Well, another week has almost past and I am still here. I had someone ask me today about my accident because she did not know about it too much. She asked if I had any lingering problems with it. I told her my right shoulder still hurts to reach for something and my right elbow still bothers me once in a while. I still have issues with my right pelvic area, too. I can reach the ground, but it is a lot slower than it used to be. I am also noticing that it hurts my lungs some to cough or yawn. I have learned to live with these issues and deal with the discomfort involved.
I had to go look at a job today and it was up on the third landing and had to climb stairs to get to it. This still gets to me after this much distance, but I can make it and STILL smile about it. I trained Walter to do part of my old job on Tuesday. He will do one part and I will keep another part of it for now. I change offices sometime next week and get into my new area. I will still handle the "rush" jobs in one area and do "regular" planning in that area, too. My boss asked if I could handle this for a while. I feel like this will be easier to do this than what I do now. Smile and move forward! I can live with this. I will only be correcting jobs that I planned in the first place. If there is a problem with it, I would rather correct them myself so I can learn how to do this better.
I got out yesterday and used my weed-eater in my yard. I also did the guy behind me's yard, too. He had shoulder surgery and can't hold a weed-eater, yet. All this effort made me tired, so I slept well last night.
I know there are still people that read this pretty regularly and most don't reply to my words. I can live with this and will keep trying to move forward. We had a meeting today at work and I still have problems with those metal chairs. My broken tailbone will probably be with me forever. This is not a pleasant thing to deal with, but thanks to God and the help he gave me, I will make the most of it. All is part of life and we just have to make it work FOR us.
Thanks for being one of those that reads this to find out how I am doing and my love to you for caring about me. Thank you God for the help and inspiration you have given me.
"Peanut" is getting bigger (this is the "nickname" that Megan gave to my new Grandchild). I am excited about this and can hardly wait until February is here.
I will see the doctor on Monday to find out how my right elbow is and what can be done to resolve the issues I still have with it.
Love you all, Mark 7/30/08
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Thursday, July 24 and still breathing on my own
Well, another week has gone by and I am still here. My shoulder is still quite sore, especially when I reach for things. I went and tried to help Megan and Matt repair things on their old apartment. Several things I wanted to help on would not work right. They did have some things I could do with some help. They had one light that would come on when the switch was flipped and my volt meter showed the switch was the problem. Next was the kitchen light. It was one of those fluorescence lights that just did not get bright as it should. Matt took this down and I was told the bulbs were new and still did not work right. Megan had to get some supplies from Home Depot so I told her to buy a new ballast for it. They did not have any of these so I told her to get a cheap light for a garage and I could make it work. I sat on the floor and disassembled one and re-built their old one. Poor Matt had to re-install it. Next, the bulb in the fan upstairs moved too much. I worked on it and got it tightened after a little work. Again, poor Matt had to re-install it. This reaching up still hurts too much to do. Next we started on the bathroom floor. They had done some of it but the small pieces next to the toilet and tub were still waiting for me. We ended up taking the toilet up so we would have to cut less tiles. This got the floor wet so we dried it the best we could and had to quit there because the flooring would not have stuck to this wet floor. One of Megan's friends from school was there to help Matt carry things. I was so glad for that. Justin and his wife, Brittney, were so much help to have around. I was so thankful Matt had this kind of help since I was not much help on carrying heavy things. My truck was filled up several times with stuff, so I guess my being there was not a total loss. All the stuff we did got my back to hurting. I could not move right for a couple of days, but it worked out OK.
I still have my doctor's appointment set for August 4th. This will be a week from Monday to check on my right elbow. I am a little scared about what he might find, but also excited that this might be a good improvement.
I will be training someone at doing my job starting Monday. After two weeks of training, it is his and then I will start training to take over my new position. Change is not always good, but this is something I am looking forward to. I know my pressure will be lower with less things that have to be done NOW. As a Material Coordinator, you are always rushing deliveries and hot jobs and when I came back from being out, they were glad I took it back. Now I will go to planning regular jobs that are not a DO IT NOW. I am so excited about this change. Now someone else can feel this "all the time pressure".
Life is great for me right now. Every day is great to wake up and realize just how great it is to have God there for you. Without Him and His help in my life, I think my life would be much different. I don't look for the day to see the grass from below. Thanks to all of you that helped pull me and my family through this time. I looked at some of my early pictures and they STILL bother me. Seeing myself in a wheelchair was not too pleasant, either. It makes me feel good to see how far I have come.
