~*Part 2 - My Wheelchair Seating Process*~

Part Two: Things are not going right

My wheelchair therapist rang to ask how I am getting on with the cushion. First thing she asked was: are you at home? I said yes, she asked have I got your right phone number '#blah' and I said yes, she asked if I was on the Internet and I said yes, she goes well that explains it then... I said to myself huh what are you going on about. I said to her, it doesn't matter if I'm on the internet, I can still use the phone and I have been out today and sometimes I can't get to the phone in time or I'm not available to answer the phone. For goodness sake, you think someone in her job field would understand that!!!

She asked me how the cushion went and that she needs to close my case as it's been open for a long time. I said that I got sore again and uncomfortable etc. Basically she interupted me as I spoke and asked me again and I said I'm trying to explain to you. She asked me where I was sore and I told her. She asked me to tell her excatly where I was sore, trying to tell her over the phone was hard, let alone her butting in and asking me more questions. I told her what I think the problem is, and she disagree's with me and said she won't argue about it.. I was like ohhh ok I was only saying what I thought was wrong. She won't listen to me!! If I am the person sitting on the cushion 24/7 then I'm sure to know what is wrong. I asked her to orgainse a meeting with the custom tech people to come and see me on the cushion and see for themselves what is happening and what is not right. I am having to tell my therapist, then she is telling them, not sure if the correct messages are being passed on. Then they tell her something, then she tells me. She won't arrange meeting.

As far as closing my case, yes it's been open for a long time, I don't care!! I don't want to be left with a cushion that I get sore on and end up with pressure sores!! I said I want to be comfortable before you close my case, that should be the priority here, not how long my case is open.

Well today my therapist rang me and said that she has talked to the Custom Tech people about me saying I was still sore on the cushion etc and they are going to re access me.

I made my complaint to the seating co-ordnatior and she was very nice about it. I said to her that I find my therapist....(let me give her a fake name for now...G will be my therapist name) does not seem to listen or understand me, it's like she has her own image of what I need in a cushion. I also said that I understand the meaning of "Closing a Case" when everything is good, I said but it isn't and G tells me everytime she talks to me, she wants to close the case. I said I don't need to hear that. I was asked if it was ok if she or someone sat in on my accessment as a second pair of eyes and ears, I said thats great.

~*Part 1 - My Wheelchair Seating Process*~

Part One - I got a new powerchair in February and also needing new seating, a cushion and a back cushion. This might be hard for some people to understand due to not knowing wheelchair technology but I will try my best to give you a picture of my long seating process, please bear with me

My new powerchair is called a TDX 5 - has Tarsy Seating System with Electric Tilt/Recline and Electric Elevating Legrests.

Since the TDX Tarsys Seating System 'seat base' comes 'Standard Flat', it does not have the option of adjusting the seat base to be angled to suit my needs. I need the rear of the seat base to be lower than the front.

Anyhow due to this seat base being flat I am having to go from my current Jay 2 Deep Contour Gel cushion (has another gel pad on top due to pressure sore I had a year ago) to a Custom Made Foam cushion to get the seat angle I need and the comfort I need.

On my Arrow (old chair) I had the ASBA adjustable seat and had the rear lower than the front. The Seat to Floor height at the Front is 19" and at the rear it's 18".

I was not keen at all to go to a foam cushion. I said that I don't want to have a sweaty bottom in the summer, foam gets smelly and mouldy etc. I was very concerned. The custom tech person's came and did an accessment and measured it all up. I told them and my therapist excatly what I didn't want from foam and also the seat cover had to have a slippery cover so I could transfer and slide myself back on the cushion. These are very important to me as I am Independent. They took it all in and could see I was worried. I was told that the foam has improved over the years and they use memory foam.

I got my new foam cushion 2 weeks after this meeting to try for a week. I transfered onto the cushion and tried to slide myself back onto the cushion which was really hard due to the cushion being to soft. I got really sore within an hour so I tilted the chair back, then I had to get out of my chair as I was in too much pain. I wrote down everything that wasn't right and needed improving and they took the cushion back the next day.

