Skip to main content

Is my wheelchair historically accurate?

Today, I went to Rose Hill Manor's World War II weekend. I love that era of history and so does one of my oldest friends, Brooke. We used to stay up and watch old 1940s movies, we took a WWII class in high school, and we've made countless Hitler memes. So today we went to the reenactment and toured the museum. 

My sisters and my friend Erin work at this Museum and were dressed up to work the festival. 

                                    <-Look! I'm standing!

While most of the park was wheelchair accessible, it was not exactly wheelchair friendly. The paths between tents and exhibits were gravel, and the chair did not move easily through it. Likewise, every park or field or yard in Frederick County is ridden with hills. Wheelchairs don't like hills. Also, the top floor of the manor house, built in the 1790s, was not accessible. (Come on 18th century architects, why weren't you following the ADA?!)  

Being the stubborn person that I am, I parked my chair and, slowly and carefully, walked up the steps. Brooke and Mandy helped me with each step and I had to take several breaks because there were so many and my heart was not handling it too well, but I did make it. When I reached the top, I sat down and took my HR, 114 bpm. Not too bad. 

**I will say, Rose Hill's bathrooms were very manageable in the wheelchair. Flat and wide door frames, handicap stall with a door opening out, sinks high enough for the chair to go under but low enough for a sitting person to reach, etc. Well done. 

One of the hardest things I find about going around doing things like this is staying hydrated. Everyone should try to drink 2 liters of water a day, especially in the summer. But the fact of the matter is, 2 liters a day is nothing for me; I am still dehydrated with that amount. I aim to drink 5 liters of water everyday, in addition to a morning tea and afternoon smoothie. When I'm out and about in unfamiliar places, it's hard to get access to water and remember to drink it. It's hard to find places to refill my water bottle or stop wheeling to drink.

After our day at Rose Hill, Brooke and I went to Panera for a late lunch. I've been having some issues with my appetite but the delicious flatbreads and pastas at Panera were irresistible. Still, the city water in most restaurants is so gross to me. I hate the taste of any chemical treatment or flavoring, but hydration trumps taste. 

All in all, today was a successful day, even if it strained my arm muscles. 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My first trip to Johns Hopkins

Hello outside world! It's the end of Day 2 in Johns Hopkins and I just got my laptop so here's the update.  After my lovely weekend with my friends, I spent most of Sunday relaxing on the couch. My BP was not great (78/49) and I spent a lot of the afternoon working to raise it (If I ever liked Gatorade, I don't anymore). After dinner I felt very ill. I got nauseous, with very little energy. I could feel my BP dropping so I spent the evening in the wheelchair. my vision went blurry and I couldn't focus on anything. In the middle of a conversation with Ally, I fainted in my chair. My family worked to pick me up out of the chair and lay me flat to try to regain consciousness. I was out for about 3 minutes and then spent another 20 minutes going in and out. When I tried to get up to use the bathroom after resting, I fainted again. I couldn't stand or walk or hardly sit up.  So we went to the Emergency room at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center on Monday morning....
Post a Comment
Read more

A new chapter and a new partner

It's been almost 2 years since I have posted to this blog. Believe me, I have tried. I have about 25 saved draft posts that never got published because they ended up sounding like the same repetitive story. Another pattern of rumination. Another soliloquy of self pity.  That's because the last three years of my life have been fairly cyclical and unchanged. I have a few good weeks where my symptoms plateau and I faint only once or twice a month. Then, a storm hits. I get a cold and I crash into a regressive phase where I faint daily, injury myself, get frustrated, and then slowly move back up to the plateau.  I have been tired and frustrated as I put grad school on pause, as I continue living with my parents, as I take three steps forward 2 steps back. So I stopped blogging and started to do what I could to move forward, pretending I am not sick, and working on ways to get healthier like a normal 24 year old. But still on pause.  But over the last few weeks, ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Fall update

Okay, so I'm starting to run out of ways to say "I haven't written in a while." I have also run out of excuses. The last time I wrote, I had the excuse that I didn't have any internet all summer so I couldn't post. Well...I moved out of that house August 15th...so that doesn't work. No excuses. I'll just catch you up. I spent the last month of my job at WAC in a cute 1 bedroom apartment in Chestertown. I got to live alone, cook for myself, shamelessly sing in the shower, and host girls-only wine nights. It was a lot of fun but by late September, I was ready to move on from WAC. So I did. Yesterday, I started a new job as the Legislative Director of a Delegate for the Maryland General Assmebly. Onward and upward.  But first, I'll make it up to you for neglecting you for so long. Feast your eyes on a photo-list of all the wonderful happenings since mid-July.  1. I helped one of the best people I know move out of his house in Chestertown and ...
Post a Comment
Read more