Education narrative Rough draft. How I learned to live with a painful Disability

                             
Heather Mews
English 101
Professor: Begert                    
                           How I learned to live with a Painful Disability

Most people who don’t know me on a personal level are unaware of the debilitating pain I am faced with daily. I was midway through my work day staging and inspecting furniture when I had to run an extension cord underneath a sleeper sofa, this was part of my usual routine so I didn't think twice when I  lifted the sofa and twisted to reach for the cord, it was then that I realized something didn't feel right. I reported the incident but continued to work with my injury for several more weeks due to fear of losing the income that I needed to support my 3 children. Little did I know, these actions would soon lead to what is now a very permanent and painful disability.

After several years of spinal injections, physical therapy, chiropractic care, laser therapy, and massage therapy, basically every form of treatment that did not involve taking drugs I came to the decision along with several orthopedic surgeons, that surgery would be my best option. Upon making this decision I was informed that L&I would require me to attend a very extensive pain rehabilitation program before they would allow me to move forward with the surgery. In my opinion this seemed to be yet another way for them to avoid taking the necessary steps for my recovery. If they had just done this in the beginning I would have been well on the road to my recovery and saved them a lot of money on ineffective treatments, the government wastes enough money as it is. I had spent an ample amount of time preparing myself for the surgery  so I was not happy about this little adventure they were about to send me on.

It was the beginning of December when I got the call "your rehabilitation program will start on December 11^th and you will need to stay here for the duration". Not only did I hate the big city, but I felt they had no regard to the fact that they were making me leave my family over the holidays, my dog whom I felt played a huge role in helping me manage my depression, and the comfort of my own home. When I first arrived in Seattle I was angry and had already formed an attitude that the program they were requiring me to attend was going to be no more effective than the other treatments I had received prior. The apartment I was to stay in was cold and drab, impersonal, and there were people camped out on the side of the road with their sleeping bags, leaving me with little comfort, as I was by myself. I missed my family immediately, and I just wanted to give up and go home. Little did I know, that attitude was about to change.

The next morning, I was to meet with the doctors, therapists, etc. First I met with the doctor, she performed several tests, after doing so she gave me the opportunity to ask questions about the program and my injury, you better believe I had questions and I can assure you there were many. I had every intent on breaking down this little program of theirs and exposing it for the scam that it was. I also asked her to explain my  injury and the procedure. This is where the education began. She presented me with an over whelming amount of evidence pertaining to the outcomes of my procedure, and the results were very alarming. I decided it would be a good idea to do some further research on my own. What I found out supported what she had told me. On average there was only about a 20% chance that a spinal fusion "a metal plate on each side of my spine to secure it" would fix the damage to my spine, and there was a higher risk that it could make me worse in the long run. It would be likely that I would need to have a new fusion to support the next section of my spine, and so on, and then by around age of 50 it was possible that I wouldn't be able to walk. It was then that I began to realize "Hmm L&I might actually be looking out for my well being and not just their pocket books". After learning all of this information, I was still reserved and not yet willing to make any decisions but I did have a more open mind.

The next step after meeting with the doctor was to meet my occupational therapist. They had me perform a series of  tasks as I normally would at home while videotaping my postures, we then went over the film and she customized a routine that would help me to better compensate for my injury. This routine would be performed twice daily, as it takes 30 days to build a habit, and would hopefully enable me to perform everyday tasks much easier. My occupational therapist then introduced me to Linda, "my physical therapist" she ran me through a bunch of tests to see what my physical abilities were so she could customize a plan with realistic goals in mind. I realized early on that she was a lot like me, to the point, no bull, but with a good since of humor so I told her not to put up with my stubborn butt, and to push me as hard as she felt appropriate. She did exactly that, but we laughed our way through the whole process. I noticed the impact that the positive energy had on the other patients so I began to encourage others and joke around to lighten the atmosphere. Even the staff was having fun. We also dedicated 30 minutes a day to learning different forms of meditation, which helps to relax the muscles and take the strain off of my spine. I found that I enjoyed Tai-Chi the most. After meeting with my physical therapist it was time to move on to psychology.

I met with a psychiatrist several times and attended classes daily that I found to be very informative. I learned that the effect Pain has on your mental well being and vice versa was quite significant, and when I started to find alternative ways to do the things I love, I began to live again. On my last day I met with each of my program leads so they could assess my progress and report back to L&I. What a difference from their first assessments of me." Dr. Forseit my psychiatrist" Heather seems to be depressed, she feels she has let everyone down and has an unhealthy amount of guilt. The last Day "Dr. Forseit" Heather has played a key role in helping and encouraging others in their recovery, she has been a model patient. She will be missed.

