[nagdu] Fw: 12 hours from gdb visit.

[Stepper]

Hi to all.
Well, we got her done!!!
Spencer wasn't happy with me crossing down here near my home. She thought I 
wasn't aware of when the parallel traffic was starting crossing.
But we had such lite traffic, I wasn't sure when in the cycle the parallel 
traffic was?
So I offered to go down the road a couple of miles and cross where there's 
much more traffic flow.
We did, and I did it very well. I could hear the change of tone and relief 
in her voice, so I believe I put her to ease.
She said that I should know if I am in or out in about a month or less.
She also told me that because I can't use my left foot to detect the edge of 
the curb, they would have to train a dog so I could use my right foot 
instead.
Because of my built up left shoe my left leg is 5/8 of inch short.
So the layer of build up on the bottom of my shoe, plus I where very radical 
orthodics, and a brace that the bottom part is under my orthodic for foot 
drop.
When you put all that together, I have no feeling of surface, or curb edges.
Plus they want a dog that will be steady for balance if and when needed.
Also a dog that can walk slower without going nuts, and that isn't 
distracted easily.
I asked for a Yellow Lab, because of the summer high heat tempts here, plus 
my other two Guides were Yellow Labs.
She was with me from 9 A.M. to 1 P.M.
Now I can relax, and just let go of it, and wait for there decision.
However, Sheila did say, that I was what there home training was about.
It didn't snow at all last night, and just lightly today.
Thanks for listening.
Now I can go take a knap, I am bushed!
Stepper,
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Stepper" <stepper12 at cableone.net>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, February 19, 2011 8:29 AM
Subject: [nagdu] Fw: 12 hours from gdb visit.


