Tag: disability

My next serial casting adventure

Today is Friday and I’m excited because today I’m starting some treatment that it’s hoped will loosen up my ankles and make the new splints that I will be having made very soon rub my feet less.

It’s a process called Serial Casting. I had it done a few times when I was a child to relieve some of the tightness in my ankles and it worked really well. I haven’t had it done since I was about 12, but we’ve been debating doing another round for a while.

Basically, what happens is, my lower legs and feet get put into some light-weight pots. Because they’re so light, I can still do all the things I would normally, I just have to be careful not to get them wet. After a week, the casts come off, the effectiveness so far gets tested, and then another set of casts go on. This process gets repeated for around three or four weeks, depending on how well it goes.

The difference is that this time, I’ll be getting cast for those new ankle splints and spring splints in between the penultimate set coming off me and the final set going on, while we can get my foot into a  (hopefully) improved position when the splints get made.

In the past, it’s fair to say that I’ve had a few problems with splints rubbing me and causing me blisters, but the idea is that making my ankle muscles less tight will help to combat this problem.

I’ve had this done before, and even though I know it’s nothing to be afraid of I’m still a bit nervous. Things should be much easier for me this time around now that we have a walk in shower at home, and I’ve invested in some waterproof cast covers too, neither of which I had as a kid. I haven’t used the latter before so let’s hope they work! I’m told that they work fine in the shower (but maybe I’ll get mum the first time) so I’m hoping that they will also mean that I can go out in light rain too.

Obviously, I’ll keep you all updated throughout the process.

My inner child is still hoping that they’ll let me choose what colour I want. They’ll most probably be getting scribbled on regardless…

Have a good weekend folks.

Homemade clothes from a friend

The Skirt Lucy Made me
The Skirt Lucy Made me

With a little help from my friends

I’ve blogged a lot about the difficulties that I have in finding clothes because of my height and my Cerebral Palsy making it hard to get them on and off again in some cases.

However, I have an awesome friendship group around me who help me out wherever they can, and today’s post is a shout out to my amazing friend Lucy who has made me a skirt!

I’d been complaining to her for a while that I’d been on the hunt for a high wasted, preferably black one, so that I don’t feel like I have to wear trousers to a job interview/work placement/ (hopefully one day soon) work. She took to her sewing machine and whipped one up for me that fits me in the waist and still falls at a reasonable length that I could wear in the office.

Here it is for you all to see!

It’s really nice to know that I now own something that was handmade in the UK and made just for me, you know?

The Skirt Lucy Made me
The Skirt Lucy Made me

She also writes her own blog about her clothes making, baking, reading, and just generally tries to look on the bright side of life. Go check it out, you know you want to. I especially like this teapot dress that she made, and I love finding out what are the next books are next on her reading list because she’s always the first one I go to for recommendations. She usually picks up the things that I wouldn’t, and inspires me to give them a try.

Thanks Lucy!

 

My six month bloggiversary

My new Nimbo Frame Martha
My new Nimbo Frame Martha

Over the weekend it was my six moth bloggiversary, but I thought I’d wait until today to write about it because I want to try and stick to posting on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from now on.

During the last few months I’ve really enjoyed writing these posts. I feel like I’ve learned a lot about myself and really taken stock of some of the things that I’ve managed to achieve during my 22 years on the planet. Before I would try and just shrug them off as me just living my life the best that I could. Now, I’d like to think I can see them as both of those things.

I’ve come into contact with some really funny and inspirational people, whose own blogs and comments on mine, I find myself looking forward to, so thank you all for sharing your stories and making me smile.

I’ve learned so much about other disabilities, and even more about Cerebral Palsy that I ever hoped I would. I’ve met people with great poems and funny stories to share who cheer me up on the days when I’m feeling a bit down, and my “books to read” list has grown bigger than ever, thanks to all the reviewers that I’ve discovered who pick up the things that I might not.

After I uploaded my first post, I knew that this was something that I’d been wanting to do for a long time, but I didn’t have the confidence to start. I didn’t think that anyone would be interested in the things that I had to say, and now I’m so very glad for all the friends who kept telling me to “just do it” because now I can’t imagine my life without blogging in it, as corny as this sounds.

Everyone who reads, hits the like button, or comments helps me more than I think some of you realise. You give me a great confidence boost and spur me on. I hope I’ll manage to do the same for some of you along the way too. If there’s anything you’d like me to try and post about over the next few months, please drop me a comment or a tweet and I’ll try my best to do it. Thank you all.

Of course, I feel like I can’t write this post without mentioning that my walking frame Martha and I have been a team for about the same amount of time. She was given to me a couple of weeks before I start this blog and we’ve already had so many adventures like leaving her in the car overnight, and getting lost together. With all the rain that we’ve been having, she’s developed her fist major squeak too. I think there’ll be many more to come.

This week is set to be another busy one in the world of Martha and Nic (I feel like we need one of those cheesy couple names or something). I have exciting news to share with you all about some more treatment that I’ll be trying, but that’s a story for later on this week.

In the meantime, thank you all so much for reading. It means a lot to me and I hope you’ll all stick around for a long time to come.

Love,

Nic and Martha (cheesy couple name suggestions are welcome)

 

Compliments in the street

Throughout my life I’ve always found it hard to take a compliment; be it about the way I deal with my Cerebral Palsy, something I’ve written, or whatever t-shirt I’ve decided to throw on that day. I always find it hard to listen to people talk about my strengths, and I am always very quick to point out my own flaws.

