A Reality Check & Fresh Eggs
Yesterday I got both a reality check and fresh eggs. But first I had a doctor’s appointment about my ankle.
A New Rollator Came Home With Me:
He gave me a prescription for a rollator like many of you mentioned to me. I had the prescription filled at a medical supply place.
Here it is in all its old-lady-having-a-hard-time-getting-around glory.
How has this so quickly become my life, I wondered as I was driving home?
A year ago I was in physical therapy, but I could walk and stand up for a bit longer. I felt more independent and more sure of myself going places.
Now it’s all I can do to get to the dumpster and to my car under the carport.
A Reality Check:
It was right after the appointment that I got a reality check. I was walking down the sidewalk toward my front door.
There was a woman headed toward me in some sort of chair with wheels, but it didn’t really look like a wheelchair.
She was having to use both feet to walk herself along. I saw what looked like a small bag of trash in one hand. With the other hand, she was holding onto the chair.
I called out to her, as I can’t move as fast as I once did. Because if she was headed to the dumpster behind me, I wanted her to stop where she was and I’d take it.
I could tell what it was taking out of her to get even a foot down the sidewalk.
Just Headed To The Dumpster With Her Trash:
She couldn’t hear me till I got closer. “Ma’am, “I said, “are you going to the dumpster?” And she said yes.
I said: “Well, give that to me and I’ll take it down there.” She looked so relieved.
“Wait,” she called out to me, “can you help me get this chair over that hump?”
The hump she was referring to is a place on the sidewalk that is raised in front of my walkway, probably from tree roots underneath.
So I helped guide her across it. I have no idea how much farther she had to go.
But if I felt sorry for myself on the way home, the reality that there’s always someone worse off truly hit me.
I went inside to call and find out where I could locate a rollator that took Medicare when there was a knock at the door.
A Kind Neighbor Bearing Gifts:
I opened it to see the neighbor who lives above Ron and Pat, the couple in their late eighties. I’d met her recently when she helped me inside with a big Amazon package.
She was holding a carton of eggs out in front of her.
“Do you eat eggs?” she asked me. I told her I did.
She explained that she’d just come from her daughter’s house in Missouri, and she raises chickens. Sometimes they have too many to eat and give them to her to bring to the residents here.
She opened the egg carton to show me 12 beautiful brown eggs.
“So I bring them back here and hand them out,” she said. “Would you like a carton?”
Fresh Eggs:
A free carton of eggs that had recently been gathered from the hens sounded wonderful to me. I thanked her as she walked away with her cart of egg giveaways.
When I put them in the refrigerator I saw that she’d written the day the eggs had been gathered on the end of the carton.
So many nice people I’ve met since I moved here on January 26th.
The world is sometimes an ugly and scary place. And there are all kinds of people in it.
There are people who just need a little help to get over a difficult-to-pass place on the sidewalk in order to move on.
And then there are kind neighbors walking around handing out free cartons of fresh eggs to anyone who wants them.
Hoping your new brace really helps you. Your community sounds wonderful , with people helping others, and looking out for each other. I’m glad you are meeting so many kind and friendly people. Enjoy the eggs!
I am so proud you have moved to that complex. You seem so much happier now. Fresh eggs are always great to get. You seem to have some great people around you. I enjoy your daily posting. Hope you and your kitty babies have a great day.
You must be so happy you moved to this complex. It sounds to me you are surrounded with kind people that would support you whenever needed. Enjoy your fresh eggs…yummy!
My mom lived to be 98 and 6 months old and her rollator got her many places and provided a safe place to sit down when a chair wasn’t in sight. I especially remember how much her many grandchildren loved rolling around on it when they were visiting her in her apartment. It really became second nature to her in using it when she was out and about…and made going places more comfortable and possible. I so much hope your doctor will be able to find solutions to reduce your pain and increase your mobility. I greatly enjoy your blog posts and look forward to reading them everyday. You have done an amazing job on setting up your new home and it really is quite lovely. Mary in Colorado
I hope this new brace works out for you. Your current one sounds miserable.
Sounds like you live in a wonderful community where everyone helps each other out. I am so glad you found this place.
Nothing better than farm fresh eggs. Enjoy!
