Can You Hear Me Now?

Look at me, updating like a mad woman! Well, I’ve got time here. I wish I had this blog 4 years ago, there was a lot of stuff to talk about then too, some memories I’d still like to have from this place!

I got a really nice surprise last night… my brother came to visit me, which was really great but not the big shocker. Darren wheeled me around a bit and I introduced him to a couple ladies… he was such a gentleman and looked them right in the eyes as he shook their hands and said their names. Blanche was right in there hoping to get some Advil Sinus medicine off of him ’cause she’s “so sick and nothing is helping”, but Darren was smart and asked a nurse first. He was told a firm “no” and I told him later about Blanche’s drama queen tendencies. He manages a building that has senior assisted living apartments, so he knows the type very well! Everyone was asking me “who was that handsome man with you last night?”, and it has been decided that my family is gorgeous and everyone wants to set my single brother up with their single daughters/granddaughters. I think he needs to come back soon!

So we were sitting in the lounge and suddenly I hear… “Donna?!?” I turn around and it’s my old boss Sharon, who is here visiting her Dad!! Sharon is awesome… we started working together about 12 years ago and she taught me everything I know about accounting for pubs and restaurants. We have kept in touch over the years, but I haven’t seen her since we met for dinner a couple years ago. She’s getting ready to retire and go part-time for only two pubs in Calgary by the end of the year. No one I know works harder and loves her work more than Sharon! I remember nights we would work together until 9:30 p.m. and then go down for beer and food. We were an awesome team.

So anyway, even after my brother left, Sharon and I sat and talked and talked while her father sat and mostly listened. If there is one thing everyone knows about Sharon, is that the woman can TALK. And so can I, which I think is one reason why we always got along so well. I adore her. She’ll be around a lot now, and hopefully her kids will too… her son was always a hottie and he’s THIRTY now, not the kid I first met, and single. I’m only 8 years older, fat, in a wheelchair, rarely showered here, untamed hair, no make-up… okay not exactly the top of my game. Nevermind.

Today MY nursing student (hi, Jocelyn!) awoke me to practice assessing me and getting me washed/dressed. She walked me to breakfast and then wheeled me over here. While writing this, they started a seated exercise class behind me, so I stopped for a bit to join in.

Now that i have done my exercises and jocelyn should be finished her break, i’m gonna go find her so we can hang out and she can help get me coffee hehe

Have a great day!

It’s the first day of summer! Let’s celebrate with wheelchair races, punch served in sanitized bed pans, and balloons made from latex gloves!

By the way, my email was down when my blog was, and any emails sent to my @innereyes or @mswithattitude addresses during that time were lost… so if you sent me anything and expected a response and haven’t, please send it again!

Yesterday I had a nursing student assigned to me for part of the day. she was really sweet and it was nice to have my very own personal assistant! She assessed me and helped me get my french vanilla after lunch and we talked a lot. she was told to talk with me about MS and learn about it a bit, and the depression that comes with it. but she saw no signs of depression (thanks, Paxil!) and was mighty impressed with my independence and attitude, “you’re on your way”, she said. I hear that a lot!! on my way WHERE? to fame and fortune?? hee! she said she learned a lot from me and admires me, lalalalala! I’m going to wean off the Paxil when I get out of here. Funny, that the last time I weaned off it was after I left here four years ago.

This morning I was forced out of bed at 6:00 a.m. ugh. The guy with my leg brace came by to fit it (it’s different than i thought it would be… will take awhile, and new shoes, to get used to it!) The man I sort of know that made it put a “hi donna” post-it note on it lol. Then I was whisked off to the hospital for more x-rays and a new cast. Bright orange! I think it’s set funny, though. My bones look great the doc says, but it takes about 3 weeks before they can say for sure that i won’t need surgery and that it’s healing in the right position. So far so good, so just hope the bones don’t shift. I go back again next week. I’ll be in this facility until I can safely put weight on this wrist, so it will be a couple weeks yet.

I got to visit Second Cup again… the best part about the hospital trips.

When I got back, the nursing student was here and wanted to practice her assessment on me again. She says she’ll probably be around every day until next week, and she wants to hang with me so we can talk and stuff. I asked her if I could just take her home with me to help, and then I could leave now… but I guess not. She does want my email address though, to keep in touch and see how I’m doing.

