Just your thoughts and opinion on things.

[Jiro]

IMO Minnesota winters are every bit as brutal as most people think. We are at -1 today and that isn't that unusual.

We've gotten so much snow too that I've already managed to drive my car into my driveway snowbank twice when backing out of the garage LOL

whoa.... that is brutal... maybe i shouldn't complain about my weather LOL

 

[Hear Again]

wisconsin winters aren't much better. over the next few days temperatures are supposed to be in the teens with negative wind chills. fortunately, there isn't alot of snow on the ground, so at least i don't have to deal with that. i'll be glad when i'm finally in arizona this summer because i can't stand the long, cold winters we have here.

 

[Byrdie714]

wisconsin winters aren't much better. over the next few days temperatures are supposed to be in the teens with negative wind chills. fortunately, there isn't alot of snow on the ground, so at least i don't have to deal with that. i'll be glad when i'm finally in arizona this summer because i can't stand the long, cold winters we have here.

Hope you don't complain about the heat of Arizona summers.

 

[Hear Again]

Hope you don't complain about the heat of Arizona summers.

you won't hear me complaining. i've been in triple digit heat before and it doesn't bother me the way the extreme cold does. i'm more of a hot weather person than a cold weather person. i'll gladly take arizona heat over our cold winters. besides, in arizona, it's a dry heat.

 

[shel90]

Hope you don't complain about the heat of Arizona summers.

If one has to use public transportation or do a lot of walking, the heat can be a killer. Yes, it is dry heat but I remember when I took the bus to the mall as a teenager, I would run to whatever shade there was just to cool off before venturing out in the sun again. It was brutal. Otherwise, everyone is either indoors or swimming.

 

[Hear Again]

If one has to use public transportation or do a lot of walking, the heat can be a killer. Yes, it is dry heat but I remember when I took the bus to the mall as a teenager, I would run to whatever shade there was just to cool off before venturing out in the sun again. It was brutal. Otherwise, everyone is either indoors or swimming.

at least you can travel outside in the heat and not freeze your you-know-what off like you do here. you also don't have to walk in the snow, climb up and down snowbanks or deal with ice, rain, wind, subzero temperatures of 20 or 30 below, blizzards, freezing rain or high humidity levels. i've walked long distances before in triple digit heat and i'm not at all bothered by it. as far as people being indoors here, most of us are housebound for 8 months out of the year and don't get outside until june. when i visited tucson several years ago, i met a blind woman who was originally from ohio. she moved to arizona 4 years prior and told me she loved the climate and wouldn't trade it for the world.

 

[Byrdie714]

at least you can travel outside in the heat and not freeze your you-know-what off like you do here. you also don't have to walk in the snow, climb up and down snowbanks or deal with ice, rain, wind, subzero temperatures of 20 or 30 below, blizzards, freezing rain or high humidity levels. i've walked long distances before in triple digit heat and i'm not at all bothered by it. as far as people being indoors here, most of us are housebound for 8 months out of the year and don't get outside until june. when i visited tucson several years ago, i met a blind woman who was originally from ohio. she moved to arizona 4 years prior and told me she loved the climate and wouldn't trade it for the world.

How are the services for D/B people in Arizona?

 

[Nika]

I think some people have better tolerance for heat and others have better tolerance for cold. I have a much better tolerance for cold -- I am much better off in 30 degree weather than I am in 90 degree weather. Although I know many folks would say exactly the opposite!

 

[Hear Again]

How are the services for D/B people in Arizona?

i don't know for certain, but probably not as good as they are here in wisconsin. that being said, i no longer need to rely on ssp services because of my ci's. if i need someone to drive me somewhere, i can easily find someone through an agency serving the blind or a volunteer at the church i choose to attend. since i need tactile terp services (i have difficulty hearing in background noise), i will have to find out what deafblind agency provides them.

 

[Hear Again]

I think some people have better tolerance for heat and others have better tolerance for cold. I have a much better tolerance for cold -- I am much better off in 30 degree weather than I am in 90 degree weather. Although I know many folks would say exactly the opposite!

this is true. i don't do well in the cold for a variety of reasons: severe carpal tunnel in my left wrist, severe pain in my left arm that always seems to be ignited by the cold, migraines and rapid cycling/severe mood swings during this time of year due to my bipolar. if i were in a warmer climate, chances are likely that my cts or pain in my left arm wouldn't be aggrevated so much and i can tell you for certain that i wouldn't rapid cycle as frequently as i do (i cycle on an hourly basis) because the weather would be one less thing for me to be depressed and angry about.

 

[Nika]

this is true. i don't do well in the cold for a variety of reasons: severe carpal tunnel in my left wrist, severe pain in my left arm that always seems to be ignited by the cold, migraines and rapid cycling/severe mood swings during this time of year due to my bipolar. if i were in a warmer climate, chances are likely that my cts or pain in my left arm wouldn't be aggrevated so much and i can tell you for certain that i wouldn't rapid cycle as frequently as i do (i cycle on an hourly basis) because the weather would be one less thing for me to be depressed and angry about.

I'm sorry to hear the cold aggravates your symptoms, but that you're moving to Arizona! I can relate to the CTS and arm pain -- the cold has a way of making my joint pain that much worse. It makes me feel like I just aged 20 years on the spot.

