Disabilities-R-Us

Chat is perfect of some of the social connecting within a group, but there are other needs, like a permanent link to something, the proud pictures of someone's achievement and just the permanent record of one's thoughts. I much prefer a forum to put my thoughts to, rather than the chatroom, which is not suitable to discuss at length anything really - it is just a mash of conversations that vanish into obscurity however successfully they are recorded and logged.

It would be great if there were some more regular posters to this awesome forum that is so crisp and nigh on perfect.

This is me, sitting, headphones and mic on, with DragonDictate, for mac, running to do my typing. My lego building has actually brought control to my fingers, something I thought was gone forever, so I make less use of the dragon, and hope to continue improving.

This, is a mexican wolf crossbreed lady dog - she lived with me for a couple of years, then was taken from me by thieves. I miss her.

This, is Froggy, my care attendant, some years ago, when I lived in Colorado - she has worked with me for about twelve years in total, and had transferred companies some six times, just so she could stay with me. Now I employ her, directly, at a much reduced rate, because I look after her, she looks after me.

This is also Froggy, with a German Shepard that took to her.

These are things that a chatroom cannot show everyone, and a forum can. Please, invite everyone to spend some time a day, or week, here in the forums, just a few minutes to read and comment.

I really like it Ragman! Great idea!        Dude.

Ragman,
Thank you for sharing so much. I find the forums very helpful when I need to vent, scream, cry, what ever.

All we need now is more people coming here.

Hi,

I am new to all of this, including all of this unfamiliar technology.  I, too, like the idea of a forum as I sometimes cannot keep up with a chat room.  I come into one and more often than not have no idea what the topic is.  I'm 61-year-old woman and was diagnosed in my early 20s with degenerative arthritis.  I was told that I would be in a wheelchair by my 50s, so I made sure to keep active, such as swimming, yoga, and weight/strength training.  An injury in 2002, ironically while exercising, ripped out L5, and a subsequent surgery made things worse.  Much worse.  Well, first I had a C4 through C7 fusion since I was dropping things and cutting or burning myself and not realizing that I had done so.  That surgery worked OK.  It was the L4 through S1 that did me in, and added about 50 pounds too, that exacerbated the degeneration.  Of course, a fall in 2012, resulting in a stable fracture of my neck, did not help matters one bit.  So here I am trying to get together with others who are disabled, or like me, basically housebound since I am isolated. I have a hubby who cannot deal with a sick wife, and basically just causes me stress.  Docs tell me to head to some wellness retreat, but how am I supposed to get there when they also tell me that I cannot drive, sit for more than a few minutes (the back is going as I type this) or fly?  Anyway, hello to all and I hope to hear from others in the near future.  My posts will be short since I cannot sit for more than a few minutes before the back, then the legs go.