I can't think of an appropriate bandom lyric

[cupcake_goth]

- During one of my recent thrifting outings I found a copy of The Velvet Room, a Zilpha Keatley Snyder book I don't remember! With a fantastic pink cover, no less.



- Remember me mentioning that the neurosurgeon back specialist referred me to the targeted physio side of his team? I hadn't heard from them by last Friday, so I called, went through the labyrinth of call options, and finally spoke with someone who could schedule an appointment. The earliest they could find was June 11th. I'm unhappy, but the Stroppy One is LIVID. We started this process in Nov./Dec., and I've gotten some suggestions but no real help. I'm going to see if I can speak to someone about what will be discussed at the June 11 appointment and if we can make sure I get the targeted injections in my hip at that appointment, because ...

- We're going to the UK at the beginning of July. This means a lot of walking, and we want to make sure that I'm not in pain the entire trip. I'm still going to bring a fuckton of muscle relaxers with me.

- Related to the trip: During our last visit, Thea mentioned her mobility scooter and how it's made all the difference for her being able to do things. This prompted the Stroppy One to very gently bring the up the possibility of me renting one for the length of time we'll be spending in Edinburgh. I said that I understood that it could help me and we should look into it; I sat there for 10-ish minutes getting more and more upset, then burst into tears and said I didn't want to be that fat American on a disability scooter with no obvious disability. The Stroppy One said he understood and that he had been expecting me to have a freakout over that exact thing. (!!!) So that's a thing we need to discuss more, and hopefully I won't have a complete meltdown.

"But Jilli, you go out walking around, what makes you think you wouldn't be able to while on vacation?" This is true, but I generally don't do that every day, and when I do go out and Do Things, I usually end up taking muscle relaxers and pain meds when I get home AND spend the following day resting. So yeah, this is a big concern and the Brain Raccoons are determined to make me miserable about it. Ugh. 

Comments

[icprncs]

Oh, that is my FAVORITE of her books (and I still have my copy). A little bit spooky and a LOT social-justice oriented, yes even for the era.

Voltarol (the British Isles version of Voltaren) is approved for back use in the UK. Just sharing that bit of info, since it ended up being useful when my back flipped out in Ireland.
I learned the hard way that an ice bag (to be filled with ice when needed) is also a useful thing to have when traveling.

FWIW: A lot of cobblestones in Edinburgh.

[noxcat]

Believe ,\me, I GET IT. Invisible disability is really insidious that way - the disability comes before the added weight, but people don't see that. What they see is the weight, and then they assume the weight gain is a character flaw instead of what it truly is - a consequence of the disability.

Go. Do the trip. Take the scooter. Just because you bring it along doesn't mean you're required to use it. But it's there if you do.

[garpu]

Oh I get it. The worst of my back issues happened at UW, and I was ordered to not do stairs. Of course there were shitty comments and such when I was taking the elevator. People can be quite awful. But they can be really nice about it, too. My back decided to spasm as I was crossing the Ave, trying to get home to my advil and heating pad. A person, who wound up being a grad student in anthropology, helped me home, and we had a nice chat about shamanism, since I was writing a paper about Balinese ones for a seminar.

I'm not sure I know where I'm going with this, but...been there. <3

[staxxy]

Take the scooter. Use it to also hold your parasol/bags/etc. (I assume it has the ability to do this) so then you will be the American with ALL THE THINGS who can't possibly just carry them.

[gatheringrivers]

Based on my experience (before I could deal with what causes 95% of my pain):

You may not use it, but.... Carry an actual mobility cane with you. One of those ugly functional ones, not fancy. Bonus if it LOOKS beat to shit and back, even if you need to have it kicked up and down the driveway several times.

I know you'll be tempted for a fancy one that fits your style, but most won't key to that being a mobility aid rather than a fashion accessory.

Carry the functional cane with you WHILE using the scooter. (Maybe some kind of strappy thing to pin it to the steering column so it doesn't fall off?)

THAT will show people that you HAVE a valid mobility issue (with the cane looking well-used) - even while using the scooter.

Yea, I know, it's performance theater sometimes. But that's what worked for me.

[thehauntedlibrarian]

I hate being invisibly disabled for this very reason. (Though mine is youth and not weight.)

But, it says more about them that they would think such a thing about another person. (Even though sometimes even knowing that doesn't help with the chittering brain spiral.)

I also agree with the others here, rent the scooter even if you get the pain relief scheduled before the trip. It's always better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.