Various Stuff
For a while now, I've been experiencing a weird thing that has bothered me but I hadn't mentioned it to anyone until today. It's a little hard to explain exactly, but I'll try. Basically, I see something in the periphery of my vision that looks like a little black bug running or dropping down. So for example, if I'm reading, it appears to run down the side of the page. My very first response was to think it was real, of course, but I quickly realized it wasn't. Then I thought it was like a floater, but floaters tend to be clear or very light in color, and they're controllable--they follow your eye movement. I considered the idea that I might be hallucinating, but that seemed unlikely.
So today, at social dining, we were talking about hallucinations (because one woman, Vicky, said she had horrible hallucinations when she was given morphine) and I mentioned the little black things I was seeing. Another woman, Jackie, said she knew what I was talking about, that it had happened to her, and that it was the result of little muscle twitches in the eye. She said not to worry, that it would go away. I'm hoping to have an eye exam soon, so I'll mention it to the optometrist, but it was good to have someone confirm that I wasn't crazy and that what I was seeing was benign. This was yet another reminder that it's good to talk to others about the weird problems you're experiencing; you might just find out they're normal, or that they're not your fault and you should go see a doctor.
After lunch I went straight to the therapy room because that's the best time to get a therapist all to myself. In my last OT session, on Friday, Kendra and I had discussed the idea that I need some kind of tool to give me more "height" for my arms so I can push down and get my butt up so I can move on the sliding board. I had said that I needed something a few inches high with a handle. My concept was sort of like one of those therapy balls that you squeeze to take care of stress (you can buy them at the checkout counter at OfficeMax), but with a handle on top. It should be soft on top so you don't hurt your knuckles and should be non-slippery (though not exactly sticky either) on the bottom. And it should give about four inches of height.
Well, over the weekend, Kendra built a prototype of the tool out of 2x4 blocks, fabric, and cardboard! It wasn't exactly what I was picturing, but it worked pretty well. I was totally impressed. I mean, first of all, she went home and did this in her spare time! Second, she built the thing herself, which involved carpentry and needlework. (Not that this was a really hard thing to do, but I know I'm too lazy to have done that, even if I had the materials and tools, so I'm impressed that anyone would do it.) Third, she came pretty close to a tool I could really use. With a few minor changes, it became something I could use comfortably to compensate for my short arms. In fact, I think that between us we could develop a tool that I think we could perhaps patent and license. :)
After OT, I found Carole (I've been spelling her name wrong all this time and just discovered my error today) and a few other people in the dining room, playing cards, so I joined them for a few games. Then I followed Carole to her room where we had a nice chat. The CNA who promised to bring in her digital camera has yet to remember to do it, but I told Carole that when she does, I want to take a picture of the flower picture she made for me so I can display it online, with her permission (which she granted). I suggested that perhaps people who saw it online would be so impressed with her talent as to commission one from her and she could start a little business. She showed me some others that she had made for the woman next door to her (who happens to be the grandmother of the facility administrator) and I thought all but one were quite pretty (there was one that just didn't look as nice as the others, in my opinion). So when I am finally able to display her work, let me know if you want one made for you. I'm sure we can settle on a reasonable price. :)
So today, at social dining, we were talking about hallucinations (because one woman, Vicky, said she had horrible hallucinations when she was given morphine) and I mentioned the little black things I was seeing. Another woman, Jackie, said she knew what I was talking about, that it had happened to her, and that it was the result of little muscle twitches in the eye. She said not to worry, that it would go away. I'm hoping to have an eye exam soon, so I'll mention it to the optometrist, but it was good to have someone confirm that I wasn't crazy and that what I was seeing was benign. This was yet another reminder that it's good to talk to others about the weird problems you're experiencing; you might just find out they're normal, or that they're not your fault and you should go see a doctor.
After lunch I went straight to the therapy room because that's the best time to get a therapist all to myself. In my last OT session, on Friday, Kendra and I had discussed the idea that I need some kind of tool to give me more "height" for my arms so I can push down and get my butt up so I can move on the sliding board. I had said that I needed something a few inches high with a handle. My concept was sort of like one of those therapy balls that you squeeze to take care of stress (you can buy them at the checkout counter at OfficeMax), but with a handle on top. It should be soft on top so you don't hurt your knuckles and should be non-slippery (though not exactly sticky either) on the bottom. And it should give about four inches of height.
Well, over the weekend, Kendra built a prototype of the tool out of 2x4 blocks, fabric, and cardboard! It wasn't exactly what I was picturing, but it worked pretty well. I was totally impressed. I mean, first of all, she went home and did this in her spare time! Second, she built the thing herself, which involved carpentry and needlework. (Not that this was a really hard thing to do, but I know I'm too lazy to have done that, even if I had the materials and tools, so I'm impressed that anyone would do it.) Third, she came pretty close to a tool I could really use. With a few minor changes, it became something I could use comfortably to compensate for my short arms. In fact, I think that between us we could develop a tool that I think we could perhaps patent and license. :)
After OT, I found Carole (I've been spelling her name wrong all this time and just discovered my error today) and a few other people in the dining room, playing cards, so I joined them for a few games. Then I followed Carole to her room where we had a nice chat. The CNA who promised to bring in her digital camera has yet to remember to do it, but I told Carole that when she does, I want to take a picture of the flower picture she made for me so I can display it online, with her permission (which she granted). I suggested that perhaps people who saw it online would be so impressed with her talent as to commission one from her and she could start a little business. She showed me some others that she had made for the woman next door to her (who happens to be the grandmother of the facility administrator) and I thought all but one were quite pretty (there was one that just didn't look as nice as the others, in my opinion). So when I am finally able to display her work, let me know if you want one made for you. I'm sure we can settle on a reasonable price. :)