Each day since the car accident, certain things continue to be a struggle for me and I have to figure out how to do things that used to be natural. For example, something formerly simple like turning around to get something behind me will cause me to lose my balance and fall. If I fall, it is very frightening because I am not always able to get up off the floor. I always think of that commercial: An older lady says, ” I’ve fallen and I can’t get up! I used to laugh at that saying, but now I realize how that can be a dilemma in real life.

One of my struggles is trying to do laundry with my walker. I can’t really carry a laundry basket so I have to make numerous trips back and forth wearing myself out. I also lack having a sufficient memory to remember to take clothes out of the dryer before it shrinks or gets wrinkled.

Walking continues to be a great challenge for me since I have to concentrate on picking up my left leg that I call “Sylvester.” My right leg usually takes small steps even though there is nothing wrong with this leg. My right leg just doesn’t trust “Sylvester” so it begins to take small steps.   These tiny steps will cause me to lose my balance. This becomes a daily repeated cycle.

Another challenge is trying to get something up high from my kitchen shelf since I don’t trust myself on a stepladder. I usually decide to not to get it or do without.

Whenever I drop something, I ponder if it is worth taking the chance picking it up. My husband notices several items on the floor each day. My decision was made!