We are blessed to have a way to share our extraordinary lives that prove why for us, Walking Is, Way Overrated. You'll see... Stories, Life lessons, Problem Solving, Aging with a disability, all intended to encourage and help out anyone who may be new to using wheels for legs, aging, have a loved one facing challenges or you may just be interested in reading something unique. You may even smile! All glory goes to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
These are definitely crazy days as we watch the news and hear about areas in Europe experience burning temperatures like we have been having in our City in Canada. Along with a lot of other news events that cause us to contemplate what it all means. All the more reason for somewhat comedic relief moments or even diversions just to interject into "real" life, with our real life.
Last Saturday night we had another indoor campout. As I try to master these indoor "adventures, " it's fun to share what's happening with us as some what of a video journal/vlog record. After all, one day, we may be really bored and want to be reminded about what we did on July such and such 2022!
Watch Below
Wound Update
Thank you for those who are concerned about Craig's battle with Veinous Stasis Ulcers. We will post a video update after there is something more to share. I have been doing his dressing changes after trying the local community homecare nursing system. For details just check out this previous blogpost.
Take care everyone and thank you so much for helping our channel and vlog /blog to grow!
❤️Hi guys. Hope you're having a great weekend. If you've been following her blog or the YouTube channel portion that coincides with this and a couple of other blogs, you may know that Craig has been battling pretty risky wound in his foot something called Veinous stasis ulcer. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you can just check here or below to find out what happened in the first video we posted about his wound care and what causes it. I have been doing his dressing changes because I know the basics. and the local wound clinic only sees him every 2-3 weeks! Even after trying to arrange a home
care visiting nurse to do his dressing changes, assuming that would be far better than me doing it. Since I can only work with one hand, which I do improvise and make it happen. But nevertheless of course the best care for my husband is what matters most to me. However the company that was supposed to arrange the visit never made contact after Craig called them. When we heard the name of the company, we were pretty cynical anyway due to the very negative reputation they have in our city. Whether it's from employees I've had it worked for them or people who've tried to have them come and help out a relative or themselves, the news on the street has never been very good. So he said Anita will take care of the dressing changes between visits to the wound care clinic. I learned a little bit from seeing what they did to his dressing and ordered up some supplies from Amazon. And it didn't hurt that I have spent months having fun oozing wounds pouring out of my back for weeks after spinal surgery when I was an early teenager. I may not have been able to see them because they're on my back, but I sure do you remember what was done to them all the time to keep them clean and safe and free from infection.
Part one of this video that we did about a week ago it's not for the faint of heart because I do show some of the collection of photos I've been taking along the way. It's good to have a record of wounds so you can see how much progress you're either making or not making and then assess whether you're going to need to seek a doctor or go to emergency. The number one priority with Craig's wound is to make sure that he does not get any infection. For anyone who doesn't know the woman caring for his foot at the wound care clinic confirmed what I already knew, by telling me you're watching for things like redness and heat around the wound source. Of course fever is never a good thing, and most definitely when the fluid changes colour from white or clear to yellow to green and the edges of the wound become inflamed and red… I think you get the idea get to Emergency. But of course our number one goal for these many months has been to avoid that ever happening.
Watch Part One: What Is Veinous Stasis? Craig's Condition And Serious WoundCare
Update On Craig's Wound Care, Comparing A Home Care Visit From A Nurse VS Craig's Wife, Anita.
Watch The Update Below: For details about our experience withe the so far, only home nurse visit, read the article below
Our Home Care Nurse Visit Will It Be The Last?
Unfortunately, yesterday a day after Craig attended a wound care clinic and they changed his dressing and sent back a note explaining to me about what to watch for if it got infected. Oh yeah there's also not great order that can come from the wound which is another sign of infection. In the morning and informed me that the band they put on fell off which meant is open wound was rubbing up against the sheets.