> This is Saturday morning at 8.30 A.M. and yes! yes! yes! there is no snow, 
> no rain, no wind, at this time.
> I think were going to get her done.
> I will write back as soon as Spencer leaves after our interview this 
> morning.
> Here goes, what a deal!
> Stepper
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Tracy Carcione" <carcione at access.net>
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Saturday, February 19, 2011 7:22 AM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] 12 hours from gdb visit.
>
>
>> Best of luck, Stepper!  Hope the bad weather holds off just a little 
>> while
>> longer for you.
>> And thanks for the hearing tip.
>> Tracy
>>
>>> Hi to all listers.
>>> Stepper here.
>>> I can't stand it another minute.
>>> What I want to share with you is that on Saturday 2-19-11 at 9 A.M.  I 
>>> am
>>> to have a home visit, and yes, Juno walk."
>>> I and to do this with a lady named, Sheila Spencer.
>>> She is field manager and wheelchair guide instructor from the Oregon
>>> campus.
>>> My only real concern is that we are to get a snow storm in here over 
>>> night
>>> with up to six inches of snow by morning!
>>> My hope is, there were almost wrong for the last two days.
>>> We only have an inch yesterday morning, non this morning.
>>> However, you can see from our front porch the lights at night on our ski
>>> mountain.
>>> I started this process for the third time trying for a dog over the last
>>> eight years.
>>> I even had the local O and M instructor out yesterday and she worked 
>>> with
>>> me on the closest large intersection to my place.
>>> I have been thrown with crossing with my lining up.
>>> What I didn't know was when the city widened the street to five lanes 
>>> from
>>> two lanes, they changed the corners from what I know as what, right 
>>> angled
>>> corners? To forty-five degree angled corners. So I guess there like
>>> rounded off so cars can make like a sweeping turns on turning right,
>>> instead of hard right turns.
>>> What I am after is home training.
>>> Also I got over the last year, the mystery of my hearing figured out as
>>> well.
>>> I came home last year from gdb California so toasted I never touched a
>>> dog.
>>> I got home, and spent five days in bed.
>>> Wa La, the miracle that came my way is my pain pump miracle med, called
>>> Prealt. Its one thousand times more powerful then Morphine.
>>> On October 8th, 2010 I reapplied with gdb to try for home training.
>>> Well, here were are just what eleven hours from our home visit.
>>> I keep this all from my family, friends, and wife until telling just my
>>> wife two weeks ago today.
>>> I was asked to tell my story of recovery at a Saturday night birthday
>>> meeting of about 120 people were there I was told.
>>> At the very end with my wife sitting in the front row, I told her I had 
>>> a
>>> surprise to tell her.
>>> So I told her in front of everyone, that in two weeks we were going to
>>> have a home visit and I was to do another Juno walk to see if I could 
>>> get
>>> home training.
>>> She started crying, I started crying, she came up front, and we hugged,
>>> laughed, cried, and the place went nuts.
>>> We still haven't told any of our family, or friends yet.
>>> I just do not want to if I don't make it want to go through that with
>>> everyone again.
>>> I also got my hearing fixed.
>>> Please listen to this. This is really important.
>>> Over my life time I had three pairs of hearing aids. They never worked
>>> right for me, I was always screwing with them. Turning them, down,
>>> sideways, pulling them out, putting them back in.
>>> They were never really right no matter how many times I went back to the
>>> hearing places. But I thought it was me not doing something right.
>>> The last time was getting ready for the last Juno walk I had over  a 
>>> year
>>> and a half ago.
>>> I couldn't hear to cross this intersection I was at yesterday.
>>> I tried, and I tried, but I couldn't sort it out, with five lanes, and 
>>> two
>>> left turn lanes.
>>> The last place I went to get the best hearing test in town was the Elks
>>> Hearing Center. It has a huge rep.
>>> So after my hearing test, the Dr. of hearing aids tells me I need a pair
>>> of aids that cost $7,500, no shhhh!
>>> Before I left, now she's down to $5,000.
>>> I said I had to think about it, and left.
>>> Next I went to another hearing center with a great rep as well.
>>> Same story second verse. They tell me it will be $6,500 for a pair of
>>> aids.
>>> Now comes the good part.
>>> I don't know why, but I said to myself the short form of the serenity
>>> prayer, and said I am, before I go in to hawk for new hearing aids again
>>> since its been about ten years since I bought my last pair at $4.500, am
>>> going to a Ear specialist doctor.
>>> So I did.
>>> Here it comes, don't go away yet!
>>> My doctor told me I had what is called.
>>> "Narrowing and curvature of the ear canal."
>>> The doctor said that he believes that at least five percent or more 
>>> people
>>> have this.
>>> What this means for those of us that have this is this.
>>> When we try to clean out our ears, the "Q tips" can clean out the first
>>> half but the second half or so narrows down, and bends so much you can't
>>> get a "Q tip" to go all the way down.
>>> Plus when we try, we are pushing wax further in and packing the wax 
>>> titer.
>>> Plus, even when we try and use ear wax licquid remover, the wax is
>>> compacted, and harded and old, that it takes the ear Doctor with there
>>> special magnafications, and tools, and special licquids to get this 
>>> stuff
>>> to come out.
>>> It takes a ear doctor that has the skills and the tools to clear this 
>>> out,
>>> and most people that have this needs there ears cleaned out every couple
>>> of months.
>>> Doctor said that hearing aid centers should be able to spot the problem,
>>> but they can not clean it out.
>>> The centers should tell us, and recommend to see a Ear doctor.
>>> After all this, after getting my ears cleaned out, which the first time
>>> took him more then an hour using tools, liquids, and so on.
>>> Now I see him every two months, and what a difference.
>>> I now can tell traffic including left turn lanes, and so on with no
>>> problems.
>>> No $7,500 hearing aids, and I mean no aids at all.
>>> Please if your hearing aids just never seemed right to you please see a
>>> hearing doctor for yourself.
>>> Or if you just feel things are not right, check it out you may be
>>> surprised.
>>> I just watched the weather, and its saying snow, rain, wind, so who 
>>> knows?
>>> I am just hoping I can get this behind me before I go nuts.
>>> Thanks for listening, and I will write in the morning and let you know 
>>> if
>>> I got to get this done or not.
>>> Stepper
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>>
>>
>>
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