Mom's House in The Jemez
Waking up at Mom's house was like such a new life. We kept the Christmas decorations up way past New Years just to be festive and to celebrate my homecoming. Because of the off and on snow storms and all of the physical therapy equipment it would be a while before I would be able to move back to my home at the cabin above Fenton Lake in the Jemez. I still needed help doing things and it would be some time before I could drive again.
I so enjoyed making my own breakfast and eating my own whole oats and cutting up an apple was such a good work out some days I just had apple sauce and blue berries and 2 fried eggs or a almond butter sandwich.
Dr. Dan sent me this standard brand Phosfood liquid stuff that helped with the nausea and my Catalyin and Calcium levels. My Acupuncturist from Houston sent me organic liquid vitamins and got me to take Pro-biotics with yogurt type bacteria which really helped my intestinal tract.
Each day with the handful of vitamins I take 6-8 Spirilina, vitamin 400 E, B12 1,000, Vitamin D 2,000, Fish oil and Omega, Boneup 10 tablets, 10 drops of minerals, vitamin C 2,000,etc. It is hard not to be full from just taking all the vitamins and all the water to get them down.
After my shower, meditation, making my bed, and exercising on the machines sometimes I needed to rest.
After Christmas I started going to Physical Therapy in Bernalillo once or twice a week and I enjoyed that. Then I decided I needed more hands on work and started going to Annette at Physical Therapy Plus in Los Alamos.
Zach came to visit for several days and helped moved the stuff out of the gold building into Mom's big garage. The stuff he moved was very heavy - I don't know how he did it. I had helped him move it in there last year when we had set up stuff of my Dad's and Carl, my step Dad's, stuff to sell. Mom sold a lot but just the tables themselves were a 2 person carry job. Zach and I had a great time and his visit certainly helped me adjust to living out of the nursing home.
So he set up the gold building which I had worked very hard on before the accident. With Zach's help I had scrubbed all the oil off the floor since it was originally my Dad's junk and storage room full of odds and ends. My friend Bucky cut the metal that stuck out into the room off the walls. I patched and patched the cracks and we sealed up the old garage door and John helped me paint the outside and inside with spray paint. Bobby helped me seal the cracks around the sides and seal the floor. Jan helped me tape most of the doors shut. Its a good thing I had completed most of the projects at my Mom's and at my house before the accident. It is a strange thing how friends had commented about how I was racing around completing all of these tasks just like a little ant. Do we know subconsciously when we must get something done because we won't be able to do it later?
It is big enough big enough for art tables and a whole workshop. I had made curtains and so I moved my stuff in and what a wonderful studio it is. We had moved a big old pot belly wood stove in and it warmed up the place in no time at all.
I had wanted to complete this project before the accident and have another book signing for my teacher Michael Silver Dragon. As far as I know that had been my main motivation. Michael is a miracle walking around - he has been in dialysis for 13 years going to dialysis 2 times a week.
At first holding a paint brush to do watercolor was a big workout. I started with real small paintings and what fun it was to watch color happen. The hand work with brushes was a great workout and motivated me to look for someone to help me get my hands working again.
I had Zach take me for a ride up to my cabin. There was about 24 inches at the curb and he went through the snow to get some stuff out of the cabin for me. I sat in the car and looked longingly at the cabin and enjoyed the warm car. As much as I wanted to go in my body was not up to making it through the snow. It was certainly inspiring to see my home and what a lot of snow we had. It was so beautiful I just sat there and cried a bit.
Story to be continued Part 11
Cosima's story part 9
Rio Rancho Nursing and Rehabilitation Home
At this point in time for me allowing healing to occur is a conscious decision and it takes trust in ones inner voice and courage to stick with the plan no matter what other people are telling you. It is useful to listen to the advice and suggestions and then sort them out to hear and feel what resonates with your own stage and with the moment.
I asked a friend of mine to help me figure out about the drug I was taking at night which calmed down the restlessness and the shouting pains - nerve pains that would go down my legs at night. I had been asking the staff at the nursing home but I really wasn't getting any answers.
When one of my friends looked up the last drug I was still on which I took at night to help me relax and sleep we found out it was a derivative of Valium and very addictive. She and other people advised me to get off of it slowly. It was suggested to still take it every 3 days for 15 days to 30 days instead of going off it completely. But the side effects were the same either way and I was determined to get off the drug. Ten days of sickness (throwing up ten times a day and having diarrhea all morning and half of the night) was very difficult for everyone but well worth it in the long run). I started using homeopathic medicine that my acupuncturist suggested. It was different than passion flower and Valerian root which I had taken during menopause. It helped a lot but the side effects of getting off the drug really made keeping up with physical therapy and eating a big job.