I love you all so much,
Mark 7/24/08
I still have my doctor's appointment set for August 4th. This will be a week from Monday to check on my right elbow. I am a little scared about what he might find, but also excited that this might be a good improvement.
I will be training someone at doing my job starting Monday. After two weeks of training, it is his and then I will start training to take over my new position. Change is not always good, but this is something I am looking forward to. I know my pressure will be lower with less things that have to be done NOW. As a Material Coordinator, you are always rushing deliveries and hot jobs and when I came back from being out, they were glad I took it back. Now I will go to planning regular jobs that are not a DO IT NOW. I am so excited about this change. Now someone else can feel this "all the time pressure".
Life is great for me right now. Every day is great to wake up and realize just how great it is to have God there for you. Without Him and His help in my life, I think my life would be much different. I don't look for the day to see the grass from below. Thanks to all of you that helped pull me and my family through this time. I looked at some of my early pictures and they STILL bother me. Seeing myself in a wheelchair was not too pleasant, either. It makes me feel good to see how far I have come.
I love you all so much,
Mark 7/24/08
Monday, July 14, 2008
Monday, July 14th and still moving forward
Yes, another week has flown by and I am still here breathing on my own. I have a doctor's appointment scheduled for 8/4/08 to have my elbow checked out. I have a feeling that there is another run with surgery ahead, but I don't get to make this call. I have started seeing the Chiropractor trying to get me shoulder working better. The pain is still there, but seems to be getting better as we move forward with this. My neck is hurting more but that is because so long out of spot did not help.
We had a great weekend and did several good things. We helped Megan move on Friday and Betty helped again on Saturday. I could not help like I wanted to because I can't lift things like I used to and don't walk as well, either. One of Megan's friends from school was there and helped Matt move the big stuff. I felt like I was in the way most of the time, but I was there trying to help as much as I could. On Saturday, we went to Dennis' 40th birthday celebration and enjoyed ourselves there too. From there, we went across town to see my aunt and several cousins. We enjoyed this visit, too. On Sunday, I worked on trying to get my porch ready to paint. Several hours of work Saturday morning and several more on Sunday and it is starting to get ready to go forward. I still have several days of removing paint to be ready to paint, but I can see the end is getting closer.
I hear it quite a bit from people telling me they read this pretty regularly, but most don't respond because they don't know what to say. I can live with this. They still read it because the love is still there. This makes me feel good to hear it.
Betty was looking at some of the pictures taken of me when I was "down". Some of these still hurt me to see them again. The wound on my back still gets my blood moving. I knew it was there at the time, but I do not really remember how bad it was until I see the pictures. This hole was so big and I get to see the pictures to see it improve. It was a long, drawn out process, but God helped pull me through it.
Tiffaney has a job interview tomorrow for a teaching job. The big test she had to take was a surprise to us all. She thought she did poorly on it, but she passed it. We were so proud of her. Only time will tell about how this interview goes. She has one of those personality that does great teaching. She was one of those great tutors when she was in high school and worked in college with "select" kids and taught many how to ride horses when most could hardly walk without help. This is one of those special talents that she is good at, helping other become better people.
That is enough information from me for this week. God will help tomorrow be a great day and allow me to enjoy my life ahead. One day, I hope most of this pain is gone but until this comes, I will smile and move forward. My love to you all.
Thanks dear God for keeping me here to enjoy my life every day.
Mark 7/14/08
We had a great weekend and did several good things. We helped Megan move on Friday and Betty helped again on Saturday. I could not help like I wanted to because I can't lift things like I used to and don't walk as well, either. One of Megan's friends from school was there and helped Matt move the big stuff. I felt like I was in the way most of the time, but I was there trying to help as much as I could. On Saturday, we went to Dennis' 40th birthday celebration and enjoyed ourselves there too. From there, we went across town to see my aunt and several cousins. We enjoyed this visit, too. On Sunday, I worked on trying to get my porch ready to paint. Several hours of work Saturday morning and several more on Sunday and it is starting to get ready to go forward. I still have several days of removing paint to be ready to paint, but I can see the end is getting closer.
I hear it quite a bit from people telling me they read this pretty regularly, but most don't respond because they don't know what to say. I can live with this. They still read it because the love is still there. This makes me feel good to hear it.
