Hey everyone! I had a few days' break recently, which was great. The rainy street and a long stretch of hours for writing... Now that's my kind of vacation. I present you with Chapter Twelve. Things are getting intense this week. Enjoy!
Last week:
Cassia and Aster share an intimate moment. Molly is subjected to an earth shattering experience, and Aster gets waxed. Cassia and Aster find Molly feverish on the couch.
And, as always, The Table of Contents.
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Monday, February 27, 2017
Update to The Diaper Problem
This story seems to be bouncing around. First it was Friday, then I thought for sure Wednesday was free, but it turned out I stole someone else's day :(. Soooo.... let's go with Monday. There's only one part left anyway, which I'll put up next Monday.
Chapter 3 of Jamie's saga
And here's Chapter 1 and Chapter 2, in case you want to read from the beginning.
Also, thanks for all the comments. Seriously, I was floored. I posted one of my quad stories in the past and one of the few comments I got was that they liked the story but that "nobody is really turned on by this stuff."
Chapter 3 of Jamie's saga
And here's Chapter 1 and Chapter 2, in case you want to read from the beginning.
Also, thanks for all the comments. Seriously, I was floored. I posted one of my quad stories in the past and one of the few comments I got was that they liked the story but that "nobody is really turned on by this stuff."
Sunday, February 26, 2017
New Story: Letting Go
Hi everyone,
this story originally was a one-shot that kind of got out of hands... It comes in three parts now! I am not claiming Sundays and am just going to post on free days when there is no other post scheduled. Hope that's okay with everyone.
The story is a bit of a reversed pretender story and I am not going to tag the disability yet. I am sure you guys will be quick in figuring it out though =)
Have fun with Letting Go - Part I!
Lovis
this story originally was a one-shot that kind of got out of hands... It comes in three parts now! I am not claiming Sundays and am just going to post on free days when there is no other post scheduled. Hope that's okay with everyone.
The story is a bit of a reversed pretender story and I am not going to tag the disability yet. I am sure you guys will be quick in figuring it out though =)
Have fun with Letting Go - Part I!
Lovis
Saturday, February 25, 2017
Love UnSeen - New Episode (Finally)
So I thought I'd lost my day.
I've been so sick the last three weeks in particular, being hit with everything at once, it seems. I wanted so much to write and even more to be able to post something for you, but I was too sick and in too much pain to do much of anything.
I didn't realize I'd lost my day and had initially published this on Wednesday. I honestly thought the other story was a draft. I think the confusion came about because when I started formatting the story it *was* still a draft... Regardless, I've spoken to Lee and the author and I'll be able to start posting again on Wednesdays.
I can't promise that I'll be able to make every single week, but I'm going to try to at least post every other week from now on. I'm hoping that I'll *finally* be ready to start posting In/Exhale again soon. I'm so sorry it's been on hiatus for so long as that was never my intent.
For now, I hope you'll enjoy the second half of part 07 of Love UnSeen. I'm sorry that I couldn't post this as one complete chapter. You might want to re-read the first part to refresh your memory before reading:
I appreciate your feedback. Thank you.
-CA
PS - Table of Contents (updated for those who want to catch up or re-read any previous parts)
I've been so sick the last three weeks in particular, being hit with everything at once, it seems. I wanted so much to write and even more to be able to post something for you, but I was too sick and in too much pain to do much of anything.
I didn't realize I'd lost my day and had initially published this on Wednesday. I honestly thought the other story was a draft. I think the confusion came about because when I started formatting the story it *was* still a draft... Regardless, I've spoken to Lee and the author and I'll be able to start posting again on Wednesdays.
I can't promise that I'll be able to make every single week, but I'm going to try to at least post every other week from now on. I'm hoping that I'll *finally* be ready to start posting In/Exhale again soon. I'm so sorry it's been on hiatus for so long as that was never my intent.
For now, I hope you'll enjoy the second half of part 07 of Love UnSeen. I'm sorry that I couldn't post this as one complete chapter. You might want to re-read the first part to refresh your memory before reading:
Love UnSeen - 07 - pt 2
I appreciate your feedback. Thank you.
