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Saturday, July 25, 2009

The light at the end of the tunnel

I'm finally beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Boo has a doctor appointment this Thursday which will confirm his medical condition and open up the Service for the Blind to assist us. To get his cane and magnifiers to qualify him for disability all those things.

We've been looking at places to live to see how much we need to have in hand before we can move out of my parent's house. I can't wait. I know we're in their way, sharing the kitchen the laundry room and the parking spots in the driveway. All that is a big pain.

When we move the first thing I'm going to do is fill up the entire fridge and cook something that takes a lot of pots and pans and all day in the oven.

Maybe I'll do it all nekkid :P

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Update

hmm where to start. I haven't had enough time, a good internet connection, the stillness to think of what to say, the inclination to share, or perhaps a combination of all four to post anything lately.

A lot has been going on though.

We've all moved in with my parents. I'm glad they could help us out but it's a little annoying for everyone involved. We don't like the kinda foods they eat, they don't like what we eat, so we're sharing the kitchen, the fridge and the stove and sometimes that's a challenge with two families.

Showers and washing clothes are another problem. I'm always concerned that we're using all the hot water. It's had it's hiccups but I think we're functioning pretty well now. Hopefully we won't be here much longer though.

Why did we move in with them? Well, Boo was the sole source of income for our family. We did all right with just his paycheck and I was a stay at home mom. When his medical problems began to act up, more about that later, he got fired. He can't get unemployment checks because the unemployment office says he's disabled. I can't find a job, I've had several interviews but never made it past the "short list" so we're here til I get a job and we save some money.

As for his medical issues, he's had high blood pressure for awhile now and it finally caused him to have a mini stroke on the 18th of March. It caused no permanent brain damage but he had unexplained shortness of breath and dizziness so the doctor told him he couldn't go back to work. Also as the diabetes went unmediated the diabetic retinapahy got worse and now we're to the point that he can barely see at all.

We've been meeting with people from the Services for the Blind and we hope to have an eye exam to see exactly how bad his eyes are this coming week. After that the SFB will be able to help him learn to get around, use a cane and things like that. He's been dealing with the vision loss very well. I'm not sure how I'd take it if it were me. Sam and I are learning to announce when we're entering or leaving the room he's in, warn him of step ups and downs while out and about and help him in general.

I'm learning to read braille. He said he wasn't interested in learning it. Apparently since so many things can be done with audio these days many blind people don't learn braille but I was curious so I set out to learn. It's really not as hard as it looks. Using a thick piece of paper and the stylus from Bam's DS I made some bumps and let him read them. He figured out what it said in no time! I need to get the proper tools to make braille though it's a little hard on the fingers to do it that way.

Hmm that's all I can think of to update you on right now. We're hanging in there. There's a lot to be unhappy about but we're trying to keep a positive attitude and meet each challenge as it comes. I'd be happy to answer any questions you have, so ask away.