Category: Sue’s New Page

Find out why her future is so bright!

Tales from the Wet Side: Part 4 The Future’s So Bright

Jennifer is in her mid 40s and she wants to be able to work for 20 years or more.  She expressed her concern to her RS about her treat-and-extend schedule.    Here’s what happened.

Tales from the Wet Side: Part 3 I’m a Person, Too!

Jennifer tells us about the planning necessary to have a career and a family while dealing with the symptoms of and treatments for her wet AMD.

Tales from the Wet Side: Part 2 Making a Living

Sue and I are VERY PLEASED to introduce a new guest author.  She and Sue are both busy with their careers and activities.  Jennifer brings a new perspective in that she is about 15 years younger than Sue and has wet AMD as opposed to Sue’s dry AMD.  I know you’ll appreciate what Jennifer has to say.

Tales from the Wet Side: Part 1 Too Young

PS.  We would LOVE to have more people write for our website whether you write 1 page or more than that.  Do you like to do research?  Is there a topic you are interested in that we haven’t yet covered?  Send me a message at light2sight5153@gmail.com.

Sue has learned a lot through vocational rehabilitation.  She shares with us some more tips from the O&M therapist.

Odds and Ends

Sue has been working with the O&M therapist on how to use a white cane, how to go up and down steps, and using landmarks to get around.  She also talks about uses for her monocular.  Even a yappy dog can help in getting yourself oriented!

Bells and Whistles and Geegaws

Sue has been a School Psychologist in a school district for quite a number of years so it’s not uncommon for her to see current or former students when she is out and about.   It’s problematic now that she can’t recognize faces.  Some people may not have appreciated what was said but luckily Sue and I have good senses of humor and I can see a cartoon here, can’t you?!

“Hey! Sue is Going Blind!”

 

 

Sue is obviously an exercise enthusiast (aka ‘nut’ to some of us who are not ::grin::).  Before her vision loss, she didn’t have to think as much about what she can and cannot do as she has to now.  She’s had to consider that there will be things she can’t do.  Even so, at least in MY book, she is indeed…

Wonder Woman

This is Sue’s version of the airline instructions “put the mask on yourself first.”

Help!

One of the things that people with low vision can do is to learn not only how to use what vision they have but to use the other senses as well.  Sue ordered a monocular which is like half of a binocular so that not only can she listen to the birds, she can use it to see them as well.

Bird Listening

You may have heard the phrase “Is this the hill you want to die on?” and assumed it was referring to military operations.  Sue tells us why it’s a question we need to ask ourselves when we are faced with choosing our own battles.

Is This the Hill?

Happy New Year!  We hope that 2017 is a HOPEFUL and healthy year for you and yours.

This page certainly wasn’t planned to be published today considering that Sue wrote this in August, but many people at the end of the year are thinking of starting fresh.  I subscribe to some newsletters related to ‘all things home’ from decorating to cooking – you name it.  I just got a newsletter that talks about how to clean and organize the house to start the new year.   Sue talks about the challenges of doing that with low vision.

Living a Clean Life

You’ve probably heard the word Namaste but do you know what it means?

“the light in me recognizes and honors the light in you. Namaste”. Let it shine.”

On this New Year’s Eve Day, we say it to you!

Namaste

What do you do when you see someone who obviously has vision problems struggling with something?  For instance, you see an elderly woman wearing a pair of inexpensive sunglasses and carrying a regular wooden cane.  She’s ‘stomping’ the cane up and down in front of her as if it were a ‘seeing eye’ cane.  This is what Sue watched at Cracker Barrel restaurant.

Charity Starts at Home

I like it when I can find titles that relate to songs and this one was done by Simon and Garfunkel and covered by others.  I thought there was no direct relationship between the lyrics and Sue’s topic of resilience but I looked closer.  Do you think there is?

“And I think it’s gonna be all right
Yeah, the worst is over now
The mornin’ sun is shinin’ like a red rubber ball”

Red Rubber Ball

 

 

Sue continues the theme of coping with the holidays.

Accentuate the Positive

It’s common to look back on the year as it draws to a close. Here’s Sue’s…

Reflections on 2016

I can’t believe Sue wrote this in August!  We started to publish a page every other day because Sue was afraid she’d run out of things to write about but it looks like that’s NOT going to happen. ::grin::  Perhaps it’s time to speed up so that we aren’t so far behind?  Maybe that should be our resolution for 2017!  Anyway, in August she was back doing something she loves to do and that is ride her bike.  It will be a few more months till she’s doing that again but in the meantime, for today’s page she’s…

Back in the Saddle

For those of you who have been following Sue’s journal pages from the beginning (February 2016), you know that she started out her journey with AMD not working and having a difficult time maintaining her ‘old normal’ routine.  Through her determination and with the help of trained vision therapists and their ‘toys’, she has a ‘new normal’ routine.

A Day in the Life

Sue gets a lot of referrals for assistive devices from the therapists at OVR’s BBVS (Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services).  This one is for a handheld media player called Victor Reader Stream.  Check it out, might be something that will help you or someone you know.

Merrily Down the Stream

Would you expect Sue to approach all things in a ‘conventional’ way?  Of course not!  So for reasons she reveals, she’s practiced walking with an invisible cane.  And she has a perfect way to avoid falling off a cliff!

New Kind of Tap Dance

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Sue asks those of you who are among the younger people affected by retinal disease.  But also of those of you who can benefit from vocational rehabilitation which can include retraining.  She’s written about a few other things and tells us why she doesn’t have enough hands!

Mishmash

One of Sue’s goals is to be able to get across the street on her bike.   She’d told the O&M guy that and so she was surprised when he brought her a white cane because she doesn’t need it.  Rather than reject the cane and not participate in the instruction, she’s learned quite a bit about its history and how it can help her should she need it in the future.

Have Cane Will Travel