Two days over 4 months since becoming an amputee and this has been the worst month so far. It hasn’t been because of pain or anything like that but pure bloody frustration. I had been doing so well, recovering so fast and things were progressing quickly, now it’s like I’ve hit a sodding great big brick wall and I have been stopped in my tracks. I have to say that everything has been out of my hands and I’m at the mercy of other people, policies and procedures. Months back I had set myself a couple of long term but achievable goals, so what were they and why haven’t I achieved them?
Driving
I should have been driving now but I’m not. You might think that it’s because I’ve had pain/discomfort and don’t feel able to drive or because of medication, you’d be wrong. It’s because I had to wait up to 11 weeks (which turned out to be 14) to find out what rate of Disability Living Allowance I was entitled to. As a result it turns out I am eligible to get a car under the Mobility Scheme, so I have a car, right! Eeerrr wrong, I haven’t had my driving License back yet from the DVLA, ah yes the DVLA. I sent my license off and the other week I got an email stating that a letter was on it’s way to me, of which a copy was in an attached PDF file. Basically it was asking if I wanted to keep the provisional lorry entitlement or not. I printed it off, filled it in and sent it back First Class to get it turned around quicker. I had to phone them to query something and opened the email again to get the phone number. While I was waiting to get through I just happened to notice that the address was of my last house (haven’t lived there for over 6 years), so I also queried that. The License itself had the correct address but the correspondence address was wrong. The guy said he would amend it, I just thank my lucky starts that they did email me a copy as I would never have got the letter and be waiting for ever to get my license back.
Walking
Well I don’t really have to say much do I. The drama I have had with that proxy socket has really held me back. The only reassuring thing is that I am not the only person who has this problem which made me feel slightly better about the situation. Sometimes you think it is just you, you start to feel like some sort of pain or problem or that maybe you just need to man up with it. Lynne has been excellent though and I thank her for her perseverance in trying to resolve the problem. Hopefully when I get the new socket on Friday we can put all the problems of the past socket behind us and move on.
Disability Facilities Grant
This has been the most frustrating thing of all, well I think it shares joint first with the prosthesis. It is the grant to convert the Bathroom into a wet room and hopefully get a small section (well one cupboards width) of worktop lowered, so I can be more independent in the Kitchen. I phoned the Occupational Therapist I had at Hinchingbrooke Hospital today to get some advice or guidance from her. She told me she would contact the OT Assistant I had been dealing with and get back to me. True to her word she phoned just before lunch saying she had just got off the phone to her. She said that the OT Assistant wasn’t very helpful at all and was reluctant to give her any information, she also said she was just an assistant and not the person to talk to. The senior OT who came out the other day is away till next Thursday and that she would leave a message for her to contact the Hinchingbrooke OT on her return. I have been advised to talk to my GP so have a phone call booked with her next week. I was also advised to try and get a copy of the guidelines if possible. I managed to get a copy of the legislation and the grant guide book, if I don’t get any joy I may also contact my MP to see if he can do anything.
Hopefully this will be the hardest month to endure and will turn a corner this month and get back on track. I am going into this new month with a positive attitude that I can turn things around now, make better progress and gain more freedom. If I can pull this off I may be able to start some photography again and be a little more active with the Cadet Force too, keep your fingers crossed for me.
