Skip to main content

Oh my ARMS!

My poor arms (and shoulders and hands, for that matter)! So much extra - and unnecessary - pushing around today, trying to find how to get into the lecture room for the extra class I picked up.

I tried one way, over a hump and down a ramp, only to find stairs. I went back up and over, and around the building via a narrow and steeply cambred footpath. I went around and around looking for the lift, only to find that there isn't one (QUT's mobility map SUCKS!). I eventually found out that the only wheelchair access to the room is via the steep road beside the building.

I could have got down that road, but would never had got back up again (I was having enough trouble on the "flat"). This meant going back up to my car - including a switch-back half way to go and retrieve my keys from where I'd accidentally left them in the first lecture room - which is all uphill, driving around to the building and down the hill to the ramp into the lecture room.

However, there were no spare parking spaces, and none of them were accessible, anyway. Happily for me, the nice staff member that I'd found when trying to locate the lift inside, came down to the car park to tell me that he had contacted campus security to tell them that I would be parking illegally, and if they had a problem with that, to speak to him about it.

So I parked up on the curb, and finally got myself to the lecture, with 5 minutes to spare. All this only took about an hour....

Of  course, my day wasn't over, so after the lecture I had to drive back up to where I'd parked earlier (thankfully the space was still available) and rush to get to my next class. I wasn't too far behind the others who had been in the same lecture, so just hope I can get parking as easily every week.

All that pushing around, up and down ramps and curbs and over speed humps has taken its toll, exacerbated by my exceptionally heavy bag, and so my arms and shoulders are sore, my callouses enlarged, and I'm completely knackered.

At least I have a week to recover before I have to do it all over again!

Comments

  1. Wow. But think how fit you will be by the time you are completely educated. :-P

    ReplyDelete
  2. Also I guess you can see whether in your copious spare time you can wangle your way on to the disability map updating committee … Or offer to work as an hands-on accessibility consultant to the university.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great idea! I'll offer them a very reasonable hourly rate for my time and expertise :D

    ReplyDelete
  4. How nice it must be to have such a supportive brother!! :P

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Understanding my physical challenges: An analogy

So, I've been trying to come up with a way to explain to a non-disabled person what it's like to face physical challenges at work, as a person with a disability. My current workplace is very physically demanding, even for me, a wheelchair user with long arms, full reach, abdominal muscle control and good balance. After 2.5 years of just getting on with it, despite the inaccessibility of large areas of my workplace, I'm at a point where I'm having to say, 'Enough. I can't do it any more.'. My employer is struggling to understand what's changed. Why is my workplace 'suddenly' inaccessible? What has changed with my health, to make my work so arduous for me now? Here's my analogy*: Imagine that you are looking for a job in the field you have just qualified for. A new employer says, if you move out to our location, we'll give you a permanent job. You just have to be able to carry 10kg. Cool, you think, I can do that. I'll uproot myself...

Why it's a good thing I'm not big on Christmas.

I've lost friend s over my personal views about “not doing” Christma s, but it's just as well that I'm not into Christmas in a big way, as I am totally skint at the moment, and can't even afford postage for Christmas cards. I'm hanging onto my home internet connection by the skin of my teeth, so may be able to send out a few virtual seasonal greetings, although I'll probably just tweet something (it shows up on facebook, too, you see). If I submitted to the social pressure of Christmas I would be feeling even worse than I already do about being so poor, and so far away from my family. I can't afford cards, or gifts, or festive food, or any kind of party or gathering*, and can really appreciate why this is such a difficult time of year for many people. Of course, I miss my family at this time of year, and if I had the money I would definitely travel to go and see them. If I had the money I would probably also send them gifts, because I love them a...

I don't want more painkillers, but maybe something different.

http://allthingsclipart.com I've had another attempt to discuss my pain management medication (Tramadol + anti-inflammatory) with the GP, and have come away with no solutions. The first time, with my regular GP, I asked for my pain meds to be reviewed, as I was finding that exercising in the gym was causing me too much pain, and that it was important for me to keep exercising, as I really need to lose weight and increase my fitness if I want to be able to work again and not end up with obesity-related illness(es). Her suggestion was that I start taking a weight-loss drug. However, as weight-loss medication is incompatible with my anti-depressant (where the main side-effect is weight-gain!!), she said I should talk to my psychiatrist about changing my anti-depressant. Apart from her having missed my point, I have no intention of changing my anti-depressant, as the last time I did that I got incredibly sick, and I'm still reeling from the fall-out from tha...