Day of Little Annoying Things

In case any of you thought my life had become more dignified now that I am out of the hospital, no longer bound to an IV or leg squeezing mechanisms or an epidural needle or a catheter (although in a perverse way, I really miss the catheter - you can't feel it and you never have to get up to pee! Drink all the water you want! Carry your pee around with you in a bag!) there are some minor indignities that I currently face on a daily basis.

To wit:



Extra-wide, for my extra wideness. Actually it's more about the height - I can't sit that far down yet, although my knee-bending skills are getting better and better every day. Yesterday for the first time I lifted my foot one inch off the floor for a half millisecond! Very exciting! Today I did it for a whole millisecond!

Anyway, this is the latest setup:



Which I was really excited about because up til now it's been washcloths in bed. The bench came 2 days ago and the building maintenance people removed the glass shower doors to fit it in. We ordered a rubber nozzle attachment to go onto the tub faucet and yesterday was supposed to be the day that I got to take a real shower like a real person (if that real person was sitting down) including my first shampoo since before the hospital. Only when my mom tried to attach the nozzle it didn't work with our faucet because of the pin that sticks up (you can see it in the picture) for when you want the regular shower to work, because you are a regular person without special sitting down needs. Rraargh.

And then the basket for the front of my walker also arrived yesterday. Said basket frees my mom from having to be my personal backpack from room to room... and then back to the other room. I have a surprising number of things that need to be near me: medication, water, crackers, notebook, pen, blackberry, reading book, sudoku, mechanical pencil, butt pillow, Life&Style magazine, bon bons...

But of course, when we tried to attach the basket to the front of the walker, it didn't fit properly, although it does sort of hang well enough to fudge it, but now creates an irritating squeak as I trundle along.

None of which would be that big of a deal if my world wasn't two rooms-sized. And if it hadn't been such a beautiful looking day outside. And if my hair wasn't 2 weeks dirty. Several batches of crying jags ensued.

But then, as always with life, good news started peaking its nose in. I got the go ahead from the visiting nurse to go OUTSIDE! In the sun! With the other people! And a beautiful bouquet of flowers was delivered from Ubuntu (they do incredible life-changing work go write them a check right now). And my dad and stepmom sent a huge care package of cookies. And my mom figured out I could sit on the bench and use a pitcher from the kitchen to pour water over myself for a bath, which was amazing. And this morning I washed my hair as well. Ahh, bliss. Mom is going over to my old apartment to get my backpack and attach it to the front of the walker so I'll be squeak free. Life is good again. Now if only my sacrum would chill out...