New Growth

We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”  Albert Einstein

What a day! I have been up and busy all day long Friday from 11 AM until 5PM, this is probably not a big deal to most of you, but to me it is a huge deal. My caregiver picked me up at 11 Friday morning and I once again walked the Grocery Outlet where I got some amazing buys because they are having a produce sale. I bought some fresh blueberries and cherries, a personal watermelon, olive oil, and turkey burgers along with other necessary supplies that I needed. What made this special was the fact that my caregiver doesn’t normally come on Fridays, but we traded days and he came for a couple of hours on Friday. I am grateful.

The second thing I did was see my new therapist. I was a bit nervous; I always am when I am seeing a new person to add to my medical team. I have had some painful experiences, but these painful experiences have made me the tough lady I am now. When I got to the counseling service I was nervous, but then I learned so was my new therapist. He had never worked with anyone with a trach before and he wasn’t sure how well I could communicate. Let me tell you I am able to communicate just fine and he was pleased with my list of goals I wanted to accomplish. Including working my aversion to building up my endurance and the accepting my illness without it defining who I am. I liked his laid back approach. I liked that he listened and I liked that he shared his own fears with me. That helped ease my nervousness. My assignment for the next two weeks is working on a list of things I can do to increase my endurance. I know this is the first step in me achieving a life. I know I have mental endurance, I have proven thought through the years, but physical endurance would be nice to have. I have a couple of ideas on my list:

Walk my apartment hallway, have my caregiver go for walks with me outside with the wheelchair, walk the grocery store, get a recombinant bike, do Qi-gong, do yoga (at least the parts I can do), do the exercises I learned from the Pulmonary rehab. That is my list so far. If you have any other suggestions I am all ears.