-CA
PS - Table of Contents (updated for those who want to catch up or re-read any previous parts)
Friday, February 24, 2017
New Devo Diary
Seems like no one else is posting on Free Friday this week, so here is a new Devo Diary.
Chapter 26: Skippy Boy Genius part 1
Table of Contents
Thanks again for the comments. I really appreciate it!
Chapter 26: Skippy Boy Genius part 1
Table of Contents
Thanks again for the comments. I really appreciate it!
Thursday, February 23, 2017
New Beginnings Chapter 7
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
The Diaper Problem continues
From the number of comments, it looks like at least some of you are interested in reading more of this story about a high quad, and it doesn't look like anyone is posting on Wednesdays. On a related note, it's comforting to know that other people are into the darker things that I like. Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only one.
Part 2 of The Diaper Problem
(And here's Part 1, for anyone who missed it and is interested.)
Part 2 of The Diaper Problem
(And here's Part 1, for anyone who missed it and is interested.)
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Reckless Behavior Chapter Eleven
Hi guys! I'm back with anything chapter of Reckless Behavior. To those of you still reading, I have to say that I love your feedback! It really gives me encouragement when I'm stuck at a tough part in the story. So thank you!
So without further ado, I present
Chapter Eleven
Table of Contents
And as always, last week's summary:
Aster and Cassia argue about his care, and they share an awkward morning together. Samuel is still suspicious. Dr. Moscowitz threatens Aster, and Cassia is jealous of Molly and Aster's amicable relationship.
Sunday, February 19, 2017
The Best Man... hiatus
I tried, you guys. I thought I could keep up with the story, writing a chapter a week, but I couldn't. I had to force myself to write the last chapter, and it felt like I was churning out terrible writing just to have something to post. I can't write this way. It's too much pressure!
So in summary, The Best Man is on hiatus indefinitely. If anyone wants to start posting on Sunday, the day is yours.
That said, I wanted to have something for you. So below is an early chapter I really liked from (Almost) Happily Ever After that, if you haven't read the book, will hopefully be entertaining to you. I tried to make it as devvy as possible. There's a stairlift, you guys. I really tried.
Libby and Will go to Coney Island
So in summary, The Best Man is on hiatus indefinitely. If anyone wants to start posting on Sunday, the day is yours.
That said, I wanted to have something for you. So below is an early chapter I really liked from (Almost) Happily Ever After that, if you haven't read the book, will hopefully be entertaining to you. I tried to make it as devvy as possible. There's a stairlift, you guys. I really tried.
Libby and Will go to Coney Island
Will drives us
out to Coney Island. For someone like me, owning a car in Manhattan is a huge
liability, but Will loves his Toyota Prius. It has hand controls, which is
obviously the only way he’d be able to drive it. Public transportation is
difficult when you’re in a wheelchair—accessible stations occur only
sporadically and the accessibility can get shut down without any notice. Also,
getting a cab is impossible. He seems to really like driving, which is a good
thing considering you will never see me getting behind the wheel in this crazy
city. I only keep my driver’s license around for identification purposes or
when I borrow a car to go visit my parents upstate.
On top of that,
Will’s got handicapped plates (obviously), so we get all the good parking. We’re
lucky to have the plates because it’s probably the last nice day of the fall
and parking looks like it would be a nightmare. And I’m currently wearing The
Most Uncomfortable Sandals in the World. They were gorgeous when I saw them in
Macy’s and I still love how they look, but it turned out that… well, you know.
Friday, February 17, 2017
Note to all authors
Please makes sure to add a label with the title of your story on ALL CHAPTERS. This label should NOT be on the update posts, only on the chapters. That way, when someone clicks on a label, all the chapters will appear in order. I was browsing just now and I realized that a lot of you are not adding this label. I was going to add them myself, but then stopped when I realized how many there were that needed to be fixed.
The Diaper Problem
Hey all, it's Aloha, Author of High Quad Stories. This isn't meant to be a long, multi-part story, but I did write a few more parts to this. However, since it doesn't look like there are currently any days available, I don't know if I'm going to be able to post any more of this one, but I'll at least put this part up for now. It's a little uncomfortable, so I'm not sure if many people will even enjoy it. I won't be offended if you don't, lol.
The Diaper Problem
It all started during dinner with
the Rosenthals.
