Do It Myself Blog – Glenda Watson Hyatt

In ten days, Darrell and I are off to Las Vegas for our belated summer vacation and for BlogWorld ’08. I am so looking forward to seeing my dear (and somewhat goofy) friends Chris Brogan and Liz Strauss again, and many others! Plus, perhaps, learn a thing or two about blogging and social media. There is always something to learn in this field.

I’m also looking forward to a not so steep learning curve in navigating Vegas this time around. I’m the navigator in this duo, and I confess I couldn’t figure out how to get out of the dang airport – not a good sign for the rest of the trip! I didn’t know we had to take a tram to the main terminal area, and the signage sucked and staff was non-existent. Boy, I felt like a dweeb!

This time I know where the closest wheelchair washrooms are, after deplaning; I know the tram trick; I know where the wheelchair registration desk is at the hotel to avoid a line up. (Membership has its privileges!) And, I even know the crazy elevator route at Convention Center’s monorail station. (I’m sure some architect designed it that way merely to confused the disabled!)

This time to Vegas, I’ll look like I’ve been there before!

I am, however, feeling guilty for leaving my baby Faith home alone for that long. Hopefully Uncle Bob will be available for kitty-sitting. But, I have a feeling Faith will be up to her own mischief. Stay tuned!

Meanwhile, I have a million things to do before we leave.

After waiting several weeks to get my outside scooter in for servicing yet again, it was finally picked up on Friday morning. Being the second to last weekend of the summer, the timing sucks. I’m stuck inside, literally. But, considering Darrell and I are off to Las Vegas in mid-September for BlogWorld, I want to be sure the chair is in good working order, so I’m content with the inconvenience.

However, with my outside scooter went my only functioning battery charger. I tried the other one again this afternoon to no avail. I suspect a wire is broken or loose in the plug. No matter how I wiggled the cord, I couldn’t get a connection. With my old Amigo scooter, an elastic band from the brake handle to the charger plug did the trick. No such luck with this charger.

This means I have a chair, but no way to charge it! And the batteries are dying quickly; they require replacing but that is another story. I have been sitting at my desk all afternoon and evening to reduce battery usage – it is one way of getting out of doing housework!

I suspect my other chair will be returned Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning. And, I figure I have one more trip left from my desk to the bedroom and ensuite.

Eventually the batteries will be totally dead. The question is: where do I want to be stuck? At my desk where I can get work done? Or in the bathroom for when nature calls?

I can physically push this scooter from my desk to the bathroom once or twice, but not umpteen times a day. Or, I can drag out my juvenile-sized manual wheelchair and try squeezing my middle-aged bootie into it. Or, I can spend Sunday, the day of rest, in bed and finish reading the August issue of O Magazine in August!

What do I do?

My apologies for not posting frequently this summer. With my kind of cerebral palsy, I don’t do well in the heat. Hence, hot days are not productive, which is frustrating because I have blog posts and other things to do piled up to my wazoo – how high that is I’m not exactly sure. Some things are better not knowing!

Stay tuned for the next Accessibility 100 post – A Checklist for Planning an Accessible Event. I am also working on another two-part article for Uptake. This one will be tips for parents and fellow travelers when traveling with children with autism.

And, my kitty Faith is pestering me for her own blog. She figures as CFO, Chief Feline Officer, of this operation, she has much to meow about. No doubt she would make more money online than I do!

For now, here are a few posts from my Disaboom blog for your perusal:

• Where Is A Wheelchair Washroom When I Need One?
• Since When is Cerebral Palsy a Crime, Punishable by Death?
• 6 Lessons I’ve Learned about Blogging
• A Jewel of a Lesson for Special Needs Parents
• Cerebral Palsy: Developmental Delay or Developmental Halt?

Stay cool!

Do you remember what you were doing ten years ago today?

I sure do!

I, along with a team of family members, bridesmaids, soon-to-be in-laws and my fiancé, were taking care of a seemingly million things before the Big Day!