Rose and I have another woman joining us at meals, her name is Blanche. She is all skin and bones and so weak/shaky… but a real sweet lady. A bit of a con artsit, apparently! The nurse last night called me a “sucker” and laughed at me! Blanche told me she was in the last stages of C.O.P.D. (something breathing related, I forget, but she wears oxygen and it’s something to do with that) and that she doesn’t have long. “I’m fine with that, no regrets, I’ve had a good life”. Naturally, that makes me want to spend time with her and bring her snacks in the evening and keep her company. The nurse said she is NOT dying, she would be in pallitive care if she was, she just likes the attention, and is always pulling stunts for sympathy on the staff. “She’s got your number!” hehe. What the hell, she likes to talk, and no harm done for me. She’s more positive than Rose, who now wishes out loud at every meal that she could just crawl into bed and die. Blanche verbally smacks her down when she says that!

That’s all the babble for today!

No, I’m not home yet, but i realized i uploaded these pictures and was working on this entry before i broke my wrist. So, for those of you missing the kitties as much as me, here’s a little Pepper for ya.

MOMMA! I broke the fuzzy ball off my toy. What the hell am i supposed to do with it now?

It’s still mine. Don’t try to take it or nuthin’.

Whewww now I’m tired.

Rule of Cuteness #20: Curl up your paw.

Woo hoo, my blog is back! The comments don’t work yet, but it’s all coming together. i missed you, baby.

Things have been busy around the centre. my mom and bob were around a lot on the weekend and i discovered an awesome coffee machine on the 1st floor where i can get french vanillas and mochaccinos for $1!! i am feeding myself most of the time now, and not in much pain. my room mate still drives me crazy but i am getting used to her noises and complaining and memory loss. i walk her through the steps of getting out of her wheelchair, removing her oxygen, using her walker, going to the bathroom, and then back to bed… about three times a day. she always forgets what to do and panics.

I can sit up in my bed or at a table and read magazines now, so i have piles of gossip rags to entertain me (”IT’S NOT BRAD’S BABY!!” ahahaha) and i’m on the phone a lot. Yesterday I talked to Shawna and Emma and i’ll be calling Kim and Rob (”my” rob, not hers haha) soon (mom got me a long distance calling card… i still can’t hold my cell much, plus i’m out of minutes).

I saw my kitties on saturday!! mom and bob brought them by and we just visited in the front entrance, as they’re not allowed in. THEY ARE SO BIG!!!! i can’t believe how much they grew in only a week. i miss them sooooooooooooooooo much… i know they are in good hands with everyone looking after them, but I WANT TO CUDDLE WITH THEM EVERY DAY!! even rob says he misses them and he was only around them for a couple days. snifffffffff!!

Today i was fitted for my leg/foot brace thingy, and it turns out the guy who will be making it is someone i have met a few times. he is really good friends with Kevin and Christine, the owners of the Pub. small world!! i may have it by the end of the week already.

Let’s see, what else… oh, when my mom was here she met Rose, and Rose looked at me and said “that’s your mother?!?! she’s BEAUTIFUL! Puts you to shame!” Ahhh, that Rose. i get such a kick out of her. mom wants to come back during a meal time again soon, because Rose has very little memory and won’t remember she said that, so she will say it again every time she sees her. i hear Rose’s childhood story of her musical family three times at every meal, and every time she tells me I act like it’s the first time I’ve heard it. I just think of the staff at Disneyland who get asked where the bathrooms are 235475743534 times/day, and have to answer all cheerful-like, as if you’re the first person to ever ask them.

My cousin from Toronto also popped in yesterday, (she is still recovering from her crohn’s surgery, and is sooooo skinny, but she should be getting a lot healthier very soon, as the surgery got it all!) and michelle has been around. she’s bringing me some kiddie puzzles because i want to work on the mobility in my right hand and fingers while i’m here.

So, that’s about it. the food is still great and they treat me so well here, i am a “favourite” because i’m young and cognitive, with a sense of humour, lots of determination and a good attitude. that gets you far in a place like this.

Wednesday is more x-rays and maybe a new cast. I’m doing really good i think… i hope i don’t need surgery! cross your fingers for me.

I’ll check in again soon!

Today’s notes ~

• Sophia is driving me nuts. All the noises and jerking gasps and talking to herself and complaining… i am sorry you don’t know how to use your tv remote, but yelling “DOWN! DOWN! DOWN!” at it will not adjust the volume. i said to the staff earlier: “i thought you liked me”. “oh! we DO!” “well, then, why did you stick me with grumpy mcwhiney weird noises?” heh.
• I was within listening vicinity when an 85+ woman was told by a nurse she was being tranferred to a nursing home. she bawled and bawled… asking about her clothes and all her things at home… it’s a sad day when you learn you won’t be going home again. happens to someone here every day. heartbreaking.
• Rose told me i am pretty and peppy before she fell asleep in her soup.
• My friend/client ken came to visit and brought me a venti soy vanilla latte!
• I had my first physio session today. they are going to get me fitted for a foot orthotic/leg brace thingy that will help my toes lift when i walk, and hopefully prevent these falls. I came out of this place w/awesome helpful equipment last time, too!
• Jason called me at 1:00 to make sure i knew they would be on CKUA at 2:00. I listened in and they did a shout out to me!
• Rob called and we had a nice long chat.
• Michelle came by tonight and brought me homemade cookies and diet coke w/lime AND an entertainment magazine i should be able to read without the need to hold it open. then she wheeled me here so i could write this.
• On the whole, i am BORED TO TEARS in this place. it may sound SO exciting, but it’s basically wasting time between meals…. VISIT ME IF YOU CAN!

