My day so far

It's been a rough day and as of this moment in writing it is only 1:30 p.m.

(WARNING: It gets graphic!)

I greeted the day at 8:30 a.m. with a case of explosive diarrhea after I got dressed. I cleaned up the mess as best I could, but it was humiliating. A few hours later it happened again, messing the clothes I had changed into. Now I have no towels, washcloths, sweatpants or sweatshirts and, though I can't smell it, I am sure the place smells like shit. I can only get one of my windows open. I am down to my last pair of pants (shorts actually) and a whole lot of laundry that needs to be done pronto! Theresa, a nurse from the home is going to come by tomorrow and do imy laundry. Both the nurse and an Occupational therapist are coming by around 2:00 pm., so hopefully we can address the fact that I need some FUCKING HELP!!!

This has been a hard weekend with just a few bright spots.

What is going wrong (so far):

• Explosive diarrhea.
• Not having a useable toilet or toilet-type device.
• My bed being massively uncomfortable and hard to get in and out of without a transfer device.
• All the chewed up doorways and scratched doors and walls from my wheelchair
• My chair is semi-broken. The joystick fell off and is now being held on with a rubber band.
• My inability to clean the apartment, including the kitchen and the floor.
• My retirement check won't show up until the end of the week, at the earliest, and I am already broke.

Bright spots?

• Running into my friend Marianne while going to the U-District Farmer's Market.
• The Farmer's market itself (I want me some organic beef and pork, some salmon, and some shellfish).
• The donut place on 45th & Roosevelt is pretty good and open 24 Hours (if I need them I know they are there).
• The sun is out for a third (or fourth) consecutive day.
• Tazo's Iced Black Tea bags at Starbucks are great. I have gone through a bag a day (each bag makes a half-gallon).
• I was able to make all the phone calls I needed to make since getting out of the home, and I don't owe them anymore money (the check cleared).
• I am getting eight hours sleep.
• No screaming. The building is very quiet. My alarm clock in the living room has gone off twice at midnight and it will ring for an hour or until it gets shut off. I wasn't getting out of bed in the dark, so I let it ring. No one came to complain. (On the other hand, I think if I had to scream for help, no one would hear me).
• The only bad smells are coming from me.

More after 2:00 p.m

So now it is almost 5:30 p.m. and both the nurse and occupational therapist have come and gone. They pretty much just told me what I already knew.

A) My nursing home, which I will now identify as Park Ridge, were fucked in the head for not preparing me better to leave, even on a week's notice. They sent me out with nothing. I should have had everything ordered by them and set up in my apartment before I left. Now, it's not their responsibility. So now I have to call DSHS tomorrow to find out if I have a case worker and how to start getting benefits (ie. help).

I have to order a sliding board. I can get a plain wood board for free, or get what I am used to, a "BZ Board" which is $300-500 dollars.

The bed I am using, that I got for free, would cost me $2,000 (and it is a piece of shit). All I can do is try adding padding to make it more comfortable.

The diarrhea is probably caused by my stopped taking Oxycondin and Dilaudid. Pot might kill pain, but it does not make for firm stools. I'll go back on the hard drugs and take some Imodium for the time being.

I wound up buying a flashlight and a new bed pan and grabber was just delivered (I owe my therapist $30).

The next Slog Happy, where readers of the Stranger's Blog meet at a different bar once a month, is being held at The Blue Moon Tavern, which is at the end of the alley behind my building. I am going to do my best to show up.

I got some food at Wingzone and since I am done with people for the day, I am going to just hang out and listen to tunes until I fall asleep. Laundry first thing in the morning!