I got my foam cushion back, chest harness and a new seat belt. Took awhile to get the seatbelt and chest harness setup. I don't like wearing the chest harness as I can't do a lot, but I will use this mostly in the van on long trips. I then tried the cushion and it seems better than it was, it needs some more foam at the front. I have sat in the cushion for over an hour and I'm not sore, just some pressure on my heels. This is because the front of the foam cushion is still too low, need's more foam.

~*True Friendship's*~

After reading some blogs on Friendship's, I thought I'd write about True Friendship's.

To me a True Friendship are two friend's who care for each other, have respect, help each other, laugh together, have fun, honest and don't judge others. Your true friend is someone who returns there caring nature back to you when you need it, help you when you need it, and much much more. Basically they are there for you too.

A friend who love's your attention, help, caring, respect, fun etc and doesn't reurn it is not your true friend. They may be a friend still but that's about it.

• True Friend's are those person's that return your friendship.


• Friend's are those person's that enjoy your friendship nature

I have a few True Friend's in real life and online, but mostly friend's What I find hard in a friendship is some of my friend's can give out jokes, hassle me and when I give it back, they can't hack it. Also when I care for my friends if they are sick, visit them when ill, help them getting a job, writting a letter, doing jobs for them etc, they don't bother helping me if needed or even a thank you, sometimes that is forgotten. I just think sometime's friend's use their friend's for there own needs, eg it's all about them, no one else.

Just some thought's on Ture Friendship's and Friendship's..

~*Sling Shot*~

When I was in Australia for my sports tournament in 2000 we had a free day. One of the things I really wanted to try in Sufers Paradise was the Sling Shot. There it was, so Dad and I went and watched some people being flung up into the air by the sling shot. The Sling Shot operator was waiting for two people to get in the sling shot for the ride of their life, next minute I was getting into the sling shot seat!! I didn't even think, I just went. It was a mission to get into the sling shot seat from my wheelchair as I couldn't walk from wheelchair to seat. I had to park my wheelchair so close, then transfer to seat with help from Dad. I was strapped in and ready to go. The operator reclined the sling shot quite far back so I was facing the sky. On the count of 3, I was being flung up into the sky with 8 G' Force going 120km. Talk about awesome!! When I got so high the sling shot pulled me down with such a force I was lifted off the seat. This was when I got a bit worried but then I was bobbing up and down in the sling shot taking in the view and the excitement. That was the best thing I ever did, what an adrenalin rush. I was given a video of my reactions being flung up in the air and a t-shirt. The experience is something I will never forget, totally awesome!!

Ready to Launch - 8 G's and 120km

Coming down

~*My Interesting Week*~

I finally finished my Harry Potter book and I want to say so much, but I won't spoil it for others who are still reading it. I am now going to read the full set hehe I guess you could call me addicted to Harry Potter, it's crazy but true.

I have been creating letter stats for IncredMail and it's a lot of fun. Some of the letter stats other people have made has blown me away. I am creating new graphic's in psp and enjoying that.

Something I made

I did my first HTML 101 Course which involved 5 lessons and an exam and I passed!! Waiting for my certificate to be emailed to me. I have signed up for the next course which is Tables. HTML looked scary to me at first and while doing the lesson's I actually enjoyed it and HTML doesn't seem as hard as I thought.

I watched the Tri Nations game last night, All Blacks vs Australia and it was a tight game. It was a really good game actually, both teams at a similar level but of course the All Blacks WON!!! They won 30-13 way to go All Blacks.

~*Me Gliding*~

A couple years back I was asked to go Gliding, something I didn't think would be ever possible for me. Here I was questioning everything, how do I get in, can I fit in the tiny seat lol, who will drive it..not me I hope hehe Well off I went to the Glider field and saw the glider I was going to fly in. I said to myself, there is no way I'm going to get in that!! I was talked into it, so here I am getting hoisted into the glider. Broke the microphone that the pilot uses to contact the ground crew!! He just said he will go by how it is once we are up there.

Up we went and that was wicked feeling being pulled up into the air by a long rope from the ground. The pulling part of the rope was at the other end of the field, and it kinda lauched us in the air like a bullet. Then the glider was broken free and we were gliding. Next minute the pilot handed the controls over to me :shock: so I was flying the glider for a bit. It was an awesome view up there seeing everything below, it was fun too. We came in to land which was fast and short. An awesome experience!!!