They insisted on weighing me every other day which made the 96 lbs to 92 lbs scare everybody with the quick weight fluctuation. I was still taking vitamins and they must have absorbed quickly because I still had strength to go take showers and go to physical therapy.
I know my family and everyone thought I was crazy but seeing the clients around me that were still taking drugs just made me realize that I did not want to be on anything I did not know the long term side effects of.
Now I have learned that there were other kinds of treatments I could have gotten if I could have found someone who did lymph drainage to come to the nursing home. Lymph drainable is a massage technique which manually assists the lymph system to aid you in detoxifying which helps with swelling and muscle and nerve pain.
Attendants thought maybe I was bulimic and everyone thought I should go back on the drug. Oh well determination finally paid off. Ten days and it was pretty much over. I decided about then that I wanted to be home at Mom's for Christmas and that being able to fix my own food would help me be healthier.
I got to go to the movie Australia for my Birthday which motivated me to go home as well. I was walking even without a cane by December 13 and they were ready to have me leave but we talked them into letting me stay until December 22, 2008. My Physical Therapist, Adam, and my Occupational Therapist, Liz, had really helped me make incredible progress I wanted to work with them as long as possible. I could hold my fingers down on the right hand and the elbow and shoulder would move out a little bit. I could feed myself somewhat with my right hand and I could walk. Thanks to Liz and Adam for all their help. I limped some with the right leg but I was able to pack my stuff and get it ready for Jan to carry to the car and I walked out by my self. Yeah !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was now ready for a physical therapist outside the nursing home.
What a big day Dec. 22 was for me. Saying good by to the wonderful staff at the nursing home, my cousin, and many friends who I had met there was hard but it was time to go to the next phase of my recovery. I said goodbye to the birds in the glass cage and the wonderful cottonwood trees in the back yard. It all took awhile but I was ready for the next adventure.
I had been practicing making my bed and I was ready to do my own cooking. So I had been making the transition to leave the nursing home and become more independent.
What a immense feeling of love, joy, and peace as we pulled into my Mom's drive way. She gave me her big room because the bathroom and shower were attached and she had a memory foam adjustable bed. It was hard at first to allow her to do that for me but my sacrum still hurt and I could barely turn over so I moved in. She also had a walker machine, a standing bicycle, some stretchy bands, a large ball, and a hand and arm table bike so I was all set up for home physical activity. Carl, my step dad, had bought a lot of useful equipment before he died. I never imagined that I would be the one to be using it. I am very grateful and it made a big difference in my continuing recovery program.
What a joy to wake up and look out her window and see the juniper tree, the Hermosa tree, and the iris that I had worked so hard to trim and hook up watering systems for.
Sunrise over the red rocks in the Jemez is such a beautiful spot to be in. We got out some Christmas decorations and got ready to celebrate a very important Christmas time together.
We had Christmas dinner at Linda and Michael's place in area 3 above Jemez Springs. It was not quite the same because Carl was with us last Christmas but it was so incredible to be home in Jemez for Christmas that only joy and Love could flow from our hearts.
To be continued . . .
At this point in time for me allowing healing to occur is a conscious decision and it takes trust in ones inner voice and courage to stick with the plan no matter what other people are telling you. It is useful to listen to the advice and suggestions and then sort them out to hear and feel what resonates with your own stage and with the moment.
I asked a friend of mine to help me figure out about the drug I was taking at night which calmed down the restlessness and the shouting pains - nerve pains that would go down my legs at night. I had been asking the staff at the nursing home but I really wasn't getting any answers.
When one of my friends looked up the last drug I was still on which I took at night to help me relax and sleep we found out it was a derivative of Valium and very addictive. She and other people advised me to get off of it slowly. It was suggested to still take it every 3 days for 15 days to 30 days instead of going off it completely. But the side effects were the same either way and I was determined to get off the drug. Ten days of sickness (throwing up ten times a day and having diarrhea all morning and half of the night) was very difficult for everyone but well worth it in the long run). I started using homeopathic medicine that my acupuncturist suggested. It was different than passion flower and Valerian root which I had taken during menopause. It helped a lot but the side effects of getting off the drug really made keeping up with physical therapy and eating a big job.
They insisted on weighing me every other day which made the 96 lbs to 92 lbs scare everybody with the quick weight fluctuation. I was still taking vitamins and they must have absorbed quickly because I still had strength to go take showers and go to physical therapy.
