News & New Chairs....
Sep. 26th, 2010 11:12 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jeshyrSo ... time for some news and stuff ...
My hernia operation was deemed a success, though of course I'm not all healed up yet. I came home a week ago and have been generally hiding and recouperating since then ... I'm still very sore which is concerning me a little, but I have a post-op checkup at the hospital on Tuesday so they can make sure all is well.
Also have to see the dentist on Thursday, which I would otherwise put off but he's very busy and I had to make the appointment a few months ago, so unless I'm completely unable to make it I'll call a cab and drag myself along there. Hopefully it won't be too bad - it's three fillings but none of them are about to make my jaw fall off, I just don't want to leave them until they do incapacitate me with pain because really I have better things to do!
In general, operation aside, my health's still going great with the Midodrine. I'm still on enforced no-exercising-after-operation rest
My garden is in full "riotous spring colour!" mode with freesias and geraniums and that-yellow-thing-I-can-never-identify all flowering and my deciduous trees bursting into leaf and everything growing like topsy. It looks utterly glorious and, as every other year, I'm enjoying having the shade from the leaves of the trees which means I can have the curtains open with much less eyestrain going on from the glare!
I also finally got my new wheelchair! Here is a photo:
It's all a very sexy matte black at the moment which is great but a bit too understated for my long-term liking, and I'm not too fond of the grey tyres and grey-brown pushrims with the black frame.
I got the frame in black because it's the only un-switchable bit and I'll be stuck with it for a decade. I was tempted to go with something light royal purple but then I realised that in 10 years I'll be 45 and ... eek, scary thought in general really! So I got the un-swappable bits done in matte black and planned to switch around the switchable bits.
I've seen some tyres which both come in a sort of Royal Blue that I really like:
1. http://www.sportaid.com/schwalbe-rightrun-wheelchair-tires-24-x-1-25-540-145psi_pr.html
2. http://www.sportaid.com/primo-v-trak-black-side-wheelchair-tires-24-x-1-25-540-4-colors.html
I also need to get some tape for the handrims anyway, to make it easier to grip. It's the type of tape people put on tennis rackets for grip so I imagine it comes in about a million different colours and I'll be able to match the blue without too much hassle. At least, I hope so!!
I'm also planning to switch the cargo net (droopy thing under the seat - you toss things in it to carry them) to a blue netting by grabbing a bunch of blue cord and digging up my long-lost macrame skills! I've had a look at the current netting and it's not finished off at all really (my craft teachers wouldn't have been too impressed!) so it'll need some sewing anyway and making netting is easy. I am not sure where to get the right cord, but I am fairly sure that Google will be able to help with that one.
I can't remember any other bits and pieces just now, so tell me what I forgot!
you're all wonderful:)
r
My hernia operation was deemed a success, though of course I'm not all healed up yet. I came home a week ago and have been generally hiding and recouperating since then ... I'm still very sore which is concerning me a little, but I have a post-op checkup at the hospital on Tuesday so they can make sure all is well.
Also have to see the dentist on Thursday, which I would otherwise put off but he's very busy and I had to make the appointment a few months ago, so unless I'm completely unable to make it I'll call a cab and drag myself along there. Hopefully it won't be too bad - it's three fillings but none of them are about to make my jaw fall off, I just don't want to leave them until they do incapacitate me with pain because really I have better things to do!
In general, operation aside, my health's still going great with the Midodrine. I'm still on enforced no-exercising-after-operation rest
My garden is in full "riotous spring colour!" mode with freesias and geraniums and that-yellow-thing-I-can-never-identify all flowering and my deciduous trees bursting into leaf and everything growing like topsy. It looks utterly glorious and, as every other year, I'm enjoying having the shade from the leaves of the trees which means I can have the curtains open with much less eyestrain going on from the glare!
I also finally got my new wheelchair! Here is a photo:
It's all a very sexy matte black at the moment which is great but a bit too understated for my long-term liking, and I'm not too fond of the grey tyres and grey-brown pushrims with the black frame.
I got the frame in black because it's the only un-switchable bit and I'll be stuck with it for a decade. I was tempted to go with something light royal purple but then I realised that in 10 years I'll be 45 and ... eek, scary thought in general really! So I got the un-swappable bits done in matte black and planned to switch around the switchable bits.
I've seen some tyres which both come in a sort of Royal Blue that I really like:
1. http://www.sportaid.com/schwalbe-rightrun-wheelchair-tires-24-x-1-25-540-145psi_pr.html
2. http://www.sportaid.com/primo-v-trak-black-side-wheelchair-tires-24-x-1-25-540-4-colors.html
I also need to get some tape for the handrims anyway, to make it easier to grip. It's the type of tape people put on tennis rackets for grip so I imagine it comes in about a million different colours and I'll be able to match the blue without too much hassle. At least, I hope so!!
I'm also planning to switch the cargo net (droopy thing under the seat - you toss things in it to carry them) to a blue netting by grabbing a bunch of blue cord and digging up my long-lost macrame skills! I've had a look at the current netting and it's not finished off at all really (my craft teachers wouldn't have been too impressed!) so it'll need some sewing anyway and making netting is easy. I am not sure where to get the right cord, but I am fairly sure that Google will be able to help with that one.