so i went to the hospital this morning for x-rays. my wrist is “in a great place, and as long as it stays there it should heal fine”. but, because i fractured it at a joint, there is a good chance of arthritis someday. whatever, they said the same thing about my ankle 4 years ago. i’ll worry about that another day.

so i need to go back for x-rays every week for 3 weeks and see if the cast will need to be changed if it gets looser, or i (god forbid) i need surgery to keep the bone in place. i am going to be in this facility for at least a couple more weeks, anyway!

on a good note, the patient transport guy let me go into the second cup and helped me get my latte (YAY!) and also a coffee for an LPN i really like who also has a love for good coffee. she was very surprised and really appreciated that!

they moved me to another room today (i had been in the private “admitting” room, that is never permanent). now i have a nice roommate, Sophia, except she is on oxygen and breathes loud and hacks and makes gross noises. good-bye, sleep. she does have a tv though, so that is a plus, but only if i like her shows lol

it’s getting easier to type. 2-3 fingers now, i may update often! one day i’ll have to tell the story of how i actually managed to get an ambulance to save me on friday.

today’s funny moment ~

we eat our meals in the dining area and are always in the same spot. i had two 90-ish old ladies with me, but one moved to another facility today. anyway, the other one, rose, has no memory (she will ask 3 times where the sugar is, then forget she already put 2 sugars in her cream of wheat, and then complains they made it too sweet after she puts in the third packet). she is very quiet, doesn’t say much, and is hard of hearing. so, while eating dinner, this other old lady walks by verrrrry slowly with her walker and says hello. after she passes us, rose quips : “there is nothing nice about that woman” and makes a dirty face. “she’d slit your throat if she could”. i laughed my ass off. you just don’t expect that coming from quiet grandmas.

quick note to let ya’all know i fell again on friday and this time i broke my left wrist. one finger typing here so don’t expect caps! anyway, that leaves me with no good hands and i’m staying in a long-term sorta care facility (the same place i was in 4 years ago when i broke my left ankle… can you believe it!) no updates for awhile, but i sure will have lots to talk about when i get out!

thanks to my mom, bob, michelle, AH, lisa, russ and everyone who has visited and will be visiting. and bringing me coffee and chocolate. and offering to babysit my kitties! (take lots of pictures ha ha!)

i keep begging for soy vanilla lattes in an IV but they’re not listening. the coffee sucks. BRING ME TIMMIES!

talk soon. xo

I have spent most of today and yesterday in bed. Much, much needed… the days (nights) before were very active and long. And fun.

After Rob left on Monday, I used up the rest of my film taking kitty pictures and then raced over to the mall to get them developed. During the hour wait I got my latte and talked on the phone with AH. I didn’t want to go back home for the hour because getting my scooter in and out is quite the feat, and now that the kitties know which door is “out”, I also need to spend time catching them and getting them back inside. It’s hard work because I can’t run and they can! So I use Treats to get them close to me and then pick them up while they’re eating them. One day they may catch on and then I’ll need a long handled net.

Monday evening I arrived at Karma at about 7:30. Shortly after I got there Ronley Teper and Christine Bougie arrived. Ronley and I have been chatting quite a bit on MySpace and were really looking forward to meeting. Christine and I have messaged a bit too, so she knew who she was going to meet! The biggest indie music supporter in Canada next to Emma! (I think her exact words when Ronley told her, were something along the lines of: “YAAAAAA!!! We’re gonna meet DONNA!”)

When Ronley saw me, she said “you know, you see people’s pictures on MySpace and then you meet them in person and they look nothing like that. But you, you look like your pictures. In fact, you look better!” Awww. *Hugs*

I really need to go to Karma more often. Their menu is fabulous and the food is soooo good! I had a really hard time deciding what I wanted. If I went more often I could try everything that sounded good to me! I settled on a thin thin thin whole wheat crust pizza with feta cheese, pineapple and tomatoes. Mmmmm

It was a small crowd (to be expected on a Monday night in Calgary) but attentive. Ronley is not your typical singer/songwriter with an acoustic guitar… she is a very avant-garde performance artist that many may find over their head at times (including me, there were moments of “WTF?”) I actually think she truly defines art because there are moments you feel a little uncomfortable and out of your element, combined with moments of laughter and sheer joy. At times I was simply caught up in the moment and at other times admiring her for having the courage to do what she does the way she does it. And other times I thought she was on crazy drugs! It was fun and highly entertaining.