I freaked out a little bit because I was so scared of it getting infected. Knowing that he had finally been able to arrange a nurse to come to our home and tend to his dressing, I said we can't wait for him because we didn't know when they were coming. (another con about having this particular company come to your home) so instead of waiting I changed the Band-Aid that Craig knew to put on when he saw his vulnerable and exposed wound. He sprayed it with Bactine which is kind of an emergency spray use for small cuts and burns or things like that. But I wouldn't recommend putting it on the type of one he has. But he did a good job working with what he knew. Needless to say, when I went to change that Band-Aid, for the first time in months it didn't look as good as it had been. And I'm talking more about the area around the wound. There was a specific Swath of pinkness in his skin, I was slightly warmer than normal. So I was a little relieved that a nurse would be coming so they could assess the situation.
Well we ever have a home care nurse visit again?
earlier veinous stasis ulcers on Craig's leg
We waited for the home care nurse to call and let Craig know when they would be coming to change his dressing. Another drawback to this particular company because they don't set up appointments for non-serious medical situation. Which is understandable, but for me after seeing the pinkness and warmth in his wound that same morning yesterday, waiting and definitely wasn't exactly a comforting thought. I know how fast blood infections can happen spread and even the worst case scenario. He finally called after three saying he would be here before four. Thankfully he honoured what he said and was here by about 3:50 PM. They had already told us that we would both be needing to wear masks which makes sense because our home is their office while they are here. In fact after not only mentioning the mask part, he also had a paper that Craig had to sign acknowledging all of this including if there are any pets that they felt were too dangerous to be around, we would put them in another room. Thankfully that won't ever happen because, sniff sniff.
He seemed like a very nice well-meaning nurse. I'm guessing he hadn't graduated too long ago. The company that he's working for unfortunately does not have a positive reputation based on everything I have heard over the last decade or more from people who work for me, that took jobs with them. And then people that we know who were seeking care from them and how things did not go very well. Including having home care workers not even show up. Or showing up whenever they wanted or could. So I was hoping that the nursing division of this company, may change our minds about Bayshore.
Hoping to learn something that might help me help Craig when it comes to addressing his wound care and changing his dressings, I watched and ask questions. I was definitely taken aback when I saw that he had a quite shovelled beard spilling out on the bottom sides of his face mask. We learned a long time ago about facemasks and preventing Covid and assuming other viruses, that masks cannot seal on beards. The most important thing about a facemask is how it fits well around the sides of the face and under the
chin and across the bridge of the nose. Craig has a beard but generally it does when you can to keep it trimmed fairly short. It's not perfect but it's better than a bushy beard where it just floats and all the bacteria and viruses can come in all around that mask. May all of you with your beard wearers please learn more about this for your own safety and the safety of your family. I realize that masks are not the be-all end-all to keep me out viruses but, it's been drilled into our heads so much since Covid began, it's hard not to take it seriously.
I put that thought out of my head and he told me that he was going to irrigate Craig's one with the sailing solution that had arrived in our supply pack from the local pharmacy the day before. The place that arranges the visit make sure the wound care supplies are sent to the home prior to the nurses visit. Thankfully this young man was on the ball and based on the referring description of Craig's wound, brought some smaller foam compound Band-Aid like designs.
Craig called me that when the wound clinic offered for the home nurse visits every second day, he thought that would help free me from doing his dressing changes. And I thought, he felt more comfortable having them do it for him. Especially since the wound care clinic person told him there was still too much fluid leaking and it wasn't healing as fast as it should be. So she offered the carrot to him that we had already passed on a couple months earlier when they never responded to a call. And especially when we heard the name of the company providing a home care services. Again bad reputation of not showing up and lousy quality of care.
Wanting to give this person a fair chance and knowing it was in the nursing department, I was hoping it would be a great experience and we could continue on with it if it would help Craig heal faster. And then we could say positive things about Bayshore. What's interesting as we learned that this company is the only one available because the other companies that we would like to choose such as VON end, have no openings available. Makes us wonder if it is really true about the hiring standards of other company.
