Making a Change
Years later we inherited after my in-laws passed away. Without a thought we paid off our house. By that time my world was limited to the bedroom/bathroom part of the house. We decided to make a change so that I could once again be an active member of the family. We sat down at the computer and figured out a floor plan for an addition. My husband worked with an architect, contractor and the county in order to make it ADA compliant. It opened up the entire back of the house.
We added:
- A master suite with a roll-in shower (with grab bars)
- An indoor laundry
- A good size family room with a half-bath
- Ramps to the yards and into the garage
It opened up my world again. It was expensive but absolutely necessary.
Once again there is a humorous side to it. My husband had entered a contest on the radio without telling me. While everyone was gone at school one day I got a phone call from the radio station. Remember… I didn't even know about the contest. The call was from one of the managers at the radio station. He told me excitedly that we had won the grand prize.
I hesitantly asked what we had won. His answer surprised me to say the very least – we had won a remote-controlled, thermostatically controlled Swedish toilet seat! It even rinsed you and blew you dry.
My husband installed it in the half-bath off the family room. He would walk from wherever he was in the house or the yard just to use that silly toilet. Frankly, I didn't share his enthusiasm. We had groups of kids from our church over occasionally. They visited that bathroom in groups of three and four and came out laughing every time.
For your information, we no longer have that toilet seat. My husband exited the bathroom one day with a very quizzical look on his face. After he stood up, the silly thing had squirted the wall in front of it. It seemed to have developed a mind of its own. We felt like we would wake up in the middle of the night and there it would be staring at us. It was time for it to go!
Since then we've also purchased a very necessary mobility van with a ramp. I can now stay in my chair from the time I’m transferred into it until the time we get home. It, too, is an expensive item but it's worth every penny.
We bought our miscellaneous medical supplies and roll-in shower from Live Well Medical, and the mobility van from Mobility Works.
Read MS Home Adaptations for tips on adapting your home for MS to keep you safe and mobile.
