gadgets

Gadgets, also known as Aides to Daily Living are very important in the life of a quad. You'll surely be suggested may 'devices' from your Occupational Therapist, and can find all sorts of neat ideas from catalogs. But some of the best and most useful ones that I have are ones I threw together quickly.

Probably the most important one I have, is my modified coat hanger. I took an old metal coat hanger (the kind you get from the dry cleaner) and stretched it out, with the hook at one end. You can bend the hook into a tighter "J" to give it more strength. If you've dropped something, or something is just out of reach, this can be a life saver. I keep 2 in my car, one in the bedroom and another in the kitchen. I'll try and post a pic soon.

juggling

If you're a new quad, you got a lot to juggle. Some of the things that may not seem important now might have consequences down the line. One thing I've noticed is that most quads I see have the fingers in their hand fairly open. In my case, they are more closed. Looking back, I remember that wearing the splints they gave me for my hands was very uncomfortable. I remember constantly taking them off, and not getting much resistance. Actually, maybe I did get resistance and just don't remember. Maybe I was just being my stubborn old self.

What I have now are hands that are tighter than they should have been. I'm not sure if I'm better off or worse off because of it, but I do know it would have been good to understand my decision and it's repercussions. So, no matter how trivial something you do might seem now, be sure you understand both sides to the decision.

Hands down, it's the right way to go :)

links

You may notice that I added a section to the right called 'helpful links'. Any time I find something relevant to my topic that might be useful, I'll add a link. I've put in a few from past topics and will add more. If you have any to suggest, feel free to do so!

regular maintenance required

I'm writing this sitting in the x-ray dept waiting room. Six weeks ago I broke my leg when I fell getting into my car. I'm here to see if it's healed and the cast can come off today. It's the second time I broke my leg, the last time was in 86. To this day I don't know how I did it the first time.

I'm 35 years into my life as a quad. I have regular bone density tests (sort of regular), as we quads have a tendency to have weak bones, particularly in our lower body. I take medication to strengthen my bones and try to take lots of calcium and vitamin D. I do this even though I still see myself as indestructible in many ways.

The reality is that I'm going to continue pushing my limits, and I'm sure I'll fall again. I don't know how to live any other way. But I'm going to have to acknowledge that I'm getting older, and that it just makes good sense to keep the body in the best working order possible.

*postscript: the cast has been removed :)

release

Your life is packed with extras, and I hope for you that they are mostly positive in nature. You will likely find some things take their toll on you, both mentally and physically. I highly recommend that you find a way to deal with that, a way to release that pressure. Each of us has a way which will work best for us. Find yours, be it some form of psychotherapy (my preference is art therapy), a good workout in the gym or sharing your thoughts with someone special.

I'm not big on cliches, but keeping it bottled up really isn't good.

heat wave

It's that time of year here, when the temperatures can and are getting pretty hot. Since my blood doesn't circulate as well, my body isn't able to regulate it's temperature as well as it needs to. This means I have to be extra aware of my body's temperature. This advice is based only my experience, and not meant to be professional medical advice.

When I've gotten so hot that I can barely function, I find putting cold wet towels on my body can help. There are spots that I find have a bigger effect, like the side of my neck under my ear. A wet towel around the neck can be great. You may find other spots work for you. I've also found that if I burn myself, keeping a cold wet towel on the burn can have a dramatic effect on the burn. Be sure and keep the towel damp and leave it on 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, enjoy the weather, and be careful when you're around sources of heat :)

limits

As you 'grow' into your new life, you'll find there is no road map. What you can and can't do will only become clear as you test your limits. Sometimes pushing yourself may hurt.

A few years into my disability I went on a canoe trip, where there were 4 quad and 4 non-disabled participants. Things were carefully planned, and having had my own canoe in the past I was excited. But we weren't prepared for a storm that came in overnight. We got caught in a heavy rain storm and the temperature dropped quickly. When we made it back to the main camp, I huddled close to a small heater in the cabin. What I didn't realize, is that although I was cold and wet, while leaning on the heater the heat was going through my heavy sweater and burning my arm. The next morning I woke up with 3rd degree burns on my arm. Looking back on it, what I remember is that I survived, and was proud that I tested my limits.

And it makes for a great story :)