It was something that Cathy and I
had been looking forward to for weeks.
We met Dave and Michelle Rosenthal at the orientation for Leo’s daycare,
and we’d hit it off. Okay, we sort of hit it off. Dave and I chatted about the baseball game
that weekend, and Michelle and Cathy talked about potty training or bras or
whatever the hell women talk about. When
we left the orientation, Michelle said to us, “We’ll all have to get together
for dinner sometime!”
I told Cathy that they didn’t really mean it. Of course they didn’t. They didn’t actually
want to be friends with us. We’re not the kind of couple who has
friends—not in any real sort of way. I
make people feel awkward, and the conversations are always stilted with big
phony smiles, and patronizing nods. And
wondering when the soonest they could leave would be without it being outright rude.
Thursday, February 16, 2017
New Beginnings Chapter 6
Hello friends,
it is after midnight Thursday morning and I just finished editing the chapter for this week. I have been working more these past couple of days and so I squeezed in when I could to edit and reread the chapter. It seems that every time I go over a chapter I make a little change here and there, there is always something. I also tried to make the font larger but didn't know how. I will try to figure that out because I know the words are very small. Sorry about that. Anyhow, hope the chapter is up to speed for this week and so I give you Chapter 6 of NB. Anna takes Shane to her place and there are some challenges but also lots of moments when they become even closer to each other. Hope you enjoy! Let me know and thanks to everyone reading and commenting. Big hug, Yours, Dani
TOC NB
it is after midnight Thursday morning and I just finished editing the chapter for this week. I have been working more these past couple of days and so I squeezed in when I could to edit and reread the chapter. It seems that every time I go over a chapter I make a little change here and there, there is always something. I also tried to make the font larger but didn't know how. I will try to figure that out because I know the words are very small. Sorry about that. Anyhow, hope the chapter is up to speed for this week and so I give you Chapter 6 of NB. Anna takes Shane to her place and there are some challenges but also lots of moments when they become even closer to each other. Hope you enjoy! Let me know and thanks to everyone reading and commenting. Big hug, Yours, Dani
TOC NB
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
B-L-I-N-D?!
1.
Hearing sucks.
Then you tell me I’m crazy, because I should be thankful and all that shit, but let me tell you something: it’s definitely not fucking cool being the only hearie in a family that prides itself in the fact that the last hearing person is rotting away in a coffin for almost a hundred years. It’s not. Especially when you’re a kid trying to fit in.
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Reckless Behavior Chapter Ten
Hey everyone! So after my lengthly break of two weeks, I'm back with Chapter Ten. Things are still super busy around here, but I went to a snow festival this weekend, which was a great way to take a break. Nothing like a ten-foot tall ice sculpture to amp my writing juices. Thanks for your patience!
Last week...
Samuel is suspicious of Aster's sudden paralysis. Cassia scopes out the strip mall and gets a job there. Molly dresses Aster, and when Cassia returns and sees what she's done, she freaks out.
Table of Contents
Monday, February 13, 2017
New Devo Diary
Holy moly, it's a new Devo Diary! I'm on a roll but I'm not sure how long I can keep up this pace. If anyone really wants to start posting regularly on Mondays, just let me know.
In last week's chapter, I was unceremoniously dumped by Rollerboy, who begged to get back together a few weeks later. I said no because I was already seeing a new AB guy named Kevin, who seemed so promising. And now, here is Devo Diary Chapter 25: Kevin. It's a little shorter than usual which doesn't bode well for my relationship with Kevin.
Here is the Table of Contents, if you need to get caught up or want to read the complete Rollerboy saga.
Thanks very much to everyone who reads and comments--I really appreciate it!
In last week's chapter, I was unceremoniously dumped by Rollerboy, who begged to get back together a few weeks later. I said no because I was already seeing a new AB guy named Kevin, who seemed so promising. And now, here is Devo Diary Chapter 25: Kevin. It's a little shorter than usual which doesn't bode well for my relationship with Kevin.
Here is the Table of Contents, if you need to get caught up or want to read the complete Rollerboy saga.
Thanks very much to everyone who reads and comments--I really appreciate it!
Sunday, February 12, 2017
Friday, February 10, 2017
Free Friday Porn, uh... Short!