My hope for negative feelings to change went out the window when he touched his mask and didn't wash his hands through that. When he didn't wash his hands when he entered our home and didn't wash his hands before he left our home or anything like that caused great concern. Not to mention he didn't irrigate his wound like he said he would. And in light of the fact that he did basically everything that I would do or have been doing thanks to what I had already learned from the wound care clinic he had been going to every two or three weeks. We concluded it was far less stressful worrying about germs and whatever other viruses or germs that are lurking out there from people who go home to home in that manner, that it's better just to keep doing things the way we are with the occasional visit to the wound care clinic.
But They Were wearing gloves? Doesn't that make it safe ?
Yes this nurse was wearing gloves. I have to tell you something that a lot of people do not seem to know including people in the nursing or medical field. My dear sister who has been a dental assistant for 30+ years taught me many many things that have helped me throughout the course of my life when it comes to safety and the prevention of spreading bacteria germs and viruses. The dental field is definitely far more meticulous when it comes to sterilization and cleanliness than any hospital or emergency room other than surgery of course. Surgeries have very explicit protocols to follow in order to avoid infection. But even then how often do we hear about infections in hospitals or patients getting sick while being in the hospital and in nursing homes, I think you get the point.
My sister Teresa, told me that you have to wash your hands before you put on medical gloves and wash your hands after taking them off. Makes sense when you think about it. If you don't wash your hands before you put on these clean gloves whatever you touched whatever germs or bacteria that you can't see is going to end up on the gloves and therefore making contact with your patient or client. Then once you're done what you're doing, if you just rip off your gloves go to the next client and patient putting on another pair of gloves what are you doing? Every germs and bacteria that you picked up from that last client is now on those gloves and everything that you touch with contaminated hands spreads to whatever you're touching. Now this can make one paranoid I know, but it's true. How do you think all of these poor seniors in these long-term healthcare facilities, and people patients, staff etc. have viruses spread so often within their walls. And how do you think families can get or coworkers or people just getting together en masse.
This is why it is really important to take protection safety seriously. As we see people slacking off since mask rules and population limits have been lifted during these last few months. We are also hearing about the increase of diagnosis once again. For me personally, I have always been concerned about catching any kind of sickness or virus long before Covid. This has been the way I try to live and have the grace of God, and the wisdom he provides, been able to say that I have been quite healthy for a very long time. So if you're one of those people who wear gloves without washing first and then switch to another parent how do you switch to another person, without washing, I beg you please rethink that and that includes all the nurses that I know who do this. I have had conscientious nursing people work with me who are in University at the time learning their career and power reported to me that horrific germs spreading they have seen during their clinical placements. This is as they witness experience nurses go from one patient to another patient switching gloves, sometimes not even switching gloves, and not washing between. This is a very very serious issue that I wish people would take more seriously and therefore we wouldn't have as many viruses and infections being spread within our healthcare facilities or communities for that matter.
So will we have This Organization come again into our home for Craig's Dressing Change?
No, we concluded that there wasn't anything different than what I had already been doing for him. Just more convenient and I like being able to help. We understand that this company doesn't find a dressing change a priority compared to other clients. For us, since they can't preschedule him and therefore it's a day of waiting, it's easier just to do it ourselves. However, please don't do it yourself if you are not comfortable or if your Doctor, care giver says not to. Avoiding infection is the number one priority.
Being in the kitchen together can be a challenge for us. Craig does all the cooking, often on his own. However, sometimes, I give directions like he's my arms and "legs" and that's where things can get challenging. Craig is a laid back fellow and I am a freak for not overcooking supper and that means timing is everything. I am guessing it's so critical for me because supper is my main only meal of the day.
Today world's collide as we not only share our daily life ( Walking Way Overrated ) cook burgers but I get to share and review the swatches from my handmade interference pigments from Let's Resin. That's the other world (HeArtfully Creating ). Join us...
Initially as the Thunder Storm Warnings flooded in all day, we excitedly went outside at about 7pm last night as the blue skies had become filled with changing dramatic cloud formations. My words can't express God's beauty so watch what we saw below in our vlog. Which contains one very sweet, big surprise.