Just when you were feeling so down about losing your mobility and independence along come two up-lifting experiences—the lady with the trash whom YOU could help and the lady with the eggs–FOR you! Those kinds of experiences help us to keep our own lot in life in perspective, don’t they?
I think the hand brakes for your car might be really helpful for you. It would take so much wear and tear off that ankle and help you keep your independence in getting places.
I will echo the others who’ve expressed how glad they are you have moved to the new place. I think as time goes on you will experience more and more positive aspects of that community which will help keep your spirits up.
Sending love, hugs and healing energy, Brenda.
Take care and enjoy those eggs!
Brenda, fresh eggs are the best! How wonderful to be in a beautiful new home with so many kind people! As for your ankle/hip, I am praying that the new brace helps tremendously. As for your rolaitor, think of it not as getting old but getting a lift so that you can grow older and still be independent. My stepfather has one and he loves it. Have a wonderful weekend! Thank you for your always kind comments, it is nice to know that someone reads and enjoys my Friday Favorites.
So sorry for your pain. It is eye opening when we see others worse off then we are.
Fresh eggs! So much better than store bought eggs. My Granddaughter always scrambled eggs we were given by our neighbor. One morning she cracked eggs into a skillet and remarked, “What’s wrong with these eggs?” The chickens had stopped laying and I had to get eggs from the store. She commented they looked bad and we’re not very tasty! Big difference. Enjoy the eggs. So glad your neighbors daughter is so kind and generous.
Blessings, Mary
Brenda, you are so kind to help your neighbor, when you yourself was also in pain. And your other neighbors were incredibly kind too, sharing their fresh eggs with you. You’ve moved into such a wonderful, caring community. I’m so happy for you. Best move you could have made. As for the rollator, I think once you get used to it, I’m sure you’ll find it quite handy, and you’ll be glad you have it. I heard somewhere, if you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. Maybe instead of dreading it and feeling like you’re losing your independence, maybe think of it as a tool to help you keep your independence. Alternatively, you could have to depend on your daughters or someone else to actually get you to your appointments. Sometimes just a different vantage point helps. Sort of like when you realized that there’s always someone worse off than you. And while getting older can sometimes suck, it sure beats the alternative, lol. It’s better to see old age than to not see it. 👵
I know there are hand brakes that can be installed in cars, all different kinds and prices depending on what works best for the driver. If deemed medically necessary by one’s doctor, part or all of the cost may be covered by Medicare. Such a system might make driving somewhat more manageable for you – no pressure from applying force to the foot brake on your bad ankle. The photo of the beautiful brown eggs in the blue egg carton looks like a work of art! I remember when that color combination was really big especially in decorating bedrooms because they’re so soothing and serene.
I am so impressed with your neighbors!! It must verify to you, that you made the right choice in moving there…even though it was so horrifically hard to do!! If I was you, I would try to get that lady to deliver eggs on a regular basis and pay her a bit for them!! Nothing like farm fresh eggs!!
I agree with Kris. Your new place sounds lovely and I’m so glad that you moved there.
❤ Eggies 🥚 🐣 🍳 are such a wonderful gift!!!
Fix yourself some fresh egg salad Brenda!
Delicious!! 😋
It’s such a blessing when you find good people in the world. You were a bit of light in the darkness for that woman who was hobbling to the dumpster. And your neighbors are such gifts to you. How wonderful that you all look out for each other.
My hubby used a rollinator when he had each knee replaced. It was such a blessing to have one with wheels! Made it easier to walk properly while he was recovering. The handles adjusted for his height so he could walk upright. And you can sit on it if you’re tired. Nice when you’re in the middle of a store and need to sit down! I hope it alleviates some of the burden on your ankle. Maybe you could even put your knee on the seat while you’re walking to give your ankle a chance to heal. There are also kneeling rollinators if this one isn’t a good fit for you. There are baskets you can buy for them if you want to tote things around with you. Thank God there are nicer options these days than the old style walkers!
My husband borrowed a Rollator when he was going to his chemo treatments. It made it so much easier for him to get around! It was through an organization in our community that lends medical devices to anyone who needs them! Some 55 communities have transportation to doctors appointments and to the grocery stores maybe you could inquire about that!
