A day in the life of....

I think one of the most difficult aspects of having Ataxia is the amount of energy it takes to do things.

Here's just an average day, involving going to local shop and walking my dog.

I wake up around 7am yesterday, stretched out in bed for a few mins, stretching arms and legs and lifting them off bed. sat on rollator seat next to bed and used feet to push myself to back door, let Inca out then push myself through doors into bathroom. I find this easy way to move around house, go into kitchen make cuppa. I put it in thermos mug with lid and straw. I got a little drinks holder to fasten onto rollator it works great for this cup.

After had toast and tea in bed and checked email quickly, I get up to get dressed this takes about an hour on a good day (2 if it involves shower and washing hair as well). After wrestling with my clothes, splints and laces we are ready to head out the door just after 9am.

I use a mobility scooter as I can't walk that far and struggle on flat ground, so kerbs, uneven pavements, roads and playing fields are impossible! Inca trots alongside as we chug around the village to the playing field up in next village for Inca to have a run around and then stop at the co-op.

Today I needed to use post office counter too as as usual there was a queue up one of the aisles. The co-op has mini trolleys outside so I park next to them and use one as a walker to get around inside. Inca guards my scooter for me!

I shuffle around carefully holding onto shelf to steady myself as I reach for stuff, the post office queue hadn't gone down any so had now choice to stand in queue leaning on arms heavily over trolley to ease legs a bit which were starting to cramp up by now (only about 5 mins) Made it to the counter to find I can't do my banking there without a paying slip and envelope.. which are easy to collect free from the bank the lady said enthusiastically... if only she knew!

The bank is in town and it costs me just over £20 to get my electric chair into town. I have to take the electric one cos its all hills, even if get dropped off on retail park just outside of town centre thats £22 then 10-15 minutes up into town centre through all back streets. I have to walk Inca before i go and after I come back.. what is a possibly a half hour trip into town for someone fit who can drive and park near bank, turns out to be a full exhausting day for me.

For this reason I tend to only go shopping near xmas when I go with a friend for lunch out at a more wheelchair friendly shopping centre that I can manage in manual chair (as cant get electric one in family and friends cars).

Travelling is more difficult as I noticed since getting Ataxia that I get motion sickness and getting in and out of car, putting chair up, taking it down, it soon gets exhausting doing it several times to go in and out of different stores. It usually takes me about 2 days to recover from a shopping trip. So its not something I can manage on a regular basis with a dog to walk twice a day as well.

Luckily for Inca I much prefer walking her over the fields than wandering around a packed shopping centre, with people falling over my chair every 5 mins! It makes a nice change and I look forwards to my xmas shopping outing as I only do it once a year. I probably wouldn't enjoy it as much if I had to go through that every week!

Anyway by the time we have made it back home and I've unpacked shopping I'm ready for a lie down again, but I bought a blueooth keyboard off ebay last night (to help with texting on Blackberry) and after paying the seller told me to cancel the payments as they couldn't receive it from that address. Then they weren't sure if they could receive it from their new address either as sometimes it was going to the old one.

After half hour of emails back and forth seller decided a cheque was acceptable, so had to write cheque, do label for it and lettter and back out again to post the cheque. As our post doesn't get collected until 5pm though I managed to fit in a rest first and had quick bowl of soup and a lie down for an hour.

3pm back up and out again to post cheque as I got gardener coming around 4pm. Last time he was half an hour late and if he is today I wouldn't make it to post box for 5pm so we went off on scooter to post cheque and give Inca her second walk. Sorted Incas tea which involves half of going in garden for her to sniff out before gardener gets here so sit on walker seat and use legs to push myself over grass, This is good exercise for legs as grass offers more resistance than wooden floor or concrete.

If my balance isn't too bad that day I can manage to walk over the flat patch at back with rollator, though very slowly have to be careful where I put my feet. I stay in garden with Inca chugging back and forth with rollator for a while then switch to chair to give legs a rest. My muscle tone fluctuates which affects my ability to stand and balance if I'm stiff its easier, if muscles are more relaxed I tend to find it harder to walk. The leg splints and Piedro boots do help which is why I wear them to get into co-op as my legs have more support when I have to stand. I'm struggling with the laces though so trying to find another pair of ladies plain black boots with maybe a velcro fastening that my splints would fit in. I (I like Ugg boots but they are soft, great for keeping feet warm while I'm in chair or on scooter but not very supportive for walking and keeping the splints in place.)

After the gardener has gone I start my dinner and finally I get to rest again and by 6pm I'm knackered!
I decide I haven't got the energy to manage a shower and hair wash tonight so just lie on bed chatting on laptop so Inca can play in garden (my back door is in bedroom - also a fire exit). It's nice to lie on bed and watch her play in summer and open door gives a nice cool breeze when its warmer weather.

At some point in evening Inca helps me pull clothes off so can change in PJ's and get in bed.. then its a good nights rest (I hope) before the next day.