About forty years ago, I began discovering the challenges of hygiene and physical accessibility. Times
like when I was recovering from a broken leg or spine surgeries, staying at my parents home (unable to freely access a bath tub or shower), or even if I went away where access to easy bathing methods were a challenge. I even tried getting hair permanents (curling hair with rollers and a chemical solution wreaking of ammonia) that dries out your hair, even burning some off. Resulting in hopeful curls or waves, trying to delay that oily greasy hair thing.
If you've ever been recovering from surgery, illness or live with a physical challenge like I have since childhood, then you know what I am talking about. In fact when you are in the hospital, you may also have experienced sponge or bed baths. What's that you ask? It means a nurse sets a bowl of warm water by your bedside with a washcloth (not usually a sponge), bar of soap and towel in hand. I remember it happening daily. Depending how long I was to be laid up for, my hair was never washed in bed, so no matter how clean I may have felt after, the greasy hair feeling increased daily. Back then I never heard of dry or waterless shampoos (which is what this video is about). You know how icky your head and body can feel when you can bath. Hard to believe that in the middle ages bathing was apparently annually if it all!
Watch Video Here
People don't talk about this much so I want to share ideas, reviews and offer what I can to help anyone with mobility issues that want to know ways of feeling clean even when you can't access the shower. Today I want to share a video Craig and I made last year, that I totally forgot about, testing out something called waterless shampoo. Watch to see if it was successful or not.
Good morning everyone! Yay the sun is shining and very very slowly the temperatures seem to be warming up. Definitely seems very delayed compared to every other year I've been on this earth. Just recently, I went to turn on our 55 inch TCL Roku television only to face darkness. After investigating all of the YouTube videos on the subject. And after spending countless hours trying to press button sequences and unplug and re-plug and unplug and re-plug, trying to reboot and reset this television that was less than 2 1/2 years old.... There was sound and you could select channels blindly, but nothing else changed. It hit me really hard realizing just how addicted I was to that idiot box. It was like experiencing withdrawal from sugar or something. Well maybe not that bad, but noticeable.
So we accepted that it was not going to work and we're able to give it away to someone who said they had a friend who could fix it. Tell them they could have it. It wasn't worth trying to find a part and repaired since it looked too complicated for us to manage. No I've been kind of enjoying the challenge of watching TV we need screens like the one you'll see in this video. We definitely have a lot of screens to look at it's just none of them are close to 55 inches. As we look into the open white space we now have because this big black wall is gone, things feel hopeful and better. Craig and I realize we didn't know what we were thinking getting such a mammoth television for such a small space. Maybe we were trying to avoid going to the movie theater. Come to think of it Covid happened a few months after we purchased it. Hmmm...
WATCH VIDEO HERE
It's time to move on, it's time to get going... Tom Petty's song is when I like to play whenever it's time to move on, it's time to get going. That's what I decided had to happen with my old power wheelchair. A couple of big changes in the last few days. I had kept my power wheelchair that was almost 18-19 years old, just in case my new one broke down again. If you look back at these blogs and videos you'll see that I had some issues getting my new chair set up. In fact they had to replace that wheelchair entirely within the first six months because the first one was a lemon. Having a lemon for a wheelchair doesn't work well and doesn't exactly instill trust to the point that you want to get rid of your really old but still working wheelchair. So finally, as I look at that big clunker sitting in our living room piled up with stuff, I felt it was safe to finally see if there was someone else who could use it. Thank you God a home was found fairly quickly. Now we have another big space. Spaces are good because then I get to fill it up with something. Just praying and hoping my no four year old wheelchair continues working.
Art Supply Heaven
Worlds are colliding in this blog because not only are we dealing with the television issue, I was happily distracted watching out new metallic watercolour paints and continuing to set up my new watercolour palette as my art supplies from Currys art supply shop in southern Ontario arrive.
After another night and I'm trying to camp out in our living room. While Craig sleeps soundly, I foolishly get distracted trying to communicate with others. Have you ever tried to do that when you're completely exhausted and falling asleep. But so determined to do it but you don't give up and before you know it sun is rising and you still haven't successfully sent any texts or messages. I definitely need to do some soul-searching to try to understand why I would forfeit so much rest in order to worry about that
After the hoyer lift break down the other day, see the video for that story here. Unfortunately, dear Leeann ended up with a lot of very black grease on her shoulder from supporting the boom part of the lift while Craig was disconnecting the hydraulic cylinder. We felt bad about it (didn't know it was greasy up there). Knowing what a great laundry guy Craig s, I told her to leave it to him and he can get the black grease out. The Next Video shows how he did! Here is the vlog for that fun day.
