Today was my first trip out of the house since being in the hospital. I don't want to bore you with the details, but suffice to say, I returned home on the 15th with a walker because I have generalized weakness on my right side. I've been couped up in the house until today, so I was very excited to get out.

My husband and I went to Costco to use a gift card one of my aunts had sent me.  We didn't have a handicapped placard, so my husband wasn't able to park up close.  But, as soon as we did park, he left me in the car and went to get a motorized scooter.  It was my first time using one of these, so even though the controls were fairly easy, I felt like I was learning to drive all over again.  I followed behind him and his cart trying not to run into corners or other people.  Backing up was a whole new experience.  The beeping scared the crap out of me the first time I heard it, and I was terrified every time I did need to back up.  Not that the scooter moved at any high rate of speed, but it was intimidating thinking that I might hit something or someone who didn't see me.  And of course I had to deal with the staring.  No one asked me why I was in the scooter, but it seemed I either got looks of sympathy or looks of disapproval -- disapproval from those who must have thought I was playing around.  When we finally got up to the register, my husband unloaded my little cart, and I looked for a way to get through to the other side of the register. No one even seemed to notice me sitting there, so I started inching forward until almost hitting one of the clerks who finally saw me and moved out of the way!  And then we finished our shopping trip the way we began. I sat patiently by the trunk of our car as my husband unloaded the groceries.  Then he helped me into the passenger seat, returned the cart and then returned my motorized scooter.

Tomorrow I get to rest, but then Wednesday and Thursday, I have doctor appointments. So, I'm definitely grateful for the experience today as it gave me a taste of the struggles involved with getting me ready to go out and then actually being out.  I can only hope that my current physical condition is temporary.