Independence and Packing

My Mother's Day was awesome!  Jordan and Jesse treated me to a Mother's Day lunch at California Pizza Kitchen and Caleb also came along.  It was a lot of fun and very memorable!

I've been sifting through my things recently, deciding what to take and what not to take with me to PA.  The only thing left for me to pack are my clothes.  I'm getting really excited about this move.  One of the things that is very important to me is eventually finding a place of my own where I will have the help I need, but still be independent.  Perhaps the greatest loss I have felt over this past year is the loss of independence.  I have fought tooth and nail to cling to whatever independence I could while living with Cogan's Syndrome.  So, it's important to me to find a place I can live and be independent and on my own, yet still have the support and help of my family and outside resources.

I found an apartment building, just blocks from where we will be moving to, that is for handicapped and disabled individuals.  It is close to restaurants, stores, and medical facilities.  In the apartment, there is a pull string that a person can pull if they have fallen or need medical help immediately.  I'm in the process of contacting the manager of that building to ask about a waiting list and getting my name on the waiting list.  My kids completely understand my need for some semblance of independence and are very supportive of me.  It could quite possibly take some lengthy time for me to get an apartment in that building, but I will feel better knowing I am on the waiting list anyway.

Recently, one of the symptoms I've had is worsening.  I've been dealing with muscle cramps throughout my body, but something is happening with my feet in particular.  Three nights ago, I was crying out in pain because my left foot became somewhat distorted and was in tremendous pain.  All I could do was try to stand on it to release the tension in the muscle or whatever was happening.  After about thirty minutes, I was able to fall asleep.

I've been calling the doctor's office to get all my records copied and ready for pick up at the end of this month.  I want to go to my next doctor with paperwork in hand.  I also found out my medical will be automatically transferred over to PA when I move, due to the PA state policies.  That's great news for me!

I have been weaning myself off of soda for a week now and am doing pretty good with it.  I drink more iced tea and juices now, rather than sodas.  Don't get me wrong, I still drink sodas, just not nearly as much as I used to.

I am doing my best to come to terms with my physical limitations now and at times find myself once again walking through the grieving process.  It's not an easy process to walk through, when it comes to progressive physical losses and limitations.  I will continue to write and am considering some type of a children's book now to work on for this summer.  Most likely, tomorrow, I will work on packing some clothes and leaving out only what I plan to take as check-in luggage.

Well, I've got some packing to do...thanks for stopping by,
Kelli