1-more Option to help you to keeponlivingathome.com!

One question that I get asked quite often is, “Now that we need to use a wheelchair in my house, there are several doors that I can just barely get through.” What can I do?

So I try to ask a few questions.

• What kind of chair will be used, is it a power chair, manual chair a larger than normal chair?
• Do you know how narrow the doors are in your home?
• Without having to do any major work in your house, would an 1 ½” more width in the doorway give you the better access or at least get your chair in and out without rubbing?

My main reason for the questions is to see if they are aware of the size of the chair, how it fits through the doors and if not,how much too small is the doorway.

If the doorways are just barely too small or causing the chair to rub, look into installing swing clear or swing away hinges.

These hinges can be installed on your current door, with the same screws and that small 1 ½” width the current door is taking out of the actual door way opening, the hinge swing action removes.

Your door opens and closes the same way with the same effort etc..  but you will now have that extra width to get in and out of areas in your home!

Sundays Questions & Snap shots!

I was a riddle for the doctors that day! Upon my entry to the emergency room that morning till later that afternoon, I was sick but no obvious clues. I still couldn’t open my eyes without throwing up. My wife, My loving caring wife, never left my side. When I was so sick and weak, she was so calm, strong, and such a devoted concerned wife. The fear she had was hidden as strength to not put any more stress on me.

They inserted and injected me to try and get my convulsing under control. The IV was allowing me to get some fluids but I was losing it faster than they could keep it in me. The ER kept me all day with several short wobbly wheeled gurney trips to different parts of the hospital to hopefully lead to a definite answer, Why was I sick?

Later that afternoon the ER asked my wife if she would like to take me home???? She was dumbfounded. She asked if I had come in sick, I was still sick and no one has an answer to why I still can’t open my eyes and continuing to get sicker, no way was I leaving the hospital until someone comes up with the answer.

The decision was finally made and I was admitted. I really don’t remember much for the next 3 months except some snap shots of significant impactful type situations.

This is one of my memory snap shot of later that Sunday afternoon.

I am hearing some crying and sniffling in the room next to my bed. I struggled to open my eyes and looked up and saw my two daughters and wife standing in a row. I was certainly sick but couldn’t figure out why the crying? While I was struggling trying to place my thoughts together and put some logic to the sounds, I finally asked the girls, “why are you crying, did you break up with your boyfriend or something”. They all laughed at me then just like that, lights out no one was home. I don’t remember the rest of the day.

Later I will share more snap shots of humor, struggles and triumphs that were a part of my recovery, to life

What did you say, A Stroke, I’m only 43???

Sept 18^th 1994 was just another Sunday Morning!

My Wife and I had gone to the Fair the night before and we got home around 11:00 Saturday night. We had eaten some food at the fair but hadn’t done anything wild n crazy! When we got home, I sat down, put my feet up, took a breath, had a beer then went to bed.

As with many families, Sundays mornings when we it worked out, was our lazy, relax, sleep in day!

On Sunday morning, Pain was my alarm clock.  This strange head/eye ache and upset stomach was a very rude wake up call. The pain held outrageous intensity! Its throbbing, consumed my head!

The first thing that went through my head was, WOW, this really Hurts!

I had to get up and go to the bathroom, and then immediate went back to bed.

My wife looked at me and asked if everything was OK, but my mouth just mumbled, “I just don’t feel good.”

In laying there for a few more minutes trying to evaluate the severe strange pain, all of a sudden, I started seeing rotating marble sized images circling around at a slow pace inside the entire room. Now maybe I’m a little scared. What the heck is going on?

Now the intensity of this eye splitting painful headache now with bubble like images rotating in my vision and that darned upset stomach got to me!! The porcelain throne seemed to be calling me! At this time it was the beginning of my stomach turning inside out.

After my second trip to the bathroom, and throwing up, I took about two steps out of the bathroom, heading back to bed and I fell to my knees, then flat on my face on my Bedroom floor. My body was stretched out flat and both arms were above my head then it all stopped working!

At that time in my life, one of my many hats was, I was an EMT and the Volunteer Captain of the Fire Dept. Medical situations was a very big part of my real life.  Our training always included a quick ABC medical evaluation of persons on each call.

Now, I wasn’t able to move, lying on my bedroom floor, and trying to figure out my condition! ABC evaluation was fine but SCARED was now working against me.

• I can talk, but I can’t move!
• I am thinking clearly, (I thought I was) but I can’t move!
• My heart is beating normally, but I can’t move!

What the heck is going on?

Now my wife is trying to call 911. I’m telling her to just let me lay there for a while. It was my thought that this was something temporary, then after my shower if she still wants to, she can take me in and get me checked out at the ER. WHAT WAS I THINKING!

I can’t move, but I am still in denial and refusing help!

Fact: Men die more often than Women because, they live in DENIAL. It can’t happen to me syndrome. Don’t let this be you!

Now again my wife is telling me that she is going to call 911.

My though pattern was correct, but, my DENIAL or desire to not be in this situation was overrunning my common sense.

Well at this point, I am just confused!!!

My body now just started sweating profusely. At this point I remember my fear of this symptom and I agreed with my wife that help was needed. My loving wife called 911 and they came and got me.
The Fire dept extricated me from my house and hauled me off to the hospital.

I was very sick and now couldn’t even open my eyes without throwing up.

It was determined that I had a stroke. I was blown away. Me at 43 a stroke that changed my life, Forever.

My next posting will be more of this story.

I am hoping that someone, some friend or a family member who has had a stroke recently will read this and offer them a ray of hope. A flicker of encouragement.  Our goal is to try and offer to others an avenue of awareness to realize, we are all only a heartbeat away from a major issue and it could happen to YOU at any age!

We can change diets, or life style but the real thing that I would like to offer is the fact, people to people we can support each other.