Fundraising

Today I decided to pull this blog out of retirement and actually say something that may be of general interest to those of you that are curious to know a bit of what life is like from the seat of a wheelchair.

My most recent endeavor regarding activity is to make a move in favor of replacing my handcycle with another handcycle that is far more user-friendly for me. Click on the link below and it will take you to my GoFundMe blog and fundraiser website to follow what's happening there.

http://www.gofundme.com/upyko

Stay tuned!

Mmm Sweet!

This is a continuation to my September 19, 2007 post titled So Far So Good!
It has been two months since finishing my last round of antibiotics. I just finished a three day "Big Push" of D-Mannose because I noticed some pre-UTI symptoms. Today the urine runs clear and symptoms diminishing… all with the help of D-Mannose. Now that is a BIG Praise the LORD!

For what it's worth I notice a slightly sweet flavor in the water when D-Mannose is added to it.

I made observation of something very interesting in Exodus 15 where the Israelites were looking for water, found it but complained of it being bitter. The Lord showed Moses a tree to cast into the waters at which point it became sweet.

What follows the tree-in-the-water scenario is the Lord assuring them, “… If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.” [Exodus 15:25 - 26 (NKJV)]

So could it be there were simple sugars in the tree the Lord showed Moses to throw in the water at Marah that created for an attack against bacteria thus preventing the diseases the Egyptians were experiencing? So could it be the same principle is taking place with D-Mannose?

Hah, Hah fooled you, I'm a Submarine!

The next paddle trip was at Edisto Beach in South Carolina on a tidal creek. My friend Rose took a quick what-am-I-supposed-to-do paddling class from me giving word descriptions from the forward position in the kayak. The aluminum "gripper" brackets on my paddle were bent just enough to allow my hands to slip out from under the pads as before.

The really cool part of that tidal creek experience was observing a dolphin surfacing about 150 yards away. It surfaced perhaps a dozen times at that distance and then disappeared. Approximately 10 minutes after the distance sightings that curious mammal having swum directly beneath my kayak reappeared at a 1 o'clock position five feet off the bow. It was swimming in the same direction we were paddling but far more efficient with its mobility than we were managing. That dolphin was every bit as big but probably bigger than the kayak. Thankfully dolphins are friendly. I was hoping one would surface with its nose by our side so we could reach out and greet each other. Not to be this time because he never surfaced again within our site after leaving us rather in a hurry.

The pressure on the grips apparently proved to be too much stress on the plastic shields because they ended up cracking and eventually breaking the entire width of my hand.

The next prototype is on the drawing board and being produced at the machine shop. I'm hoping to field test these new grips before the weather turns cold.

The theory behind these new grips is for hand placement to remain in place because of at least but not limited to 4 factors.

1. Forward slippage is supposed to be prevented by "grasping" a T-post with my fingers. The grip handle that my fingers wrap around is 15 degrees at an inward tilt from vertical, bringing my thumbs closer together at the top in an ergonomic position.
2. A lightweight padded plate made from 3/16 inch aluminum is the foundation of this grip to which everything is attached. This plate also provides a "wall" for the palms of my hands to press against for allowing "grip" to be maintained via adduction (inward towards the center) motion from the shoulders through the arms.
3. The forward power stroke of paddling is accomplished by keeping my wrists held in place at the bottom with a padded "wrist shelf" and at the top with an adjustable pin that is also padded.
4. The left and right grips are fastened to the paddle shaft with a pin that couples down to a clamp housing fastened to the paddle shaft. This pin will allow the grips to pivot on the paddle shaft such that I won't have to paddle in an arms held out starch in the deodorant stiffness.

One of these days you will hear the familiar tune "Row, row, row your boat gently down ..." echoing between the river banks once I have this gripper thing working for me. Hopefully the second line won't be "Hah, hah fooled you, I'm a submarine." Stay tuned for progress as it unfurls.

Gettin' Snug with an Octopus

Sitting around in a wheelchair is something I have pretty much grown to accept. But sitting still is not something I do well so while driving around town one day I found myself spending some time with my friend Sam Sallee.

