Disability Dialogue with Bill

Accepting the Inevitable: Total Hip Replacement

Have you ever had to make a crucial decision that would cause you to experience pain, discomfort and challenges requiring you to adjust your way of life to possibly benefit you in the long term?  As I briefly talk about in my blog post, Succeeding in the New Year: Don’t be Afraid to Walk a Tight Rope, I recently had to make that crucial decision to have total hip replacement surgery.

I am grateful to have had the opportunity to have my right hip totally replaced on March 4th using a surgical procedure that is referred to as the anterior method. After a short hospital stay I came home on March 7th. I was home quickly due to the fact I had an excellent surgeon and had very few post surgical complications. Also after careful consideration I elected to do my recovery/rehabilitation at home with my wife Kathy’s assistance instead of a Skilled Nursing Home/Rehabilitation Facility. If you have read some of my other blog posts you might have noticed my wife and I are experienced at overcoming challenges, difficult times and leveraging assistance as required.

CONTEMPLATION

I have been apprehensive over the past years and months considering the best time to have surgery to replace my deteriorating hip. I considered the time I would be away from work, lost wages, medical expenses and professional and personal commitments. I compared these priorities to my long term medical health and how well I could tolerate the pain to assist me in selecting the best time to have my surgery. I also took into consideration that the X-Rays and MRI consistently showed that my hip bones were crumbling away and the pain and my ability to walk was getting considerably worse the longer I postponed the inevitable. The pain had been so terrible for so long my blood sugars were being adversely affected. My last X-Ray also showed that I had a crack across the head of my right femur which confirmed that I could not put off the inevitable any longer. I finally decided to take action and scheduled my surgery.

In preparation for surgery I planned and anticipated extra challenges to overcome since I am completely blind, have diabetes, neuropathy and nerve damage in my legs caused by the critical medical condition which took my eyesight away in 1999. I also expected I would not be able to do many of my normal activities without assistance for some time while my bones, muscles and tendons healed after such a major surgery. As part of my preparation I learned that recovery and rehabilitation is critical in helping prevent a dislocation of my new hip which would require doing the surgery all over again. Recovery and rehabilitation is also critical in this type of surgery. I had to allow my new artificial hip to bond naturally with my existing bones in my leg and hip to help insure the new artificial joint is stable, strong and will last.

DAY ONE IN THE HOSPITAL:

After checking into the hospital I met the anesthesiologist and talked with my surgeon to cover last minute questions as I was being prepared for surgery. I remember holding conversations with everyone.  The next thing I remember was the sensation of the gurney I was lying on being rolled on the smooth hospital floor producing very little sound from the wheels. Soon I heard voices which sounded like my wife Kathy and my mom. I asked them if the surgery was over. When I heard them respond “yes” I said in astonishment “I cannot believe the surgery is over”. At this point I was not experiencing any pain or discomfort probably due to the medication. Just after I briefly talked with my wife and mom I fell asleep due to the pain medication and any remaining general anesthetic which I was given for the surgery.

After I woke up I heard voices around me. When they identified themselves I learned these were the nurses and rehabilitation therapists - physical therapist (PT) and occupational therapist (OT). They were preparing me to stand for the first time on my new right hip. This group tested my blood pressure and oxygen level. My blood pressure was low although with the suggestion of the therapists I started to stand with the assistance of a walker. Before I was completely standing I felt very faint and felt like I was going to pass out. I was told I looked very pale. After this unsatisfactory reaction the nurse and therapists said I should wait for my blood pressure to come up before I attempted to stand and they helped me back into bed.

I was told I had lost one-third of my blood during the surgery which was normal and could be the reason for my low blood pressure. Now that I was awake I was aware that my right leg was experiencing moderate pain and my leg muscles felt very tight which was uncomfortable. These sensations were due to the fact my surgeon was required to cut many muscles and tendons.  He also dislocated my old hip to remove it and replace it with the new artificial hip.

After the surgery my right leg was swollen and looked like one large multicolor bruise that covered three-quarters of my leg and continued partially up my back.

DAY TWO IN THE HOSPITAL:

To assist my hip healing properly and to help prevent the dislocation of my new hip I was required to sleep with mobility restrictions. These included having to sleep on my back with my legs straight out and my legs surrounded by pillows to help prevent me from turning over in the night. Another option I had while I slept was to lie directly on my side with pillows between my knees, ankles and other pillows surrounding my legs to help insure I did not turn over or cross one leg over the other. My nights were restless with these mobility restraints. The nights were also uncomfortable with sporadic sensations of pain and muscle stiffness. Luckily I was provided enough pain medicine which allowed me to get some needed sleep to facilitate healing and helped me be rested during the day so I could concentrate on my therapy. Although I would experience an uncomfortable night I was willing to accept any challenges to expedite my recovery.

Following breakfast it was time for therapy and my chance to practice walking. My nurse tested my blood pressure and found it was high. After consideration of high blood pressure my nurse and therapists decided to proceed and allow me to attempt to stand. With determination and some struggling I pulled myself up to the standing position with assistance from a walker. I stood for a few minutes before I was told to get back into the bed.

After rest and lunch it was time to work with my therapists and continue to learn how to walk with a walker. On my next attempt to stand I pulled myself out of bed and stood with much more confidence and energy. Since I am completely blind my therapists were required to improvise and verbalize any instructions instead of actually demonstrating the techniques. After listening to the instructions on the basic techniques to walk with a walker I simultaneously visualized the technique my therapists were describing in my minds-eye and was soon walking with my new artificial hip. While walking my therapists verbally instructed me in which direction I was to walk to help avoid obstacles, including other patients who were also walking as part of their rehabilitation. I required verbal assistance to help guide me because a walker provides minimal orientation to a completely blind user compared to using a long white cane. A white cane is used by rhythmically swinging the cane back and forth in front of me very close to the ground while tapping the cane tip on the ground when the cane reaches the end of each swing as it assists me in locating and avoiding obstacles.  Since I am used to walking with one long white cane and one support cane walking with a walker made me feel very unsafe if I attempted to walk without verbal guidance. I truly would feel as if I was walking blind.

