WOW Six Years! I can't believe it's been that long since I posted on here. Browsing through some of my other posts, I see how things have changed. Lots of ups, downs, twists and turns. I'd like to get back to writing on here so thought I'd start off catching up.
In 2013, I was mostly getting adjusted to a new normal with my Interstim Sacral Nerve Stimulator. I can happily say that I'm going six years strong with it having approximately 80-95% success rate(that's saying a lot since I live with Spina Bifida and was told I probably would always have some issues) and lots less socially crippling. At the time I was about a year into unemployment and truly hoping that was the beginning of a turning point. While I was fortunate to be offered many interviews, I somehow never seemed to measure up or the company offering couldn't offer enough hours so they didn't have to pay benefits. It was devastating. I quit the job I'd been at for 18 after feeling like my back was against a wall. This was a place that helped me get many starts in life and had a lot, in my mind, to do with my identity. Many other things happened, friends/family were moving or dying, and social connections(aside from social media) I had were being diminished. Finances were getting slim and it felt like walls were closing in. The day I couldn't balance my checkbook almost broke me. It was obvious something wasn't right and saw my doctor immediately, I was diagnosed with depression and prescribed a low dose medication.
On top of this, rent was getting high where I was living. I knew I couldn't stay and the one place in my hometown the was accessible for the disabled didn't have vacancies. Sadly, I had to move about 20 minutes away. My new apartment was an efficiency, if you don't know what that is it's about like a child's shoe box in which the kitchen, living, bed/bathroom And The Bedroom Closet seemed to fit all in one small space. Never in my life did I ever have to downsize so much(7 large garbage bags of cloths just in the first few months.) One of my first days there consisted of training a new home health aide, have both the cable and internet guys installing things and needing me to answer questions or give instructions all while the wheelchair repair guy was doing something with the chair. It makes me laugh now, but at the time it was head spinning.
I lived in a senior and disabled housing development. For as outgoing as I am, I sensed that not many people really wanted to embrace the newbie unless they wanted dish on the other lady from the complex my aide was working for. This made me want to avoid people. I also came to realize it mattered which side of the complex you lived on. One side thought they were better than an other and answered to this high and mighty lady who rode around on a scooter and thought she was just as much the manager as the actual manager. She was referred to as The Mayor. I wonder if she's still alive....??? I could tell all kinds of stories but I digress.
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