I continue to stay in touch with the staff at RIW to this day, and can say that my new career choice was influenced by this program. I am studying to be a chemical dependency counselor to help pain patients, as most at some point will become addicted to pain medication. I try to keep up with my home therapy as much as possible, but I would be lying if I said my pain is gone. What I can say is although I chose not to have the surgery for now, I feel I can live with my disability and be a functioning and contributing person in our society, which is enough for me.

The narrative I enjoyed most

                  The Narrative I Enjoyed Most
      I actually had a hard time deciding which narrative  out of my two favorites I enjoyed the most. I found Malcom X's narrative very interesting as he described in depth how he taught himself to read. Even though he was not in an ideal situation, he made the most of it. Which is something I can relate to because I have been in less then ideal situations for the better part of my life, and tried to make the best of those situations. I plan to purchase this book so I can read the whole story. The narrative that was my favorite though was Mike Rose's I just want to be average. First I felt he did an incredible job describing his surroundings, and the people in his narrative, I almost felt as if I was seeing the story through his eyes. (The second drifted through neighborhoods with trees, parks, big lawns, and lots of flowers) Which lead me to to believe it may have been a warm sunny day.  (There was Bill Cobb and Johnny Gonzales, grease- pencil artist extraordinaire, who left Nembutal-enhanced swirls of "Cobb" and "Johnny" on the corrugated walls of the bus. And then there was Tyrell Wilson. Tyrell was the coolest kid I knew. He ran the dozens like a metric halfback, laid down a rap that out rhymed  and out pointed Cobb, whose rap was good but not great-the curse of a moderately soulful kid trapped in white skin.). His description of the characters really brought out their personalities. I could likely break down this whole narrative and point out things that I liked about it, but as I have learned through reading all of the narrative so far, a blog is meant to be more simple and not quite so formal.  This is just my opinion of course.
 

How blogs differ from print books

                             How blogs differ from print books  
I have spent some time rereading the blogs and the book prints after researching the meaning of tone,depth, and style, in the form of writing. It is still all very new to me, but what I can say is oddly, I prefer the book prints over the blogs. The book prints in my opinion paint a larger and more in depth picture, because they give far more detail which then enables me to be more engaged in what they are trying to say, where as the blogs seemed very hurried. I do enjoy that they are a little more toward the point and not quite as serious or formal. Blogs are a great way to deliver information quickly without adding the extra details, (they can add links instead). How I learned to live google free seemed to have a little more serious tone as I felt he was concerned when he realized how much of our information just lingers in cyberspace for almost anyone to get ahold of, yet he had to spend quite a large amount of time retrieving it himself. This did cause me to ponder a bit over the amount of time I spend on google. The print narratives were more enjoyable to me though. I prefer the detail that is given (or the depth) because it allows me to place myself into what ever setting they are trying to portray, and draws me in. The tone to the print narratives Mike Rose and Malcom X were a bit serious and even sad at times, but to me that is what they are trying to relay. They were serious topics.  Mike Rose's Ed narrative angered me. To see that the school system  lacked the skills to educate  these children and really didn't seem to care made me feel anger toward the school, and sadness for the students and their families.                                 

Swimsuit writing activity

                              Swim Suit Writing Activity

A swim suit is an article or articles of clothing that most people wear when the weather becomes warm. When people hear the word "swim suits" most of us think of bikinis, but that's not the case. Swim suits have become very universal and very fashionable. Everyone can find a swimsuit that fits and shows their personality. Swim suits aren't restricted by colors, they come in any color you could imagine and they come in all sorts of styles, from one pieces to speedos. There is uniqueness that can show everyone's personality making them feeling equally comfortable and confident.

With all the unique styles available it is not surprising that swim suites come in many different ways. Even though they all look different they are made out of the same material. They can come in any pattern, color or design imaginable. You can get one in a almost any style you want. However the most common styles are bikini style or one piece. It just depends on how much skin you’re willing to show. All swim suits have the same purpose, which is covering your naughty bits. This is the common goal of all swim suits.  Even though covering is important fashion is becoming just as important.

Swim suits are very fashionable for nowadays. We can say in the fashion world swim suits are a big part in summer season. For women, swim suits come in varieties and women enjoy choosing them. For instance, we hardly see women wear the same style of swim suits on the beach, unless they buy it from the same store. Swim suits can give confidence to whoever is wearing it. Yet, it may motivate someone to be in good shape to wear it too. Swim suits are not just made to be stylish; it can warm our bodies when we are swimming. For example, no one would like to swim naked in the cold water. They would rather wear it even if it is just a bikini. Swim suits could be fashionable in the sports world too. They pay a lot of attention to what design of swim suit is great for sports. It’s not just about looking good it’s about expressing your personality as well.