DAY THREE IN THE HOSPITAL:

I continued to eat my three meals a day, walk twice a day and rest to help me recover. Each time I walked with my walker I was getting more proficient, confident and stronger. In preparation to leave the hospital I practiced walking up and down steps with my walker. This was so I could navigate the steps required to get into and out of my house.

DAY FOUR IN THE HOSPITAL:

On my last day in the hospital I practiced getting in and out of our car safely with the therapist's help to prevent injuring myself or my new artificial hip. The last thing I requested before I left the hospital was to be bathed which included washing my hair. I had no idea of how I would get to the shower at home to do these things because of the obstacles and my new mobility restrictions. Therefore I took advantage of the extra assistance I currently had at the hospital. 

RECOVERY AND REHABILITATION AT HOME

On March 8th I started my at home physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy (OT) plus had a nurse visit me a couple of times. In addition to receiving therapy and health monitoring services from these agencies during the first two weeks of recovery my loving wife was my full time caregiver and therapist. After the first two weeks of professional therapy these visits stopped and it was up to my determination, commitment and my wife’s tireless assistance to continue with my daily rehabilitation therapy and recovery.  I completed the recommended stretching and muscle strengthening exercises daily as prescribed by my therapists. With Kathy’s assistance I walked outside with my walker to further strengthen my legs, bones and increase cardiovascular endurance. Also these exercises assist with restoring my balance after such a traumatic experience.

This initial recovery and rehabilitation process took re-prioritizing our life’s activities since these tasks took many hours each day to accomplish. This is especially true with the mobility restrictions which required Kathy’s help to perform many of my daily activities.  This dedication took a complete commitment for success.

A FEW SUGGESTIONS TO ASSIST IN PLANNING

• Medical Insurance Preparation

If you have medical insurance, be sure to cover all insurance questions with your provider prior to your surgery/procedure. If your insurance agency verbally tells you a service or medical supply is covered get the answers to your questions in writing if possible.

• Rest

Get plenty of rest and try to be in the best possible physical condition prior to the surgery/procedure.

• Diabetes Preparation

If you are diabetic attempt to get your blood sugars under control prior to the surgery/procedure.

• Get References

Select a surgeon you know or can get references to follow up with the surgeon or patients who have had the same surgery or medical procedure from the doctor you plan to use. 

• Accommodations / Accessibility

If you are disabled or require special needs visit the hospital/medical facility and explain any specific needs you may require. If you need accommodations explain your request with suggestions on how the staff can assist. 

• Be Prepared To Be Your Own Advocate

The medical staff is usually very busy and if you are not able to fully understand and participate in all communications regarding your medical needs someone needs to look after your requirements, communicate the requirements and follow up with all hospital staff to help insure you get the best possible care.

• Be Patient

Understand you are not the only patient in the hospital/ facility and you will have to wait to receive assistance at times.

• Balance Recovery Enthusiasm

Balance your recovery enthusiasm with the recovery/therapy requirements provided by your physician. Exercise patience in returning to your normal daily activities to assist in maximizing your long term benefits over taking short cuts in recovery and rehabilitation to accomplish short term advances that may not last.

• Plan For Your Unique Situation

I understand that everyone is different and my surgery, recovery process and recovery/rehabilitation length will be different than yours. Understand what I have described is my own unique situation. Please consult your own physician for assistance with your own unique requirements.

Now that my mobility restrictions have been removed I will continue to do physical therapy and orientation and mobility training as I transition back to my support cane and long white cane for independent safe navigation.  Now that I have the ability to start walking with my long cane this added exercise will strengthen my muscles and tendons. This exercise is also vital to aid in hip and leg bone growth and bonding around and through my new artificial hip allowing for a strong joint.

I know it is still early in my recovery but I am very pleased with the results of my total hip replacement. My minimal discomfort is mostly at night and in the mornings and is typically stiffness and muscle pain while I am continuing to heal and strengthen my leg. My blood sugar levels have been consistently getting better than prior to the surgery allowing me to be in better health, think more clearly and make better decisions to assist with enhancing my life. I was also very satisfied with the care I received by all the doctors, nurses, therapists and staff at the hospital. All of the staff made appropriate accommodations when possible to enhance my stay.

The last several weeks of exercise, stretching and walking with a walker multiple times a day have been well worth the time I dedicated to help insure a successful transition to my next phase of recovery. I am also thankful I followed my doctor’s recovery/rehabilitation plan and did not give into my own temptation and do more activities than I was supposed to do risking injury thus causing a longer recovery period.

Do you have any tips you want to share that might help prepare one for surgery or medical procedures? Do you have suggestions about maximizing the benefits of any required rehabilitation? Do you have suggestions for people with disabilities or special needs to assist with recovery and any required rehabilitation?

We all look forward to hearing your comments.

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: http://profile.to/wdtipton

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton

Succeeding in the New Year: Don’t be Afraid to Walk a Tight Rope

Hello all,

I hope you will be prepared to experience the New Year with all the exciting emotions and possibilities including fear, uncertainty, challenges, joy and wonderful surprises.

As each of us takes a unique path in our life experiencing this year we are privileged to have many choices that will affect us. Our decisions not only affect us they affect the people around us that our life touches.

