Thanks for writing

[Ellen Cooney]

George Boyer wrote:
> 
> Ruth and Dave - Thanks for the extended picture....give a better 'feel' of
> the situation.  One thing strikes me right off (and then I have to rush off
> to my census training):  what's with the wheelchair bit???  Why not crutches
> all the way?  Sounds like Dave is vigorous and there should be nothing to
> keep him confined to the idea of a chair when he could be on crutches, which
> after all will be a permanent part of his life from now on.  Gotta go.

But think how the trip and the wedding will be ruined for Ruth and Dave if the
crutches are not enough and the wheelchair is needed -- but they don't have it
with them. 

My husband is a right BK (12/99). He is just about fully independent here at
home, but traveling brings with it a lot of dependencies. Age and other
conditions are a factor. Tom is 65 and has advanced arthritis. The arthritis in
his long leg and in his shoulders makes use of crutches difficult if not
impossible. 

When traveling, we find there are longer distances to be covered (even just in
and out of hotels), unexpected stairs and inclines etc. We end up using the
wheelchair for longer distances. Even if the chair didn't get used on the whole
trip, it would be worth having there just in case so that we weren't prevented
from doing things. 

Ruth, your account of Dave's getting cramps in his legs and ending up in the ER
gave me chills, it was so familiar. Tom had an aneurysm that clotted behind his
knee. Hours later we were in the ER, but the doc misdiagnosed it as sciatic pain
from his back and sent us home with pain killers. By the time we got back to the
hospital, the lower leg was dead and Tom was close to kidney failure because of
the dying tissue. We did 20 days in the hospital -- most of which Tom doesn't
remember -- then ten weeks at home for recovery, then back to the hospital for
repair of additional aneurysms that (fortunately) they spotted in this process.
After that, two months where he could stand or lie down, but not sit. 

The good news is, it does get better and life gets back to normal. 

Ellen
-- 
Ellen Cooney  (ekcooney at way.opens.org)
Start-Up Education, P.O.Box 7072, Pueblo West, Colorado, 81007 USA   
Find out about Start-Up Education: http://way.opens.org/start-up 
And "visit" Pueblo West on the web: http://way.opens.org/pueblowest