Being Hoisted into the Glider

Me in Glider..ready to lift off

Taking off

Landing back down to earth

~*Funny Cats*~

Found some funny and cute pictures of cats..

Trying to be a human

Slipper Love

Smooth Time

~*Funny Pics*~

I'm on a roll, found some more funny picture's I'd like to share.

Car Feet

Bungee Crap

~*I've Been Sorted*~

This is a Harry Potter quiz. After I finished the quiz I found out that I had been sorted

Congratulations on making Gryffindor!

Basically, you're brave, daring, chivalrous, and pretty much.. an all around good person. Of course, some see you as a goodie-two-shoes. But hey, it's true! You're really good at winning, and normally always come out as the hero. Everybody likes you.. except, maybe, the Slytherins. You're too perfect. No, really.. You're too perfect. It's annoying to watch you win, repeatedly. Oh well. Be proud anyway.

Gryffindors to Remember:

Harry Potter

Ron Weasley

The whole Weasley family

Hermione Granger

Albus Dumbledore

be sorted @ nimbo.net

~*Homophobia and you*~

We should not be discrimated against because of who we are,what choices we make or what our beliefs are.

(This is a repost with the permission of Cutter)

I am the girl kicked out of her home because I confided in my mother that I am a lesbian.

I am the prostitute working the streets because nobody will hire a transsexual woman.

I am the sister who holds her gay brother tight through the painful, tear-filled nights.

We are the parents who buried our daughter long before her time.

I am the man who died alone in the hospital because they would not let my partner of twenty-seven years into the room.

I am the foster child who wakes up with nightmares of being taken away from the two fathers who are the only loving family I have ever had. I wish they could adopt me.

I am one of the lucky ones, I guess. I survived the attack that left me in a coma for three weeks, and in another year I will probably be able to walk again.

I am not one of the lucky ones. I killed myself just weeks before graduating high school. It was simply too much to bear.

We are the couple who had the realtor hang up on us when she found out we wanted to rent a one-bedroom for two men.

I am the person who never knows which bathroom I should use if I want to avoid getting the management called on me.

I am the mother who is not allowed to even visit the children I bore, nursed, and raised. The court says I am an unfit mother because I now live with another woman.

I am the domestic-violence survivor who found the support system grow suddenly cold and distant when they found out my abusive partner is also a woman.

I am the domestic-violence survivor who has no support system to turn to because I am male.

I am the father who has never hugged his son because I grew up afraid to show affection to other men.

I am the home-economics teacher who always wanted to teach gym until someone told me that only lesbians do that.

I am the man who died when the paramedics stopped treating me as soon as they realized I was transsexual.

I am the person who feels guilty because I think I could be a much better person if I didn’t have to always deal with society hating me.

I am the man who stopped attending church, not because I don't believe, but because they closed their doors to my kind.

I am the person who has to hide what this world needs most, love.

Re-post this if you believe homophobia is wrong.

~*Kids Humor*~

I was browsing some Humor sites and came across these pictures of kid's, which got a giggle out of me. I thought I would share them.

~*My Busy Weekend*~

I very busy weekend for me but enjoyable too. Saturday I went to sports practice, it wasn't too cold this time in the gym. I played hockey and rugby as we had 5 a side this time, sometimes we don't have enough players to play rugby. Rugby was good, I never know the scores at the end of the games. One of the younger players got his foot guard ripped off his chair by another player tackling him. It was a Classic!! The younger boy reacted in a way some of us have not seen him react, it was too funny. But he laughed it off too. We had a new 14 year old boy turn up and he was getting into the hockey. Dad who is the Coach was saying that after awhile of practice, you will get better. After sports Dad and I went and had a nice coffee then went to do my food shopping. I watched Bad Boy's which I totally love!!

Sunday I went to the Food Show at the Expo Centre with my Mum and my brothers wife, it was a very long day.

I got lot's of freebies of different foods and I got to taste different foods and drinks too. One thing I was amazed at actually watching was a Chocolate Fountion of 3 layers of warm chocolate falling down the fountion. We could dip marshmellows into it and the chocolate was very smooth, warm and yummy!!! I bought some Sour snake lollies too as I like sour stuff hehe