It’s Voting Time, Yeah or Ney

Here’s a little tidbit for the current voting haze of  today.

The last election, my vote did not count.  I know this because a month or two after the election, I received a letter stating as much.  They rejected my vote, because my signature was not the same as the one I used when I first registered to vote.  This was not news to me, as my signature is never the same  due to having Cerebral Palsy[CP}  Developing my own unique signature was never in my scope of functions.

I discussed this fact with the election’s officer upon registering.  At that time, it was acceptable to make my mark, and then have someone sign witness by, followed with their name.  i was never 100 percent certain if it had to be the same person who helped me register.  I assumed it wasn’t the case, since I’m never with that person; and they have actually moved out of the state.

When I got the rejection letter, the first thing that crossed my mind was that I wasted a lot of time studying the measures.  It takes detective work  to decipher any hidden meanings.  I think the  writers of the measures quite often try to make them sound so convoluted to get us to vote one way, when in reality if the measure was written clearer, there’s no way people would ever vote for half of what’s on the ballot.  Half the time I’m scared of voting for something I’d be opposed  to, that I almost would rather skip voting.

Then I was mad they rejected my ballot. i started thinking what if the person tallying my ballot didn’t like the way I voted.  What’s to stop them from looking for any loophole to discredit my vote. and found it in the discrepancies in my signatures.  My imaginary conspiracy theory is working overtime here.  I don’t know the rules for counting the ballots once they reach the elections office.  However, I do think that over time people’s signatures do change from a list of different factors.  In that vein, there should be an easy way to indicate rather or not someone is authentic, instead of rejecting ballots because there is a discrepancy.  So what if it takes an extra month to get everything sorted  out.

So, this election I am determined to make my ballot count.  One of my PA’s suggested I take my ballot to the bank I use, and have a notarization done on my ballot.  When we called to set up an appointment, they said they didn’t notarize ballots.  They suggested calling the City Clerk; the City Clerk suggested calling the Elections Office.

We completely flustered the Elections worker by explaining that my last ballot wasn’t counted because of a problem reading my signature, and I wanted to make certain  my ballot was counted.  She said something rather snarky like I needed a signature stamp.  She then hastily ended the phone call. [Maybe she just didn’t fully understand our question.]  We called her right back, and asked if I could go to the Elections Office, and sign my envelope in front of some credible person  there.  She basically said I needed update my signature  each voting period.   So, I will do that with no complaints.

If you find any ballets in this post, rather then ballots, know that I would prefer being at the ballet than blogging about ballots!

Two Minutes For Her, or six Feet Under For Me

I knew what I needed; what would be best for my needs, and my request was ignored. Why do people think they know what is right for you, and ignore your pleas to the contrary?

In November, I received my new power chair, after a lot of hold ups; mainly from the doctor. When the wheelchair technician delivered the chair, she just made a few adjustments to the seat, saw me drive the chair, watched my back end fishtailing which knocked over the TV tray/table, and asked me to sign the paperwork.

I asked her to slow down the turning speed; the chair is a mid-drive power chair, which means it can essentially turn on a dime. With no adjustments, and “Hello, my CP!” Does a spastic body and a uncontrollable power chair sound like a perfect fit?  Heck no!  The chair easily went into tailspins. The technician wanted me to try it for two weeks, and she would call and check to see how I was doing.

I should have put my foot down and insist she adjust the speed it turns, because it was just way too squirrely for me! Whenever, I went into a store, I was afraid I would swerve unexpectedly and wipe someone out! Last week when I was driving up the ramp at church; I was going along perfectly, when suddenly I veered off to the right and crashed into the rail. (My body just twitched or something, and my path took an odd twist!)

When crossing the street after the crosswalk light said to go; it always took about 3 to 4 seconds to get my hand on the joystick and gain control of the chair, and by that time motorists assumed I wasn’t crossing after all, and would start turning just I began to move. I strongly feel the technician put my life in danger by not doing as I asked. AND, She never did call to see how I was doing!