Some choices we have on any action we take are easy and mundane. Others are difficult and may take considerable planning to accomplish our goals with success. Some opportunities we have require taking planned risks to achieve the fruitful benefits. Other responsibilities that some people need to prioritize into goals are to assist family members and friends who may require additional assistance. It is best to understand some people we attempt to help do not realize they need help or even more perplexing some people do not want to accept any assistance due to a variety of reasons. In my opinion the most difficult thing to do when faced with the heartbreaking experience of attempting to assist people who do not realize they need assistance or do not want it is to let go and stop attempting to assist within reason, no matter how difficult it is to see these people in need. This letting go is critical to preserve energy and limited time for the many other goals you want to successfully accomplish.

With the abundance of choices available I realize prioritizing my time to worry about what I can and want to have an effect on is a balancing act.  What I want to accomplish and what may help me and my family, friends, colleagues and employer for goals is also a part of the balancing act. I can compare this balancing of priorities and goals to walking on a tight rope under a colorful big top tent in a circus while balancing on a rope far above the ground even though I have never attempted walking a tight rope. One false step or incorrect choice and I can lose my balance and fall to the ground thus completely failing at my attempt to achieve my goal. Without proper preparation, concentration and a sense of confidence I could slip off the rope however with luck quickly grab the rope and pull myself backup into the standing position thus wasting precious energy and time completing the goal. With the proper tenacity, attitude and skills I can successfully accomplish my goal of balancing and walking across the tight rope with ease and grace. I understand that not all people have the ability to physically walk on the tight rope I describe just like I can’t physically see the colorful big top tent I am walking under (I am completely blind). In my example I hope you can imagine my analogy no matter what your ability is. 

Like many others I plan to complete goals this year that include balancing priorities, taking calculated risks, learning new skills and accepting new challenges/opportunities to improve my positioning for success and happiness. One of my goals I plan to complete shortly is to have surgery on my right hip and have a total hip replacement due to Avascular Necrosis.

After my surgery and recovery my goal is to get relief from continuous pain and enjoy my family without the distraction of the pain or the inability to be as mobile as I need to be. I intend to participate in activities such as enjoying hiking blind and concentrate on my professional and personal life without the distraction of constant pain. I also plan to accept and complete the rehabilitation needed to give me the best possibility of walking again with minimum of limitation. For those who are not aware of my history I have had the opportunity to learn to walk again after a critical medical condition took my ability to walk for approximately one year. That previous challenge was much different than the reasons I will need this time to relearn how to walk again. Hopefully I will be able to leverage the lessons learned. 

Let’s all climb up a ladder under a large, brightly colored big top tent and walk across the tight rope with confidence and a perfect balance of priorities in order to make it safely across to our rewarding and gratifying goals in this new year.

Does anyone have any goals you plan to accomplish and want to share along with the reasons why they are important to you? We all look forward to hearing from you to start our new year together.

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: http://profile.to/wdtipton

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton  

Helen Keller Achievement Awards & Exploring NYC Without Eyesight

In June, I was grateful to be invited by my employer to attend a Helen Keller Achievement Awards Ceremony / Dinner presented by the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) in New York City, NY (NYC), with my wife Kathy, colleagues and other attendees. This trip was my second opportunity to travel on a commercial airline since losing all of my eyesight. After I received the invitation to attend the event, I immediately started my planning and preparation to facilitate a successful trip that would hopefully be as trouble free as possible. I describe my trip preparation in a past blog post I wrote entitled Employee of the Year.

At the Helen Keller Achievement Awards Ceremony / Dinner I truly enjoyed listening to the people who introduced the award recipients, describing the work the recipients do to assist the visually impaired or blind by improving the quality of life, enhancing job opportunities by reducing barriers by increasing accessibility. I also enjoyed listening to the recipients humbly accept their awards and explain some of what they did to achieve this meaningful recognition.

The following day I was invited to go to AFB’s corporate headquarters and take a tour through the Helen Keller archives museum and meet with AFB. Being completely blind myself and belonging to some blind / low vision organizations in my local area, I have heard a few things about Helen Keller. During the tour I was pleased to learn many new things about Helen Keller. Now I have a better understanding of what a wonderful and remarkable person she was, and how she has helped change the world to assist blind, visually impaired, deaf, and hard of hearing, as well as many other people.

