We Are Trying To Delay Surgery While We Find Reliable Accessible Transportation

https://gofund.me/0400dcee2

Foot pain sounds simple until you’re the one staring at your shoes thinking, “I can’t do this today.” We’re checking in with a blunt, personal update on severe bunion pain, what the podiatrist says, and why we’re trying hard to keep surgery as a last resort. Recovery isn’t just inconvenient, it can mean months off your feet, lost strength, and a huge hit to independence. After a past hip replacement spiral that ended with aspiration pneumonia and an ICU stay, the risk calculation looks very different.

Then we pivot to the other half of the same problem: transportation. If you don’t have reliable mobility, every medical decision gets heavier. We talk about raising money through a GoFundMe, visiting a dealer, and trying to line up a wheelchair accessible van in Phoenix, Arizona. We get specific about what “handicapped accessible vehicle” needs to include, from a ramp to a workable seating and transfer setup. We also share what we’re looking for brand-wise, why a newer Chrysler Pacifica is the goal, and why the used market can be a minefield when you’ve already dealt with breakdowns.

We also touch the real-world obstacles people rarely say out loud: grant hunting, credit issues, the need for a co-signer, and the safety concerns that come with ride share, especially as a woman. If you’ve ever dealt with chronic pain, disability logistics, or just the stress of keeping your life moving when your body refuses to cooperate, this conversation will feel familiar.

Subscribe for more honest updates, share this with someone who understands accessibility, and leave a review to help more listeners find us. What’s your best tip for finding grants or affordable accessible vans?