Actually this short story is rather on the long side. Does not need much explaining, it's steamy, it features two males, one of them a quad CP. Totally my cup of tea recently =)
Enjoy Different Shores!
Not enough yet? Go to The Secret Stash for more.
Lovis
Enjoy Different Shores!
Not enough yet? Go to The Secret Stash for more.
Lovis
Thursday, February 9, 2017
New Beginnings Chapter 5
Hi NB friends,
I barely got this week's chapter edited and it is Wednesday evening now, almost midnight. So thanks to everyone who has been reading this story and has been commenting. I was surprised to see two German comments last week, I would love to know who you are. It's always a bit sad when I see "Anonymous" and I have no idea at all who and where my readers are. Anyways, I bring you Chapter 5 of NB this week. It is somewhat long again but you will get to know Shane some more and also find Anna and Shane getting a lot closer. When reading and editing I do realize similarities to my other stories but I guess that's just the way my stories go. NB being really my very first dev story ever I guess it set the tone for things to come afterwards. I appreciate all my readers and all your comments. Thanks so much, enjoy the chapter for this week.
Hugs, Dani
TOC New Beginnings
I barely got this week's chapter edited and it is Wednesday evening now, almost midnight. So thanks to everyone who has been reading this story and has been commenting. I was surprised to see two German comments last week, I would love to know who you are. It's always a bit sad when I see "Anonymous" and I have no idea at all who and where my readers are. Anyways, I bring you Chapter 5 of NB this week. It is somewhat long again but you will get to know Shane some more and also find Anna and Shane getting a lot closer. When reading and editing I do realize similarities to my other stories but I guess that's just the way my stories go. NB being really my very first dev story ever I guess it set the tone for things to come afterwards. I appreciate all my readers and all your comments. Thanks so much, enjoy the chapter for this week.
Hugs, Dani
TOC New Beginnings
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Sorry, everyone
For those of you still reading Reckless Behavior... No new chapter for this week. Really sorry. And I especially feel guilty since somebody commented a while ago how reliable I am. Guess not.
Anyway, I teach art and just recently took on a shitload of extra classes, and everything's going way over my head, and I'm trying to piece together my portfolio for an upcoming interview and I haven't slept in a while. So there's my rant.
Ps. Thank you to those of you who are still reading my story. I know it's a little out there, and it's got more subplots than some other stories. So thank you. And sorry, again!
Monday, February 6, 2017
New Devo Diary
Hi everyone! It's time for another update of Devo Diary. If you are new, or maybe just forgot, this is my real life as a devotee. It's all true, not fiction. Annabelle said I should call it "Hot Sexy Quad" but that might be misleading. Real life is not as satisfying as a romance novel, unfortunately.
Anyway here we are with Chapter 24, Part 10 of the Rollerboy saga.
If you're new, here is the Table of Contents. I recommend reading at least the other Rollerboy chapters first.
Thanks very much to everyone who has been reading and commenting so far. I really appreciate it!
Anyway here we are with Chapter 24, Part 10 of the Rollerboy saga.
If you're new, here is the Table of Contents. I recommend reading at least the other Rollerboy chapters first.
Thanks very much to everyone who has been reading and commenting so far. I really appreciate it!
Sunday, February 5, 2017
(Almost) Happily Ever After
So I am taking a hiatus from The Best Man, at least for this week, but I have something else for you. I recently released a new book that is a sequel to The Ugly Duckling, the saga of Will and Libby.
You can pick up a copy of the book (Almost) Happily Ever After on Amazon today!
This is from the blurb:
Libby Saunders was an ugly duckling who dreamed of a magical happily ever after.
Finally, after many, many (many) years of looking, Libby found her handsome prince who would whisk her off into the sunset on a white stallion. He wasn’t exactly the prince she had always dreamed of, but he was so much better. And they kissed and lived happily ever after.
Well… almost.
Because in real life, sometimes it’s not so easy. In real life, the prince might be a workaholic who rarely sees the light of day. Or the princess might notice she’s been off birth control for two whole years, but where are all the new little princes or princesses?
Why can’t happily ever after be as easy as it is in the fairy tales?