SIGHTSEEING with My Wife: The Art of Using All My Senses
This was my first trip to NYC, therefore I wanted to take advantage of my short time in-between meetings and award ceremonies to see (sense) some sights. With my wife Kathy’s assistance we walked on foot paths next to the Hudson River near the 911 Memorial towards Battery Park. Kathy described many wonderful statues, memorials, flowers, trees, old iron fences, old fashion street lamps, and other beautiful and distinctive old style architecture built with many bricks. I took the time to touch some of these objects so I could sense their texture and physical size. This enabled me to more accurately imagine what these objects looked like in my minds-eye. She also described the color and perceived depth and width of the river, as she also described the Statue of Liberty at a distance across the river. She also described the many ferries and boats on the river, and helicopters flying above the river. The same day after our AFB meeting and tour we walked from Madison Square Garden and Pennsylvania (PENN) Station to 26th Street then towards 51st Street, Madison Avenue, Broadway Avenue and many streets in-between. On 34th Street Kathy described Macy’s department store (the largest in the world we were told). She also described the Empire State Building, Time square, Rockefeller Center and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. We went into St. Patrick’s Cathedral and since it was a warm day the cool temperature in the Cathedral was an exhilarating and pleasant treat. We walked throughout this remarkable large old Cathedral as Kathy described the many carvings, statues and stained glass windows. To help me visualize how large this Cathedral is in my minds-eye I felt one of the very large columns that held up a portion of the large roof. The column was so large I could not wrap my arms around it, and it felt like it was made of stone, or a concrete material. I took this opportunity to sit down on one of the many pews in the Cathedral and prayed. After we left the Cathedral we passed Radio City Music Hall, many other landmarks and numerous stores. I truly applaud my wife’s site guiding technique and expertise, walking through NYC, evading hundreds of people, obstacles, yellow cabs, cars, and crossing busy streets with a variety of Hard (90 degree angles) and (Soft) curb cuts that gently sloped down at each intersection. All of this navigation was accomplished while at times I could not hear Kathy’s verbal instructions warning me about upcoming obstacles due to the loud traffic, and sirens from police cars and fire engines. Luckily I have learned to feel Kathy’s body movement with either my left hand on her right shoulder, or right upper arm with my right hand on my support cane while she sight guides me. With this technique I can react to her body movement and not rely on any verbal cues. By the time we did our very quick walking tour of mid town New York, it was getting close to dinner so we searched for a taxi. After observing which streets had the most taxies driving down the streets, we strategically placed ourselves on one of these streets in a location in which a taxi could easily pull up to the curb. By using this technique we soon found a taxi to take us back to our hotel in time for a wonderful dinner with a co-worker. After our wonderful meal and great conversations we went back to our hotel and prepared to leave for home the next day.

The Rest of the Story
Kathy and I had an incredible time listening to the remarkable people who were recognized for their work and received the Helen Keller Achievement Awards, listening about the valuable work AFB is doing to help the blind, visually impaired and visiting NYC briefly. Everyone we met on our trip was thoughtful, courteous and seemed to celebrate life and companionship.

A few days after we returned home we celebrated our 25th Wedding Anniversary. We honored and celebrated our life together, our companionship, devotion and our never ending love that will continue for all eternity. Read another blog post I wrote about our 20th Anniversary entitled:
Anniversaries: What they mean to you.

Have you had the opportunity to take a tour with assistance? This assistance does not need to be sight guiding or verbal descriptions, like the invaluable assistance I received. Maybe you have other challenges or disabilities which require other types of assistance when traveling and sightseeing you want to share? Has anyone attended or received a Helen Keller Achievement Award? Any other thoughts or comments?

We look forward to your comments to help us all grow personally and professionally, and expand our knowledge and awareness.

Bill Tipton
Contributing Author,
Global Dialogue Center
http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton
Facebook: http://profile.to/wdtipton
Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton

Trust; Walking Without Eyesight

During a leisurely walk on a route I take frequently for exercise and relaxation, I contemplate the importance of trust. I believe the mind-set of trust can be in a person’s own ability, self-confidence, faith, or in others to do the “right thing”.

 

The thought of trust and the value of it occurs frequently when I pass certain locations on a local walking route.

 

I am completely blind and walk with a white support cane in my left hand and in my right hand I swing a long white cane.  I use my long cane to detect obstacles and receive feedback about the surface I am walking on from the cane tip as it touches the ground on every swing. I am constantly listening to the environmental sounds to help with orientation by remembering unique sound landmarks and utilizing auditory senses to detect obstacles by interpreting sound waves as they travel from their source and bounce off surfaces. Soon I hear the noise of motor vehicles passing in front of me getting closer and closer at a perpendicular angle. This is an indication that I am reaching a cross street. Feeling the light prick on my left hand from a sharp Yucca leaf that hangs over the sidewalk causes me to quickly feel my hand for possible injury (blood or deep scratches). I do not feel anything out of the ordinary, so I continue my leisurely walk with a chuckle and a smile.  Not far after passing the Yucca plant I slightly touch a fence to my left with my cane as the sidewalk slopes down and turns left onto another street and I reach a curb cut for a wheelchair access ramp.  I hear noticeably more motor vehicles passing me, going much faster than they were on the street I had just left. My senses and long cane tell me this part of the sidewalk is narrow because I cannot swing my cane to the left too far without hitting a fence, or feeling an abrupt drop off to my right with my cane tip.

 

When I explore this part of the route I discover the sidewalk is a considerable distance above the street which reinforces the need to pay attention so I do not accidently step off the curb. As I get closer to the next corner the motor vehicles are even closer, due to the fact they are coming from the west and turning to the south (cutting the corner). At this point the sidewalk slopes down for a curb cut for a ramp that gently turns to the left as the sidewalk abruptly ends. I carefully step off the curb paying attention to the direction I was walking to enable me to make an accurate direction adjustment, angling my walk to the left slightly enabling me to find a footpath rather than walking into the motor vehicles just in front of me.  Just after stepping off the sidewalk in search of the asphalt footpath, I cautiously walk through grass and dirt sensing hidden obstacles with my feet and canes. I soon feel my feet touch something solid as I then hear the tap of my cane against a hard surface alerting me I have reached the footpath. Feeling the border of the path with my feet I turn left and continue my leisurely and joyful walk.

 

Not long after I get my rhythm going, my cane hits something metallic sounding and very solid causing my body to slightly collide with the obstacle from my forward momentum. I explore the unknown object with my cane while attempting to figure out what could be blocking the footpath.  After some investigation I determine the obstacle is a vehicle parked across the footpath. As I maneuver around the vehicle towards the left, so I do not walk into motor vehicles passing on the street to my right, suddenly my cane hits another metallic obstacle. This obstacle does not sound or feel (with my cane) as solid as the vehicle, although this obstacle has blocked me from continuing down the path. I attempt to find a way around the two obstacles, when I hear a voice speak to me in a language I do not understand. I ask this person I do not know with self confidence and friendliness in my voice, if the path around to the left is clear.  This person answers me in their language which I do not understand. I then feel a trusting and caring hand touch my arm and gently guide me safely around the obstacles. At this point I remember, at times, a person would set up a stand to sell fruit at this corner, and the stand and their vehicle might be what the obstacles are. As I maneuver around the vehicle and other obstacle I ask the friendly person if they are selling strawberries.  This caring person understands the word strawberries and responds “yes”.