This is another comment on yesterday’s entry regarding the dry cleaner. I was really overwhelmed by the nasty and negative comments about the employee. Just for the record, I am rather anti-business, use no social media at all, am not overly fond of technology or my phone, am hypervigilant about my privacy, and am 71 years old. When the clerk said that customers needed to use the app, Brenda ASKED HIM to put it on her phone. When he asked for the information to do that, she did not have it. He asked her if she would like to get the information so he could install the app, per her request; she declined. He should have said that he could not install the app on her phone because he would have to ask for personal information but instead he tried to be helpful. Lastly, he told her that all business at the store was conducted through the app and that he could not help her further per the policies set up by the store owners. Isn’t that what you would want your employees to do at a business you owned? I genuinely cannot see how this person was rude or unhelpful.
Finally ! Someone who read what I read about the situation and wasn’t afraid to say it. Thank you.
Brenda, I’m going to keep mentioning PRP therapy frequently. I want you to know about treatments that are new that WORK. Olympic and professional athletes swear by PRP. The Texas governor (god bless him) has used it. I have used it. It works when nothing else does. The reason it isn’t more widely known is because it is not covered by insurance. It’s been around for decades. I took the liberty of googling a place in Tulsa that does it: https://www.drjabbour.com/prp-therapy.html
However, I know nothing about that doctor, and I’m sure there are many others that do it in Tulsa. My hands and thumbs were so bad from years of adjusting patients that I couldn’t even type on the keyboard many days. They are now 90% pain free after one treatment, and I have my next treatment in two months. My chronically sprained and broken ankles are pain free and strong and stable.
I’m sure they have payment plans. There are other methods out there besides what your MD suggests that are highly effective. You don’t have to go down this pathway towards a wheelchair. And yes, I know you have a tear. That’s fixable too. My husband had a tear in his rotator cuff – almost completely torn through the entire tendon. It healed in weeks and has never come back.
One more
https://www.revolutionhealth.org/prolotherapy-platelet-rich-plasma-in-tulsa/
Brenda, I have been using a rollator for several years, I named her Matilda because we waltz around together all the time.. You might think about getting the bag that fits under the seat or a basket to hang on the front. That way you have somewhere to put your water bottle, camera, phone, etc when you are out and about. The best thing about them is the seat for when you just can’t walk another step until you rest. Sounds like you have wonderful neighbors at your place. Take care, hugs, Roberta
Wow 👌 real nice and helpful. I like it. The seat is great!!
Could use it dealing with this arthritis 24-7.
Luckily, my old “wheelie” helps out a lot. Very necessary.
A bit clumsy though.
Your Rollator is like mine. I also have the one that converts to wheelchair, like you describe the lady you met using. When you take trash out or carry anything while using it, set it on the seat, so much easier to use it that way. I sometimes get a basket in grocery store, put it on seat to gather items if I’m not getting much. Your larger apartment will make it easier to navigate around furniture with it. So nice of you to help the lady in the chair. You have certainly moved to a helpful, generous, beautiful place. Your daughters must be so relieved that you are safe and content there.
What a pleasant surprise the eggs are. I’m down to five chickens now and that’s enough for us.
Sure hope the rollator helps take some stress off for you. I can’t imagine how painful that is. We are waiting for my daughter’s podiatry appt to see what is causing her issues. She is in so much pain.
Brenda I am so glad you are meeting such nice neighbors! and fresh eggs, what a treat and how very kind of the neighbors and her daughter. Years back we had a little hobby farm and I over calculated on how many hens to get and we had so many eggs! we shared them with neighbors and in turn they would share extra vegetables from their garden that we didn’t grow in ours. It was so nice. I am sorry to hear your ankle is getting worse and I do hope this brace will do the job better than your previous ones. It takes a bit to get used to the rollator. I had surgery on my foot years back and thought I would been on crutches afterward. The doctor had me figured out…I am a klutz and accident prone so he he told me “YOU will use a rollator”! Your other foot and leg will get tired, but I think you will find the rollator very helpful in getting from point A to B safely. I don’t know how you can drive with that boot on! I tried and just sat and cried when I realized it wouldn’t work for me and I had to bum rides to and from work. Losing independence is so difficult. Is surgery an option to strengthen the tendons if the brace and PT don”t improve things?
Sounds like you are meeting some very nice neighbors where you are now. I think this move was the best thing you could do for yourself. Happy Friday.
Your move has certainly introduced you to many nice people. Nice bonus.