14 Days of Healing

14 Days after my accident...

This scar is going to be here for a while  :(

Six Days of Healing

This is 6 days of healing since my fall.  I have been applying Vitamin E oil on the cut and it seems to be helping a lot.

Falling Out Of Bed Again

I've fallen out of bed, yet again!

This time, it was bad. Many of you know I have fallen out of my bed many times over the years, but this time it was bad. I hit my cheek on the night table causing a big cut / gash in my cheek. My neck snapped back too of course, and my jaw also has been bruised and is swollen. It felt like someone hit me in the face with a 2x4! I actually saw "stars" even though I was asleep!  My left arm is all scraped up too from being dragged from the edge of the bed frame.

My wife put Neosporin on a bandage and put it on the cut. I kept an ice pack on my face for several hours. Still, the swelling is undeniable.

I'm going to move that night table away from the bed. At least the next time I fall out of the bed, perhaps I won't kill myself. I should probably look into something to keep me from falling out of the bed again.

Our queen-sized bed has rolled edges.  I think this is a contributing factor as to why I've fallen out of this bed five times now since buying it about two years ago.  Also, I've figured out that I usually fall out of bed due to the dreams I have.  I'm usually fighting off "bad guys" or protecting my family in the dreams.  Since I sleep on my side and very close to the edge of the bed to give my wife more space on the bed, one false move and I'm down on the ground!

I've fallen out of our old bed multiple times over the years too.  The first time falling out of my bed was on my honeymoon, 33 years ago!

Do you know the standard response to someone who asks what happened to your face?  "Yeah... but you should see the OTHER guy!"  :)

"The More of Me, The Better!"

"The more of me, the better!"

"If one Russ is good, then three has to be better, right?"

Handicapped Parking Spaces and Handicapped Accessibility

I've had a handicapped parking placard for several years now due to my bad knees.  Since getting one, I've come to appreciate the issues handicapped people have to deal with.  Let me share some of what I've learned with you.

I've learned that some people are very kind and are willing to help you if you are handicapped.  They will hold the door for you, make sure you are able to get in and out of areas and will ask if you need help, yet others won't blink an eye to help or acknowledge you.

When I'm on my mobility scooter, I've had people get out of an elevator (taking their time) and then let the elevator door close before I am able to get my scooter into the elevator.  Do I get an "Oh, I'm sorry"?... Uh, no.  Usually they just keep walking and don''t care.  Others will hold the door for you to make sure you get on before letting go of the door.  I've even had someone yell at me while I was riding on my mobility scooter because he turned and almost walked into the scooter because he didn't see me and the scooter (we are lower to the ground than someone walking).  I guess that's MY fault for not being vertical and in his line of sight?

I've seen people park in handicapped spaces when they clearly do not have a permit for parking there.  See the photos above.  Twice, this car has parked in the handicapped spot at my office building.  Notice too how he parks... not just in the space, but on a diagonal across the space and the reserved space with the diagonal lines.  Those lines are reserved for those with handicapped vans that have ramps for people in wheelchairs to exit their vehicles.  If you block those ramps, they can't get out.  (By the way, I reported this vehicle to the building's property manager who in turn said she was going to report it to the police.  Since then, I have not seen this car parked there again.)

I've seen a lot of parking lots where shoppers will leave their shopping carts in those diagonal lined areas.  Well if you do this, a handicapped person can't get out.  While I am at it, one of my pet peeves is that the shopping cart return stalls in parking lots always seem to be really far away from handicapped spots.  Think about it.  If you are handicapped and struggling to walk (we often use the carts just to lean on to help us walk), to return those carts, we really don't want to walk a distance to move those carts to the cart returns that are far away and then have to walk all the way back to our cars.  I think parking lots should be re-designed so that the cart returns are next to handicapped spaces!

Finally, people have said to me when getting out of my car in a handicapped space, "You don't look handicapped!"  Uh, how am I supposed to look?  Some have said, "You aren't old enough to be handicapped!"  Really?  How old do you need to be?

I've learned to "hobble" out of my car after parking in a handicapped space, just so that I don't get stares from people or questions from people who don't know that my pain happens after walking, not after riding in a car.  Really, I don't need the closeness of a handicapped spot when I first arrive to a shopping center.  But I will need it when I return from shopping because I've been walking for a while and NOW my knees hurt.  They don't hurt when I've been sitting for a half hour or more driving to get there!  Many handicapped persons need it for the return trip back to the car, not when first leaving the car!  But to avoid the comments and stares, I often will "fake" hobble out and then when I am in the store, I will walk as best I can without a limp.  I try my best to walk as normal as I can.  Believe it or not, I really look like I walk perfectly fine on short distances, but you can bet I'll really be hobbling after walking any distance over about a city block in length.  And when I have been walking in the store for a while, you better believe it when I tell you that I'm glad my car is parked close by in a handicapped spot to avoid more walking and more pain!

These are just some things to remember that handicapped people go through the next time you see handicapped spots in the parking lot or when you see a handicapped person.  Remember, sometime they need your help, sometimes they don't.  But we always appreciate those who are considerate enough to ask if we need any help.

(The sign and the illustration were borrowed from the internet.)