 

As I continue my peaceful and exhilarating walk I listen to the babbling creek to my right, and light breeze blowing through the leaves in the trees' canopies. I imagine in my mind’s eye what these images looked like when I had eyesight as I smile with remembrance of the beauty of nature. Suddenly I hear the sound of a bicycle coming up from behind me. Staying calm I demonstrate faith and trust that the rider would see me and my white canes. I slowly move to one side and stop to wait for the bicycle to safely pass. After I hear the bicycle pass very close, I say “hi” to the rider as I wave in their direction and continue my relaxing walk.  The silence of nature and solitude is interrupted by the sound of feet hitting the ground and quiet human breathing coming towards me, providing awareness a jogger is approaching. I continue to walk trusting the jogger will see me and not run into me, but move to one side of the path to allow the jogger room to run by as I say “hello”.

 

As I continue my relaxing walk, the path gently starts to slope down and gradually turns to the left, then to the right. This change of direction and slope is my landmark to start searching for the end of the paved path to enable me to find the sidewalk on the next street. Soon I do not feel anymore dirt border to the left of the path with my cane   alerting me I have passed the end of the path and have started to cross the street. At this point I quickly and abruptly turn to the left and walk back in the direction I had come from, at an angle that will enable my route to end up near the intersection of the street and the sidewalk. Suddenly I touch a dirt border with my feet and cane and follow the border until I feel a curb rise up with my cane tip or my foot (whatever hits it first). I carefully step up on the curb using my support cane to assist. I am now safely half way on my relaxing journey.

 

Continuing my joyful walk, I anticipate the possibility of running into obstacles to keep me alert, providing practice negotiating obstacles, improving my orientation and mobility and cherishing the gratitude of meeting friendly people.  Soon my walk is over leaving me with the desire to take another joyful lap around the block. Every time I go on a walk I am reminded how grateful I am to have the ability to walk.  This attitude comes from knowing what it feels like not being able to walk, get outside or move at all without great difficulty. This is because the same medical condition that took my eyesight away caused me to be unable to walk for one year while I regained my strength and learned how to walk again. I am also grateful I demonstrated faith and self-confidence when the medical specialists told me I would never walk again, and I decided to pursue my dreams of walking again.

 

Do you have examples of when you demonstrated trust? What did you learn from trusting your own ability, self-confidence, trusting others to do the “right thing” or believing in your faith? Do you have any tips to help us increase our trust?

 

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: http://profile.to/wdtipton

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton

Value of Prioritizing to Achieve Work Life Balance & Enhance Productivity in Your Career

We are fortunate that in most cases we have choices on how we can manage our time, priorities and ability to decide what tasks (opportunities) we will accomplish to meet our goals. Some tasks are pushed to the front of our priority list by necessity and criticality, and others are less time sensitive.

 

I have been fortunate to have had the ability to experience a wide range of opportunities to practice priority management as I continue to accept new opportunities to learn.

 

For me, completing projects or tasks provides a feeling of satisfaction and a sense of contributing. Completing tasks or projects as quickly as possible “just to get them completed” can lead a person to complete a greater amount of tasks, however, these tasks might not be the most critical ones for the greater benefit. If you stop to consider what is most valuable in the long run, you might consider focusing your efforts on completing a task that is more challenging and might require learning a new skill set or accepting a risk of failing before you begin the task.

 

We all have opportunities to make choices, such as choosing to spend quality time with our loved ones, visiting with friends or relatives instead of staying at home, utilizes priority management skills.

 

Managing priorities is even more critical in these times when we are asked / expected to complete more tasks in less time.  If you need to incorporate caring for the elderly, having a disability, the need for medical management or assisting others in need, in addition to your normal tasks, your obligations may seem overwhelming, which reinforces the importance of priority management.

 

EXAMPLES OF UNPLANNED PRIORITY ADJUSTMENTS:

Discovering I have no eyesight, unable to walk or speak, sit up in bed or feed myself after a critical medical condition.

 

ADJUSTMENTS TO ACHIEVE RESULTS:

Learned how to walk, talk and feed myself. Enrolled in and completed many blindness related skills to enable me to live and work as a completely blind person.

 

EXAMPLES OF PRIORITIES WHICH TAKE LONGER TO ACCOMPLISH, BUT MAY HAVE A BROADER REACH:

After learning how to use my assistive technology; I found the tools needed to perform my job had usability / accessibility barriers. Therefore, I realized I needed to reinvent myself to find a new career.

 

ADJUSTMENTS TO ACHIEVE RESULTS:

Took the initiative to complete courses in project management, Microsoft Office products in conjunction with screen reading software, locating and reading accessible books on a variety of computer topics and business and leadership skills to enable me to be proficient and productive in a new career

 

EXAMPLES OF CONSISTENT PRIORITIES:

Completing every day activities you are comfortable with for your job or personal life without the need to learn a new skill set.

 

ADJUSTMENTS TO ACHIEVE RESULTS:

Demonstrate discipline to put some of these “easier” tasks you know you can achieve with ease on hold, postponing a sense of accomplishment and complete some of the larger more complex goals.

I feel that time management is critical to work/ life balance, health, and well being, in addition to enhancing productivity and accuracy in your professional career.