When two outdoor Bloke's come together you can be assured the topic of conversation will sooner or later come around to activity in the outdoors or at least how to get there. This particular conversation turned outdoors sooner than later. Sam asked me if I had ever thought about getting back into paddling. I told him, "yes, but have shrugged it off for lack of a support group willing to help make it happen for me."

A couple months later a friend of mine from the Adirondacks of New York said I was going paddling if she had anything to do with it. That was all the nudge I needed so I headed to Outdoor Experience where canoes and kayaks are sold. Who owns the store? Sam and Heather Sallee. I started drooling all over myself considering the possibilities of a kayak that would get me back on scenic waters.

Sam ordered a Necky tandem without charging me before first trying it out in a swimming pool. He made arrangements to have a crowd of guys at the pool to help insert me into the kayak. I came having done my research for keeping my non-gripping hands attached to the paddle shaft. The method of choice and most affordable was to use strips of bicycle inner tube and zip ties.
Test day came and I was in the kayak. Slipping my hands between the inner tubes and paddle shaft proved to be an unsatisfactory challenge. I kept slipping out from under the inner tubes which significantly limited my ability to contribute to the paddling momentum. That experience turned on the inventive processes in my head in favor of a better grip system for the paddle so I bought the boat.

The first thing I tried was having the hook portion of Velcro stitched to the palm and grip side of the fingers on a pair of water ski gloves. I had long strips of the loop part of Velcro wound around the paddle shaft where I desired my hands to be placed. Getting my curled fingers into those gloves was a major battle for anyone willing to help me. The job description required whoever helped me to have a major element of patience. Once the gloves were on I found them to be extremely effective for scratching what itched... if I could come loose of the paddle. Not being able to open or close my hands challenged the proper placement on the paddle shaft. It was kind of like hugging an octopus when I came near the paddle shaft with my gloves.

Each pull of the paddle rendered me less stuck to the shaft and also feathered the blades ineffective for forward momentum. But I was on the water and it felt good. It was a good thing I was paddling tandem with Susan who had an effective grip on her paddle. The next prototype was coming together "upstairs" with each ripping sound of Velcro.

The grips I put together next were made out of aluminum. I designed them while I was involved with my CAD classes and had access to a program called Inventor.

After carefully measuring angles where I intended padding to press against the back of my hand and across the top of my fingers distal of the first knuckle I drew something I thought could work. Rather than painting a word picture I'll let the actual pictures contribute to the explanation how they worked.

The whole idea was to slip my hands between the paddle shaft and the padded brackets such that would hold my hand in a "grip" position onto the paddle shaft. I first tested my hands-on position in my bedroom with the paddle blades against my foot board of the bed. My hands seemed like they were going to stay. The true test came on a section of the Hiawassee River that included class I and II sections of white-water and a final class III that showed my brother Darron and me the kayak remains on the surface even with it completely submerged with me still seated in the kayak… sort of.

Before getting in the kayak at the put in, I requested sunscreen be slathered over vulnerable sections of skin as a sunburn preventive. The sunscreen on the backs of my hands proved to be a bad idea when the water splashed on my hands. Each time I pulled on the paddle my hands were slick as grease and they came out from under the padding like a fresh watermelon seed being squeezed between a finger and thumb. I spent most of the trip down the river reinserting my hands under the padding.

I decided that padding needed to be thicker so that it would create greater force against my hand. Larger pieces of padding were cut and glued into place after returning home from the Hiawassee trip. I tried using this arrangement twice. The challenge was getting my hands in that tight squeeze. It took somebody helping me to get my hands in place. Once they were in place the squeeze was so tight my hands started going numb. Fortunately the trial was no longer than 30 minutes at which point it required some serious tugging to get my hands free.

So Far so Good!

The ever lurking UTIs (Urinary Tract Infections) has been a battle that has had me buffaloed for many years. I have tried so many different tips communicated to me from other SCI's (Spinal Cord Injuries), doctors, nurses and health minded friends but I could always count on eventually spending some quality time networking with my friends at the ER or doctor's offices.