Also, while you can read the beginning of the book with Amazon's Look Inside feature, I'm including below a story-length excerpt of one of my favorite Libby/Will scenes from a little further along in the book. Please enjoy!
(Almost) Happily Ever After: An Excerpt
You can pick up a copy of the book (Almost) Happily Ever After on Amazon today!
This is from the blurb:
Libby Saunders was an ugly duckling who dreamed of a magical happily ever after.
Finally, after many, many (many) years of looking, Libby found her handsome prince who would whisk her off into the sunset on a white stallion. He wasn’t exactly the prince she had always dreamed of, but he was so much better. And they kissed and lived happily ever after.
Well… almost.
Because in real life, sometimes it’s not so easy. In real life, the prince might be a workaholic who rarely sees the light of day. Or the princess might notice she’s been off birth control for two whole years, but where are all the new little princes or princesses?
Why can’t happily ever after be as easy as it is in the fairy tales?
Also, while you can read the beginning of the book with Amazon's Look Inside feature, I'm including below a story-length excerpt of one of my favorite Libby/Will scenes from a little further along in the book. Please enjoy!
(Almost) Happily Ever After: An Excerpt
When we get
outside, Will gets straight down to business. “Listen,” he says, “remember how
the other day you were talking about… you know, getting pregnant?”
Saturday, February 4, 2017
Skin and Scars Chapter 14
Hello everyone! I am excited to bring you another chapter of Skin and Scars. Again, I do apologize for the long wait, but I hope you enjoy the new material nonetheless.
And also...
Thursday, February 2, 2017
New Beginnings - Chapter 4
Hello friends of NB,
another week gone by and here I am with another chapter. Thanks to everyone reading and commenting on last week's chapter of NB. I really hope you like the story of Anna and Shane. Here is Chapter 4 of New Beginnings where Anna says her final Good Bye to her brother and is contacted by Shane again. Enjoy reading and let me know if you like it. You all mean a lot to me and my writing. Thanks so much!
Hugs, Dani
TOC New Beginnings
another week gone by and here I am with another chapter. Thanks to everyone reading and commenting on last week's chapter of NB. I really hope you like the story of Anna and Shane. Here is Chapter 4 of New Beginnings where Anna says her final Good Bye to her brother and is contacted by Shane again. Enjoy reading and let me know if you like it. You all mean a lot to me and my writing. Thanks so much!
Hugs, Dani
TOC New Beginnings
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
The Diaper Problem, Part 2
I’ve had a delay with my most recent
freelance web design project and I need to let the people who hired me know
about it. I’ve got my headphones on my
head with the mouthpiece next to my lips, and I dictate the letter using Dragon
Naturally Speaking. What I would like
the letter to say is:
Dear Jeff,
I’ve been hard at work on the
changes you wanted me to make on your website, but I’ll need a few extra
days. I should have everything done by
Friday.
Thanks,
Jamie
Here’s what it actually says:
I've been hard at work on the change if you want to been awake on your website, but I'll need a few extra days. I should have everything done by Friday.
Thanks,
Jamie
Close, but nonsensical. I need to change the first sentence that I
dictated so it actually makes sense.
Probably the vast majority of people who use this program can simply
highlight the part they want to fix and type in the changes, but I can’t. I have to do everything using voice
commands. And while Dragon isn’t a bad
program, it’s far from perfect.
“Correct ‘if you want to been
awake,’” I say.
It highlights the phrase, then
offers me some choices for other things it thinks I might have said. The second option is correct.
“Select two,” I say.
Now what the program is supposed to
do is insert the second phrase into my text.
But instead, it writes “select two” in place of the sentence. So now the sentence reads: “I've been hard at
work on the change select two on your website, but I'll need a few extra days.”
Fuck.
I want my emails to sound
professional. Jeff has hired me on
several jobs so far and I want him to keep hiring me. Also, he’s not going to be understanding
about me being a quadriplegic, because he doesn’t know I’m a quadriplegic. He has no idea. None of the people who hire me know that I’m
disabled. Why should they?
I try again. “Select ‘select two,’” I say.
Dragon doesn’t like this
command. It’s spinning its wheels,
trying to figure it out. It would be so
much easier if I could just reach down and correct those few letters with my
keyboard. But I can’t.
And then the damn computer is
frozen.
