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appreciation
December 2009 
What are you thankful for?
Posted on Jul 5th, 2009
by 
AJ
AJ
This is in Response to the Questions and Reflections for July 05, 2009:
If I wrote everything down that I was thankful for, I wouldn't have time to do anything else, so I'm going to share something specific:
Yesterday, I drove my minivan for the first time since going around with my mom to look at Christmas lights in December. I definitely haven't lost my touch--in fact, am driving so much better, as my legs aren't as swollen with my lymphedema and the largest seeping wound I had on my legs is almost closed.
In a great sense, I'm thankful for my recent health problems, because I lost a lot of those everyday things one takes for granted because of them, and it makes me extra thankful when one of those abilities is given back to me!
For example, I was to the place (when I was fighting a three-bug infection) when I was so weak and stiff that I was using a bedpan in bed, and about six people were needed to get me off and on it. Now, I'm easily walking to and from the toilet and getting up and down from it.
I ended up having a Fourth Of July celebration that lasted over 12 hours, and--when I got home--I was definitely tired enough to go to bed...and, yet, part of me could have gone in, turned on this computer, and gotten online for awhile, and only wisdom and discipline kept me from it. This means that my old stamina is back and better than ever!
When I went from the bedpan to the bedside commode, I still had to be gotten out of bed and taken to it. At first, about four people helped me. Then, it was down to two.
I couldn't wipe my own butt for the simple reason that, if I leaned over too far, I would have fallen off the commode. I had to hang onto the bars on the side to stay on it.
To be wiped, I was helped up and held onto a walker that was being steadied by a nurse or orderly while another one cleaned me up.
Excuse me if I seem to be giving out TMI to you, but I just need to tell it like it is so that you will understand why I'm so especially thankful for those everyday parts of life that you just do without thinking about them until something happens where they're taken from you.
The music video I'm sharing with you today is about losing a boyfriend--but the chorus of it has a couple of lines in it that express so well how I feel about my life and all that has transpired during the past several months...
Yesterday, I drove my minivan for the first time since going around with my mom to look at Christmas lights in December. I definitely haven't lost my touch--in fact, am driving so much better, as my legs aren't as swollen with my lymphedema and the largest seeping wound I had on my legs is almost closed.
In a great sense, I'm thankful for my recent health problems, because I lost a lot of those everyday things one takes for granted because of them, and it makes me extra thankful when one of those abilities is given back to me!
For example, I was to the place (when I was fighting a three-bug infection) when I was so weak and stiff that I was using a bedpan in bed, and about six people were needed to get me off and on it. Now, I'm easily walking to and from the toilet and getting up and down from it.
I ended up having a Fourth Of July celebration that lasted over 12 hours, and--when I got home--I was definitely tired enough to go to bed...and, yet, part of me could have gone in, turned on this computer, and gotten online for awhile, and only wisdom and discipline kept me from it. This means that my old stamina is back and better than ever!
When I went from the bedpan to the bedside commode, I still had to be gotten out of bed and taken to it. At first, about four people helped me. Then, it was down to two.
I couldn't wipe my own butt for the simple reason that, if I leaned over too far, I would have fallen off the commode. I had to hang onto the bars on the side to stay on it.
To be wiped, I was helped up and held onto a walker that was being steadied by a nurse or orderly while another one cleaned me up.
Excuse me if I seem to be giving out TMI to you, but I just need to tell it like it is so that you will understand why I'm so especially thankful for those everyday parts of life that you just do without thinking about them until something happens where they're taken from you.
The music video I'm sharing with you today is about losing a boyfriend--but the chorus of it has a couple of lines in it that express so well how I feel about my life and all that has transpired during the past several months...
Crystal Gayle - You Never Miss A Real Good Thing {HQ}
Access: Public
I've just finished writing this blog-entry and reading it over–and I'm now sitting here crying. But not unhappy tears! I'm crying for joy after reading this and remembering how things were for me just a short time ago. I had no way of knowing if I were ever going to get better again or if my life would have limitations on it.
I assumed, of course, that I would recover–and, yet, I couldn't even remember what I'd felt like before I went downhill. I had some memories, of course, but my present state was being one of feeling as if I were going to fall over unless I was in my hospital bed.
Now, I can lean over–and even stretch out–to pick something up off of the floor without feeling as if I might just tumble to the floor.
I not only can cook prepared items in the microwave (e.g. frozen dinner or can of soup), but I can also cook from scratch.
As far as being around the house, I seldom use my walker. What I use it most for is to transport food from one place to another (it has a shelf on it where I can do this).
And the list of things I can now do again goes on and on…