July 2017 Newsletter Edition
It never ceases to amaze me the amount of really positive things happening in my life in the midst of the challenging hip and knee treatment I am enduring. This month has been no exception. I've had the pleasure of being able to share many of the rewarding moments on my YouTube channel. Many of these events would never have taken place if I had not been enduring the challenges which have transpired from my Legg Perthes disease. Overall I am very pleased with the progress of my YouTube channel. I look forward to building on this.
I am making progress for the modifications to my new power wheelchair. This process has taken much longer than I had expected. The main reason why this is taking me longer is because of sourcing many of the components from Asian countries. This is necessary because I wouldn't otherwise have the financial means of buying the components here in Canada. I desperately need the increased functionality these will provide the wheelchair when completed. My plans for the coming weeks are to work on the wheelchair LED lighting, a holder for my crutches and a holder for the tools used to assist me in dressing for when I will need these at the gym and my knees flare up unexpectedly. In September I will work on the electrical modifications.
There are 2 boys who live on the same street - block as myself. They look up to me as a role model and frequently ask me to watch them play, make courses for them to bike and tell me what's new in their lives. For their birthdays I give them a present which will help them in their life. One of the boys has expressed an interest in stop motion animation with his stickBot characters using the stickBot app. I am making a green screen out of Plexiglas for his 10th birthday present. He showed me what size he would like. I hope to finish this during the first week of August. I find it very rewarding using my hands. It is fantastic being able to invest in their lives.
My new power wheelchair is requiring it's first major maintenance overhaul. I've drove 600 miles or 1,000 km since I began using it. It appears the bearings are worn out. The treads are also worn down and will soon need replacing. I enjoy working on my power wheelchair. Recently my local Home Depot provided me an excellent deal for a low profile hydraulic jack which allows me to raise up the power wheelchair and perform this maintenance. I plan to perform bearing and tire rotation during the first weekend of August.
I've found online shopping is very helpful in promoting my independence and quality of life. Options are beginning to occur in Canada for the online purchase of groceries which are delivered directly to your home. I've placed an order for all my non perishable groceries for August 2017. They should be delivered during the first week of August. It would otherwise take about 8 trips with my power wheelchair to buy this volume of non perishable food. Due to the size of the order there were no shipping or handling charges. It is extremely helpful to me.
The month of July ended with another very serious setback with my physical disability. I felt a new tear occur within my right knee joint on July 26th. My quality of life has now deteriorated to what I was living prior to my hip replacement surgeries. I've not healed from my hip replacement surgeries. I am now only able to do very basic hip range of motion exercises and gentle movements in the pool for my legs. The use of the conditioning center equipment causes severe pain and is no longer worth pursuing for my legs. In short a recovery is unlikely without undergoing knee replacement surgeries.
There are a few additional tests my family doctor is having me undergo to rule out any serious ailments. The expectation was set by a 91 year old orthopedic surgeon in June 2012 that my knee joints would wear out due to the experimental treatment method used on me for my Legg Perthes disease between 1979 and 1981. This surgeons opinion superseded all others. I think it is in my best interests to continue developing my YouTube channel, related web site, the wheelchair mods I described above and the deep cleaning of my home to give me the best quality of life. Then when I've been able to build an income from my efforts online I will consider out of country knee replacement surgery options so I don't have to face the same resistance I experienced when pursing hip replacement surgeries within Ontario Canada's health care.