The Great Escape

I officially ran away from home. Well not so much ran as got a ride. Where did I run to? MY home! I finally made the move back to my own apartment. I've been living at my parents' house since being discharged from the hospital following surgery. It's been 3 months since my surgery and a little over 2 months living at my parents. When I was 18 I moved away from home to attend university and the plan was never to move back in. It's no secret, life doesn't always go as planned and we are forced to make new plans.

I had been more than ready to move out of my parents' for quite some time. Unfortunately that's not the same as being ready to move back into my apartment alone. First I needed to build up more strength and be able to make and carry all my meals. And perhaps most importantly, I had to convince my parents that I was ready to move back and live alone. Over time, primarily this past week, I proved that I could cook meals for myself. I got my own drinks and occasionally carried my own plate. Like I stated in my previous post, I drove. Not that this was a requirement, I don't have a car here, but it did show that I was getting stronger. I also worked out solutions to a couple issues I was going to run into. Thankfully I have a great boyfriend who is willing to do my grocery shopping. If I have the energy I can certainly go with him but there's no way I'd be able to carry the groceries home. Laundry may be a bit of a challenge but I'm lucky to have my own machines which means I don't have to carry it down the street or anything like that. I have a walker here and hopefully I can set my basket on it and push/carry it that way. My parents had one last test for me before I was allowed to leave. They made me lay on the floor and then get up again. The reason behind this was to see if I could get up from the ground if I fell. With that successful demonstration I was allowed to leave.

Making the move back was going to take some extra planning and participation from more than just me.

Saturday - Monday
Packing. It's not that I had a whole lot to pack but I thought it best to spread it out over a couple days. My energy level still leaves much to be desired so I tire easily. Not to mention i don't enjoy packing so I get distracted easily and find excuses to do something else, so starting early is always a good idea.

Sunday
Grocery Shopping. I asked my mom to take me grocery shopping so I could stock my apartment with food. It's much easier and I can buy many more groceries with a vehicle than trying to carry the groceries home. Deciding to do the shopping while still at my parents' was to save my Dad from having to take me shopping when we got here, he would be driving me to my apartment. It's not that he wouldn't have taken me but I'm sure it's not his favourite thing to do. The hardest part about shopping in advance was having no idea what I did or did not have in my cupboards or how much room I had in my freezer.

Monday
Moving Day. Most of this day was spent finishing up my packing. I wouldn't be much help loading the truck so I left that up to my Dad. He and I left after dinner and made the 2 hour drive to my apartment. While he unloaded the truck, starting with the coolers and bags of food, I unpacked all my groceries. Following this all that was left for me to do was unpack a suite case, I was sending it back with my Dad. There was more to unpack but I could do that slowly throughout the week. His list was a little longer. I asked him to unhook the automatic closing system on my screen door. With this engaged it was very difficult for me to come in and out through the door. Requiring one hand to hold the door open left me a hand short to effectively use my crutches. Next my Dad went about putting together my shower transfer bench (I can't get in and out of the shower without it) and installing the arms onto my toilet (these make it easier for me to balance).

Tuesday
Doctors Appointment and More Apartment Alterations. It was a long day at the hospital, 8am to 3pm, with a 2 hour window mid day when we had a chance to grab food. For the record, there was nothing but good news! Back at my apartment there were a couple more changes to be made. The door to my laundry room is also self closing so my Dad installed a flip down door stop. Problem solved, right? No! It's easy enough to kick the stop down with my crutch but much more difficult to flip it back up. In anticipation of this problem he drilled a hole in the door stop before we left on Monday. He looped a string through the hole and then tied the other end to the door knob. Now I can pull the door stop back up using the string. The last thing he put up was a towel hook in my bathroom. I have a towel rack only feet away on the wall opposite the sink but I can't reach it without using my crutches which isn't ideal with wet hands. Now I have a hand towel right beside the sink. My place was finally "Jen ready". I can't tell you how many times my Dad asked if I was sure there was nothing else I needed him to do before he left. You can't blame him, me moving isn't just a big step for me but for my parents as well. I'm sure they're worried.

The last couple day have been pretty busy, especially compared to my normal routine, but I'm finally on my own.