My record for being UTI free is eleven months. Three or four UTIs during the span of a year is considered good for me but I started battling these little devils every three or four weeks to the point of getting involved with a transurethral sphincterotomy... twice, about 14 months apart. Bladder retention eventually came around to what the sphincterotomy was supposed to accomplish but I was still experiencing UTIs far too frequently. All I could do was take more antibiotics. The flora in my GI (gastrointestinal) was getting way out of balance with so many antibiotics. Not only was I having to treat the UTIs but was also attempting a GI flora balance with acidophilus and non-dairy yogurt.

The whole experience was getting to be a faster juggling act than I could keep up with. I was becoming allergic to some sulfa antibiotics and resistant to others and the UTIs were coming at a 10-14 day frequency. I started wondering if this was eventually going to be my exit from this earth. My prayer was, "Lord, have mercy! I need a good answer for staying healthy and UTI free."

A fellow SCI and friend, Mike Lamb, from California called sometime during the second week of August to "catch up" and asked how I was doing. I mentioned my challenge with UTIs and he asked if I had ever heard of D-Mannose. Mike's mention of this nutritional supplement was the first I had ever heard of it.

The next day I did an Internet search and found very positive testimonials from people that had experienced the same infection challenges I was having. I was still a little skeptical because the testimonials were coming from web sites that sold the D-Mannose product. I expanded my search to web sites that included unbiased studies on the use of D-Mannose. They were not quite as optimistic but still showed very positive results in favor of preventing and even attacking and eliminating UTIs.

I figured I had nothing to lose so I ordered my first bottle. August 15 was my last day on a five-day round of Levaquin and also the day my D-Mannose order arrived in the mail. Urine clarity that day was still not as clean as I had seen it after antibiotic treatment. I started the recommended maintenance dosage of the D-Mannose that day. About four or five days later I noticed a lot of visible particles floating in cloudy urine. I started the recommended three day treatment for UTI using this newfound (to me) supplement. It worked like a charm.

It has been a few days greater than a month since starting D-Mannose and I have remained UTI free without the use of antibiotics. My GI seems to be thanking me and I am feeling like my energy level is returning to a healthy voltage.

Anytime I consider the urine clarity to be questionable I take a second serving of D-Mannose that evening. By the next morning everything is running clear again. I am still operating cautiously optimistic with this product so stay tuned to my updates. I believe God uses our friends to help Him answer our anxious plea for help. Thanks, Mike, for the heads-up!

I have told my family doctor what I am doing. He wants me to keep him posted. I will be sharing this venture with my urologist at the next checkup. If this simple sugar from a European ash tree is doing such a terrific job at keeping users UTI free why hasn't the word flamed hotter?

I have found the D-Mannose product to be about half the price on the Internet as compared to the best price in town at a health food store. I am buying at iHerb.com. If this product proves itself with enough of us maybe we can start the LONG process of convincing insurance companies it would be far cheaper for them to pay for UTI prevention using D-Mannose than to pay for ER visits, doctor visits and even hospitalization.

Learn more about D-Mannose here.

Brutal to Jess-rat

The summer heat in the South East neck-O-da-woods has at last turned from brutal to jess rat a.k.a. just right. The August church campout I attended called for daytime attention to anti-heat stroke measures down by the river side having my shirt dipped in the chilly waters of the Obey where the temperatures are influenced from the bottom depths of Dale Hollow Lake. 103 degree daytime highs are not good for spinal cord injuries seeking activity in the outdoors. Towels dipped in ice water from the ice chests and then wrapped around my neck was my salvation during the day.

Night time lows are now entering the upper 40's to mid 50's and daytime highs in the mid to upper 70's or mid 80's. That's what I term jess rat for camping. I have got to pull plans together for the next campout... SOON!

Smoke Signals

The camping trip that took place on July 6-8, 2007 to Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area happened like this:

FRIDAY

12:00 PM -- Rose called to say she was on her way to her apartment because Lowe's allowed her to check out early because she had plenty of hours for the week. That worked in our favor for getting a head start to the park.

12:20 PM -- met at Wal-Mart to pick up the last minute fresh food items and a couple bags of ice.

