July 12, 2017

Today I managed to escape from the retirement home for a couple of hours.  I had a senior helper come over today.  I was going to have her help me put my stuff away.  But, Tomoko did that for me last week.  (Thank you, Tomoko!)

So, instead we went shopping.  My helper, Judy, drove me to the bank and the grocery store.  The grocery store, Fred Meyer's, is huge.  It sells everything from clothes to yogurt.

Sweetsie came with us.  She wanted to be carried so much.  Instead of being my comfort animal, I've become hers.  She has become so nervous from the bus accident and then 6 or so weeks living with Kevin's family.  Now she wants to be with me constantly.

I'm nervous about leaving her in the apartment by herself.  I don't want her barking and crying.   Hopefully, she'll calm down with time.  She is adjusting well to being here.  I get up in the morning, put clothes on and take her on a short walk.  Then we go upstairs and I feed her and Stella.  About 4 hours later her dog walker shows up.  She doesn't even want to leave me to go on a nice walk with her.

It's 11 PM now and I have to take her out for her last potty break.

We're back now.  Sweetsie was great.  I took her out to the courtyard, let her loose and she did her business and was ready to go back inside.

Unfortunately, I don't sleep well here.  It's probably the pain.  I have to really get into a deep sleep so I don't wake up if I move my leg.  It's 1:30 AM.  I was in bed for about an hour, woke up and couldn't get comfortable.  So, I'm back in the living room.

Someday I have hopes of being pain free.  At this point it seems like just a dream.  My world has been turned upside down.  I'm in the 4th place I've slept in since I moved to Portland.  First, it was 3 nights in the apartment in Marvel 29, then the hospital, next the nursing home and now the retirement home.  I can't even dream of being back at home in Houston.  It seems like my former life happened ages ago.  Like I've said before this accident has made me feel years older.

I started physical therapy yesterday - at last.  I was supposed to get therapy from the company that owns the nursing home. I called and left messages but no one ever returned my calls.  I was able to change to the therapist who has an office in this same retirement home.  I was really hurting after the first session.  My second one is tomorrow.

Tomorrow I'm also going to an internal medicine doctor's office.  My first appointment is with the nurse practitioner.  Maybe the patients have to be pre-screened before you get to see a doctor.  I don't need any prescriptions filled.  I think it's a good thing to find a doctor in case I get sick.  I only know trauma doctors in Portland now.

I guess I'll try to go to sleep again.