Oh really?

I wanted to just say "shut up" but I said, "Don't talk to me, just don't say one word to me" in as irate a tone as you can when you're bare ass is doing Moon over Far Rockaway.

Then of course I couldn't stop crying when she left. Finally got myself to my wheelchair to go to PT and the woman across the hall asked me if I were OK, and I said no, and I went in and talked to her and just had this normal conversation about her gay daughter who just had a baby with her long time partner and how they got the sperm, etc. It was nice to just sit there and have a normal conversation,

Later when I came back from PT, she asked if I am OK, and I said, yes, thank you for helping me retain my sanity and she laughed and said that most people say she drives them crazy and how this is the first time she;s been given  credit for making someone sane.

If you're reading this, and it doesn't sound that bad, just pile on every indignity, every dependency on minimum wage people who hate their jobs, food that is literally inedible.

At lunch, I refused it. It was "turket burger" and looked and smelled like a slice of canned dog food on a Wonder Bread hamburger roll. I got a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in exchange which I would gladly eat every day., I told the aide that I can not even look at this plate, much less eat it, and she agreed. I swear a dog would sniff it and walk away.

Wow... I have been asking to have my toenails clipped for three weeks.No pedicure for me... first week I was told a podiatrist has to do it, then it was Passover week, then it was still Passover week, but the doctor just came and he was a really nice guy. I told him the history of my big toe (still ugly) and he reassured me all was well with it, it's just ugly and always will be, but there's no infection or anything. As he was clipping my toes, I joked with him and asked, "If I close my eyes, can I pretend I'm at a spa?" and he said, "If so, you're in the world's worst spa..." Then I said, "Well, would you mind speaking Korean at least?" and he surprised me by taking his smartphone that had some kind of app that translated his voice into Korean so that was fun. And now my feet look nice again.

That's it for now.