I know my family and everyone thought I was crazy but seeing the clients around me that were still taking drugs just made me realize that I did not want to be on anything I did not know the long term side effects of.
Now I have learned that there were other kinds of treatments I could have gotten if I could have found someone who did lymph drainage to come to the nursing home. Lymph drainable is a massage technique which manually assists the lymph system to aid you in detoxifying which helps with swelling and muscle and nerve pain.
Attendants thought maybe I was bulimic and everyone thought I should go back on the drug. Oh well determination finally paid off. Ten days and it was pretty much over. I decided about then that I wanted to be home at Mom's for Christmas and that being able to fix my own food would help me be healthier.
I got to go to the movie Australia for my Birthday which motivated me to go home as well. I was walking even without a cane by December 13 and they were ready to have me leave but we talked them into letting me stay until December 22, 2008. My Physical Therapist, Adam, and my Occupational Therapist, Liz, had really helped me make incredible progress I wanted to work with them as long as possible. I could hold my fingers down on the right hand and the elbow and shoulder would move out a little bit. I could feed myself somewhat with my right hand and I could walk. Thanks to Liz and Adam for all their help. I limped some with the right leg but I was able to pack my stuff and get it ready for Jan to carry to the car and I walked out by my self. Yeah !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was now ready for a physical therapist outside the nursing home.
What a big day Dec. 22 was for me. Saying good by to the wonderful staff at the nursing home, my cousin, and many friends who I had met there was hard but it was time to go to the next phase of my recovery. I said goodbye to the birds in the glass cage and the wonderful cottonwood trees in the back yard. It all took awhile but I was ready for the next adventure.
I had been practicing making my bed and I was ready to do my own cooking. So I had been making the transition to leave the nursing home and become more independent.
What a immense feeling of love, joy, and peace as we pulled into my Mom's drive way. She gave me her big room because the bathroom and shower were attached and she had a memory foam adjustable bed. It was hard at first to allow her to do that for me but my sacrum still hurt and I could barely turn over so I moved in. She also had a walker machine, a standing bicycle, some stretchy bands, a large ball, and a hand and arm table bike so I was all set up for home physical activity. Carl, my step dad, had bought a lot of useful equipment before he died. I never imagined that I would be the one to be using it. I am very grateful and it made a big difference in my continuing recovery program.
What a joy to wake up and look out her window and see the juniper tree, the Hermosa tree, and the iris that I had worked so hard to trim and hook up watering systems for.
Sunrise over the red rocks in the Jemez is such a beautiful spot to be in. We got out some Christmas decorations and got ready to celebrate a very important Christmas time together.
We had Christmas dinner at Linda and Michael's place in area 3 above Jemez Springs. It was not quite the same because Carl was with us last Christmas but it was so incredible to be home in Jemez for Christmas that only joy and Love could flow from our hearts.
To be continued . . .
Cosima's story part 8
Rio Rancho Nursing and Rehabilitation Home
What else can I do to speed up my recovery? How about unwinding and Cranial Sacral. I had a 30 minute treatment from Don Cornwell at the school of Natural Therapeutics about 10 or 15 years ago because my teacher Jim Haynes felt I needed some more neck work then he could do. In this 30 minute treatment, which was so subtle, I had a major shift. Jim Haynes was excellent, even profound at Cranial Sacral, and I learned Qigong and meridians and unwinding techniques and many amazing things from him. I got off the table after Don Cornwell's work. I thought, did this work affect me and with humility I say now, I barely made it to the back seat of the car and passed out for 4 hours. Yes, it made a significant difference. My neck was so much improved.
I knew from listening inside that this was important if I was gone to shift my organs, spine, neck, and sacrum. I difentitely needed an expert and someone who could deal with all the injuries I had. Don used to make Hospital visits but he is so busy now, that he does not make hospital visits anymore. Since I was at the stage of walking with a walker even though the trip to Albuquerque was long I could now get in a car and be driven. On my first trip I was walking with a walker sometimes a cane and I had practiced going up 3 steps of stairs a couple of times.
When we got there Don was not yet there and there were 18 steps to his office on the second floor. We left the walker down stairs and Jan helped me by putting his arm under my arm pit and I climbed up 18 stairs. I am sure if Don would have been there I would have received my first treatment down stairs. But, between the really helpful treatment and the inspiration of having walked up stairs I was on my way to making a huge leap in my healing process.