12:50 PM -- went to Rose's apartment to load the refrigerated food into the ice chests. After work hunger motivated Rose to achieve a disappearing act with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a veggie meat and cheese sandwich, potato salad and baked beans during the time she was placing the food in the ice chests. Loaded ice chests and food box into pickup.

1:30 PM -- drove to 1052 Mt. Pleasant Road to finish a few packing details that needed to take place such as loading the handcycle and bicycle in the back of Rose's pickup and hitching to the trailer.

3:00 PM -- we finally were able to leave 1052 Mt. Pleasant Road. It is surprising how much time was gobbled up just because of a few little details. Next time we'll try to have those details hammered out in advance so it gives sufficient time to set up camp, relax a bit before dark and get the shower/bathroom details finished before 9:00 -- 9:30 PM. This was one trip I was a passenger. We have it figured out how to transfer from my wheelchair to the floor of her pickup. While seated on the floor my feet are then placed in the seat of the wheelchair so it makes the transfer easier from the floor to the seat.

3:15 PM -- pulled over on the shoulder of Highway 111 so Rose could retrieve my sandwiches, potato salad and baked beans. I was still eating after we passed through Livingston.

4:15 PM -- after turning east on Highway 154 just out of Jamestown we fell in behind a string of traffic that was traveling no faster than 30 mph. Still no change in speed once we turned on to Highway 297. The flashing lights of a sheriff car and a big white hearse as could be seen well ahead of us in one of the straighter stretches explained the funeral pace we were experiencing. The funeral procession finally turned to the left about 10 miles before we arrived at the campground.

4:45 PM -- check in accomplished, proceeded to campsite.

4:50 PM -- tent pitching, gazebo raising, camp kitchen set up, Tiki torches filled and lit on their posts, sleeping bags rolled out and shower chair assembled all happened before darkness settled in.

7:45 PM -- for lack of adequate kindling an attempt at starting a campfire was eventually laid to rest. We would depend on the glow from the Tiki torches instead. Even the white gas poured on the wood burned off before catching the wood on fire. If communication were dependent on smoke signals from us tonight it would only be a whisper. We decided to come better prepared for fire building on future camping trips. The song of the cicadas in surround sound would not be affected by our fire building skills. The cicadas laid their instruments down when the katydids and tree frogs took over with their rhythmic ratcheting for the night; beautiful music to which to fall asleep.

8:30 PM -- Horse Trading (code words for the more labor intensive details at the privy) and shower details begin at the handicap bathroom. The Bandy Creek Campground has the best handicap bathroom arrangement I have seen in any campground. There are actually 3 bathrooms in one facility -- men's, women's and Handicap. By having a separate handicap bathroom it makes possible for a caregiver of the opposite gender to help a handicapped user without creating any discomfort for other campers. The only suggestion I would give for improving the handicap bathroom at Bandy Creek Campground is for the addition of and a folding table attached to the wall for placing tools of the trade such as catheters and clothing. Their hooks were just not enough. Water from the shower left very little dry space on the floor thus challenging our ability to keep towels and clothing dry.

SABBATH

12:00 AM -- Transfer from wheelchair to cot. Rose starts the process of getting me tucked into the sleeping bag for the night. The weather forecast was favorable for us to choose leaving the rain fly off my tent so it was nice looking up through the mesh ceiling into the starlit sky.

1:00 AM -- efficiency in camp regarding my care needs more thought so sleep can happen sooner than this hour.

6:00 AM -- Ready or not a crow within 60 or 70 feet of the tent began to caw full volume over the slumbering campground. I was still due some more snoozing so I ignored the crow's schedule and drifted back into oblivion.

9:00 AM -- even though motion from the human occupants of the campground could not be detected we decided to emerge from our sleeping bags and get our day moving.

9:30 AM -- while Rose prepared pancakes on the griddle I read the devotional to her. Pancakes were delicious anyway we fixed them; either with butter and syrup or peanut butter and fresh fruit.

