Shopping sucks

[bigmark1954]

I went Christmas tree shopping to by myself and had a terrible experience. My voice is so bad and quiet, that I couldn't even speak successfully when the sales people approached me. Maybe I should get ALS tattooed on my forehead or something.
It is getting real hard to go out in public now, and causing me great anxiety and just generally pissen me off. I can't seem to get used to it, and it is traumatic every flippen time.
I have actually written notes when I go shopping lately but they act like I am going to rob them or something!
Maybe if I wasn't so big & ugly it would be easier for me. I think many of them think I am drunk because I walk like I am.
Rant Over and YES I WOULD LIKE SOME WHINE WITH MY CHEESE!

 

[davbo49]

i say the h... with them. we got to do what we got to do. it was good you was able to get out. my son david came and took me an jane out. it felt good getting out. he took us out to eat. it wasn't good how i had to eat. but the h... with them of they didn't like it. i had fun for ones. but david did something i didn't want him to do. he sold hes car and got a van so i could get my wc in. he said he was getting it setup for my pwc. maybe i can get out more now.

 

[Jeff Long]

Mark,
Real men don't go Christmas shopping. He'll, we don't shop at all, we just buy!

 

[Nuts]

Big Mark, it does SUCK. Were you using your walker? You HAVE ALS---use the walker and people will know it's not a drunk approaching them. Boy has this experience made ME more concious of the difficulties people face in a world that is not truely handicap accessible.

Davbo, what a WONDERFUL son you have. For all the difficulties you've had, I'm SOOOOO glad he's doing what he's doing, and you need to let him.

Jeff, MY KIND OF MAN. Every woman should have one!

Me, I haven't had time to even think about Christmas yet. Shopping? Really? The kids are coming and I'm not even motivated to decorate, which I KNOW I must do, for them and for hubby. I know I can...I know I can....I know I can...

 

[gooseberry]

BigMark, my husband and I went out yesterday. 10minutes in best buy and he says gotta go...cant stand any longer. Get in the van and he tells me lets stop at walmart. I ask...are you going to.use a.scooter or wheelchair because its nuts in there and you know people will run into you. Nope I will be fine. I drop him and my son at the front and go to park.....my son comvinced him to use a wheelchair so he could enjoy being out. My son said people kept running into them and he was afraid his dad would fall! Husband said people were crazed and rude...

 

[dalvin]

That's the advantage of a pwc, people seem to realize that you can drive right over them with no effort at all.

 

[Nuts]

LOL, Dalvin I LOVE the image. And yes, I can attest to the power of that PWC :0

 

[davbo49]

thank you dalvin. now i was thinking a big bumper on it. for the walker a big loud horn and a cup holder you got to have one of them.

 

[dalvin]

Figure I don't need a bumper. Can always spin it around and full throttle in reverse should take care of them. Got the whole chair between you and them

 

[davbo49]

that will work lol

 

[GregK]

It's amazing how helpful folks get when I'm tooling around in my Pwc. I've had other shoppers offer to get stuff from high shelves and I actually had a cashier run to open a door.

 

[gooseberry]

Cant wait til my husband gets one....he has a loaner but we are waiting on a ramp to get it in the van. Va hasnt kicked in yet

 

[Barbie]

I hate Christmas...

no, I don't hate it I just don't like it so much.

hubby is doing 90% of the shopping/buying for our family--amazon dot com of course. he has a blast. people don't have sympathy for unsteady folks and they can't see that their shoving and pushing could really hurt someone. glad your son got the wheelchair for your husband steph. before our PWC we always took a scooter and that was perfect.

I remember once when shoppers were crowding around and being disrespectful and pushy my husband bumped someone ( kinda sorta on purpose) with his foot pedal on his PWC. actually right in the Achilles tendon so it hurt! the woman turned around blowing steam out her ears ready to lay into him--took one look at him in his wheelchair and snapped her mouth shut and got out of the way. he giggled the rest of the day.

 

[Clearwater AL]

In these new times we live in you're not suppose to give anyone alcohol, tobacco or cigars for Christmas. Well... that scratches half of the people I know off my list. I guess I'll give 'em all a potted plant. Or... a pot plant. Hmmm... not a bad idea!

And, for my poker playing buddies... I'll do a Grinch on them. I'm going to try and take their money.

PS. I'd better re-phrase that... "Win their money." (It's the nice way to take it.)

 

[Wondering Runner]

Phew! THanks for this thread. I needed a chuckle. Yep, my speach is slurry and with the cold weather we've had the spasticity in my jaw adds to the tongue gymnastics. It sucks. Friends assure me they're able to understand me and I get that they can. It's strangers and clerks and such that frustrate... I am poised and ready regardless of how my speech clarity is in a given moment (some days I'm not sure how words will come out until at the clerks counter 'cause I still live on my own and don't talk too much to myself) with a phrase sort of like; "sorry. I have ALS and it effects my speech". OR if I know I'll never see them again and if I have doubts the person knows what ALS is I simply tell them I have a speech issue.
Being in a power chair adds to my self-consciousness some days. I usually given a thought or two to how I appear to others by way of clothing or shoes... as if being polished clean will deflect society's cursory judgements. Absurd of me. But there you go. I have been considering handing pre-printed cards with "Please be patient with me. I am not drunk. I have a fatal disease that impacts my speech and movements." Too pathetic.
There were many days when I was out with walking sticks or a walker and the rudeness and inconsiderate accidental bumping into me overwhelmed me. Friends would point out my frustration as though I could overlook it readily. I couldn't and it blew me away. I snapped more than a few times. I tried. I did. Now in a PC I rarely go anywhere alone and I still get frustrated by some situations, but fortunately there is someone that out of the blue offers a hand in some way and I am nearly in tears. I do have pseudo-bulbar affect so that is part of it but still.
Ugh. Argh. Wah. Harumph. We do what we gotta do. When I see a hint of impatience I apologise and try not to get rattled or I'll make my speech worse. Take your time and be patient with yourself first. Your handsome (or not) mug has little to do with another's attitude.