Monday May 12 2008

Once again, on Monday May 05  2008, I had to embark on that long trip to Utica Ny to see Dr Graber.

I find that he an his staff are very friendly and try to be helpful.

It seems that I am eating "too much".. it is the soft foods.. they move, I am told right through the pouch and into the intestines.. 1/2 cup total, I am told to adhere to, beginning as it always was with the protiens first

Dr Graber told me that I do not have to cosume 60 to 90 grams of protien, that he himself does not eat that much protien, as I have been trying to add more to my diet by eating the remaining protien, from my supper meals, in the middle of the night.

I was 281 on Dr Graber's scale..but 275.5, in the nude, morning weight on my scale..upon return to Ottawa.

This means that I was 1.5 lbs from the 100 lb weight loss.!!!

The trip of at least 15 hours with 2 train changes, one taxi, one para lift to the hotel was really long and

painful this time.. I had so much pain I could hardly stand it.

When I arrived at the hotel , the lift chair wasnt working. ..The maintenance staff were very concientious and rewired and taped until the chair worked...thank goodness or I would not have been able to get any relief from the terrible pain, Perhaps it is the fact that I have less padding on my body now. It was much worse then, in other trips. I was so very exhausted, as well.

The greyhound lift bus from Montreal still had to be confirmed..and it took right up to going back to MOntreal 9 pm to finally get one on the line to come home to Ottawa..what an ordeal.

Many phone calls and much aggravation later. A success story, I could go home at midnight ..they would put one on the line.

Good grief..what a terrible system..I have to phone USA who has to contact Calgary, who has to contact  Ottawa, who then contacts Montreal, who then confirms or disallows, in the reverse..no wonder there is so much trouble to ge the trip confirmed and so many errors therein.

This is the third time that there was so much mixup.

One has to begin 48 hours in advance.

Good points to note....

I have almost reached one goal....I COULD GET ONTO THE BATH CHAIR in the accessible room, this time

whoopee.. I was so pleased. I was able to almost, shower all of me and wash my hair..some problems with getting completey dry though and along with the other pain...my seat got very chapped and is still very sore

and tender.... Improvement should be noted by today, from last Wednesday, though.

The second thing that happened..although, initially, not a good thing..is that my wheel chair got jammed into the entrance of the train..and finally I had to just get out of it..so that the train staff could try to free   e it.

Well... with much determination and self talk, something I do a lot of... I was able to stand up..and low and behold...actually get the 6 to 8 feet, holding onto whatever, and with my cane down the little entrance from

the beginning of train entrance to the larger space where I would be sitting in my chair.. I thought that it was amazing and fantastic... I didnt fall A good surprise...likely this almost 100 lbs.. lost was the helper...

I couldnt walk normally but non-the-less made it down the little space of time and distance...good for me.

However the trip back proved again to be extremely painful..but legs and feet and hip and seat...it was just terrible but I had no choice but to endure....My knees too, in particular..they needed to be stretched out of something...

I tried to do movement exercises with my ankles and feet and tried to stretch the legs periodically..but I have

too much pain to stand for long durations...I did these from the seated position.

Anyway I made it home...the pain continued..and the home visiting nurses are checking out the legs and seat of my body

The better news is that some friends of mine in the country..suggested that by Aug 12 2008, my next visit..if I am small enough...maybe I would be able to fit into their van or car and they would accompany me to Utica

Wouldn't that be great ... we will see what happens as we need to bring a wheelchair with us...

a goal to try to look forward to...see what happens.. trip then only takes about 4 hours, I understand.  the train trip 5:30am from my house to (pm Utica...10 to 10:30 to the hotel...Return..7am from hotel to 3am to my house ...in reverse...lots of changes on the way... and 2 nites in Utica.

I went against my own rule of not weighing myself too often and this am..I weighed myself...and oops I was up 2 lbs...so now my 100 lb loss is minus 3.5 instead of 1.5...well I wont count it..I will wait for Friday am to see what that weight is ..then adjust whatever. Ok I added the change to my tracker, anyway.

Difficult for me to sit here..so will end for now.

Isabella