I can't remember any other bits and pieces just now, so tell me what I forgot!
you're all wonderful:)
r
no subject
Date: 2010-09-26 04:15 am (UTC)It's a brilliantly sunny day here, clocks just sprung forward this morning BUT I am trying to replenish my spoons - i.e. staying at home and doing basically nothink!
But how I wish this weather had been around over the last 10days - most days I had my long raincoat on and it was usually wet at some point. The wind was harsh as well, not suitable for umbrellas.
And here today lovely and fine - the sort of day to pop down to the beach :-)
no subject
Date: 2010-09-26 08:47 am (UTC)That's a pretty cool chair, and hey, as someone nearer 50 than 45 now (how the hell did that happen?) I would have gone with the purple!
no subject
Date: 2010-09-27 09:11 am (UTC)And like I said to Ace, I'm not expecting to turn into a boring person or something - I just want to leave room for change to happen.
no subject
Date: 2010-09-27 09:11 am (UTC)It's suddenly rainy today, bringing on insta-migraine of course. I am feeling a bit beleagured just now!
no subject
Date: 2010-09-26 09:00 am (UTC)i mostly know freesias as a florist item - they have a very strong but pleasant fragrance. they're in the yellow-through-purple range of colors. (flowers can be yellow-through-purple or yellow-through-red. irises and crocuses are outstanding examples of the first kind, while roses are the classic example of the second. for a very long time it was considered botanically impossible to create blue or purple roses, but now they have - i don't know how.)
what makes you think that in ten years you're going to have the color preferences of an old fuddy-duddy, and prefer matte black? i'm almost
21 for the third time63, and my overwhelming purpleness just seems to get stronger as i age! (although i did buy a pair of metallic silver leggings.) tennis grip tape is sold anywhere they sell tennis racquets (or golf clubs), and i'm sure you can find it in whatever color you want. the cord for the macrame is probably available in hobby/crafts shoppes, or maybe yarn shoppes. (and i'm boggled at the thought of making one's own cargo net!)you are wonderful too, dear penguin!
*hugs*
no subject
Date: 2010-09-27 09:10 am (UTC)The black is more like a blank slate - I get to decorate it in whatever highlight colour I want to and changing my mind is only a $100 problem instead of a $2,500 problem!
no subject
Date: 2010-09-27 09:47 am (UTC)and i suppose you could always paint the frame another color eventually ;-D
*hugs*
Nice chair
Date: 2010-09-26 01:39 pm (UTC)Nice to see you've got the spoons for that manual chair. What make is it? I thought one of those ultra-light titanium ones would be more in your league (if not your price range).
Kim Robbins (a C6 quad) wrote a great wheelie pride article here: http://www.wildkat.ca/blog/?p=165
-- Matt Smith
http://www.blogistan.co.uk/blog/
Re: Nice chair
Date: 2010-09-27 09:07 am (UTC)I can't really push it myself, aside from upper body strength and spoon issues I have a permanantly messed up wrist. But it fits in people's cars which a powerchair never will, and others can push me. I can push enough to move around a little once I'm in the right spot, too, so I'm not totally helpless!
no subject
Date: 2010-09-26 02:03 pm (UTC)New wheelchair looks very swish and I like your idea of changing the tyres - plus, you'll be able to get different coloured tyres if you get bored of blue.
no subject
Date: 2010-09-27 09:05 am (UTC)And just changing the colour of the bits that can be changed easily is the point - if I decide I want to change again it's not a big deal. I can be fickle :) :)
Comments from me on ATMac
Date: 2010-09-26 02:48 pm (UTC)Could you check the spam on ATMac, because I think a comment from me may be stuck there (on the Dragon Dictate post). I'm not sure why you'd reject it, and I've been having comments inexplicably disappearing on various WP blogs (including Weblog Tools Collection recently) without any obvious reason as they're not offensive, the site owners don't have a grudge against me and I don't spam.
-- Matt Smith
http://www.blogistan.co.uk/blog/
Re: Comments from me on ATMac
Date: 2010-09-27 09:01 am (UTC)Cheers,
r
no subject
Date: 2010-09-26 09:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-27 09:03 am (UTC)I can't really push the manual much myself because of my messed up wrist, quite apart from the lack of upper body strength. It does, however, let others push me quite fine and I can push enough most of the time to move around within a single room or similar.
spring :)
Date: 2010-09-26 10:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-27 06:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-27 07:47 am (UTC)Bar tape definitely does come in any colour you want, my new bike came with white which has survived one rain shower before turning dirty brownish greyish and so will soon be replaced with black (goes with the rest of the bike) or purple (doesn't go with the rest of the bike but I love purple...am investigating purple tyres...)
Maizie.
no subject
Date: 2010-09-27 09:04 am (UTC)I haven't seen purple tyres anywhere, have you found any?
r
no subject
Date: 2010-09-29 07:35 am (UTC)I have to work out whether they are the right size for my bike (slightly wider than my current tyres, I think) and also how they'll do on UK roads in winter...if they look like they are up to the job, then I may just have to do it...!
no subject
Date: 2010-09-27 10:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-04 03:25 am (UTC)I think getting a black frame was a great idea. My chair is red and while I love it I now wish I'd gotten a purple one.
I'm so envious of your spring as I sit here freezing in the first chill of autumn. :)