May has been a good month overall. I am becoming more mobile although I am not yet where I want to be in that regard. My upper thighs have become more muscular and my balance while standing is much better. I have been eating a very high protein diet. There was a noticeable loss of muscle mass in my upper thighs after the hospital. The body scavenges protein to keep the vital organs going during hospitalization. Progress comes in steps, with incremental improvements and days where I can do very little. Saturday I got frustrated with my progress only to find a jump in strength the next day. I tried to lift a have object Saturday and could not do it from a standing position, but I was able to do it Sunday. That was a huge breakthrough. While my standing balance is good I have much balance to regain while walking. That will come with repetition and diligence.
I have been experiencing a bit of cabin fever being tied down to the apartment, but I have distracted myself from that and a sense of loneliness by tackling cleaning and other projects that needed to be addressed at home plus a couple of computer projects.
Apple quietly released its creative suite which includes the Final Cut Professional video editing software, a photo editing software, and other useful creative tools for the Internet. I had wanted to buy the Final Cut software but its price at $299, was out of my budget. With the new monthly subscription it's quite affordable. I dumped Adobe suite of products after they initiated some draconian policies and insisted on using creative work of their customers to train their AI. They didn't offer to pay for it, they did allow anyone to opt out, they just stated what they were going to do. That pissed off everyone who used their software. To me the entire Adobe Suite reeked of being spyware. Adobe Photoshop and Premiere are hard products to find a replacement for, but Apple now has a suitable product and their subscription is less per month than Adobe. I want to start doing videos again, I haven't created a video in a while. I may also start doing some interviews on occasion. I have no desire to do a video type podcast on a regular basis, I don't want to play the YouTube monetization game. But I may do an audio one. I have toyed with the idea of creating a separate blog for people new to Austin and do videos of local scenic places and venues. But I do need to be able to drive to do that.
My current mobility issue is causing me to rethink what I can do from home. This limitation is temporary but has taken longer than expected. I have become very creative in some tasks and its surprising what you an do from a wheelchair. I have a new appreciation for the disabled. They say you loose 2% of your walking strength for each day in ICU, I was in for nearly 30 days. Age probably doesn't help that either. I will overcome this and surpass what I was able to do before. I've done this before after my NDE in 2009, but that was 17 years ago. For some reason I think I am done with hospitals, but I can't tell you why I know that, it's just something I feel.
Thank you all for donations during this time. It's been a godsend. If possible I would like to raise $1500 or better for June. If you would like to help continue this blog and effort, here's the QR codes for donations.
I love you all!
Terran