In order to leave the nursing home I had to be having a doctors appointment so I was grateful that Don Cornwell had so many degrees. PhD, D.O.M., and LMT. The Assistant Doctor at the nursing home who signed me out had a daughter who practiced cranal sacral so she understood how unwinding and releasing pressure off of my skull and organs and sacrum would help me. I have made a visit to Don's about every 2-3 weeks since that time.
Dr. Dan was still calling me and giving me Equation of Life energy treatments once a week to every 2 weeks. The energy treatments really helped with the pain and healing and motivation.
I called Michael and Linda from Houston to find out when they were coming into Albuquerque so they could come help me do some emotional release work. I started feeling the release coming on the minute they were in the parking lot. I was in physical therapy at the time and asked them and my son Sam who was in from Seattle to wheel me out to the gazebo area and I started mumbling and crying and expressing some stories I needed to let go of. It went on for an 1 hour or so and I felt a lot better. Michael and Linda have a business called A New Way. They teach a technique called Clarity process which helps people learn how to deal with issues. It is a spiritual process based on Coeducational work out of the Recovery Program. Linda and Michael are very intuitive and excellent at this process besides being Reiki people and certified ministers.
After I started walking with a cane I got to go out to eat once in a while and Jan took me to the Movie Australia which was 2 1/2 to 3 hours long. It was a wonderful birthday present. We went to the Range and then to the movie. What a treat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love driving around and looking at the Sandia Mountains and it was inspiring to get to go do some special things. I made a plan in my heart to be home for Christmas. How good it is to be 61 years old and walking and seeing and being apart of the play and activity of Life.!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Story To Be Continued . . .
What else can I do to speed up my recovery? How about unwinding and Cranial Sacral. I had a 30 minute treatment from Don Cornwell at the school of Natural Therapeutics about 10 or 15 years ago because my teacher Jim Haynes felt I needed some more neck work then he could do. In this 30 minute treatment, which was so subtle, I had a major shift. Jim Haynes was excellent, even profound at Cranial Sacral, and I learned Qigong and meridians and unwinding techniques and many amazing things from him. I got off the table after Don Cornwell's work. I thought, did this work affect me and with humility I say now, I barely made it to the back seat of the car and passed out for 4 hours. Yes, it made a significant difference. My neck was so much improved.
I knew from listening inside that this was important if I was gone to shift my organs, spine, neck, and sacrum. I difentitely needed an expert and someone who could deal with all the injuries I had. Don used to make Hospital visits but he is so busy now, that he does not make hospital visits anymore. Since I was at the stage of walking with a walker even though the trip to Albuquerque was long I could now get in a car and be driven. On my first trip I was walking with a walker sometimes a cane and I had practiced going up 3 steps of stairs a couple of times.
When we got there Don was not yet there and there were 18 steps to his office on the second floor. We left the walker down stairs and Jan helped me by putting his arm under my arm pit and I climbed up 18 stairs. I am sure if Don would have been there I would have received my first treatment down stairs. But, between the really helpful treatment and the inspiration of having walked up stairs I was on my way to making a huge leap in my healing process.
In order to leave the nursing home I had to be having a doctors appointment so I was grateful that Don Cornwell had so many degrees. PhD, D.O.M., and LMT. The Assistant Doctor at the nursing home who signed me out had a daughter who practiced cranal sacral so she understood how unwinding and releasing pressure off of my skull and organs and sacrum would help me. I have made a visit to Don's about every 2-3 weeks since that time.
Dr. Dan was still calling me and giving me Equation of Life energy treatments once a week to every 2 weeks. The energy treatments really helped with the pain and healing and motivation.
I called Michael and Linda from Houston to find out when they were coming into Albuquerque so they could come help me do some emotional release work. I started feeling the release coming on the minute they were in the parking lot. I was in physical therapy at the time and asked them and my son Sam who was in from Seattle to wheel me out to the gazebo area and I started mumbling and crying and expressing some stories I needed to let go of. It went on for an 1 hour or so and I felt a lot better. Michael and Linda have a business called A New Way. They teach a technique called Clarity process which helps people learn how to deal with issues. It is a spiritual process based on Coeducational work out of the Recovery Program. Linda and Michael are very intuitive and excellent at this process besides being Reiki people and certified ministers.
After I started walking with a cane I got to go out to eat once in a while and Jan took me to the Movie Australia which was 2 1/2 to 3 hours long. It was a wonderful birthday present. We went to the Range and then to the movie. What a treat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love driving around and looking at the Sandia Mountains and it was inspiring to get to go do some special things. I made a plan in my heart to be home for Christmas. How good it is to be 61 years old and walking and seeing and being apart of the play and activity of Life.!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Story To Be Continued . . .
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