traveling up and down the blind highway

Riding. the bumps of Health care system blind
By Monday of the second week,, I was in misery. I asked for a face to face doctor appointment. It was difficult to hear and answer the questions asked by the provider. When the tablet was moved, the connection cut out and I had to have assistance to re-connect to the provider. She finally determined that the legs were swollen and may be caused by blood clots. . We were told to go into the emergency room twice in less than a week. John spoke up and said he could not get me into the car.
We had to order the ambulance. They came but wanted me to walk to the van.. I insisted to be put flat on the stretcher.
The ride was uneventful . but when we made to the emergency area, I was left alone. I was given a large array of call buttons, only one button had the braille symbol for Murse. The rest of the buttons were to access the tv. I was kept informed of the tests, exrays and ultra sound.to determine the extent of the treatment plan. I was admitted for observation . I was not informed that observation static was not covered by Medicaid.
As a blind person, it would have been helpful either having staff member present to explain the options. I was asked to sign a digital board , but I had no clue what I was signing. But I was in the hospital. The next blog will cover getting into a room.
haiku
Wait, wait, wait
for what I don’t know
not in control

May 2020 the blind and medical care during a pandemic
I first want to apologize for the grammar and punctuation errors in the first post. I had loss feeling in my fingers making typing difficult.
I will pick up the story after being sent home from urgent care. The pain meds ran out and I was in pain and moving around less and less. I called urgent care to hear my options. They said go to emergency. I was there alone, with no one to explain what was going on. There were several people waiting but keeping social distance.
Finally, I was in and getting more ex ray. I was told to go home and use a walker. The stores were closed so my husband made one.
What was different as a blind and hearing impaired person. There was no braille or recorded information. It was difficult to hear some of the medical person. I tryed to rephrase what the medical persons told me but I still didn’t grasp the seriousness of my condition.A PT home care was ordered, but once a week.
I became a semi i0-invalids and was using my husband to get up . If I heard that was a possibility I would called the doctor’s office earlier. It would have better explained with a three d model to feel the cracks.
haiku
I am alone
cocooned in my pain
to be seen

I I shelter here
in a hospital
voices surround.
The next post will be the ride in the ambulance .
Stay safe.

dear bloggers, I find myself in a medical rehab site during this pandemic lockdown. I as a hearing impaired and blind woman will tell you the funny and strange medical situations That I encounter. It is a good lesson for all of us.

My story began two weeks ago when I slipped off the bottom stairs and fell on my left hip.

we went to Urgent care and they told me I had a crack in my punic bone. We went to Urgent care and were sent to mend. The funny part of the visit was They wanted me to be left without my husband. He said that She hears poorly and sees nothing. Good luck. After consulting, they allowed him to stay . We were both masked.

More tomorrow .

I have found that visual person are sure toy can see something . though this is true in some cases , I have to remind people that I have no vision .

more tomorrow

dear blog followers,

UI have been caught in the medical rehab in this time of lock down. I will try to record my experiences as a hard of hearing and blind put in medical rehab for the next two weeks. The posts will be as I can

When my husband and I go for a walk or a tandem bike ride, we have noticed increased dog walking. We will stop to admire a well behave dog. I am asked “Why don’t you have a leader dog?” I usually laugh and reply,”I have a seeing eye husband.” But the real story is below.

For The Dogs
A number of years ago I was sent to training in Kalamazoo for computers, braille and cooking.
During the two week session I was exposed to many aspects of living with low vision. I adapted to most situations ,except leader dogs.
Two dogs were brought to the schools to introduce them to us. Gus a golden lab and Helga a large German Shepherd were paired with us to try to be lead by them through the halls.
Helga was paired with the men and the women were paired with the smaller Gus.
When it was my turn I was given some simple hand instructions to tell the Gus to go, stop, left and right. I have to confess that being a lefty I have always had difficulty telling my left from my right.
I grabbed the harness handle and flicked my hand forward while saying Gus forward. He happily complied . The trouble came when I wanted him to turn right. I said Gus Right but I gave the hand movement to turn left. He was confused and hesitated. I gave the verbal command but still gave the wrong hand signal. In desperation I told Gus to go forward but gave the hand signal to stop. Gus flopped down on the tiles and refused to get up. I guess that he was n’t going anywhere with a person that didn’t know her left from her right. Now if I had been paired with Helga , she would have probably been more aggressive and indicated you will come with me.
I don’t know if the dogs graduated to be leader dogs. Except for the brief introduction to leader dogs I did pass my classes. I know that I don’t have the skills to be partnered with a dog. I can only hope that Gus’s brief interaction with me didn’t ruin his training.

I was remembering the days when I could hug my friends and family. As a blind person, I was often asked to touch people’s faces. They wrongly believed that the only way a blind individual could physically know another was to feel a face. Voice, inflection and strength can be read in a hug. Below is an article about feeling faces to remember when social distancing is lifted.