Betty was looking at some of the pictures taken of me when I was "down". Some of these still hurt me to see them again. The wound on my back still gets my blood moving. I knew it was there at the time, but I do not really remember how bad it was until I see the pictures. This hole was so big and I get to see the pictures to see it improve. It was a long, drawn out process, but God helped pull me through it.
Tiffaney has a job interview tomorrow for a teaching job. The big test she had to take was a surprise to us all. She thought she did poorly on it, but she passed it. We were so proud of her. Only time will tell about how this interview goes. She has one of those personality that does great teaching. She was one of those great tutors when she was in high school and worked in college with "select" kids and taught many how to ride horses when most could hardly walk without help. This is one of those special talents that she is good at, helping other become better people.
That is enough information from me for this week. God will help tomorrow be a great day and allow me to enjoy my life ahead. One day, I hope most of this pain is gone but until this comes, I will smile and move forward. My love to you all.
Thanks dear God for keeping me here to enjoy my life every day.
Mark 7/14/08
Monday, July 7, 2008
July 7,2008... What a day this WAS
Yes, my first year has gone past and I live life the best way I can. Certain things still hurt, but I wake up breathing on my own, so it must be a GREAT day. Most of the people at work did not realize what date I fell but once I told them, they were all happy I am still around. They knew it was around this day somewhere, but most did not know the date like I do. We had a great time yesterday. I cook some meat on the smoker and had some friends over from around the neighborhood. We also had some close friends over too because these people helped us out with things while I was down. Some of them mowed my yard and others helped with Matt. It really amazes me how much some people would do for you when you are down like this. Several months ago, one of my neighbors saw me digging in my front yard to find a plumbing leak and came to help. He knew I did not need to be doing this by myself and was just one of those people that wanted to help me out. We found the leak and he had all of the stuff to fix it. My PVC glue was dried up, but Bill had some. This is one of those people that God has brought in to my life and I am glad He did.
I notice that my right shoulder and right elbow are still quite painful. I still can not reach very well with my right arm and it still hurts to try. My elbow really gets painful if I put weight on it wrong. It is not at the pointed tip of the elbow, but about a 1/2" towards my shoulder. I can feel an area there that needs to be seen by a doctor, just not sure I am ready for surgery on it, yet. I know somehow I will have to go through this, but not real sure I can handle it, yet. I also notice that my pelvic area hurts if I walk too much. This pain is uncomfortable, but I have learned to tolerate it. Hilly areas really get to me because of the way your ankle is turned up, but I go slow and through it. Sitting on a hard chair still bothers me. They tell me that a broken tailbone will be there for a long, long time, if not forever. I have learned how to sit in most locations where it doesn't make the pain too much, but after some time, it still gets to me.
Yes, one year down and many left to go. You learn to do some things different and to not do other things. Live life and move forward. All is good, but live with the uncomfortable things. Love to all of you. Thanks so much for helping me still be here. Prayers and a common goal by all of you made this possible for me and my family.
Mark 7/7/08
I notice that my right shoulder and right elbow are still quite painful. I still can not reach very well with my right arm and it still hurts to try. My elbow really gets painful if I put weight on it wrong. It is not at the pointed tip of the elbow, but about a 1/2" towards my shoulder. I can feel an area there that needs to be seen by a doctor, just not sure I am ready for surgery on it, yet. I know somehow I will have to go through this, but not real sure I can handle it, yet. I also notice that my pelvic area hurts if I walk too much. This pain is uncomfortable, but I have learned to tolerate it. Hilly areas really get to me because of the way your ankle is turned up, but I go slow and through it. Sitting on a hard chair still bothers me. They tell me that a broken tailbone will be there for a long, long time, if not forever. I have learned how to sit in most locations where it doesn't make the pain too much, but after some time, it still gets to me.
Yes, one year down and many left to go. You learn to do some things different and to not do other things. Live life and move forward. All is good, but live with the uncomfortable things. Love to all of you. Thanks so much for helping me still be here. Prayers and a common goal by all of you made this possible for me and my family.
