I just thought I wanted to escape and to know I had an avenue to do that. This morning after breakfast and my warm shower, I dressed and rolled my chair to the door to the carport. I was ready for my experiment. If you will recall I had a plan on how to load my wheelchair by myself into my car. If I could accomplish this, it would provide me with the freedom to come and go any time I wish.
Pointing my key controls toward the back of the car, I popped open the trunk while sitting in my chair, pulled out the step stool and opened it. I had already placed my crutches within reach as I knew I would need them when I got the chair loaded into the trunk. With one knee on the stool and the other leg planted on the floor, I bent down and pulled the wheelchair cushion off and dropped it to the ground so that I could grasp the seat of the wheelchair and pull up on it to get it to collapse. All went well until I had to pick it up and put it into the trunk. I did get this done but it wasn't easy. I had to maneuver it around to get it in a place that the trunk lid would close. I threw the seat cushion in, folded up the stool and added that to the trunk and grabbed my crutches and made it to the drivers' seat.
I'm tired already. The first stop I made, I didn't even think about getting the chair out to use. I crutched it into the surgery center where I wrote a check for services performed and then back to the car. I headed for the mall. Once there, I reversed the same procedure as loading the wheelchair and found that getting the chair OUT of the trunk was much easier then putting it in.
I rolled around the mall for a while but before much time had passed, I knew I needed to go home and elevate that foot so back to the parking lot I went. This time as I'm attempting to lift that chair into the trunk a nice young man offered to help and I gratefully accepted his offer. I'm exhausted. I hurried home and unloaded that chair again and then collapsed onto the sofa and this is where I have been the remainder of this afternoon. I've had my little experiment. It's doable but it's not much fun doing it. I would do it again but only out of necessity.
I have enough books to read for the next four weeks and I think I will make it my mission to get them read. Running around all over the place is highly overrated.
An extra treat tonight was delivered by my neighbor's daughter. Shrimp fettuccine and broccoli was delivered for my dinner. Thank you Delores!
You are one hard-headed woman, Charlotte Ann. That isn't necessarily a bad thing.
ReplyDeleteWell done for making the effort...difficult though it was, it must have given you a great sense of achievement. There's nothing quite so satisfying as being able to maintain a certain amount of independence is there?
ReplyDeleteBuffalo: I neglected to take into account the fact that I've been inactive for weeks now, balancing on one foot with one knee on step stool was tiring too, not to mention the weight of that wheelchair.
ReplyDeleteAjak: Thanks. Independence is most important to me and in 4 more weeks, I should be there. I think I'll wait those 4 weeks quietly in my house.