October 27 - Join the Club (Part Two)

Ah ha! Have you been waiting with bated breath to hear of my next two club memberships? I’ll bet that you were thinking that I would write about vision loss. Certainly that is what I have been writing about ever since I started this blog back in 2011. Indeed, since my own vision loss nearly forty years ago now, I have been a member of this vision loss group.

As a partially sighted, visually impaired or legally blind person, I am a member of many subsets of this large group of people. For instance, as I write, I am aware that you are reading this because even though I don’t know who you are, you have some sort of vested interest in vision loss. I am also part of a small group of people who meet in person once a month. This is our regular support group. I also meet with others on a monthly zoom call. I am a CNIB client and although I’m not personally acquainted with the many other clients across the country, sometimes in our separate travels we will meet. We often carry objects that mark our membership in the group – ID badges, white canes, or an accompanying guide dog. These help us to recognize each other and mark our separate identities.

Just over three months ago now, I became a member of a new and different club. My friend, Barbara, has jokingly called this “The Joint Group”. No, it’s not necessarily what you were thinking. The joints referred to are our knees, hips and shoulders!

Barbara and I had knee replacement surgery within days of each other. Although we had never met before, there was an instant kinship. Where did it hurt? Did your leg swell like mine? How are the exercises going? How is the pain? What does your scar look like? Are you walking better? Does your knee feel hot? Is it sensitive to the touch?  Do you have acute pain or does it just ache? That was three months ago and Barbara and I have stayed in touch with email support for each other. The knee replacement surgery did more than fix our knees. It was the basis for a new friendship with shared surgical experiences as the initiation to the club.

Now, I know I titled this post Join the Club. This is not an admonition for you to endure the pain of a kidney stone or face the challenges of vision loss or go through the surgery of joint replacement. Instead, I hope that if you have experienced any of these things, my words would encourage you to find support by meeting and talking with others in similar situations. As humans we aren’t meant to be islands unto ourselves. We are meant to be social people. Our trials and tribulations can be better borne when we share these with others. So, if you have a story to tell or a special experience in your life – Join the Club .

 

 

 

 

October 23 - Join the Club (Part One)

Many of us belong to clubs or groups. Some clubs are very formal with rules and regulations and others are more of a social nature. Whatever their nature, the members have something in common – shared interests, goals or experiences.

This past week I became a reluctant member of a new club. I was diagnosed with a kidney stone. From what I have read, there are three ways to deal with this. The kidney stone can pass naturally, the stone can be crushed with laser, or else surgery might be required. In my case it was the latter procedure. I have also heard that having or passing a kidney stone is one of the worst pains ever. I can certainly attest to this.

After my surgery, the relief was instantaneous. I spent one night in hospital and came home to share my story with friends and acquaintances. In the telling, I have heard so many other stories shared back to me. I have heard stories of missed diagnoses, lengthy hospital stays, small stones, large stones, agonizing pain, and so on. With all these accounts, there has been the thread of common experience. Whether I like it or not, I have become a member of this rather exclusive club.

Now you will note that I have called this post Part One. I am also a member of two other specialized clubs but you will need to wait until next time before I tell you of those. In the meantime, I have gained much support from the members of this new club of people who have experienced the pain of a kidney stone. We all have such interesting stories to tell about our experiences in life.

October 13 – Fall Leaves

While fall isn’t my favourite season, I do like the changing colours – that is, I like the leaves when they are still on the trees. It is when the wind blows and the leaves fall to the ground that I am not so pleased. On the ground, the leaves simply obliterate the edges of the path where I am walking. They spread over the pavement and spill over the edges.

After really strong winds there are often small twigs and branches interspersed with the carpet of leaves. Even with my cane, clearing the pathway to the firm surface underneath is difficult. I try to think that the leaves are less of a challenge than the snow that will come next.

Lyle likes the fall and encouraged me to stand in front of the tree in the picture below. The leaves were a blaze of colour. I tell myself to enjoy this golden and brilliant display of nature while it lasts.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Sue in front of tree with yellow leaves

October 9 - Small Birds

Some of you might remember a post I wrote about a year ago. Lyle and I had been to Winnipeg for a family visit. While there we spent an afternoon at Birds Hill Provincial Park and walked along one of the many nature trails. The highlight was one special spot on the trail where we were able to feed the chickadees.

It was such a treat that on another family visit last weekend, we decided to repeat the excursion. This time we came prepared with birdseed. It was interesting in that last year the chickadees preferred the sunflower seeds but this year they went for the peanuts. No matter, we were ready.  

Our two grandchildren were so patient in holding out the seeds. We even sprinkled some seed on their caps so that the birds could land on their heads. I wasn’t quite as patient but was thrilled when some of the small birds landed on my outstretched hand.

There is no way that I can see small birds of any description by glancing to the sky, or in the branches of a bush or tree, or even on our front lawn. This might be why I found our chickadee experience so exciting. The little chickadees are very fast with their fluttering wings and the only way I could possibly see them was when they landed for a brief instant on my hand. Even when they were too fast for my sight, I could feel their little claws and hear their fluttering wings. I did manage to catch sight of two or three when they paused on the seed to locate the best seed in my collection.

 While I know that I could try to see a picture under my magnifier, that is not the same thing as a real life connection. 2D and 3D are different!

There are two pictures with this post. In the first I am standing with a chickdee on my outstretched hand. In the second picture, our two grandchildren are standing side by side. They have managed to coax a little chickadee down from the bush in front of them. You can just see it on the hand held between them.

Birds Hill Provincial Park is a great place to explore. I would highly recommend it if you are ever in the Winnipeg area.

 

Chickadee on Sue's hand

Grandchildren with chickadees