Necessities

Toilets in handicap bathroom and staterooms.

It would seem that designers don’t ask the ADA community what is necessary to transfer to a toilet. For example, our stateroom toilet has no space on the side where the wall is and the toilet is not ADA height. We have to use a toilet seat riser that leaves me perched up high. Then, the handicap bar on the left is too high. Transferring and cleaning requires acrobatic contortions.

The toilets on deck are taller but they have fold up hand rails that, while useful for a lot of people, stick out from the wall eight inches preventing us in power chairs from backing up to the wall and transferring easily.

Notice the bars and how far away the emergency button is, who could reach that?

So, a necessary function becomes an adventure. But I am learning to be a contortionist.

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Oh, Manzanilla!

Yesterday’s gangplank was very nice. I did have to stop and tell a staff person to not push and that I had plenty of power.

Pushing can cause the power chair to stop. So, no time to educate yesterday but I’m sure I will have more opportunities.

Right now, I am sitting on the balcony just watching the harbor. Temperature is about 80f with a bit of humidity.

Things we use to make life easier

Time out bench, mattress genie, RAM Mount cup holder, stainless steel straws with rubber tips so I can recline my chair and get back up.

We use the time out bench to ear at normal height tables. I can’t lift my arms well and this helps.

We also use a bed genie to raise me to a sitting position. My core muscles have become weaker.

Here’s the tool we created so I can operate the joystick after reclining and raise myself back up. This helps me be a bit more independent.

It’s a 15 inch stainless steel straw. The rubber pieces are used on pencils by arthritics and others who need a better grip on their pencil.

RAM mounts makes all kinds of mounts for just about anything. Here’s my cup holder. it’s on a gimbal mount.

Like I said in another post, we adapt and change so we can live life better.

This post is from Puerto Vallarta. Cruising gives me a lot of independence but I can never be shy about asking for help.

Choose happiness and choose to be kind. My disease could depress me (well, sometimes it does) but a good attitude beats being angry all the time. I don’t ask WHY because I will never know. But I can control my attitude.

Hope this helps.

Sneaky Surprise!

Seven days have flown by. At 7:15 this morning it was warm enough to go out on the balcony at which point Ruby started loading me up with a step stool and other things like pillows, blankets, towels and my litte table.

Sweetly, she says, “I just want to see how this works.”

Then the phone rings.

Surprise, room service breakfast is here.

We adapt, inventing and improvising as things change

I have sporadic inclusion body myositis, a neurological muscle condition that causes the large muscles to deteriorate. There is no cure and no treatment. Google it.

I don’t play guitar and my only real claim to fame is that Peter Frampton was recently diagnosed with sIBM.

So, adapting, I cannot lift my arms and holding forks and spoons is difficult. Here are a few pictures showing our adaptations. Notice the green on the bottom of the table. Those green strips keep the table from sliding. Also notice my water glass. I have some dysphasia and drink a lot of water at meals.

The table is a time out table from Amazon the red tube can also be found under disabled utensil holders.

I mentioned we are cruising for 70 days. I go all over the ship and I always ask for help.

San Diego

We got a bit of a late start but we found a Rite Aid and bought ibuprofen that we forgot.

Then we went on the Midway and saw where history was made during the time after WW 2

San Diego on Eurodam

Going to find a store to buy ibuprofen, visit the Midway (maybe I will get to use the amateur radio that is on board) and we’re just going to look around.

Here’s to a well placed gang plank.

Maybe we will try out a bus, they’re supposed to be easily accessible. I have their MTS app.

Here I sit

In the explorations lounge at the bow looking out a large window seeing the occasional whale, reading a book, relaxing and waiting for Ruby to get back from her facial that she won in a raffle the other day.

Life is pretty darn good. We just finished lunch of tilapia with cheesecake for Ruby and a chocolate torte for me. It was our first meal of the day.

The ship is a bit northwest of Los Angeles and we get to San Diego tomorrow.

This is awesome!

Ok, here it is!

73 days, Panama Canal, Western Caribbean, key west, Dominican Republic, Amazon River, four back to back cruises.

We’re loving it and will be back December 18.

Make it like home