Mark 7/7/08
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Life is wonderful and I am still around (July 1, 2008)
Yes, it is only a few days after my last posting, but sometimes life is amazing. Breanna is renting a house starting July 1 (today), but they gave here a key so she could move stuff in. Betty and I loaded up my truck and her car with stuff for Brea and took off. I had to go to Deer Park to see Betty's sister, Pat, to get a couch and chair and then to see Steve and Traci Scannell to get a bed. Then we topped it all off with MANY other things. Since it would not all fit in my truck, her car was filled, too. We covered the stuff in my truck with a tarp, but no matter how well it was tied on, the wind will find it. We were about 1/3 of the way there and since we had not seen rain, it had to come off. We did catch a little bit of rain on the way, but not enough to matter. While we were there, we did a lot of different things that we could, but there was not electricity on yet. It will be turned on today. While I am sitting in the living room, I see somebody walk by the front window. She came on it the front door and spoke to us. It took my a second to realize this, but it was my cousin Shelly. I had forgotten that she lives in Austin but that wonderful wife of mine did not. She made a few calls without me knowing to set all of this up. I had not seen Shelly since Grandmother's funeral and that was in January, 2005. Over three years! Man it sure was good to see her. She looks so good, too. I guess my wife realized how much I enjoyed seeing all of the Bradley family and the reunion, or maybe she just knows how I am about family. Shelly was saying how we need to get the Gray family together again. Shelly made several comments on how great it was to see me up doing as well as I am. She also asked questions about my mind and memory. I guess this is a female thing. She knew this was one of the things that some people suffer from after my kind of accident. She did not ask about where I hurt and this was great with me. I will only talk about what someone wants to know. I did not realize she knew much about my accident, but she stayed on top of things through this BLOG the Megan and Betty kept current.
I guess it still amazes me to know how many people kept up with me this way. Some I gets notes in this BLOG to let me know they follow it and some don't respond this way, but may send an e-mail to me. I noticed a week ago, two people responded and told me I was still on their minds. Harry and Gayle were special friends with my parents for many years and then they moved to Oregon or Washington or one of those COLD places in the north west area. The other one came from my Mom's cousin, Ann. Ann made one comment from the last one about me being a Grandpa. She knew exactly who I was talking about. She called him Uncle Cleo for years. I had never heard him use his middle name. I knew it, but never heard it. Ann knew the person he was and honored me by saying how great a person he was. He set the bar high for me, but I want to be the kind of Grandpa he was for us. That would be one of those special things that God allows us to be when we become a Grandpa. Yes, Megan, this is a VERY plain, old fashioned name, but has a lot of special meaning to me.
If you are one of the people that still read this, I love you. I know this is like an on-line update, but it allows me to talk about things and you can read or not and move on with life. Yes, I am still here to bug you if I get the chance.
My one year anniversary is only 6 days away. 7/7/07 could have been a bad day for everyone that knows and loves me, but God decided with my many prayers pulling for me, that I needed to be here. If you were one of those people that prayed for me or if I was in your prayers group, thanks for doing this for me and for my family. It will always have special meaning to me! I will probably post again on my anniversary day or somewhere near it.
Pray for someone who needs it because it works! I know most people believe this, but I love to send this message out. God was always a big part in my life, but His meaning means so much more to me, now.
Thanks for helping keep me around. With love,
Mark 7/1/08
I guess it still amazes me to know how many people kept up with me this way. Some I gets notes in this BLOG to let me know they follow it and some don't respond this way, but may send an e-mail to me. I noticed a week ago, two people responded and told me I was still on their minds. Harry and Gayle were special friends with my parents for many years and then they moved to Oregon or Washington or one of those COLD places in the north west area. The other one came from my Mom's cousin, Ann. Ann made one comment from the last one about me being a Grandpa. She knew exactly who I was talking about. She called him Uncle Cleo for years. I had never heard him use his middle name. I knew it, but never heard it. Ann knew the person he was and honored me by saying how great a person he was. He set the bar high for me, but I want to be the kind of Grandpa he was for us. That would be one of those special things that God allows us to be when we become a Grandpa. Yes, Megan, this is a VERY plain, old fashioned name, but has a lot of special meaning to me.
If you are one of the people that still read this, I love you. I know this is like an on-line update, but it allows me to talk about things and you can read or not and move on with life. Yes, I am still here to bug you if I get the chance.
My one year anniversary is only 6 days away. 7/7/07 could have been a bad day for everyone that knows and loves me, but God decided with my many prayers pulling for me, that I needed to be here. If you were one of those people that prayed for me or if I was in your prayers group, thanks for doing this for me and for my family. It will always have special meaning to me! I will probably post again on my anniversary day or somewhere near it.
Pray for someone who needs it because it works! I know most people believe this, but I love to send this message out. God was always a big part in my life, but His meaning means so much more to me, now.
Thanks for helping keep me around. With love,
Mark 7/1/08
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