Finally one of my personal assistants called the wheelchair provider and asked them to come by to adjust the turning speed of the chair. A different technician came. He listened as we described the difficulties I’ve experienced while driving the wheelchair. The programming took all of two minutes, and then another five minutes while I got in and test drove it. Oh my goodness, it feels like a completely new chair! No more fishtailing. I can actually start to drive forward from a stop, and not start to immediately turn into circles!

How hard would it have been for her to just program the wheelchair when I asked? It would have saved me a lot of grief and anxiety. It would have saved on time and gas for the wheelchair company. I thought the costumer is supposed to be always right. Maybe the technician thought I could master the squirrelies, but why waste my efforts when the problem was fixed by some minor fine tuning. I wonder how many costumers have had similar experiences. I know of at least one friend who has had an issue with their new chair. She should be written up.

Like some people, I think the she-technician wanted to lord some power over me! Maybe she had six other appointments that day, and was anxious to get on her way. Maybe she just didn’t want to own up to the fact that she didn’t have the programmer with her. I have a few more scenarios, but I don’t feel the need to elaborate!

Was saving two minutes really worth putting my life in danger?

Essentially, this looks like my powerchair.  Only mine is newer, and cleaner.  Um, and I’ve never trick drove my powerchair like that!  Also, please note, I did not go through the company that made this video to get my chair.

Cerebral Palsy Is Not A Disease. . .

The other day one of my PAs referred to Cerebral Palsy(CP) as a disease while my sister was present. they received a mini lecture from her. I think it is worth repeating that speech since I hear people call my disability a disease more often than I like.

Cerebral Palsy is not a disease, it is a brain injury. Therefore, people cannot catch CP from me. I received my brain injury while I was being born. Children up to age Three can injure their brains through many accidents, and doctors will call the brain injury CP.   However, if someone older then three  injures their brain,  it is simply referred to as a brain injury.  l believe by age three, the brain is totally knitted together  so that it is apparent that a brain injury has occurred.  to cause the shift in the diagnoses.

Just to be super clear, in my life, nobody has come up to me and accused me of  giving them CP.   Did I just hear a collective sigh?

CP is not said to be hereditary.  However, I did have a cousin who had CP.  My moms brothers son.  In my cousins case, he was too big to be born the normal way, and C-sections were not invented yet.  so  like me his brain  injury happened while being born.  Nine years later, I was born on his birthday. isn’t that weird or what?

It is said that no two people with CP has the same exact disabilities and abilities.  Take my cousin and I for instance.  David was stiff like a board and totally locked in his body.  His only means of communication were his  eyes and some facial cues.  We all knew he was smart because he  laughed at the right times and grew serious when it was appropriate.  My aunt was a great role  model, she talked to David like he was totally normal, and everyone followed her lead. When I came along my family treated me just the same. I owe my aunt and cousin a multitude of thanks for paving the way for me!

Welcome to My World

I just want to vent a little about a frustrating aspect of my life, which is getting new equipmen i.e.  things that improve the quality of my life, such as wheelchairs, communication devices, grab bars and different things that help make my life genuinely easier

To get needed equipment I must first state to my doctor that I have certain medical need that requires new technology.   The doctor will then send me to an Occupational,  Physical, or speech therapist.  They then need to access my  needs and determine which piece of equipment would best fit my needs. Then its back to the doctor for a face to face appointment where they ask questions to fill out paper work that gives the doctor’s ok for that equipment.

Sometimes  I get to have a trial period with the equipment. I can’t express nearly enough how important the trial period is. Simply put, if an insurance company will fork out thousands of dollars for a recommended piece of technology, it only makes sense to “test drive” the device before purchasing it.  That way the equipment will be used, instead of collecting dust bunnies in some closet.

The next step is all in the therapists hands.  It is the therapist job to write a convincing report that states for the medical well-being of my client needs a new power chair The report would list why I need a power chair. If I was lucky enough to have a trail period with the equipment, the therapist may state “my client has demonstrated that she can  successfully use the power chair”. The occupational therapist sends the report to the doctor I asked for the referral, and the doctor sends it back signed to the occupational therapist, who then has to send it to the insurance company! if all goes well, the insurance company approves the request. if the request is approved, the new equipment will come, between one to six months later.