I am grateful to accept help to continue to learn how to enhance time management.  I hope these comments provide ideas to help us all grow our skill set in this critical area.  

We look forward to hearing your valuable comments to help us manage our time and priorities.

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: http://profile.to/wdtipton

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton

Tranquility and Acceptance Through Alternate Senses

 Sitting in complete darkness, feeling the warm sunshine, breathing fresh clean air,  smelling the light scent of flowers, grasses, plants, trees, listening to geese honking, occasional eagles and hawks screeching and the gentle splashing of fish jumping and swimming, is very relaxing and rejuvenating (for me). As the sun sets and the vibrant bright day transitions to dusk, the air slowly cools and the sounds of geese give way to the deep croaking of bullfrogs and my contentment becomes complete. As day turns to night and the sky becomes inky black, except for the brilliant twinkling stars and bright moon; my physical vision is unchanged from when the sun shined brightly during the day.

 

Why isn’t there any light perception between day and night for me? Does this distinction really matter for contentment, tranquility and fulfillment?

 

About twelve years ago I became completely blind instantly, after a critical medical condition almost took my life. I have accepted the fact I will never again see the sights I described above with physical sight as I continue to enjoy the beauty and relaxation of the outdoors.

 

When I am out in the country, or any city, for that matter, I never allow my lack of physical vision to interfere with the joys and sensations I can experience when I utilize all my senses available to me, and do not focus on what I can’t experience. Most of the time I never even think about not having physical sight, because I am too busy actively experiencing the world all around me. On a recent trip to a lake, I was able to share life’s joys and blessings with others, in spite of the fact I am in complete darkness, like the inky black sky of the night I describe above, less the stars and moon light.

 

When I am invited and accept gracious invitations to locations I can’t get to easily without eyesight, or participate in events, where you might think eyesight is required; I do not hesitate, or even think about not being able to see or participate in any or all activities others might be experiencing.

 

Other people with disabilities or challenges, or even those without any disabilities or challenges might experience the same attitudes and beliefs when choosing and accepting to fully experience life.  

 

Do you have any experiences you want to share, with examples, where you expanded your alternate senses? Any tips to help us enjoy life, despite any challenges or obstacles.

 

We look forward to hearing your valuable comments.

 

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: http://profile.to/wdtipton

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton

Courage: Enabler for People with Disabilities or Perceived Differences

Increasing your courage to take calculated risks can improve your general well-being and attitude in life. Learning to transform the negative reaction of fear of failure to a positive sensation of opportunity can enhance your chances for success. I believe people with disabilities, or perceived differences, get more opportunities to demonstrate and practice courageousness.

 As a person who went completely blind instantly, lost the ability to walk for one year and had the opportunity to overcome other obstacles has provided me many opportunities to practice courageousness. When it is essential to adapt to living life with a new disability, experiencing traumatic life changing events or being perceived to be different than others can aid in increasing the ability to demonstrate a courageous attitude. I believe this is true because you are somewhat forced to learn the skill of courageousness, instead of having the option to choose when you will take risks and practice courageous behavior.

I listened to an excellent dialogue called Courageous Leadership with Bill Treasurer online at the Global Dialogue Center. This reinforced the value of adding courage to our skill set to help propel us to our next level of success. 

Valuable Leadership Skills and Attitudes I Learned from Listening to Courageous Leadership:

• Increasing your courage requires taking calculated risks.

• Accept the fact that you will fail at times when you extend yourself out of your comfort zone to take on new opportunities. This is particularly true when you’ve not attempted a certain task, or you are not completely skilled “yet” in your next opportunity.

• Leverage past experiences to increase your skills in courageous and effective leadership. If you have a disability, or are perceived to be different or have experienced other challenges, you probably have plenty of past experiences where you have demonstrated courageousness you can recall to get strength and courage to handle your next risk with less apprehension.

• Have the courage to provide your own opinion regardless of how uncomfortable you might feel, even if you are the only person who verbally agrees with your opinion. Keep in mind if you have had unique life experiences, you will have certain skills nobody else has in the group, and therefore unique and valuable opinions.

• Work and live your life with confidence and courage to increase your performance. Working in fear, anxiety and intimidation leads to poor performance and distorts your judgment and can impact your health negatively.

Additional Resources to Inspire Courage: 

What did you learn from listening to Courageous Leadership? How will you demonstrate and practice courageousness in your personal and professional life?

We look forward to hearing from you as we take our calculated risks to grow our courageous skill set together.

Bill

Bill Tipton
Contributing Author,
Global Dialogue Center
http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton
Facebook: http://profile.to/wdtipton
Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton

Family Pets - Friendship, Companionship, & More

Hello everyone,

 Do you find meaning in having animals as pets for service, companionship, or a trusted friend, to aid in your personal or professional life? Do you find pets can provide additional assistance to people with disabilities, or other challenges (temporary or permanent)?  

 

Being completely blind myself, you might think I would have a service animal to help guide me safely in my constant darkness. However, at this point in my life I do not use or need the assistance of a guide dog. Instead, I use my two white canes (one long white cane and one support cane) for orientation and mobility. I think guide animals for the blind and visually impaired, hearing animals to signal the hearing impaired or other service animals for other disabilities are very valuable and essential.

 

Now, having just said I do not use a guide dog, does not mean I have never had any animals in my life - past or present. I have always valued and enjoyed pets, and have been blessed and fortunate to have them in my life.

