I TEND 2 JUST STAY WITH WHAT I HAVE BEEN USING AND LEAVE WELL ENOUGH ALONE. I LIVE BY THE OLD ADAGE, “IF IT AIN’T BROKE DON’T FIX IT.”

IN THE BEGINNING, I HAD THIS HORRIBLE “CRINKLY” HOSPITAL BED , WHERE I SLEPT ALONE (BECAUZ ALL THE BEDROOMS WERE UPSTAIRS). I HAD A NIGHT NURSE, & WAS TURNED EVERY 2 HOURS. IT WAS AWFUL, SINCE IT TAKES ME 4EVER TO FALL BACK ASLEEP, & I CAN’T SLEEP IF I SEE LIGHT—WHETHER FROM THE SUN OR A LIGHT BULB!

WHEN WE FINISHED AN ADDITION ON OUR HOME IN INDY, MY HUSBAND, MARK & I COULD SHARE A ROOM, & GOT A SELECT COMFORT BED. I LOVED THAT IT WAS LIKE MY HOSPITAL BED, RAISING IN BACK, ALLOWING ME 2 SIT IN BED, BUT IT WAS 100 TIMES MORE COMFORTABLE! I STARTED TO SLEEP LONGER, & EVERY 4 HOURS, I’D WAKE NEEDING TO TURN.

EVENTUALLY, I NO LONGER USED A NIGHT NURSE, & I’D JUST TAP MK WHEN I NEEDED 2 TURN, WHICH DWINDLED DOWN FROM A FEW TO JUST 1 TURN!

WE MOVED 2 AUSTIN, & HAD OUR BEDROOM ON THE MAIN FLOOR, SO I CONTINUED SLEEPING W/MK. 1 DAY, MK APPEARED W/A TEMPUR-PEDIC OVERLAY 2 TRY. I LOVED IT. I COULD SLEEP 2-7 DAYS ON MY BACK, NOT NEEDING 2 TURN, SO WE WENT SHOPPING…

WHEN WE GOT A SEALY MEMORY FOAM MATTRESS, I STARTED SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT W/O NEEDING 2 BE TURNED, 4 ABOUT 2 WEEKS. BUT EVENTUALLY, I WOULD WAKE 1 NIGHT W/SORE HEELS, & NEED 2 TURN, OR BEND MY KNEES…BUT I CAN USUALLY ONLY BEND MY RIGHT KNEE, SO I WOULD WAKE MK, 2 TURN ME (OTHERWISE, I KEPTWAKING NIGHT AFTER NIGHT, GETTING SORE HEELS, UNLESS I SLEPT ON MY SIDE FOR 4 HRS).

RECENTLY, I HAD AN INCREDIBLE BREAKTHROUGH & EVERYTHING BEGAN 2 EXCEED MY GREATEST EXPECTATIONS: I HATED USING MY BODY PILLOW 2 OCCASIONALLY SUPPORT ME WHEN I TURNED…I KEPT THINKING, “IF IT AIN’T BROKE DON’T FIX IT.” BUT, I DECIDED 2 TRY SEVERAL THINGS ON MY BACK. WHILE LOOKING 4 HEEL PROTECTORS (& PRAYING 4 ANOTHER SOLUTION, SINCE I DON’T EVEN LIKE SOCKS ON MY FEET IN BED), I HAD AN IDEA…SO, I TRIED JUST PROPPING MY FEET UP W/A PILLOW UNDER MY CALVES…I HAVE NEVER SLEPT SO WELL, & I SLEPT AN HOUR LONGER! IT WAS AWESOME!

MY HEELS WERE OFF THE BED, & WHEN I WANTED 2, I BENT MY RIGHT KNEE (I NOW DO THAT IN MY SLEEP!) & MOVED THE PILLOW UP, SO MY KNEES WERE BENT, WITH MY FEET FLAT. I HATE TO THINK WHAT I WOULD HAVE MISSED OUT ON HAD I NOT KICKED MYSELF OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE & TRIED 2 MASTER SOMETHING NEW.

IT’S USUALLY MK WHO IS VERY GOOD AT KICKING ME OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE & TRYING 2 MASTER SOMETHING NEW. HE USED THIS APPROACH 2 LOWER THE AMOUNTS OF MY MEDICATIONS I STARTED WITH, & TO GET RID OF MY TRAVHE & G-TUBE, ETC. THESE DAYS, I ONLY GET BETTER BY TRYING NEW THINGS. IF I HAVE NO RESULT, I SOMETIMES WAIT, & THEN TRY AGAIN. THIS IS WHY I LOVE A QUOTE BY MARY ANNE RADMACHER: “Courage does not always roar. Sometimes, it is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, “I will try again tomorrow”.”

MY FRIEND, JACK RUSHTON, SAID IT BEST: “PRESIDENT MONSON QUOTED THE FOLLOWING LINE FROM THE OLD CIVIL WAR MOVIE “SHENANDOAH.” THE WORDS ARE SPOKEN BY JIMMY STEWART AS FOLLOWS, “IF WE DON’T TRY WE DON’T DO AND IF WE DON’T DO THEN WHY ARE WE HERE? TO ME THOSE ARE WORDS TO LIVE BY. I BELIEVE THERE ARE TIMES IN ALL OF OUR LIVES WHEN WE ARE TEMPTED TO GIVE UP OR GIVE IN BECAUSE THINGS THAT CONFRONT US ARE JUST TOO DIFFICULT TO DEAL WITH. OF COURSE IF WE QUIT TRYING WE QUIT DOING…”