Have you had any surgeries or medical procedures done to help with your CTS? Do you wear wrist braces?

 

[Hear Again]

I'm sorry to hear the cold aggravates your symptoms, but that you're moving to Arizona! I can relate to the CTS and arm pain -- the cold has a way of making my joint pain that much worse. It makes me feel like I just aged 20 years on the spot.

Have you had any surgeries or medical procedures done to help with your CTS? Do you wear wrist braces?

yes, i'm supposed to wear a wrist brace 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. however, i admit i haven't done this as of late because it makes my wrist hurt even more and makes typing difficult.

my doctor recommended surgery, but i asked if i could try several weeks of physical therapy (my doctor prescribed 6 to 12 weeks of pt) first because one thing i'm afraid of is losing complete use of my left hand after cts surgery. aside from that, recovery from cts surgery takes several months to a year. as a blind person, you already know how much we rely on our hands, so if something did happen to my left hand during surgery, it would make things extremely difficult for me. i'm also left handed, so if i lose the use of my left hand, i'm pretty much up a creek without a paddle.

by the way, my doctor also recommended that i see a neurologist. i have an appointment with the neurologist in the beginning of february and will discuss my options as they relate to surgery. the pain i'm experiencing is excrutiating most of the time, but again, i can't risk losing the use of my left hand.

 

[Byrdie714]

i don't know for certain, but probably not as good as they are here in wisconsin. that being said, i no longer need to rely on ssp services because of my ci's. if i need someone to drive me somewhere, i can easily find someone through an agency serving the blind or a volunteer at the church i choose to attend. since i need tactile terp services (i have difficulty hearing in background noise), i will have to find out what deafblind agency provides them.

Have you thought about looking into Seattle, Washington? They have one of the best services for D/B folks.

 

[Hear Again]

Have you thought about looking into Seattle, Washington? They have one of the best services for D/B folks.

nope. i don't want to live there because of the climate. i hate snow and want to get as far away from it as i can. besides, i function well with my ci's in most instances and the only time i need to use a tactile terp is when i'm dealing with background noise. aside from that, i'm getting so tired of rapid cycling this time of year and know the sunshine and warm temperatures in arizona will do me a world of good.

 

[Nika]

I'm really sorry about your wrist pain, Hear Again. <sad> I know it's really hard to wear braces all the time. You know they have one-handed keyboards. They're originally designed for office assistants so they can manage two tasks at once but maybe you could get one and just type with your right hand.

It might be in your interest to try something like acupuncture, which isn't invasive and doesn't have the same risks as surgery.

I do energy work and I've noticed a lot of conditions like tennis elbow and CTS show up as stagnation in energy, so acupuncture or other types of energy work can be very helpful. My father's tennis elbow was completely gone after just a few sessions of acupuncture.

On a lighter note, I'm left-handed too. <smile>

 

[Hear Again]

I'm really sorry about your wrist pain, Hear Again. <sad> I know it's really hard to wear braces all the time. You know they have one-handed keyboards. They're originally designed for office assistants so they can manage two tasks at once but maybe you could get one and just type with your right hand.

It might be in your interest to try something like acupuncture, which isn't invasive and doesn't have the same risks as surgery.

I do energy work and I've noticed a lot of conditions like tennis elbow and CTS show up as stagnation in energy, so acupuncture or other types of energy work can be very helpful. My father's tennis elbow was completely gone after just a few sessions of acupuncture.

On a lighter note, I'm left-handed too. <smile>

my last neurologist had me try acupuncture, but it didn't do anything to help relieve the pain. i've also had 2 cortizone shots that worked to no avail.

one other concern i have about cts surgery is anethesia. in people with bipolar, anethesia can cause manic episodes. i've already experienced 2 severe manic/psychotic episodes because of anethesia and never want to experience that again. the last severe manic/psychotic episode i had, i lost complete touch with reality and heard up to 20 different voices. as you can imagine, it was extremely frightening.

 

[Nika]

Wow, Hear Again. That is really frightening! I'm sorry acupuncture didn't work for you. I wish I could heal you right on the spot. Someone so great as you doesn't deserve to be suffering so much! <hugs>

 

[Hear Again]

Wow, Hear Again. That is really frightening! I'm sorry acupuncture didn't work for you. I wish I could heal you right on the spot. Someone so great as you doesn't deserve to be suffering so much! <hugs>

thanks, nika! <hugs>

 

[Byrdie714]

nope. i don't want to live there because of the climate. i hate snow and want to get as far away from it as i can. besides, i function well with my ci's in most instances and the only time i need to use a tactile terp is when i'm dealing with background noise. aside from that, i'm getting so tired of rapid cycling this time of year and know the sunshine and warm temperatures in arizona will do me a world of good.

True. I keep forgetting about your condition. You would never make it in Seattle with the clouds and the rain.

 

[Hear Again]

True. I keep forgetting about your condition. You would never make it in Seattle with the clouds and the rain.

no, i wouldn't. some people think i'm not negatively affected by the weather because of my total blindness, but it's not true. i'm very affected since the extreme cold, snow, rain, etc. make me feel depressed and angry hence, the rapid cycyling.