 

When I was growing up in our family we mostly had dogs as pets. Following my marriage to a wonderful person, Kathy, we now have cats as pets. After a very critical medical condition that almost took my life, and caused me to go completely blind we continued to have cats as a part of our family. I have found our pets companionship is of greater value now that I have no vision. Our pets do not care if I cannot see them with my physical eyes. They can sense me looking at them in my mind’s eye, as we share affection for each other. My pets also help to relieve stress when some days have additional challenges, or difficulties.  Caring for my pets, along with my loving wife’s enormous amount of help, always puts life’s challenges into perspective and helps me re-focus on the joys and pleasures in life. In this case, that pleasure is my close companionship and affection for my cats.

 

Our first cat was named Buttons. Buttons was a striped grey, white, and tan tabby.    She was a stray that showed up one day needing and wanting a home. After we asked around our neighborhood and found no owners, we accepted her into our family, and she became our new family member.

Quite a few years later we acquired another new family member from my sister-in-law. She was a long haired calico kitten we named Samantha. She was a very sick kitten that we nursed back to good health, which prevented her from dying, just prior to her first birthday celebration in August of 1995. In October of 1995, not long after her first birthday, Samantha was hit and killed by a car right outside our home on our street corner. We were devastated by her loss. We loved her so much and we felt so lost and empty without her. Buttons missed her too. Both of us were grateful for still having Buttons to love. She really helped ease our pain and sorrow with her love and affection for us.

 

In January of 1996, like a miracle from heaven, a new stray kitten showed up in our yard, it seemed, like out of nowhere. It was as if God and Samantha sent this adorable, sweet, loving, friendly kitten to us like an angel from heaven. I say this in part because this new kitten looked almost exactly like Samantha. This cat was also a long haired calico kitten just like Samantha.   Even their breed was the same. Again, after checking out our neighborhood for lost stray kittens, we happily and immediately, without hesitation, added this kitten to our family. My wife named her Tammy.  

 

A few years after we accepted Tammy into our family I suddenly became very ill. My wife brought me to the hospital where I lapsed into a coma the following day. I did not awaken from my coma until 3 long months later. Our loving and caring cats, Tammy and Buttons kept my wife company each lonely day and night, while I lay in a hospital bed for 7 months. Our cats could not help my wife by verbally communicating to her; however they did offer her plenty of companionship in my absence during those long days and nights, as she waited with uneasiness and fear to see if I would live or die. I am very grateful for our cats helping her through, what I can only imagine as being incredibly fearful and trying times, as she traveled back and forth to the hospital each day and took care of all other things around our home in my absence.

 

Our cat Buttons accepted Tammy into her life and taught her how to behave as a cat, like she was her mother.  Besides Buttons and Tammy being great companions to me and my wife, they were excellent companions for each other.

 

When I did eventually get to come home I was happy to find my cats waiting for me. Since I was gone for 7 months, it took a little while for our cats to recognize me and come over to me in my newly acquired wheel chair.

 

Not long after getting home from the hospital, sadly, Buttons became ill and died. I was grateful to be home at the time and had the ability to crawl on the floor (I still could not walk at this time) over to her as she lay on the floor. I put my head down to her and listened to her purr slightly, and listened to her shallow breathing. With my head next to hers and my hand slightly petting her head and body, I told Buttons I loved her and said goodbye. She died quietly and peacefully on the way to our veterinarian’s office. Again we were filled with sadness and a great sense of loss.

Luckily we still had Tammy to help us through our grief. She also missed Buttons. We both knew this to be true because my wife said she would go around the house and the yard looking for her.

 

After a few years my wife Kathy and I decided Tammy needed a cat companion. My sister-in-law had a stray baby kitten that needed a home. We named her Morgan for the town she was born in. Morgan became part of our family in September 2001. She was about 12 weeks old when we got her. She is a calico striped tabby, medium hair cat. She was so small when Kathy brought her home; she fit in the palm of our hands. We carried her around in our robe pockets. She loved it! She is now a 15 pound princess!

After Tammy accepted Morgan, Tammy began to teach Morgan how to be a cat, since Morgan, like Tammy had no mother cat to teach her. I’ll have to admit Morgan did not learn as well as Tammy learned how to behave! She has a mind of her own and is very stubborn at times. But we love her a lot anyway!

 

One thing I found interesting is, I think, Tammy and Buttons knew I was blind and had no eyesight. The only reason I think they could have known this is because when we first got them I had eyesight.  Tammy and Buttons were there when I came home from the hospital with no vision. I feel they sensed I had lost my vision. I do not use my canes to walk in our home. Tammy and Buttons would move out-of-the-way when I would walk towards them. Morgan does not move. When I walk in our home I do not raise my feet very high, as not to step on a cat accidentally. Morgan will actually come towards me when I come home or walk into a room. I feel this is her way of greeting me and to get me to pay attention to her. She rolls on the floor and lays down right in my path.   

 

With regret and sorrow we are saddened to say Tammy recently died. She had been sick for about 2 years with a medical condition, although her condition seemed to be under control. One day without warning, she could not walk easily and could not completely raise her head. My wife Kathy brought her to the veterinarian to see what might be wrong. The doctor said she had a stroke, and because of her age would not live. She died naturally at the doctor’s office while Kathy was holding her.  I did sense she was dying and was grateful to be able to hug her and say goodbye before she passed away.

 

Now, without Tammy, we have to go on without her. But thank goodness we still have Morgan, and also Knuckles, Rusty, Simba and Shadow (all cats that have adopted themselves into our family). We love them all.

 

With all the pleasures pets bring us, we also have the pain when they die and can no longer be with us. I feel pets have great value to all, including the disabled. Besides companionship and service, they can be of great value to help reduce stress and allow us to think clearer, allowing our full potential to shine and flourish in our personal and professional life.