If Cathy were here, I’d ask her to
do a hard restart for me. But
unfortunately, I’m alone. I’m not alone
often, but it’s sometimes a necessity.
My morning caregiver leaves around 9:30 and my mother will come to help
me at lunch at eleven. So that’s an hour
and a half gap where I’m alone. I have
the PCA set me up at my computer, and we all just hope I won’t need anything
until eleven. Which I usually don’t.
It’s just past ten now, which means
my mother won’t be coming over to help me for almost an hour. So that means I have to restart the computer
myself. Fortunately, in the front pocket
of my T-shirt, my PCA has placed a stick with a mouthpiece that I can use to do
the hard reset myself.
I bend my head forward as far as it
will go, and grasp the mouthpiece between my teeth. When I’m certain that I’m grasping it
securely, I carefully pull it out of my pocket.
I then lean forward as far as I can, reaching for the power button on
the computer with the point of the stick.
I hit it.
Not hard enough.
I lean forward further. The belt across my chest keeps me from going
too far, which is probably a good thing considering it’s the only thing keeping
me from falling forward in my chair and not being able to get back up. But I only get a few more millimeters of
distance. I press as hard as I can and
in the process, the mouthpiece slips from my lips.
I watch in horror as the stick falls
from my mouth and clatters onto the desk in front of me. Then it just lies there.
It’s so close. It’s right in front of me, six inches from my
fingers. But it might as well be in
Mars. I can’t reach that stick. There’s no acrobatics I can do that will get
me that stick, short of telekinesis. I’m
fucked.
Well, so much for writing a letter
to Jeff. I guess I’ll do it when my
mother comes.
I figure I’ll watch television in
the living room until she gets here.
Cathy set up one of those Alexa systems that I can control with my
voice, so it’s pretty foolproof. It can
be frustrating at times, like everything else, but I’m better off now than if
I’d been a quad twenty years ago.
I lean my head back, shaking it
until the headset falls off and lies around my shoulders. It’s still plugged in to the computer, but if
I back up quick, it will yank the cord out.
I’ve done it before—it will be fine.
I lean forward to bring the mouth
controls for my chair closer to my lips, but then I realize something else
horrifying. When my PCA put my headset
on, she twisted my sip and puff controls all the way to the side. They are too far away for my lips to reach
them.
I want to kill her. She knew
I was going to be alone here for over an hour.
How could she not make sure my controls were within reach?
But really, it’s my fault. I should have checked.
This is fucking depressing. I can’t
help but feel the true extent of my limitations when I’m staring at my
wheelchair controls six inches away from my face and unable to reach them. Independent with mobility? Sure, if somebody doesn’t move my goddamn
control just a couple of inches away from me.
So now I’m stuck here, staring at
the frozen computer screen for the next hour.
Thank God it’s no more than an hour.
I’d been telling Cathy that it was fine for her to leave me alone for
two or three hours, acting like a big shot.
But it’s clear that even an hour is probably too long for me to be
entirely alone.
It sucks. I’m in my mid-thirties, an adult, and I feel
like I should be able to stay on my own.
But it’s clear that it’s not realistic.
I’m not sure how we’re supposed to fill in the gaps though. There’s a teenage girl who lives two blocks
down who stayed with me for three hours a day last summer—she fed me lunch and
helped me with whatever I needed. It
wasn’t a bad situation—she was a nice enough girl and she didn’t charge too
much. She didn’t help me with any
personal stuff back then, but she told Cathy that she was thinking about
nursing school and might be willing to get trained in some aspects of my
personal care next summer. At the very
least, she could learn to empty my leg bag.
Sure, it was a little awkward to
hear her refer to me on the phone as “the disabled guy I babysit for.” But that was a small thing.
Cathy wants me to spend a couple of
days a week at an adult day program.
Those programs are really for old people with dementia, but there’s a
local one that does take people with severe disabilities who can’t be left
alone during the day. They wouldn’t be
able to provide any physical care, but they told us that it would probably be a
good exercise for the other residents to feed me and help me with other
things. But I nixed the idea, partially
because I do work during the day and this would keep me from my computer, and
also because I hated the idea of being in what is essentially day care for
adults.