A person can get new wheelchairs and communication devices every five years. I have been due for a new power chair for about eight years. I had not pushed the issue because the chair was in fairly decent shape, and really hate asking the state for anything.  However,  the last few times I had my wheelchair serviced, I was told the chair was outdated; I could not get certain parts for the chair anymore!

So, I started the whole grueling process. I got the first three appointments finished, and  then I waited. Four months go by, I received a call from the place that evaluated me for the power chair, saying they never received the face to face report from the doctor. We played phone tag with the wheelchair company, both of us trying to get the Dr. to send necessary paperwork. After six months of not getting the needed paperwork, I again had to do a face to face appointment with the Dr. to have him sign the paperwork and give his ok yet again, to  please the insurance company.

True fact: I received my first power chair when I was twelve. I was away at summer camp when it arrived. My mom sent me a letter saying that I had a surprise waiting for me when I returned home!  When I got home, a party was in the works. One of my friend’s mom drove my new power chair up from our basement, and I finally understood the reason for the party. My power chair had at long last finally arrived! It was indeed something to celebrate! However, the joy of that moment became suddenly subdued, when I got into the chair, I had already out grown it. However, it didn’t stop me from exploring the barnyard, and getting stuck in the cotton seed pile, which is a kid magnet in my family! A quick adjustment at the wheelchair repair shop fixed the problem, and I was all set to find more places to get stuck in!

Here’s What A Little Insect Bite Can Do…

Gross, huh?

On March 21st, I found some sort of bug bite on my right thigh while I was getting my PJ’s on.  I didn’t think too much about it and went to bed.

The bite  progressively grew bigger through the weekend. I kept hoping the bite would miraculously go away by itself!  There was no chance of that happening, much to my dismay.  

The following Tuesday,  I finally caved in and had one of PA’s  make me a doctors appointment.  They offered me an appointment April 15th.  My PA said, “No,  she needs to get in sooner; she is in pain.” I got an appointment  for that next Thursday. 

By the time I saw a doctor, I not only had a spider bite the  size if a baseball, and because I didn’t see the doctor right away I had also contracted cellulitis. I received a prescription  for antibiotics and a stint of time with my leg elevated, and a ten  minutes with my heating pad every few hours.  the Doctor did warn me the infection would get worse before getting better .

The bite was effecting the way I moved about. Normally, it’s no problem moving around the house in my manual wheelchair, by using my feet to propel myself around.  However, with a huge abscess  on my leg, I didn’t want to move around any more than I had to, because it sure did hurt when my left leg rubbed up against the abscess. I used my power chair more. I had to have extra support when I needed to transfer from one seat to another. It bruised my ego to have help getting in and out of bed, but it was better than falling and hurting myself even worse!

The cellulitis plagued me more than the spider bite. When I sat up, the cellulitis became quite uncomfortable. So, I was driven to utilize my recliner. I caught up on all the shows I watch; like Bones, Castle, and Gray’s Anatomy. Then I became engrossed in, Call The Midwife, that I saw while prowling through the shows on Netflix. I’m forever grateful to my friend who suggested I invest in a Roku streaming device, during the many times I would complain of having to watch one too many commercials, and paying too much for cable. These days, I have to force myself to watch some regular TV, if for nothing else then to keep current in the world!

Getting back to The spider bite. Two days later, the bug bite looked worse. My sister was called to get her opinion. She took one glance at it and said, “I’m taking you to the ER!” I protested, but it fell on deaf ears. I had nothing to eat that morning, and in hind sight I should have insisted that I eat something first.

The ER doctor looked too eager to pop something! I thought the proper procedure was to lance an abscess, and then gently squeeze the puss out. Nope! He put both of his thumbs on either side of the abscess and squeezed! It was extremely disgusting! The abscess erupted like a volcano! A flow of puke green cottage cheese curds cascaded down my leg. Seriously, I wanted to kick the doctor in his sensitive place; it hurt so badly! My foot was in an excellent position do so. I didn’t, and I’m so glad I didn’t, because as soon as he was done with me a real emergency came in. I never saw him again.