There are more details below the video about Craig's laundry tools and my DIY formula ingredients.
Watch Today's Video vlog
DIY Talk
It's that time of year when crawly critters start returning into our home. I usually nag Craig to keep the bugs at bay with RAID. He will spray the front door threshold, up and around the door cracks. Living on the ground floor means creepy crawlers work their way in. Concerned about him breathing in RAID fumes, I have been trying to create DIY critter repellents. DIY sprays are so easy to make for countless purposes. Never being someone to follow recipes, I just look for ideas on the internet and then wing it from there. I like to over do the amounts of everything just to make it strong.
Here are some notes on the loose recipe for my DIY Spray Formulas:
Bergie Critter repellent spray:
You do not need to use all the oils. I have them and used them. I am using ones that were mentioned in various recipes. Peppermint oil is a key main ingredient- just using one or 2 more will keep them at bay.
A Spray bottle
Rubbing Alcohol - fill bottle %50%
Distilled or Tap Water - fill bottle 50%
I just Add a lot od drops or pour what I think is enough of these oils:
Peppermint Oil (deters a lot of crawlies)
Lemon or Orange Oil
Tea Tree Oil
Cinnamon Oil
Should be some cayenne pepper but we used a bit of fine ground black pepper.
Wintergreen Oil
Spray ever 7 days or after rain also.
Peppermint and shaved Irish Spring soap will help repel rodents also like, skunks, rats and mice. Safer than moth balls.
Laundry Guy: stain removal tools
And Craig used (to work out all kinds of stains)
Method Laundry Stain Remover (Craig discovered that the stain remover is really just method laundry soap inside a bottle that has a little special brush like a toothbrush to work out stains)
So if you don't have any of that just use the laundry detergent or Dawn dish soap apparently works really well too and a used soft toothbrush.
Today one of my biggest fears came to pass. All I can say is Thank You God for blessing me with the best of care and that things didn't happen the way they could have. I have a number of stories about how I believe God protected me. How? Things like my brand new wheelchair batteries stopped working just after I arrived at a safe location, instead of the middle of a crazy freeway/expressway!
Find out what by watching our vlogventure for today.
I name these particular vlogs Worlds Collide because we have more than one vlog/blog. So when the subject matter covers our life and creativity or our faith in Jesus, worlds essentially collide! Makes sense to me anyway. Walking Way Overrated is our life vlog/blog And Heartfully Creating is my creativity and Sure Hope Gazette is our Christianity Blog/Vlog
I name these particular vlogs Worlds Collide because we have more than one vlog/blog. So when the subject matter covers our life and creativity or our faith in Jesus, worlds essentially collide! Makes sense to me anyway. Walking Way Overrated is our life vlog/blog And Heartfully Creating is my creativity and Sure Hope Gazette is our Christianity Blog/Vlog
WATCH Below
Thank you for stopping by!
This posting coincides with my creativity/art blog- Heartfully Creating here: https://heartfullycreating.blogspot.com and Our Life blog- WALKING WAY OVERRATED: www.walkingwayoverrated.blogspot.com
Hi guys! Finally finally finally, we can see the yard and the White Mountain has been annihilated. Here's a short vlog that also includes a big surprise for us!
This vlog was a challenge to edit. It was the morning after another night of camping out in the living room. That's where Craig sleeps on the great futon my Dad made for him and I tilt my wheelchair back and try to sleep beside him. The morning after was Craig's 70th Birthday. That meant we were celebrating with cake for breakfast. Not just on his birthday morning, but the day before. We call that birthday eve. But since we only drink coffee for breakfast, we simply must have a slice of cake with it.
Since Craig's birthday was on Sunday, we also spend the morning at our online church with Pastor Charles Lawson.