Transcript

Welcome And Quick Housekeeping

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Good evening, everyone. Welcome to another episode of Ask Man. Yes, I st yes, I still haven't done the um cover. Yes, I still haven't put the link to the GoFundMe. I don't know. I mean, I'll put the link to the GoFundMe for the band, which I'm going to look at tomorrow, so um we'll see what happens. But I will put the GoFundMe and I will do the cover artwork uh this weekend now that I yeah. I'm also dealing with another small semi small issue that's now it was small, but it's now turned into a medium issue. But I'm trying to bring back the small issue and not worry about it. But we I have bunny ends on my feet and yeah. For those of you that know, um, and this can happen to anyone, it doesn't happen to just to all people, it can happen to the young and the old and disabled or no dis no disability old body alike. So for those of you that know bunnies are painful, so they didn't recommend surgery, but I'm trying to save surgery to last resort here. So I saw podiatrist on the 3rd of April, which was last week. I called him again today and they said and I said, well, this is so painful. I need to come in to the office to do another visit because um this is so painful. I mean, you guys I can barely put a shoe on, let alone wear it to the extent of time. Now, yes, I um have a bunion on my left foot, but that's smaller that can be shaved down. The one on my right, however, needs toes broken and to get to the bunion. Can't be wait for a certain amount of months, which I'm that's what I'm trying to avoid because after this whole hip, it took me about seven months to finally figure out I need a hip I need a IHP replacement, so uh a certain amount of time down on down on my feet doesn't help anyone well anyone, especially those who walk and then they have a disability on top of it. So five months non-weight billion isn't good for me. So it's not good for anyone. Of course it's weak. They get weak. So we're trying I'm trying to hold on to hope that there is another option, but surgery may be done this winter, not this summer. My god, if I have to have another surgery this summer, I think if we one would have a hissy fit. Because if you guys remember the hip replacement saga, the hip replacement saga ended me um up in the ICU in a hospital that was way too far for everyone that loved me and way too far for everyone that cared about me down here and scared everyone half to death and landed me up in the ICU. So thank you, aspiration pneumonia, for that. Thank you, chocolate cake, that led to the aspiration pneumonia. So I don't think surgery is going to be my best option right now, and um I think I have to wait until at least time to have it done and then um and then see where I start all over again without a bunch in uh in 2027. So that's um the update on that. But I am going to look at the band tomorrow. I will put the GoFundMe up tonight again. I will put the GoFundMe at on top of the show notes, I will put the GoFundMe at the bottom of the show notes, I will put the GoFundMe on Facebook too. So if you guys want to support and share the GoFundMe, um that would be great. And so even if you want to support the GoFundMe financially, that would even be wonderful as well. So I'm excited to see the band and get this process rolling once in fall, and I mean rolling as an under van rolling in my driveway once in fall, no more hearing and high and hear me and high no more because yeah, I need a van and this is these um these ride the share services, including the bus, um the handicapped bus down here, here being Phoenix, Arizona isn't the greatest, so I need a vehicle. I need a vehicle, but um we'll see what happens tomorrow and if they have any good deals or ways that I can find a gram. I'm having to apply for a gram to I'm gonna I am need a vehicle and I need the certain stuff I need on a said vehicle, so we'll see what happens and we'll see what happens. Um I'm hoping to get it by my birthday, but we'll on my birthday actually, but we'll see what happened. And if there's a grant there's a grant, or if anyone knows any secret ways how to get the um vehicle, that would be great. Um I don't have the best credit score in the world, so I would need a co-signer, but this all another story for today. If anyone who's listening can um help me with a handicapped accessible band, the newer the better I'm looking at Chrysler, I'm not looking at Toyota's seeanna's, I the last one I can see out of. But um I'm looking at Chrysler, I'm staying away from the Dodge vans because the Dodge vans, the older ones, you get too much trouble. So at least with mine. So and I will get that story in the next episode. Mine has to be to annoy, so I'm trying to stay from away from the used um vehicle market. So if anyone has any uh ideas to um get a vehicle to me down in Phoenix, Arizona, if anyone has any ends um with people down in Phoenix, Arizona, and maybe even discussion uh that would be wonderful because I need a vehicle and desperate here. Well, I'm not desperate, but I um am sick of dealing with ride checks and physics, and then I gave up on a bus a long time ago and I can't stay in this house. So, um you guys know me, for those of you that know me personally know that I'm only gonna go, so I can't. Seven months in the bed was enough for me, and five months without one foot again would just be awful. So that's why I said bunny and surgery may have to wait into the winter um till I can get around to doing it when I'm not so busy on it. May have to come in July instead of June. It may have to come in July, not June, but well um we're working on it. We're also working on getting me a vehicle once in fall. And as I said, the newer the Chrysler the Chrysler Pacifica um the better. And if it comes with modifications, great. If it doesn't, I can um easily find out if this shop I'm going to Denal um will modify it for me. Uh will I can easily call the other dealership I was originally looking at um see if they can modify it, but I would prefer the mod com listen and when I say mod, uh handicapped accessible vehicle, which would mean a ramp and preferably the front seat removed and obviously the space for me to get into the back seat to drive up to the front seat, or maybe a seat can come all the way to the ground and I'll just transfer. As I said, maybe a seat can just come all the way to the ground and I'll just transfer from the trail, but I don't see how that can work with a handicapped accessible van, but we'll make it work, you guys, and this is why I'm asking for your help because I can pay the gas. I can pay for the gas. I just can't pay for the big vans that come in and pick you up. Uh today the little one was a different company, but that's a long story. I use two VID share companies and not Uber and Lyft, although I could now I could use Uber and Lyft, but I don't really want to as a woman. That's a that's a long story in itself. Why? Because women and Ubers and Lyfts don't get along. So um although Lyft has uh women, um it has a function on if a woman that can pair women with women drivers, which makes it a heck of a lot safer than those. Um so we'll just see what tomorrow has to be and I'll keep you guys updated and as you guys know if you guys can reach out to me via Daniel or you could reach out to me on Facebook or LinkedIn, just look me up, add me, and then we'll figure out from there, or I can DM uh PM my phone number, or Daniel has my phone number too, and um you guys can give it a shot, just say who you are, and um the reason why you're uh sending a text message so I know because I get a ton of text messages like we all do. So I'm gonna let Danielle us out and we'll see you guys next week. Thank you for following us, you guys. Like she said, if you could hear her what the cute pony said, thank you for following us, you guys, and we'll see you guys next week. Bye you guys.