I feel a swim suit can almost always shape ones first impression of an individual. For instance someone wearing a swimsuit with polka dots or bright colors may have a very open and upbeat personality where as someone wearing a swimsuit in one solid color might be more reserved. I feel the same goes for a 1 piece or a 2 piece suit. A 1 piece might reveal that you prefer to keep to yourself or that you are guarded. A 2 piece in my opinion states that you are more comfortable with yourself and may be more open or comfortable with your surroundings.  Although swim suites do many different things we can all agree on one thing that there is one for everyone.

My feelings about a swimsuit

        I feel a swim suit can almost always shape ones first impression of an individual. For instance someone wearing a swimsuit with polka dots or bright colors may have a very open and upbeat personality where as someone wearing a swimsuit in one solid color might be more reserved. I feel the same goes for a 1 piece or a 2 piece suit. A 1 piece might reveal that you prefer to keep to yourself or that you are guarded. A 2 piece in my opinion states that you are more comfortable with yourself and may be more open or comfortable with your surroundings.

Explore/ Examine How I learned to live with a painful disability

                     How I Learned to live life with a painful Disability

                                                       Explore/Examine.

       Most people who don't know me on a personal level are unaware of the debilitating pain I am faced with daily. I was midway through my work day (staging and inspecting furniture) when I had to run an extension cord underneath a sleeper sofa, this was part of my usual routine so I didn't  think twice when I lifted the sofa and twisted to reach for the cord, it was then that I realized something didn't feel right. I reported the incident but continued to work with my injury for several more weeks due to fear of losing the income that I needed to support my 3 children. Little did I know, these actions would lead to what is now a very permanent and painful disability. After several years of spinal injections, physical therapy, chiropractic care, laser therapy, massage therapy, (basically every form of treatment that did not involve taking drugs) I came to the decision along with several orthopedic surgeons, that surgery was my best option. Upon making this decision I was informed that L&I would require me to attend a very extensive pain rehabilitation program before they would allow me to move forward with the surgery. In my opinion this seemed to be yet another way for them to avoid taking the necessary steps for my recovery.  If they had just done this in the beginning I would have been well on the road to my recovery and saved them a lot of money on ineffective treatments. Needless to say, I had spent a lot of time preparing myself for this surgery including quitting smoking after 20 plus years so I was not happy about this little adventure they were about to send me on.
     It was the beginning of December when I got the call ( Your rehabilitation program will start on December 11th and you will need to stay here for the duration) Not only did I hate the big city, but I felt they had no regard to the fact that they were making me leave my family over the holidays, my dog whom I felt played a big part in helping me manage my depression, and the comfort of my own home. (How dare they)! When I first arrived in Seattle I was angry and had already formed an attitude that the program  they were requiring me to attend was going to be no more effective than the other treatments I had received prior. The apartment that I was to stay in was cold and drab, impersonal and there were people camped out on the side of the road with their sleeping bags, leaving me with little comfort, as I was by myself. I missed my family immediately, I just wanted to give up and go home. Little did I know. that attitude was about to change.
      Jumping forward for a bit. On my last day I had to meet with each of the program leads so they could assess my progress and report back to L&I.What a difference from their first assessments of me. Dr. Forseit my psychologist ( Heather seems to be depressed she feels she has let everyone down, and has an unhealthy amount of guilt ). The last day Dr. Forseit (Heather has played a key roll in helping and encouraging others in their recovery, she has been an inspiration and a model patient. She will be missed.

     

Thoughts on how I learned to love traveling Solo

                                             

              My thoughts on How I Learned To Love Traveling Solo!

    In my opinion, How I learned To Love Traveling Solo is a great read if you are looking for tips on traveling solo. However I am not sure that she touched on what I expected to be the main topic, (how I learned). It may be that I was focused more on her title then her opening paragraph , so I think I will have to explore that more in class and in our text.

        

        She started her blog by telling us a little bit about herself, and how she felt traveling solo. ( It was scary to set off by myself), moving on to explain why she likes to travel solo. Next she told an interesting story about an experience she had. ( I ate some poorly labelled peanut sauce, had an allergic reaction, and then got ripped off by a corrupt cabbie. This drew me in! Like in the Mike Rose's  Ed nar when he described some of his experiences in the class room or things he observed on the bus.  It made it easier for me to relate.

        In prior narratives they offered examples of how they implemented what they were learning. They also told us how they came to find this information (details). I felt Caty Huston did so as well, but I am not sure what makes her advice valid, as she offered no supporting evidence other then her word and experience. It also seemed apparent that she was lacking paragraph hooks (a device used to connect one paragraph to another smoothly) as defined in section 34 of our text Writing Simplified. I am still learning how to identify these details in our reading assignments, but it felt like she jumped from one paragraph to the next without a clear connection. I did however find that her transition from her topic sentence gave good examples of the main point. 

        Over all I enjoyed her narrative, and  feel that I took a lot away from exploring the examples in our text and comparing to others we have read so far. I am finding this exploration to be very helpful in preparing and understanding how to complete my first assignment.