 

One last comment in closing- Buttons, Samantha and Tammy are gone but not forgotten. They are all still with us at home. We have their ashes in their cedar boxes with their names and ours too. We love you Buttons, Samantha and Tammy forever!

 

I look forward to hearing your comments on how pets have made a difference in your life and why they are of value to you.

 

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: http://profile.to/wdtipton

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton

Value of a Personal Branding Phrase

What distinguishes you apart from others?

How can you leverage these differences to demonstrate your scarce value and unique perspective as a branding phrase to help sell yourself and ideas?

The human population of the world is estimated by the United States Census Bureau and The United Nations to be over 6.8 billion people.

Currently around 10 per cent of the total world's population, or roughly 6.8 million people, live with a disability as noted on Disability WorldDisability Facts and Statistics.As the population ages, this figure is expected to increase.

If you do have a disability, or a perceived difference, with the number of people with disabilities continually rising in our world today, how can you leverage your unique differences, skills and passions to demonstrate who you are as a person?

I wrote "Discovering Your Unique Transferable Skills" to help us develop some ideas and provide some examples of how life’s lessons can help us.

I hope we can all take ideas and examples from that resource and expand to develop our unique branding phrase to distinguish us from others. When I talk about a "unique branding phrase", I mean one clear concise phrase to describe your skills, values and passions. This phrase is not your job title, position or profession. This is beyond those titles to describe who you are as a person, and what makes you unique.

For a humble example I could say I am a passionate problem-solver, a caring and trustworthy leader dedicated to excellence, determined, and not afraid of taking calculated risks, and have the will to never give up, no matter what others say, or think.

Break down of branding phrase to show linkages to life:

• Passionate - Always looking to help others.

• Problem-Solver - From living most of my life with eyesight and suddenly going completely blind I have had many opportunities to solve many "problems".

• Caring and Trustworthy Leader – Grew a global business network group from 5 employees from 1 country to over 120 employees from over 15 countries.

• Dedicated to Excellence - Working as a person who is blind and can’t physically see the work I deliver, I need to insure excellence so the results are accurate and visually appealing to all.

• Determined - After losing my vision and the ability to walk, some at the hospital I spent 7 months at, thought I should spend the rest of my life in a convalescent home.

• Not Afraid of Calculated Risks - Walking across the street with no eyesight (get orientation and mobility training first)

• The will to never give up, no matter what others say, or think - Read: "Learning to Walk Again".

We are all one-of-a-kind, luckily. Let’s not be clones and leverage our differences to truly develop our unique branding phrase.

What will be your unique branding phrase to set you apart from others when looking for new opportunities? Do you have any tips, or stories to share to help us create our own unique branding phrase? We all look forward to hearing your ideas and suggestions to help us be the best we can be.

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: http://profile.to/wdtipton

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton

Letting Go, To Accept the New You

Letting go of the way one is comfortable experiencing and interacting with life can be difficult. People who become disabled in life or have other dramatic life altering changes could have additional challenges with letting go of their old life to move forward. Some of these changes might be losing a loved one, having a serious medical condition or illness, losing a job, losing one’s place of residence, or many other life altering experiences. Changing attitudes and thoughts of what one used to be able to do, and the realization of the new way one needs to accomplish tasks can be overwhelming and fearful for some.

I do not know why some individuals can more easily move ahead without the distractions of how life once was.

I can only share my thoughts and feelings about how life once was for me, and what it is like to move ahead. I hope others will share their thoughts and feelings, so we can all better understand what attitudes will help us move forward, and not dwell on the past..

After a serious illness caused my complete vision loss, I was given the opportunity to learn how to do everything differently than the way I was accustomed to doing with vision.

I had fears and concerns at first, wondering about how I would accomplish life’s tasks as a newly blind person. I did not stay in that frame of mind long. I immediately began to surround myself fully in educational opportunities and positive people. This enabled me to learn the most efficient and effective way to be as successful as possible in my new life. I work very hard and put in long hours. I think this is one way of not focusing or dwelling on the past I once knew. When I am being productive at my place of employment or enjoying daily routines, I do not even realize or notice I do not have any eyesight. Only when I am relaxed and not active late at night I sometimes think to myself, "I cannot see a thing, and never will again".

For that moment I still have thoughts of how drastically my life has changed. I think about what never seeing another person ever again really means. In my mind’s eye all faces of everyone I know are frozen in time for ever and will never age. I then put my hands closely in front of my eyes, move them away, and do not see any difference in the darkness, to really emphasize what a changes I have experienced

I am grateful my positive energy and ability to adapt and transform myself far outweigh the thoughts of how my life once was. Even though now all I see is darkness, my inner sight is much clearer and filled with more light than my physical eyes were ever able to see when I had eyesight.

I believe with this mind-set we have the ability to better put our heart and soul into what we want to accomplish.

Do not give up on your dreams. Let go of the past and allow your inner strengths to grow, blossom and propel you forward. Have faith and trust in yourself and, others... Do not be frustrated if your transformation does not happen on your timetable. Other possibilities might be in your path to your success and happiness which may require more time to develop into your reality.

Learn from your life altering events, and leverage skills you had the opportunity to learn to help you in your professional and personal life. The skill-set of quickly overcoming challenges, handling changing priorities, focusing on what is most important, developing innovative techniques to adapt and solve problems and move forward is highly valued.

Do you have examples of how you have let go of the past to move forward in life? Any examples of how skills you acquired helped you in your professional and personal life? Do you have any examples of difficulties letting go of the past that you want to share with us? Any other thoughts and suggestions you would like to share with us?

We all look forward to hearing from you.

Bill Tipton

Contributing Author,

Global Dialogue Center

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdtipton

Facebook: http://profile.to/wdtipton

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wdtipton