10:30 AM -- after the camp kitchen, table and tent area were tidied up we chose to spend some time on the cycles. Rose placed me on my hand cycle. I did a lap through the campground while she took some time out at the bathhouse. By the time I came around from my campground lap she was ready to get on to her bicycle. We rode to one of the trailheads then back out onto the main road. It was pretty much downhill from the campground. After a couple miles of downhill I decided we'd better turn around for the return trip to the campground before I exceeded my uphill limits. Instead of going back into the campground we rode past the visitor’s center to the horse stables. Three horses in a pasture by the stables were curious and a bit jittery about my hand cycle so they started running around the pasture in an attempt to express their uncertainty about my method of transportation.

12:30 PM -- back in camp I expressed my interest in taking a nap. I was feeling a bit wimpy and suspected a UTI (urinary tract infection) was lurking because of symptoms. Rose made no objections to the suggestion of a nap so she helped me make the transfer onto my cot in my tent. We both snoozed in unison for a couple lazy hours.

2:30 PM -- I decided something needed to be done regarding the UTI symptoms. Placed a phone call to my moms cellphone. Knowing that my parents would be coming to Livingston I asked what the possibilities were that she gather what medications I had at the house, including an antibiotic, and bringing them to Livingston where Rose and I could meet up with them thus saving a little travel time by not having to drive all the way to Cookeville. She said she would gather what I needed and meet us in Livingston.

2:45 PM -- we loaded into Rose's pickup and started the winding trip to Livingston along Highway 52. When Rose gets into a vehicle, whether she is a passenger or the driver makes no difference, she starts getting really drowsy. I felt like my responsibility was to rattle about nothing in hopes of keeping her awake. Didn't work too well.

4:00 PM -- arrived at our destination in Livingston. Met my mom in the parking lot for the medications she brought. Took the first antibiotic then started the return trip to Big South Fork. Rose was still having a battle with drowsiness so when we reached the "cave" where there are picnic tables and lots of cool shade under the shelter of the stone ceiling she pulled over, turned the engine off and we both took a 20 min. safety snooze.

5:20 PM -- when leaving the "cave" I noticed a bunch of dry twigs and small branches that would make excellent fire starter and mentioned it to Rose. We decided to turn around and go back because of our challenge to find dry fire starting material at camp. That turned out to be a good choice. We also stopped at the Jamestown Wal-Mart to pick up some free advertising papers for lighting the kindling

6:10 PM -- Rose lit the Tiki torches soon as we rolled into camp. She then cut the cardboard boxes, she was given at Wal-Mart, into strips for fire starter. I coached her through putting cardboard, paper and sticks together in the fire pit. She lit the paper and cardboard to start a successful campfire that was soon popping and crackling like a campfire is supposed to do. It seems strange to build a campfire in the middle of summer here in the South but there is just enough chill to appreciate its warmth tonight. The mosquitoes seemed to be limiting themselves to a meal on us maybe because of the burning Tiki torches. If nothing else the Tiki torches create a cozy camp atmosphere with their soft flickering light outlining our campsite.

6:40 PM -- I finally feel like eating something after making the last twisted miles to camp so put my request in for tomato soup with Rahman noodles. I thought I might try participating in a watermelon seed spittin' jamboree so put my request in for slicing into the watermelon we had on ice. Turns out the watermelon was seedless and had very few seeds to spit. Oh well, daylight would be getting dim soon enough thus making it difficult to see how far the seeds were being spit anyway. The cold watermelon went down well. The tomato soup and noodles were tasty enough in spite of my feeling 50% wimpy.

7:10 PM -- We could eat only half of the watermelon so decided to offer the remaining half to some horseback riders camped in their horse trailer/camper across from us and were also eating out under their canopy. They agreed to take the watermelon if we would agree to their excess cantaloupe. After trading melons we went back and finished eating but ended up saving the traded cantaloupe for breakfast. Rose lit the Coleman lantern about 7:40 to sharpen the visibility under the canopy now that the sunlight was going dim. Kitchen cleanup was quite limited and Rose was soon enjoying the glowing warmth of the campfire with me.

