Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Chapter 20 - September 6, 2011

I heard something funny the other day. It came from a friend of mine, and it applies to
anyone with my condition: He said, Some days you’re the bug. Other days you’re the
windshield. We are going to have ups and downs and they’re pretty major. You see,
anything you would normally experience, like a cold or the flu, or a bad day, is multiplied
ten fold.

I had another bad day. There’s always a good day around the corner. Not much to report
really. I’ve been producing a lot of saliva in my mouth. It pools at night in the back
of my throat and makes me choke. I wake up often coughing a lot. It affects my sleep
pattern for sure. It’s probably why I was so tired the other day. Another thing to deal
with. Such a pain in the ass. I did get a bit of encouragement from my therapist today.
She had been away on a 2 week vacation. She noticed my eyes were getting better. And
it’s true, they are. It’s just very slow, but it’s encouraging to get feedback from someone
else.

I got some news the other day. It reminded me how fragile life is. You see, a guy we
used to windsurf with died windsurfing. He apparently hit some debris in the water after
the hurricane came through. You never know what’s around the corner, so enjoy every
moment possible. Anyway, that’s negative, but I feel bad for him and his family.

On a positive note: my nephew had his birthday the other day. It was fun to see him and
see all his friends. They were laughing and swimming and playing soccer. It made me
want to join them. I’d love to get out of this damn wheelchair. But I had a good time
with cake and ice cream. It was a nice little party.

Speaking of parties, I started swimming therapy again. It’s been great. It really does
help with one’s balance. I highly recommend it. I’ll tell you, any therapy is great and
so helpful. I was in the living room and I heard my mom crying the other day. She got
a letter from the state and they said for some patients they would discontinue or limit
therapy. She got upset before she finished the letter, because people like me, traumatic
brain injury, are exempt, and I will still get my therapy as required. But I feel bad for the
people who will be restricted. Therapy is so important. I don’t get it. I mean it makes
more sense to me to make sure someone gets better so they can join the real world again,
like work, pay taxes, etc. Otherwise, they just become a burden to society. Therapy is so
important. It really does help. I’ve been at it for about 2 years now, and it has made me
get better. Don’t even get me started. It’s important to have therapy. I’ll just leave it at
that.

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