Can You Hear Me Now?

For the first time in a long time, I can honestly say I’m feeling good, and looking forward to the future! My God, it’s been forever since I felt this way.

I think it’s a combination of a few things. For starters, my big shipment of StemEnhance arrived and I’m working my way up to 2 capsules every two hours. I’m really hopeful that this is going to help me a lot. I also met with my new Physiotherapist I’ll be seeing at the hospital near me, and he was so positive that I can get some mobility back, that it made me more optimistic, too. He is really nice, and I’ll be seeing him twice/week for the time being. I’m sure I will eventually be referred back to the group exercise classes at Living Well with a Chronic Illness, which is fine as long as I’m able to do it. But for now, I’m thrilled to have some one-on-one P/T for at least a month or so. Between physio, Range of Motion exercises with my home care and my Chi Machine, I’m getting a decent amount of exercise and will hopefully be able to add walks up and down the hallway to that list soon (when I I feel stronger and more balanced and confident!)

Once I decided to pursue self-managed care, that took a load off, too. Even though it may take 6 months or so to set up, at least I can look towards the future and the possibilities of having a lot more help getting out and about and getting to the POOL and even a fresh salad prepared for me once in awhile (I seriously will not prepare or eat salad on my own, but if it is prepared for me, even from a bag, and handed to me I will not only eat it, but I will enjoy it. I need a wife). I tried to get into the self-managed care presentation on May 7 but it was booked solid. I’ll be going next month. And if you don’t show up, you are BLACKLISTED. They have huge waiting lists. That’s why even if I decide to do it and get my assessment it takes months for the funding to come through. So, in the meantime, if StemEnhance does its job I won’t NEED extra care, thankyouverymuch.

The other thing that has helped lift my spirits is that I FINALLY got the proper forms filled out and went through the numerous channels and made several phone calls to get Access Calgary to change my mobility status from “ambulatory” to the fact that I will mostly be using my scooter (and power chair, if I get it) when I go out, so they stop sending me regular cars and send me wheelchair vans or busses instead. This gives me a whole lot of freedom! Yesterday I went to my physio appointment ALL BY MYSELF! Until I get my power chair I will still need my dad to take me to most medical appointments in my folding chair because my scooter is too big to fit into most offices (and restaurants and live music venues and other places I want to go). But now I can make arrangements to spend an afternoon wandering downtown or in another mall besides the one next door (which is a great little mall and very handy with a Wal-Mart right there, but a change of scenery would be nice. Plus they don’t have a MAC counter or a Purdy’s).

The downside to that status change is that I will never have AH as a driver again because he drives a regular car. Not that I’ve used Access in the past year anyway, and not that AH and I even talk much these days, but it was always a nice thought that there was a chance he’d be the one picking me up and even if the trip was a loooong city-tour one, I wouldn’t complain because I’d have a nice person to talk and laugh with. He’ll just have to get a wheelchair van now, that’s all haha

And that brings me to the next thing that has helped my outlook on life, seeing AH again and having a nice evening out with friends! Shawna and her boyfriend Billy took me out for dinner last weekend, and since Billy and AH are friends (we are the reason Shawna and Billy met in the first place) and our birthdays are the same day, he came along too! I haven’t seen AH in over a year and have barely talked to him. It was so great to see him and reminded me how much I like talking to him and how much fun I have just being around him. And how kind he can be; he reminded me he gets all the movie channels and will record any movies I want to see, and he’s going to bring me pure bovine colostrum (colostrum is really good for your immune system, digestive system, all kinds of things and although you can get it in supplements, AH’s wife gets it directly from the Hutterite’s cows for free). He mixes it with a bit of milk and makes a kind of yogurt out of it. Sounds yuck but it is really good for you.

Billy and Shawna at dinner. Playing with my MacBook photo settings.

Me and AH. I obviously smudged out his features because after everything I have said about him in here, I don’t think it’s a good idea to reveal him completely!

And now that I’ve played around with those photos, I have realized I saved them that way and will never be able to see the originals again. Ack!

Anyway, long time readers know AH and I went through quite a lot there a few years ago when we first met and he was separated from his wife, but I’m pleased to say that although I still think he’s a very attractive man, there is absolutely no physical attraction there anymore. And the more I get to know him as a friend, the more I piece together all the lies he was telling me back then to get me to go out with him (I figured out a doozy last week). It may be water under the bridge now, but man, I don’t understand how any woman could be with a man who lies so often, easily, and effortlessly. That’s scary. At least I’m not the one married to him.

Shawna will be here any minute so I’ll need to take a blog break. I think we are going to see a movie later. Getting out with friends certainly helps a girl going through some rough times handle it better!

So I mentioned about a year ago that I switched my TV from the only choice we used to have, Shaw Cable, to the new service from the phone company, Telus TV. Free digital, one year free service, yadda yadda yadda. So my one year free is up, and when I got my bill yesterday something didn’t seem right, so I called them to ask about it. Also in my mail was a letter from Shaw, asking me to come back to them and they’ll give me a free PVR. I’d also heard Telus was giving away PVRs to new customers. So I decided I am getting a free PVR, too. I called them about my bill, and after that was explained, I told him I’d heard about free PVRs and that Shaw offered me one to go back to them, so what could Telus do for me? He said - get this - “oh, they are not free PVRs. If you agree to a new three year contract, you get a PVR unit and we will set it up for you at no charge. The cost for rental is $20/month, and we credit you back the $20.” So… what you’re telling me is the PVR costs $20/month, but you waive that fee? How is that not free? He put me through to the customer loyalty department where a new guy said “so you want a PVR, and you don’t want to pay for it?” Yes, please. “We can do that.” I asked him if the PVR is “free” for the first year, or the three years of the contract, or what? He said “you don’t pay for the PVR as long as you use Telus TV.” Correct me if I’m wrong, as I’m sure the Telus people will, but that, my friends, is a free PVR. I get it installed next Sunday (yes, their techs work Sundays!) and really look forward to being able to pause live TV so I can go to the bathroom and not miss anything. Apparently I am the first person to say that to the guy on the phone. “Everyone always says ‘go to the kitchen’.” Well. Everyone is obviously LYING.

Shawna and I went to see “17 Again” last night. It was cute. Zac Efron is hot. I’m sorry, but he is. I’m 41 and I’m allowed to say so.

I feel exceptionally good today. I don’t know if the StemEnhance is starting to kick in or what, but I am liking this. I can actually say I like life again, and I haven’t been able to say that for a long time. This is good. Last night I was in bed and I remember feeling sooooo good, snuggled in my comfy bed in my awesome sheets (1200 thread count Egyptian cotton I got for a steal off eBay) and fluffy duvet and just feeling blessed and lucky. I don’t know where it’s coming from, but I hope it keeps on coming. I’m pretty sure listening to Wayne Dyer’s Being in Balance audio on my iPod every day for weeks hasn’t hurt. That stuff has to register at some point.

I am still having a grand ‘ol time on Twitter. I follow some hilariously funny people. Some actors aren’t funny unless they are reading from a script. I don’t follow them for long. But some ARE (Aziz Ansari, I’m looking at you) and even better are the writers that write their funny lines for TV. That’s pretty much what I do on Twitter; laugh and re-tweet things that make me laugh. And toss out the odd original update/observation. I do follow a few friends and authors of blogs I read, and have even connected with some pretty cool people I might not otherwise have come across, but I’m no power-Twitterer. Those people scare me.

Time to fill up the cat food bins and get on my chi machine. Ciao!

I just want to smoosh my face into Pepper. I often do.