But, the other day, something happened that took me entirely y surprise.

I was fully absorbed in browsing at a local second hand bookstore, hoping to find something new to buy, when I heard a voice I didn’t recognise.

“I just wanted to tell you that I think you do really well.” I jumped out of my skin and looked up to find a lady I didn’t recognise gazing at me with a really kind smile on her face.

“Oh sorry love, did I make you jump? I just wanted to tell you that I think you do really well.”

I’m never sure how I should respond to this kind of thing smiled and said thank you and she started to wonder away, but then she turned back, “You know, when people stare or look at you, they’re only doing it because they think you’re nice. I see you on the bus sometimes and I think you’re nice.”

And just like that, something clicked in my brain. It can’t have been easy for this lady, a stranger, to have come up to me and told me that, but she did it anyway, because I looked relaxed and happy enough for her to feel comfortable enough to do it. Surely that is the biggest compliment of all?

That day, instead of getting all shy and wondering why someone would say something nice to me just because I do the best that I can do in life, I felt really humbled that she’d taken time out of whatever she was doing just to tell me that, and I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t do the same for everyone that she thought seemed like a good person.

I want to be the person who looks approachable, and happy and comfortable in the street, and I want people to feel that they can talk to me without worrying that they might upset me, and clearly, that day, I was doing something right. Suddenly I realised that I should stop feeling so awkward when someone says something kind, and just let them be kind. Surely, they wouldn’t say good things to me if I didn’t deserve it.

And there is nothing I hate doing more than throwing someone’s kindness back in their face, regardless of whether I know them or not.

Lesson learned. For now at least.

The Liebster Award #2

The Liebester Award
The Liebester Award

Well, I’ve been nominated for the Liebster Award again, this time by Marie over at Curran Kentucky. Thank you Marie! Well, I say that I have been nominated for a second time, but the logo is different from the last one I received and the rules are slighty altered so I’m  sure if it’s the same one. Nonetheless I’m very happy that she thought of me. Please, go read her blog about living with ME. I find it very insightful and I really like her poems.

So, as always with these awards, there are some rules for me to follow. I have to thank the blogger who nominated me, answer the questions set for me, nominate 10 others for the award and set some questions for them in return. Then, notify them and you can display the award on your blog too, if you like.

 

Ready? Let’s go!

  1. Why do you write?

Because it makes me happy and helps me to connect with other people

  1. Other than the obvious World Peace, what would your one wish be, if you had one?

Ohhh, tough choice. Im really not sure. Maybe an end to world hunger?

  1. What is your favourite part of the day?

I like the morning, it’s when I’m at my most productive.

  1. Laptop or notebook?

Notebook, although I usually use my laptop because I don’t want to spoil my notebooks. What’s up  with that

5. Who is your favourite poet/author? Poet: Emily Dickinson and Nicci French, Val McDermid and Jodi Picoult probably all tie for my fave author.

6. What is your most vivid childhood memory?

Probably the day I got my Mini and Micky Mouse toy pram when I was about three. We were visiting my granddad in the nursing home and my dad took me to Argos to go and get it. I watched for it come down the conveyer belt and when it got to us, dad said that I was still little enoughto ride in it. When we got back to the nursing home, he pushed me to my grandad’s room.

7. What is your favourite word and why?

Sprocket. Just because it makes me smile

8. What would your ideal day be?

One where everyone was equal and there was no fighting.

9. What is your favourite piece of furniture and why?

My desk because it’s where my writing happens.

10. What would you do, if you were told blogging was a new sin?

I’d probably try and find a way to do it anyway. I’d miss it too much.

 

My questions tomy nominees are:

What made you start your blog?

What do you enjoy most about blogging?

What was your favourite childhood toy?

What was the first book you remember reading?

What was the first movie you saw as a child?

What would your super power be?

Hot chocolate with cream or tea and biscuits?

What is your favourite kind of music?

What was your favourite TV show as a kid?

What was the first movie you saw at the cinema?

 

Annnnd, here are my nominees:

Books on the Tube: I always look forward to Kathy’s book reviews. It’s because of her that I started to read the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch, which I love.

Linda Bloodworth: I find Linda’s blog to be a very good insight into what itfeels like to write a novel.

How to be Jobless: Being an unemployed journalism graduate myself, I can relate to a lot of the things that HTBJ writes on their blog. It’s really funy and helps to give me a little pick me up when the job hunt is getting me down.

Strawberry Quicksand: I love Yvette’s log, especially her posts about the funny stories she has about being a bus driver. Plus, the comments she leaves on my posts always make me chuckle/

Creative Ability: Maria’s blog is always fully of fun tips on find ways around the things she finds

The Librarian who doesn’t say shh; Again Tara’s writes about YA fiction books.

Salt ‘n’ All That:  Go and read Jackie’s blog for short stories and an insight into her life with Cerebral Palsy.

Curran Kentucky (see above link): Is it cheating to say that if Marie hadn’t nominated me, I would’ve nominated her.

Lucy Milne: Go read my friend Lucy’s blog about dress makin, clothes and looking on the bright side of life.

The Bookshelf of Emily J: Yet anoher book blog I like to read