Yes, Darrell and I have been ten years tomorrow! Ten years? Already? Where does the time go?

I won’t say the past ten years have been easy; every married couple would know I’d be lying. But, I am grateful and thankful for being on this journey.

Darrell is a wonderfully loving and caring husband. He supports my ambitions and ideas, no matter how crazy they may sound at the time. He knows how to handle me when I am about ready to toss my computer out the window. He keeps me well stocked in chocolate – the good kind! And, when he holds me, I feel safe in his arms.

Reflecting back over the past decade together, one lesson that I’ve learned is the importance of understanding and patience, which isn’t always easy for a fiery red-head. Sometimes it’s much easier to fire out a “Why weren’t listening?” when says he didn’t hear me, but what would that do, except hurt the one I love? Instead, I try to take a deep breath and repeat myself, calmly. I confess that I don’t always succeed, and, occasionally, those verbal darts shoot out.

The same goes for understanding. Although I don’t believe it is possible to fully understand what it is like to walk in another’s shoes, so to speak, I do believe it is possible to better understand, which takes communication and patience from both individuals. After ten years, I finally better understand what it is like for Darrell to have absolutely no depth perception. I now better understand that when I go zipping along the sidewalk downhill, he feels he is about to drop off of a cliff. I now try to be more aware and to guide him. Getting to that point took several discussions, a few tears and much patience.

In the end, it comes down to accepting each other’s quirks, and accommodating and working around (or with) them as a team, as a married couple.

Happy anniversary, Darrell! God willing, and as along as we don’t kill one another before then, let’s go for another ten!

Two lives,
Two hearts,
Joined in friendship,
United forever in love….

(Photo credit: Darrell Hyatt)

Because a few of you have found your way here after googling phrases like “AFOs”, “cerebral palsy braces”, and “cerebral palsy shoes” – for which I thank you, this post is for those looking for more information on AFOs (ankle-foot orthotics). Having nothing to hide, I gladly share mine with you.

The AFO is a custom fitted brace made from heavy plastic (or perhaps fiberglass, I’m not sure, but it isn’t as heavy as the metal braces from the old days). The process begins with a casting. It took three casts to get my foot and ankle in the best possible position. I was sore afterwards, after having my body torqued in directions that it doesn’t usually go.

Then there were a few more appointments for further tweaking to make it as comfortable as possible. Imagine making a stiff, hard casts comfy. No matter what is done, it doesn’t feel like bedroom slippers!

Some AFOs have articulated joints at the ankle. The doctor wasn’t that kind to me. My foot doesn’t move at all! This makes getting up into the standing position because I’m teetering on my heel until I’m fully up and can put my foot flat on the ground. Not great for someone with tenuous balance at the best of times!

Because of the width of the AFO (also dubbed the Anti Fashion Object), I must wear wide men’s shoes, thankfully with Velcro fasteners. I’m searching for ultra girly tops to counterbalance the male bottom.

To be honest, I am not keen to be back in a brace. I thought suffered through triple arthrodesis surgeries the summer before Grade Six, many moons ago, freed me from braces forever. But, the surgeon did warn the bones may slip at some point in the future, which I feel occurred a few years ago even though today’s doctors say nothing has moved – not that they’ve compared current x-rays with post-surgery ones. My ankle has been sore and slightly swollen most days for these past few years.

Wearing the AFO does put my ankle in a better position. Some days it relieves the pain. Other days it exacerbates the discomfort. I choose when I wear it. If I am going out and may be using less than ideal washrooms, where I need to be solid on my feet, I don’t wear it. And, on these hot summer days, when my ankles swell anyway, forget it! If my foot is extra sore, I put the thing on to try to get some relief. Because I’m now an adult, I now have that choice!

For parents researching AFOs for their child with special needs and for adults with disabilities facing the possibility, I hope this helped. Feel free to ask any questions you may have and I’ll try to answer them.