Archive for December, 2010

Going to the Inlaws

Friday, December 24th, 2010

It’s that time of the year again… and for the 2nd time, I’m going to my Father-in-laws for the holidays, and leaving Chewbacca, my service dog, in our van. His wife, Cheri, is deathly afraid of dogs, and will not have my service dog in her house. This all started when Kent married Cheri, and we bought Gillis over to their house – he was a puppy. Smaller than their dog. Gillis was well behaved, but I guess Cheri freaked out after I left and I couldn’t bring my dog over there anymore. So I didn’t go over there at all – Keith went alone, because I refused to leave my service dog at home. No way was I going to leave Gillis at home. Keith’s father refused to get Cheri medical help for her fear and I just can’t take it… it’s been 19 years, and frankly, it’s like a festering wound. untreated. How can you ignore such a thing?

And then last year, I relented, and took Chewie over there, and left him in the van while I spent a few hours with the family. There were a few comments. I almost left. If there are comments this year, I will leave. They just don’t understand. Chewie doesn’t do anything for me all the time. same with Gillis. You have to live with me to see what my service dog does for me.

Now, in a few hours, I’m going over there, and leaving Chewbacca in our van. Chewie won’t mind… he’ll sleep. He’s not like Gillis. He will just sleep in the back of the van and enjoy it, once he gets over the fact that he’s not coming in with me. He is attached to me, and does know what his job is, but once I leave him in the van, he’s okay with that. Gillis I couldn’t do that. Gillis was so attached, he’d go nuts being left in the van alone. Chewie is fine with it.

I still believe it’s wrong, but I guess I’ve mellowed in 19 years of marriage, I just wish Cheri would get help for her fear… why do *I* have to be the one to give on this? What does she do when she meets a dog in public? Scream and the dog goes away? I haven’t ever had the courage to ask.

It’s only a few hours… I’ll survive. I just wish it wasn’t a problem that is ignored, though. I wish she would get help… it’s like it’s shoved under the table. The inlaws have a dog, but it’s not the same. It’s not a BIG dog… so it’s okay. Yeah, sure it is. And the dog is uncontrollable. No discipline at all. But the family ignores that, but MY dog has to be perfect… at least when around the FIL and around Keith. *sigh* Double standard, that’s what it is.

Posted in Disability, Family, General, Personal, Real Life, Service Dogs | 102 Comments »

Well, I survived

Friday, December 24th, 2010

Having no meds for the last weekend. I got the meds on Monday. And the damn nurse that I talked to on Friday… she didn’t talk to my doctor at all! He would have written me a prescription for 6 pills to carry me over the weekend, but she said he wouldn’t. When I saw my doctor on Monday, he said he would have done that. I’m more than pissed. It’s a violation of policy for not seeing me, except my doctor has been known to bend the rules, and I did have an appointment on Monday, and I am not a new patient. So, I went through all that pain for nothing. Well, I’m not going to run out of meds again. I’m going to make sure I have at least a week’s buffer from now on.

Posted in Disability, Disability Issues, Personal, Real Life | 100 Comments »

It’s going to be a Hell of a Weekend!

Friday, December 17th, 2010

I am in constant pain due to Cerebral Palsy. All the muscles in my body are pulling against each other and causing all this high-end pain. I take prescription narcotics to deal with it, as well as having an implanted intrathical drug pump to handle the spasticity that also comes from the Cerebral Palsy.

I ran out of meds yesterday. That was okay, or so I thought, ’cause I had a doctor appointment, where I’d get refills. Not this time. My doctor called in sick. The office, SAID they called and left a message, but I certainly didn’t get it. Arrived there at 10:30am and found the door locked. Called into the office, and found that my doctor was out sick. I was VERY not pleased. Less pleased, because my doctor (who I shall not name because I am a nice person, even though I really really want to), said he won’t do that, even though I have an appointment for Monday, and I could not find a way to get to his ofice today. ParaTransit requires at least 24 hours notice, a family member blew me off, saying he/she had a chat they needed to attend.

