I remember reading in a magazine in high school that it takes twice as long as it lasted to get over a relationship once the relationship has ended. I only thought of that because I think it’s going to take me a little while longer than eight days to recover from the hotel stays that I was forced into.
Yesterday was my first full day home. I couldn’t do much of anything yesterday because I was so exhausted. Today, I kind of can see a little clearer. I’ve started back into my normal routines that I have fallen into since I stopped working. My time away from my house when there was no power did a number on me!
We were displaced for a total of four nights and four days. We went to a total of four hotels trying to find one adequate handicapped accessible room. Of the four hotels we went to, NONE of them were completely handicapped assessable. The last one, got a grade of what I am thinking is a C+. The three previous hotels however, they were an F-.
I didn’t realize they were so bad until we were already checked in. The only saving grace was having my, “2 Sacreds” with me! Sean had told me a while ago that wherever I wanted to be, even if it wasn’t handicapped accessible, he and my Mom would get me there. Well, he was 100% correct! They helped me out so much that I can’t even begin to figure out how to thank them!
Even with all of their help, I still have bruises on my backside because sitting in my manual chair for so long is no comparison to my motorized chair that had to remain in my house because I have no way of transporting it. I also have scrapes on both of my elbows because I tried to make do with a bathroom that was not fully accessible.
Despite my scrapes and bruises though, the hardest thing for me to accept is the knowledge of knowing how inaccessible hotel rooms are (Even when they claim to be) and it’s 2019. Sean asked as we got to our third hotel why we had to keep moving hotels every day and I told him simply, “Because I am disabled.” The power outage was a big deal when we got our first room so we ended up in Troy, then back to Dearborn, and then Novi. The third hotel claimed to be completely accessible but it was not at all! That was what led us to Novi.
So here I sit in my house, reclined in my motorized chair (to take the pressure off of the bruises) well both of my elbows burn as if I am a child with skinned knees. This really stinks! I’m going to give myself more than eight days to recover because I already know that a body with MS takes longer to heal and let’s not even talk about my knee because it hurts so badly!