Here is to days of social closeness again

. I don’t do faces. I don’t get much out of touching a stranger’s face. I will touch my husband’s hair and eyebrows after a trip to the barber, or my daughter’s new hair cut or a friend’s new earrings but I try to avoid feeling faces. Many people think that is the only way a blind person can know another person. They forget about voice, body image and vocal inflection. I try to decline offers of face touching by giving a alternate… a quick hug. I get more information about a person from the strength , and body image that I can get from a quick hug.
I have had two occasions that I couldn’t avoid face touching . Both incidents happened at a church in New Mexico. I was coming out of church, when Father spotted my white cane. As I offered my hand to shake Father’s, He grabbed my hand and tapped all over his face. The only thing I learned from this touching was he was tall and had a receding hairline!
As I started to back away a voice next to Father’ spoke saying,”Now you must touch a REAL man!” I thought,”I am in trouble now.” The deacon didn’t grab my hand but gently put my hand not on his face but on the most soft, thick and clean beard I had ever felt. I took several moments to feel the beard from ear to ear. I murmured,” it’s lovely, Thank you!” He looked sideways at my husband and remarked,”He could grow one too.” “I don’t think so,” I retorted.
This face touching doesn’t occur with just women. My friend ,Allen, was celebrating his birthday with several friends at a favorite restaurant . The table next to him had several ladies listening and inquiring about Allen and his abilities without sight. One of the ladies dearly wanted him to touch her face. He declined several times but when he rose to leave, the she grabbed Allen’s hand and tapped and rubbed all over her face. Later, Allen stated that the only he got of that face touching was a bad cold!
face touching like hugging and handshakes should be at the request of the blind person.

Roots and Connections
We are all connected to each other by many roots.
We call, email, fax and message to stay in touch.
But the best way is face to face, Now with six feet distance.
How I long to give my friends a hug, a smile, to be physically connected again.

blind person.

Bless The Beasts and Children
I heard a story yesterday that China’s air pollution has decreased by 40%. Now the sky is blue and the distant Himalayan mountains can be viewed. Many of our own cities air is cleaner and free of pollution. It is too bad that we had to pay such a high cost to have cleaner air . The question is,”Why did it take so long?” Mother Nature , given time, can recover.
I heard that the deer in a local large city have been running down the main corridors. Without the people and traffic they are venturing far afield.Below is a Haiku for the deer.

deer run free
where people can not
both are safe

I heard that one of the allowed outdoor activities is morel mushroom hunting. I saw neighbors with buckets in the wood lot and wrote a poem from a squirrel’s point of view.
People Are Nuts

A squirrel looks down into the woods.
There are People where there should be none.
They are carrying buckets and picking wrinkled fungi.
“I wouldn’t eat those growths!” thought the squirrel.
Now People are putting out food for the third time today.
When my friends and I come to feed, they just stare at us.
I hope this doesn’t last.
I am getting too fat to wriggle into my nest.
Our pets must wonder why the humans are home so much. We are taking
many long walks and dogs may note that it is their masters that are wearing muzzles They may think they have a person that bites!
My daughter’s three cats have become more friendly and willing to share their space with humans Here is a poem about one of the cats.

Sasha
stretches to watch
fingers dance over keys
she has ignored me for too long
ATTACK

Our children are a joy and blessing during this time together. My niece has found that the change from hurried mornings to get her daughter to daycare and herself to work has changed. Now her daughter runs into her parents bed room and snuggles into their bed. There, they discuss what there plans are for the day. Recently, they had a pajama day. The poem below is to celebrate that day.
Pajama Day
The sun shines bright, the day is warm
why worry about what to wear?
It’s a pajama day.
a glorious thing to do.
no shoes, slippers will do.
Let’s take a walk with robes over pj’s
How fun to see the people stare.
They shake their heads and we smile.
Bet they wish for a pajama day.
Now that the day is through What should we do?
Bathe and put on…
Clean pajamas
Let’s think of the blessings that we can find in this day . Find something to smile about.
warming smiles
watching nature out
our windows

April 16 Sick,(no) and Tired(yes)
The shutdown and sheltering is growing tedious to many people. They have a point. They want to get to their planting for the coming year. They live in an area that the corona virus has had little impact.
What they don’t want to admit that a plateau of new case is not the end of the threat. Opening of normal commerce and social interactions could bring a new wave of the disease.
We are all tired but we share this feeling with our friends and family.
We should think of the grocery workers, janitors and check out clerks. The food service and package delivery service for continuing to bring us ordered items.
Finally the trash and postal workers for weekly pick up and daily delivery. The truckers that work to bring needed supplies to the stores and all of the hospital workers. We can tolerate the sheltering in place for a little longer to keep these people safe. If you encounter any of them Thank them for continuing to come to work each day.
As for the businesses that are eager to open, I hope that they would be thinking of how they will keep their employees and consumers safe as they slowly reopen. We all can hold on for a little longer.
Hold On

as you cook your meal,
think of those who have run out of food.
Give a donation to a food bank.
When you are reading a book,
think of those who have lost their shelters.
Give to the Red Cross.
When you wonder what to do next,
think of the need for blood.
Call for a donation appointment.
Call, write or message to encourage others.
Thank all the people that make it possible to
stay well and safe.

This is Freedom?
This week,I opened all the windows to air out the house. Afterwards. I wondered if this was smart idea.
these days we question many activities we took for granted.
we voluntarily limit our personal freedoms for the sake of others. We, as a nation , are putting life above liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
May the actions and choices we perform now be judged by history as the best for all the people.
Remembering the unemployed, homeless and children not being fed, may we give to food baskets and food vans to feed the hungry.
May we send messages of encouragement to health care workers and first responders that continue to put themselves in harms way.
Finally, that we all follow the actions that our governors have requested to keep the transmission of the Corona virus to a minimum. It will take all of us to allow freedom to ring again.

Freedom Rings

From the start of this great land,
Religion and races slowly united.
Each person wished to pursue their own happiness.
Emphasizing personal freedom.
Down the pages of history,
Opposing first tyranny, then each other.
Many mistakes were made.
Rising from division to unite,
Individuals formed a new country.
Never did the world see its like.Great in its diversity,
still striving to have
Freedom ring!