Well.....Kristina has graduated from High School. The commencement ceremony was beautiful. I surprised myself and held myself together quite well. I kept busy by taking pictures and had to keep "calm" to do so lol. Her graduation party was the following weekend and was great.
With the gift money she received, she bought herself a laptop. Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!! No more sharing the computer between us.
College will begin on August 30th. Kristi will be attending Carlow University, here in Pittsb
Hi Strokenet Family.
I'm so so sorry that I have not been around. Been spending lots of time on Facebook between Farmville and Bejeweled.
I'm still receiving botox injections on my left side. Just received injections on Wednesday 6-16. As I'm having added tone in the palm of my hand that keeps my fingers from straightening, my Doc injected into the palm - talk about OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm getting out in my power chair when the weather permits. We've had a very rainy spring so I
On Tuesday, 9-22, I had an appointment with my Physiatrist. Dr. Munin was following up on my botox injections. He was quite pleased with the progress I have made.
My next injections will be 11-14. I will not receive therapy after the next injections as I have been taught what to do at home by my PT and OT.
Now....squelching rumors......On 9-24-09 I retired/resigned from my volunteer duties at Stroke Network. I was NOT fired as I have heard. It was a decision I made on my own bei
The start of week 4's therapy - has included "firsts" at home as I'm finding that things are really working in therapy. I receive my prescriptions through express scripts. Prior shipments I had to have Kristi open the bottles for the first time (they're not childproof but so tight that I could not open them). This order, I was able to firmly grip the bottles in my left hand as I open them with my right!!!!! Yesterday (Sunday) I walked around my first floor and exercised without my brace on fo
Completed my 3rd week of therapy. With the holiday this week, I only went on Thursday. It was a good session for both pt and ot.
In pt, I used the nusp for r 10 minutes. I walked around the room with Kelly timing me to see how far I could walk in 6 minutes. I can't remember (darn short term memory) how far I walked; Kelly did say that I walked farther than I did the first time she clocked me :i_did_it!:
The remainder of my pt time was doing activities at the parallel bars (stepp
Today started my 2nd week of therapy. Pt was first and I warmed up for 10 minutes on the nustep machine. Today my left knee kept wanting to flop to the side on me - guess I wasn't focused enough (last week it didn't do that) I then was taken to the hip machine and did 3 sets of 10 of lifting left leg to the side, 10 lifting my leg behind me and 10 bending my leg up against the weight to the front.
Up next was the ham string machine for the left ham string - 3 sets of 10 there as well w
My OT and PT started this week following the first round of botox injections. I go twice a week (Mondays and Thursdays) for 2 hours (an hour for ot and an hour for pt)
For PT with my affected leg, right now we're working on strengthening mostly. On Monday this week, PT was conducted first. I was started off with the nustep machine - my goal was to use the nustep for 10 minutes (piece of cake - at the time LOL). Next, with a parallel bar for support, I would step up onto a wooden box wi
August 15, 1992, 17 years ago today, I gave birth to my daughter Kristina Lynn. As I am writing this entry I am tearful. Not all the tears are joyful ones either. Yes, yours truly has plopped on the that darn pity pot and I'm not standing up off it to easily to flush the bugger. By the time I'm done, I'm going to have a major clean up operation but that's ok.
The birthday girl is off for the weekend to my niece's house. She'll be home Monday evening. This time alone will give me the
In addition to being able to say "I'm somebody, I'm somebody's Mom I can now add that I'm somebody's Human GPS System. I am my child's human GPS System . As we do not have a car, Kristi walks or takes public buses. I have Port Authority of Allegheny County's website saved as a favorite to my computer so that I can access it quickly when I get text messages or phone calls from a frantic child needing bus information. Most of the time I hear "what's the time of this bus or that"; however, whe
Hi gang,
Since yesterday (Tuesday 6-16) and until the evening of Tuesday (6-23) I will be home alone - well with the exception of Crystal and Lili as Kristi flew to AZ yesterday for a week to reunite with old friends.
Quite honestly I was glad for her to go as the atmosphere here has not been a pleasant one of late. School for her has finished for the year - unofficially, until grades come in, she's now a high school senior. Now my dear child "thinks" she should be able to come and
I had another first today!!!! I was told that I best blog about it, so here goes - another entry in the same week.
I left home and went to the local convenience store with my power chair!! First run on my own since I got it.
When I first got the chair and relocated it to the basement (that's where ramps are to get out as I can't utilize the front of the house easily) I experienced difficulty getting it up the ramps and into the house as my ramps were not "professionally" installe
I can't believe it was March 11 that I posted my last entry. Gosh 2 months. I'm such a slacker LOL. Much has been going on around here - some good, some not so good. But that's life huh - chock full of ups and downs. We must or must try to learn from the down periods in order to better cope with them in the future. I do count my blessings that the downs are not worse but it still does not make them any easier to handle.
In my last entry I discussed issues that I was experiencing wit
I be so frustrated right about now. I had an entry going where I was releasing some frustrating moments dealing with parenting my 16 year old. In the blink of an eye and an inadvertent bump of a button it was GONE except for the title. So you see gang these things happen even to the Stroke Network pro.
