AnnieFleetwood.com

Old Faithful and other sights

Visiting national parks can be a different experience in comfort levels of accommodations.  On our way home from Jackson, we made a ten hour detour through the Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.  I looked forward to and dreaded this trip at the same time.  It is very difficult for me to ride in a car for extended periods of time because my leg becomes stiff and begins to ache.  Being unable to move and find a comfortable position makes it hard to enjoy the passing scenery, not to mention the difficulty of climbing in and out of the car and wheelchair. On this occasion, I felt adventurous enough to withstand those challenges, finding accommodating facilities was my next worry.  My concerns proved to be less problematic than I expected they would be.  These parks have rest stops throughout that are designed for accessibility with the exception of one that, although advertised as handicapped accessible, a mountain goat would have had trouble climbing.  The most accessible restrooms were the ones located in picnic areas.  These can be pulled right up next to and the distance to them is minimal.  The restroom at Old Faithful was the most difficult to maneuver in because ironically, there is a rush after the water show to relieve bladders.  This made for a crowded building and walkway.  Because it is so difficult to climb in and out of the car frequently, I tried to keep it to a minimum.  I knew I would get out to see Old Faithful and restrooms were a given, but I chose to sit in the car when we stopped for lunch.  The other park visitors where we stopped must have thought we were a little nuts, to stay in our car instead of making our way to a picnic table to enjoy the beautiful surroundings and the numerous mosquitoes.  They could not have known that I was handicapped because we do not have any handicap signs on our car.  Each time we stopped at a view, Richard would hop out to take pictures and I would observe views from the car.  I enjoyed the trip and found it less traumatic than I thought it would be. 

Taking a trip

My husband and I recently spent a weekend in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  He was there for some business and I was enjoying a much needed break from day to day responsibilities.  In fact, my joining him on the trip was a last minute opportunity and the hotel that we stayed in was not given advanced notice that a disabled person was descending upon their establishment.  We checked into the Best Western in Teton Village, where the manager and his employees did everything they could to accommodate me. Due to a lack of available appropriate rooms, our first night was spent in a room on the second floor, making it difficult if not impossible for me to go anywhere.  Just getting to that room was an adventure.  The next day, as promised the manager provided us with a more accommodating room on the first floor.  My ability to come and go was not hindered by numerous twists and turns or stairs.  He also made a point of calling to verify that the 2^nd room was indeed comfortable and met my needs.  I was impressed with his efforts to ensure my comfort and with the assistance of excellent hotel staff in this matter.

It is advisable, when you travel and stay at hotels or motels, to give them advanced warning on accommodations you will need.  This benefits you as well as the place of business.  It is not a way of eliciting sympathy from others; it simply ensures their ability to make you comfortable, your check-in less time-consuming, and your stay as stress free as possible.  This was the case when our kids were younger and traveled with us.  Since they were asthmatic, we made sure to request non-smoking rooms to ensure their comfort and safety.

Buying Medications

I am currently taking a number of medications.  Like many Americans, I do not have health insurance and haven’t for over 5 years.  This is also true of my grown children and my husband.  Although three of us have college degrees and are employable, health insurance is difficult to come by these days.  Having health problems creates an even more difficult issues.  Medications are more often than not, very expensive.  Because we are college students and earn little enough income to qualify for prescription programs, my daughter and son and I have been able to acquire some of our more expensive medications thru the drug makers at little or no cost to us.  Some of these medications include: Advair, Singulair, Lantus, Humalog, and Actos.

Some medications that we use are not available on a prescription plan, so we pay for them out of our pocket. 

We pay for doctor visits out of our pocket.  I have found an alternative to the blood panel that the doctor runs every six months on my blood sugar.  I go to the Public Health Nurse to have have the test run and pay $15 as opposed to a $200 plus visit to my doctor.

If you have any suggestions on other alternatives to acquire medications, I would appreciate the input.

Two Week Emergency

We have just come to the end of two weeks of a family emergency.  My son and his family came to visit and retrieve their daughter, who stayed with us for a week of special attention.  Unfortunately, my daughter-in-law was sick upon arrival and was taken to the emergency room within 2 hours.  This left in my care, my six week old grandson.  I had help, my husband and our 23 year old daughter.  (It should be noted here, our daughter is single and fairly clueless with babies, except when they are momentarily cute).  My daughter-in-law ended up in the hospital awaiting gall-bladder surgery.  My son spent most of his time between the hospital and errands.  On Monday evening he had begun to cough very deeply.  By Tuesday morning, he was in the emergency room, on oxygen.  Doctors misdiagnosed him with and asthma attack and released him to be with his wife as she went into surgery.  When he came back to our place that evening, he was laboring for breath and coughing.  When he started coughing up blood, my husband got him to the hospital.  After a cat scan, doctors determined that he had 9 blood clots in his lungs.  He was now in a room just down the hall from his wife. 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…my family and I were anticipating a couple of weeks of child care and recovery for our son and daughter-in-law.  Under normal circumstances, this would be a tough spot to be in but I am disabled and not comfortable with carrying an infant around.  As a family, we pulled together by dividing responsibilities and making sure that I had what I needed handy, to limit my ups and downs which can cause added pain.  I got to know my grandson very.  (My husband still doesn’t do diapers.)  

This emergency caught us unaware, but because we had anticipated the possibility of any emergency, we were able to financially bear it and because we each knew what our strengths were, we able to handle the necessary daily and nightly demands required to care for a 4 year old and an infant. 

They went home last Friday; two weeks after this odyssey began.  My son is still struggling with his condition and we are trying to find a resolution.

Insulin and Storage in an Emergency

As a diabetic, it is important to me, to keep extra bottles of my medications on hand. The insulin will have to be kept cool in an emergency situation or even if you are travelling. In an emergency such as a power outage, the insulin will be fine as long as there is no extended power outage.  If there is, and this can happen as a result of storms etc. buying ice to put into an igloo where you will keep some perishables.  Be sure to keep the insulin at the top of the igloo, to keep it from getting too cold (this is also as important as not letting it get too warm).  Travelling, I use a cup with ice in it. I wrap the bottle of insulin in a paper towel and seal it in a plastic bag and place it in the top of the cup. It should not be buried in the ice, just laid at the top of the cup.

Since I use insulin, so I also require needles. I use my needles at least twice and sometimes a third time if the needle hasn’t become too dull. In doing so, I maintain needle supply.

Any medication should be used the proper way, so don’t take short cuts. Try to stock up on your required medications as well as anticipating any that may be needed in an emergency. If you have a tendancy to get headaches, make sure you have whatever you would normally use, such as Tylenol or Advil or their generic counterpart if you choose.