I wasn’t quite done grossing out my sister for the day. Before the doctor left, he wanted me to take my second antibiotic of the day, but then he added another antibiotic and a Percocet to the mix. I was rather leery about taking medication on an empty stomach. The nurse suggested I could have a sandwich, but all she brought me was an applesauce, and a package of crackers from the waiting room.

Twenty minutes later, all bandaged and medicated up and on the way out to the car; I started feeling hot and dizzy. As soon as my sister started backing out of the parking place, I threw up on myself (It was my brother-in-law’s car so I needed to preserve my good grace to ride in it.) My sister had planned on taking me on a few errands, but she quickly changed her mind. I was okay on the straight road, but once we reached my little, curvy street I lost it big time, but since I didn’t have anything of substance in my stomach, it didn’t smell. I got home around three, and I finally stopped up heaving about nine. I felt absolutely miserable!

I have two pieces of advice for you. If you are unfortunate enough to be a target of a bug’s fangs and the infection is not getting better within, please have it checked out by a doctor Secondly, if the doctor insists you take a cocktail of medication before leaving (this will most likely only happen in the ER), if you haven’t eaten in quite some time, if you have a slight build, and you’re sure you won’t be whisked off to surgery. Do yourself a big favor; insist right back that you have to put something substantial in your stomach before taking the medicine. Anybody in their right mind would want to avoid six hours of nausea, right?

Going to the Movies

I went to a movie on my own a week ago. For Christmas I got some Regal movie passes. I thought it would be good for me to do something by myself, and since I had movie passes I thought that would be the thing to do.

When I arrived at the theater, I typed out what I wanted to see on the Eco communication device, which was ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”, I played it out to the ticket box operator,  (I was amazed she understood the eco.) I gave her the pass, she gave me a ticket, some guy opened the door for me, I had to duck under his arm.

What happens when both you and the ticket taker have Cerebral Palsy? I spazzed out while handing her the ticket. The ticket fell to the ground causing her to knock something else to the ground, and she’s saying, “I’ve got it. I’ve got it.” Fortunately, I successfully grasped the ticket stub and shoved it into my coat pocket. She told me the number of the theater the movie was in, and I was sure she said six.

However, I was feeling bad for dropping the ticket, which caused the mini cyclone, that after I had went on my way I started wondering if I heard her right. Unfortunately, the theaters don’t have the names of the movies over the doors any more, so I was second guessing myself. I asked someone (I think it was her job coach), to double Check the theater, I was right! It was just a little discerning because I was so early, and the theater so empty!

I struck up a little conversation with the job coach, we exchanged names, but I can’t remember it now. I saw a family from church. Chatted with them a little while. I worked some on a journal entry.  Was I busy with my time, or what?

When I noticed  the first couple enter the theater, I followed shortly after them. I love watching places filling up with people. It’s interesting to see them staking up their places. During the previews, four people in wheelchairs came into the theater. I thought, what is this?  A gimp convention!

I guess I have to eat some words here. I had laid claim to the small two spaced wheelchair sitting area.  I didn’t want to give up “my space”.  I was early. if you snooze, you lose, I thought.   Oh, I am a pushover, of course I moved! I should have parked correctly in the first place. It’s rare that two people in wheelchairs are in a theater, let alone five, who would have thought?

I went to the movie without much expectation. I am not A Ben Stiller fan, but he won my heart in his role as Walter Mitty! Walter fantasizes about winning the girl of his dreams excessively, almost to his detriment.  However, to find a missing photo, he must get out of his comfort zone, and start living real adventures.  I found a kindred spirit in Walter Mitty. Ben’s eyes looked amazing in the movie!  Ben both directed and stared in this movie. Way to go,   Ben  Stiller!

I was a little dismayed when I exited the theater, I found that it was five minutes into the window of time where a bus would  whisk me home.  However, I calmed myself down with the fact that the buses are rarely early, and rarer still, on time!  Even still, I was out within the five minutes they give  people to get  on the bus.  Turns out the bus showed up near the end of the half hour window.

You,  my readers,  may be wondering what would have happened if I had  needed help while I was at the movie?  Good question! I can send texts via the Eco.  It comes in quite handy sometimes!  Of course, I would be in a pickle if both my power chair and Eco stopped working at the same time!  Thank goodness none of that happened that day!