Typing it, although I was the only one to see it, was therapeutic for me and perhaps it was God's will that I only read it. He does not give me what I can't handle but boy oh boy I think
I had sent away for a kitty window sill perch for my furry daughters. The package arrived on Wednesday 2-11-09. I opened it excitedly; my excitement was immediately dampened when I saw all the pieces that need to be put together (brackets, clips, and of course nuts, bolts, and washers) I looked at the assortment of construction supplies (you'd think I was attempting to construct a house LOL).
I could have waited for my dear child to do the installation but giving her another "chore" ma
On 2-1-09 the Pittsburgh Steelers won their 6th Super Bowl World Championship in franchise history. The game, for those who did not watch, was a close one - final score was Steelers 27, Cardinals 23. My Terrible Towel got a great workout. I had it twirling so hard that my daughter and her friend were waiting for lift-off.
This past Tuesday (2-3) I was able to watch the entire victory parade telecast live from downtown Pittsburgh. There was an estimated 350,000 people in attendance).
Yes, I am back on Staff :happydance: - yahoo, yippppeee :cheer: and all that good stuff. My "retirement" was officially one week. Three days into it, I realized I was quite "homesick" :badmood: . As an afterthought to the day I submitted my resignation I knew I should have taken vacation time or a leave of absence from my duties in order to regroup.
We learn (or hope to) from our mistakes. Fortunately I did learn and am now a teeny bit wiser than before.
Love and (((hugs))) to
Yesterday, 1-20-09, I resigned from my volunteer duties at Stroke Network. I had posted the following on the message board:
Hi to my cyber family. I wanted all to hear the following from me:
I have resigned as a volunteer with Stroke Network. I have been a volunteer for close to 2 years and have loved the opportunity to serve everyone.
I will still be around, posting, blogging, and coming to chat as I still love all of you - I will be pursuing other ventures as well when ready
I sit here and wait for the biopsy results. On Tuesday the 30th I underwent the breast biopsy. Only one spot was biopsied as the doc could no longer find the other questionable area. There were 6 samplings taken of the one area. Results to be received Monday the 5th.
Just glad it's over and done with. What will be will be - ya know? Yeah, I know, I'm not my usual upbeat self. Been a bit melancholy these past few days.
There are definitely days when I cannot wait for my child
Seems hard to believe that it has been close to two months since my last entry. A lot has happened during that time. On 11-15 we had the memorial service for Mom. The service was beautiful and emotional; there was a luncheon in the church hall following the service.
I held it together pretty much until the pianist sang and played Wind Beneath my Wings. Kristi was next to me, trying to keep me together but she too failed towards the end. Where I was sitting in the pew straight ahead o
Hello my Cyber Family. This week, beginning Tuesday night, my life changed for ever. As many here know, there were quite a few issues going on between my Mother and I pre and post stroke. The last year we were in AZ things became worse in our relationship; after we relocated to Pittsburgh, it became even more strained to the point we quit talking in January after Mom said some hurtful things to Kristi.
Tuesday, 10-21-08, Mom's one close friend/neighbor called me to say that Mom was tak
My baby turned 16 years old on 8-15-08. The day was met by me with mixed emotions as in 2 more years she'll be graduated from High School and college bound. I won't talk about the emotions right now as I can't type and proofread through watery eyes.
We went to Auntie's house for the celebration with family. Dar baked and decorated the birthday cake in a "Kristiwood" theme after Kennywood Park (our area amusement Park). Kristi has been there several times this summer and loves it ther
Hi Gang.
You'd think I was a busy beaver with no time on my hands. Almost another 2 months have flown by since my last entry. Nope, nope.....not that busy...just time flies by each day.
Had a near disaster the afternoon of 8-1. I was returning home with medical transport after getting fitted for new AFO at Hanger Orthodics. The driver of the van (looks like mini-bus) pulled up a bit past our property. I exited the van and she had my walker ready for me.
As I was not right o
Dang, two months since I last blogged. I've been keeping an extremely low low profile and I apologize for that. Been doing my duties on site but not much more than that. I dropped down into a royal funk - letting things bother me that I have no control over - getting worse by the day. I did see my PCP this past week and am now on meds for depression. This first week I'm taking 1/2 a pill once a day (celexa 20 mg). Next weekend I'll start a whole pill once a day. To see doc again on 7-21.
Just when I was thinking this week (dumb thing to do huh) that my recovery had plateaued, some new things occurred. First I was able to wiggle my index finger side to side. Was able to do it so far the one time but it's the first time in 3 years.
Last night was way cool :laughbounce: . Kristi, Lili and I were on my bed sitting and talking (not Lili lol) and I laid back on my bed and raised my arm straight up to 90 degree angle and held it there without any assistance. In the past it w
Well, this past week was pretty quiet here until Friday night when Kristi came home Friday from school with the start of a whopper of the flu-bug. She ran a fever all weekend, spiking at 102.9 with all the non-delightful side affects of the flu to go with it. Poor kid. She was to go with her Uncle and her cousins to breakfast Saturday morning and shopping afterwards for my birthday present. Obviously that did not occur. She was also to be talking over family issues with Joe. When they spok