I am LIVID. The doctor would not write a prescription for SIX pills to get me through the weekend, so that I could see him on Monday. I have an appointment. I have been a patient for several years. I have never abused my drug prescriptions before. But, because it was morphine, a controlled substance, they couldn’t write the prescription without seeing me, or so I was told. HOWEVER, I was not called back after asking for a prescription of six pills right away so I couldn’t get a ride to an appointment in the afternoon. By the time I called back to the doctor’s office to see what was up, it was too late, and they didn’t have any appointments anymore.

And this family member couldn’t take 2 hours out of his day to help me. Instead he had to “chat” with someone. He’s unemployed, and living with his mother. Irresponsible. And I never will ask him for anything again. Too bad I have to spend Christmas with him.

So, now, I”m without medications until Monday, and it’s Friday. I forsee a long weekend on Facebook, and it’s a good thing Keith will be at work. I will probably absence myself from chat, just so I will spare my friends, but I would love to have someone to lean on, because I certainly can’t do that with even my husband, as he’ll agree with his brother.

Family will all and all that.

Here’s hoping I survive until Monday. I am going to exist, at best.

Posted in Disability, Disability Issues, Family, Personal, Real Life | 1 Comment »

Yahoo Messenger and New Contacts

Wednesday, December 15th, 2010

I’ve been a user of Yahoo Messenger for years. I use it mostly to keep in touch with friends, and most recently for when I’m online playing games.

I am listed in the Yahoo Directory, and I’ve been getting invites by one type of person only. Those that insist on showing me sexually oriented material after I accept their request. Once I do that, they ask to chat, and then send me a link where there is porn. I don’t do porn. I don’t like porn, and wish it didn’t exist.

I don’t mind that others utilize porn, by reading it, or watching it. But, when you answer a friend request and then immediately send a link to a porn site, that is just.. wrong. When that is done, I immediately block the person, and report them to Yahoo. Sorry, but what you do on your time is fine, but imposing it on me without warning is not. A simple “Can I send you a link to a porn site?” would work wonders.

As such, the only people I talk to on Yahoo Messenger are those that are family or close friends that I have known for years. I much prefer Facebook for meeting people to chat with. Or be email pals with. I’ll be looking into how to take my name out of the Yahoo Directory. No matter how much I may think I could help someone with a disability… it’s just really sad that the people that have these porn sites have to trawl the Yahoo Directory and ask to be added to an unknown person’s list then once there, they send a link and dump that person into a porn site which is most likely not welcome and may be very offensive.

It’s too bad… I could use Yahoo to gain members to the Star Trek clubs that I run, the USS Daniel Soule, a chapter of Starfleet International, where I am the Commanding Officer, and the independent club, USS Constellation, where I am the Executive Officer, help people with disability and service dog questions and gain new friends. But, nope, I’m going to retreat to being a private member, and only use it to contact people that I know.

Posted in General, Internet, Roleplaying, Starfleet, USS Constellation, USS Daniel Soule | 143 Comments »

Deliveries to the House and the Disabled

Sunday, December 5th, 2010

I was sitting on the toilet and was shocked to hear 3 honks outside… I rushed to get off the toilet and in my wheelchair and outside. By the time I got out there, the truck was gone. And I had heard a 2nd set of 3 honks 5 minutes after the first set… but that didn’t give me enough time to get outside. I am physically disabled, and if I am not dressed, I can’t get outside to retrieve whatever UPS or Fed Ex has for me. They know I am disabled. Why won’t they give me extra time? I know they WILL give me extra time if I send my service dog out to them, but I couldn’t even get the time to do that this AM.

Hopefully, the package will be at FedEx, where my husband goes every morning to pick up the parts and such needed for his job of repairing/replacing cash registers. That way I won’t have to have him make an extra trip… and I KNOW it wasn’t the United Postal Service at 9am on Tuesday morning.

They really need a mechanism where if it is noted that the person is disabled, they come to the door, or allow extra time. I know the gate is latched, and they know I have a dog. I have called and said he is a service dog. And to wait when I send Chewie out… but today, I couldn’t send him out fast enough. They were gone by the time I got there. I realize they may not know I’m not home, but an extra 10 minutes isn’t going to kill them.

Then again, it may not have been for me. There have been a few times that there were deliveries for the neighbor, but I think it was for me.

I think 5 minutes is NOT enough time… so what does everyone else think?

Posted in Disability, Real Life, Uncategorized | 112 Comments »