[nagdu] Fw: 12 hours from gdb visit.

Lisa belville missktlab1217 at frontier.com
Mon Feb 21 19:02:40 UTC 2011


Stepper, it sounds like everything is moving forward for you.  I really 
wouldn't worry about her opinions about the crossing you did.  You live in 
the real world, and while it might be nice to have perfectly made curbs and 
perfectly actuated lights, the reality is most of us need to go when it 
sounds safe unless someone with a bit of knowledge clues us into what's 
going on with the intersection.  We've got a place like that here; it's a 
four lane road running won way south that empties into one of our main 
east/west streets, so people can either continue straight onto the college 
campus across the street, turn right and go west on my parallel street.  The 
kicker is, there's also a turning lane which allows people to make a left 
turn so they can take another left turn and go north on another one way 
street that's less than a block away.  If I wait until I hear no traffic 
coming from the south, I'd never get across this street.  I need to cross as 
I hear the people in the far left lane making their left turn or I'd never 
make it across in time, and this is after activating the light with the 
pedestrian button.

So maybe the GDB person has a point, but if you want to get anywhere, you'll 
still need to use that crossing.

I'm glad GDB is willing to work with you and that they're going to give you 
home training.

Hope you hear something very soon.

Lisa


Forget about great wealth, fame and being physically fit.  Just give me lots 
of chocolate and blissful ignorance and leave me alone."
Lisa Belville
missktlab1217 at frontier.com

----- 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 2:53 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Fw: 12 hours from gdb visit.


> 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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