It`s The Little Things

It`s always the little things that surprise you in life. And so it is for life in a halo as well. Things that you have always done without a single thought all your life become little challenges when you are immobilized in a halo.

For example, brushing your teeth. Brushing your teeth, a seemingly uncomplicated act, requires that you bend over at some point and spit. Good luck with that. In my case, I could not bend over, at all. The weight of the halo in that position caused pain in the back of my neck. I was eventually able to bend forward a bit from the torso, but at first, I simply couldn`t. So, my suggestion : spit in a glass (sorry). You can try spitting into the sink standing straight up like a robot, you might even get good at it with practice, just don`t practice while your loved one is standing close by.

Reading is a simple pleasure in life, normally, but it`s anything but simple when you are with halo. Most enjoyable reading moments normally come when you are stretched out on your couch, slouched over your book, maybe surrounded by soft cozy cushions... The thing is, there are really only two positions possible in the halo, and none of them include slouching. One is laying down, (once you get the hang of that), in which case you are staring at the ceiling. Just try to see how long your arms will allow you to read in that position. The other position is sitting straight up, in which case, you still have to bring your reading material up to the level of your eyes. I said there were two positions, but actually, there is also a third, kind of in between position, where you are laying down, but propped up by pillows. Since you can`t move your head, at all, this position provides you with a fascinating view of the ceiling meeting the wall. Try as I might, I never did come up with a really satisfying way to read. The best I could do was sit upright and place the book on a high pile of pillows. It was ok, but I tired quickly in that position.

Watching tv is a little easier since you don`t have to hold anything up. Still, watching a two hour movie sitting rod straight has it`s limitations. At some point you yearn to recline. Well, you can`t - unless of course, you`d rather watch the ceiling than the movie.

Washing your hair is another thing that most of us take for granted. Jump in the shower, wash your hair. Simple. Not. If there is one thing that is impossible to do yourself while with halo it is washing your own hair. If anyone has managed to do this, I`d like to know how. Even with someone doing it for you, it`s complicated. In my case, I took advantage of the hospital bed while I had it. After the bed was gone, we put our huge kitchen island to use. At 8ft by 5ft its plenty big for me to lay on, and I was pretty sure my 130 pounds wasn`t going to break it. We have a small secondary sink in it that was just perfect for washing hair. We used a hose attachment to make it easier to rinse underneath the head. It was heaven. Still, I was dependant on someone else doing the deed. There is no way that I could have managed this myself.

I could go on and on. The point is, you only realize what you had when you`ve lost it. A cliché, yes, but it`s true. Although I try to make light of it, I am ever so thankful that what I lost was not lost forever.