8:00 PM -- Time to go do some more horse trading (there's the code word again) and shower detail so we had to pull away from the glowing campfire. These two tasks always take longer away from homebase but we were getting an hour head start from the night before. I have never heard of anybody complaining about the hot water running out in these bathhouses at Bandy Creek Campground. They are solar heated and apparently have an excellent storage capacity to meet the demand.

10:30 PM -- I'm making the transfer on to my cot and Rose starts lashing me in for the night.

11:00 PM -- I finally push the remote to turn the light out of the little Coleman battery lantern. That is the coolest little lantern. I can turn the light on as I approach the tent and then turn it off after leaving.

Tonight I will again be soothed to sleep with the song of the katydid and tree frog chorus in surround sound that is drenching the campground.

SUNDAY

6:00 AM -- I become aware the permanent residents of the forest are presently ahead of me with activity. I drift into verse two of unconsciousness.

6:30 AM -- a crow, with no consideration of his camper visitors choice of remaining in a lazy daze, cawed for all he was worth his best rendition of crow taps. I drift into semi consciousness.

7:00 AM -- do I hear Rose twitching somewhere? She later shares she is trying to detect consciousness also from me before launching into Sunday morning liftoff.

7:10 AM -- Okay, I can hear a tent zipper and Rose zipping into action. I'm basically nonproductive until wheels are placed under me. While she is helping me get dressed I keep evaluating how I feel. I do feel a slight bit better than yesterday afternoon but still feel like I've been pushed through a knothole. Once upright in the wheelchair I start feeling better.

7:40 AM -- start a campfire with seasoned camper success. If smoke signals are going to happen with this fire we will be screaming! Rose transfers her attention after fire building to pulling out the Granola and fruit.

8:10 AM -- breakfast is ready but my appetite is in granny gear. Nothing wrong with Rose's appetite though. She puts her Granola and fruit away like a horse doing sweet feed. She has the dishes done, except for mine, before I was finished.

9:00 AM -- the packing process begins. My role is to talk Rose through order of procedure. The contents of the tent's get rolled up, packed up, folded up, swept up or washed up then laid on the picnic table or by the trailer. The whole procedure of taking camp apart would be so much more efficient with at least one more individual that was familiar with how my equipment goes together and comes apart.

12:00 PM -- Rose has everything in the trailer, the handcycle and bicycle in the pickup, coolers and computers in the cab and is feeling a need for a shower to cool off. I waited in the shade while she went to the bathhouse for some quality cool down.

12:30 PM -- Rose asked a passing bicyclist if he would help her insert me in the passenger seat of the pickup. He was happy to help and even offered to do it single-handedly but she insisted she take one side while he took the other. They both picked me out of my wheelchair and then pointed me south end first onto the seat. It goes so much easier with that kind of help than having to go through the transfer-from-the-wheelchair-to-the-floor-of-the-truck, transfer-from-the-floor-to-the-seat procedure. People are always willing to help and happy we thought to call on them.

12:45 PM -- we are on the winding road again. I choose to navigate us through a straighter set of roads back to Cookeville after turning south at Jamestown. I am having a hard time getting my temperature comfortable, probably because of UTI symptoms. Even though the road is much gentler this way Rose starts battling with drowsiness and I battle with low-grade nausea.

2:00 PM -- about 10 miles before entering Monterey on Highway 62 Rose pulled over on the shady side of a church parking lot so she could snooze before packing the pickup into a ditch, a tree or a guardrail.

2:30 PM -- that was a lifesaving snooze for both of us. Back on the road again we enjoyed the passing Tennessee scenery. The rhythmic ratcheting of the cicadas can even be heard this time of year from a 60 mile an hour moving vehicle. That sound is one of the summer signature seals of the south. Love it!

3:15 PM -- home sweet home where you can scratch where it itches. The camping gear comes out of the trailer. Since this was a rainless camping experience nothing would have to be hung out to dry. Only the smell of campfire smoke would have to be washed out of the clothing.

3:45 PM -- Rose drops the trailer from her pickup and I hitch it to my van then back the trailer into its niche beside the van parking place... waiting for the next camping trip scheduled for August 23-26 at Dale Hollow Dam Campground near Celina, Tennessee.