Bladder-Wrist-Cars

I wonder if it’s smart to put in my blog when I’m hurting, or not feeling well. A few people have asked me since the recent posting about my bladder, how I’m doing, and it’s nice to know people care! Actually it’s an odd feeling, because these are the kinds of times when I’m not usually likely to tell anyone, except maybe Jim, that I don’t feel right. I’m not used to people knowing about my little aches and pains. However, if I’m going to try to show in my blog what life is like with a disability, well, I need to write things down. This is what my life IS like.

Today I can say that I’m feeling well, as far as my bladder, stomach, and appetite is concerned anyway. Unfortunately, that irritation got replaced today by wrist trouble.

Seriously, I feel healthy again. My bladder washing worked – as it usually does. 3 or 4 times a year max I will have an incident like the one last week. I’ll change tubing and drink lots of fluids after wondering whether I have an infection. 1 of those times I won’t feel better and then I’ll take antibiotics. And for the past 4 years at least, I haven’t had to go past that and actually see the urologist for a bladder infection. My annual checkup, and new cipro prescription carries me for a full year. My situation is better than some, who get infections regularly. But on the other hand, I do have those 3 – 4 times a year that I don’t feel well and can’t figure out the cause right away. I’m so used to this pattern, that I forget how odd it might sound to other people.

Unfortunately I only had one day of feeling good. And yesterday was a great day – we went to the Padre game and saw them score a record 18 runs, and saw fireworks as well! OK, I don’t feel sick any more, I feel injured again. I won’t go into the whole long story today, I will reserve it for tomorrow when I have more time to write. And I need the night to think about this topic anyway. Suffice it to say, that I overdid it at my wheelchair dance class today, and my wrist is feeling like it did 2 months ago when I was sure I was headed to surgery. I’m quite irritated at the moment, and ready to cast blame everywhere (including myself I will add). Tomorrow I hope I’ll have a more level head about it all. I also hope that I’ll wake up feeling less pain.

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I do have one story that I wanted to add to the earlier post about cars.

I asked my 25 year old son, David, how many cars he’s driven in his lifetime. At first he was a bit exasperated with me, but then he started to count – dr ed, 2 as a teen, 2 of mine, Dad’s, Jim’s, Aunt Baba’s, Connie’s, Stephen’s, 2 he’s owned in SD, Amy’s, a couple of friends when he was the designated driver, then a few rentals – Seattle, OR, Wisconsin twice, and then he trailed off- and said 20 – 25 maybe, why, Mom?

I told him I had only driven 10 total in my life.

To which he said, “But Mom, it’s different for you!”

To which I replied, “Precisely, that’s my point, it’s different for me.”

Jim travels for work, probably about one trip a month, and most of those trips he rents a car. He’s also our driver if we get a car while on vacation. So, overall he drives about 12 cars a year, and over his lifetime it’s up in the 100s. I know I shouldn’t think about a comparison with Jim, he has been in many more cars than the average American.

That’s why I had compared myself to a 25 year old. David may be higher than the average person his age, he’s rented cars after all, which isn’t easy to do before you are 25 in most states. And he’s been the exclusive driver of 4 cars already, which is high too.

I was the exclusive driver of 6 of the cars I drove, which isn’t really crazy. It means changing cars about every 6 years average, which isn’t bad. It’s the ability to drive rentals and other people’s cars that makes the difference. And I’m sure for many this is a minor issue. But think about this the next time you get a loner car when your car is in the shop, or when you swap cars with your spouse one day, or your friend was supposed to be the driver but got drunk and so you need to get you both home. Think how easily you just slip into another car without thinking. And think what you learn about each of these cars even just by being a passenger. That’s the difference for me.

Tomorrow: wheelchair ballroom dancing