Animal awaits Ronley and Christine to join him on stage.

The Band, L-R: Christine Bougie, Ronley Teper, and Animal.

I know, disposable cameras take very grainy pictures in the dark.

Christine is an incredible multi-instrumentalist. An amazing musician and she works so well with Ronley, you can tell they play together a lot. Christine can totally keep up with her antics. Ronley and Christine are both total sweethearts and we talked a lot before the show and between sets.

Me and Ronley. The flash above my head must mean we’re angels.

Me and Christine

I left around 1:30 a.m. and promised myself the next day I would stay in bed! When I got home, I tripped over myself (the non-lifting right foot thing) and went flying in my hallway. That shook me up and bruised me up pretty badly. I literally crawled into bed.

The only tentative plans I had for the next day were to see Jason; he was coming into the city for a show that night anyway (one that I for some reason thought was a private sort of thing and never looked into), so he was going to drop off paperwork and meet my kitties and we would possibly go for food, it was all sort of up in the air. I was so tired, I stayed in bed until about 1:30 p.m. I called him and left a message to find out what his plans were and where he was at. He called me about an hour later and said they were on their way in to do sound check and he didn’t have his paperwork with him, so could we do that another time? And, are you coming to the show tonight? Oh. Well, I hadn’t planned on it, being so fatigued and still sore from the fall the night before… but how do you say “no” to the Polyjesters? “My folks will be there”. Oh, well, DEFINITELY!! Jason said he’d put me on the guest list and they went on at 9:30. They were performing at the Vertigo theatre and there was a play on before them.

I took my time getting showered and dressed and prayed I would make it through one more late night. I called Access and cancelled my bookings for the next day and switched them to Friday because I knew I wouldn’t be able to work on Wednesday! (I love being self-employed!) At about 7:30 Jason called again to make sure I was going to come, and I had JUST finished getting totally ready. I asked him what time I should be there, so I didn’t arrive during the play, and he said probably around 8:30. Then he told me to call his parent’s cell and find out what time they would be there (they were driving in from Didsbury, about an hour away). I hung up and called the cell; Carol answered and said “we are right by your place!” They were a block away at the moment I called. Perfect! So, they came by and grabbed me and we all went down together. That was fate and I knew I was meant to go, no matter how badly I was dragging my butt!

When we arrived we used my handy dandy handicapped parking pass to be right close to the elevators (I said, “I just have to remember to get it back from you before you leave” and Carol said “oh, we’re taking you home too”. Sweeties. I’d spent enough cab fare the night before so that saved me!) and went into the Auburn Saloon which is right across from the theatre. It’s a Martini Bar, and I have This Thing about ordering a martini in a martini bar even though I would prefer a beer. I just make sure I get a big glass of water too, so I don’t drink it too fast!

We went in and took our front row seats for the show. It was being filmed for a DVD by Mob Hit Productions (they were part of the “Old School Festival”, playing old songs with modern flair, as well as their originals that are inspired – NOT ripped off – by these old songs). The guys would end up with some good promo out of this performance and maybe we’ll get to see the entire DVD someday.

The show was awesome, of course. The sound was perfect and it was a great room, so that made it even better. Sometimes I forget just how brilliant of a fiddler Matthew is until he is right in front of me and they do a song that really showcases him. Breathtaking. He brought down the house! Most of the audience consisted of friends and family, but the few that were there who had never seen them before were justifiably blown away, they thought the PJ’s were the best thing ever!

After the show it was over to Auburn for another drink. This time I got a pint of beer. Jason and Sheldon left right after one drink because Sheldon’s girlfriend had to catch a flight back home early the next morning. Barry, Carol and myself finished up our beer (I had to drink half of Carol’s, she’s a slow poke) and they drove me home. I crashed into bed at about 1:30 a.m. again.

On Wednesday I didn’t even get dressed. I spent most of the day in bed or in my La-Z-Boy, and talked on the phone with Emma for a good long time. Today I finally took a shower and got dressed around 3:00 because I wanted to get to the mall for my latte, post office, and to get the above photos developed!

What every bedside table needs… a lamp, a phone, a clock, and a Pita.

omgomgomgomgomg… sooooooooo cute!

Pepper joins in…

And decides she’s more important than the clock.