Eleven o’clock rolls around and I
start to get panicky. Where’s my
mother? She’s usually on time. I make one last ditch reach to try to bring
my wheelchair controls close enough to use, but it’s hopeless. I’m stuck until she gets here.
Five minutes later, I hear the lock
turning and blow out a sigh of relief.
Mom strolls into the house, and immediately ruffles my hair, even though
she knows I hate that.
“Everything okay, Jamie?” she asks.
“Can you move my controls?” I ask
her, before even explaining about the computer.
“Oh, dear,” Mom murmurs. She brings the controls to my lips and I’m
flooded with relief. I’ve got my
mobility back. I move away from the computer
and immediately do a weight shift backward.
I’ve been in the same position way too long and I don’t want to get a
sore.
My mother restarts the computer with
one button press, then feels my leg bag to make sure it doesn’t need to be
changed. She doesn’t even ask
anymore—she just grabs it. “Your diaper
is clean?” she asks.
“Yes,” I say.
“Should I check?”
Her checking would involve
unstrapping me from my chair, then leaning me forward to get a peek
inside. But the truth is, I can tell
when it needs to be changed by the smell.
“No, it’s fine.”
Mom smiles. “Let’s make lunch then.”
Since the computer is busy
rebooting, I follow my mother to the kitchen where she prepares my lunch. Whatever it’s going to be will be something
low fat and low calorie. Right after my
injury, I lost a bunch of weight and couldn’t seem to gain it back. That trend continued for several years. But lately—I’m not sure if it’s just that I’m
getting into my mid-thirties and my metabolism stinks, but I’ve been gaining
weight. Too much weight.
As a quad, I really can’t risk being
overweight. It will put me at risk for
skin breakdown and make it harder to do my care. But on the other hand, I can’t exactly go to
the gym and work off the extra weight.
So my only option is to diet.
So far, I’m not sure it’s working.
Ever since I lost the muscles in my trunk, my belly has jutted out, but I was
never fat exactly. But now my gut has
definitely packed on some extra weight, to the point where my pants that have
buttons don’t button anymore. And the
sweatpants leave behind a scary indentation.
Cathy had to buy me all new pants.
And my shirts all stretch over my belly.
On the plus side, at least my face
has filled in again and doesn’t look so skeletal anymore.
“How long do you need me to stay
with you?” Mom asks me as she starts chopping lettuce.
“Cathy is coming back at two,” I
say. “We’ve got a doctor’s appointment.”
She raises her eyebrows. “Everything okay?”
I haven’t told my mother about my
new mission. I know she’d say I’m being
ridiculous or vain. She sees nothing
wrong with the fact that I need diapers.
She can’t figure out why it bothers me.
“Just a check-up,” I say.
I’ll tell her when it works.
My lunch turns out to be a salad
with low fat dressing. It’s fine. I like salad, and I definitely want to work
on this weight issue. Mom puts the salad
bowl down in front of me, spears some lettuce with a fork, and holds it out for
me to eat. Of all the people who feed me
regularly, my mother is actually my preference.
She’s very patient. My father is
the worst at it. Well, technically, Leo
is the worst at it, but of the adults, Dad is worst. He won’t wait for me to finish one bite
before he’s got the next ready, and he doesn’t like waiting. I end up wearing a lot of my meal, which Leo
thinks is hilarious. Daddy, you need a bib.
Yes, that’s just what I need in my
life. A fucking bib.
As Mom feeds me, I focus on my
doctor’s appointment. This could potentially change my life. I just hope Cathy is open to what the doctor
has to say.
To be continued...
The Diaper Problem, Part 3
Dr. Clark is the local specialist in
spinal cord injury and I’ve been seeing him since the month I got out of
rehab. Usually when I roll into a room, I’m
the only guy in a wheelchair, but in Dr. Clark’s waiting room, I’m never alone
(although to be fair, I’m usually the most disabled guy even there). When Cathy
and I enter the waiting room today, I recognize one of my buddies from rehab,
Tony. Tony is about five years younger
than me and got hurt riding an ATV.
Looking at Tony makes me feel like
I’m looking into a mirror. He’s got the
same skinny arms and legs strapped down to his chair, and I can see he’s also
put on some weight in the midsection region.
He’s even got an identical strap across his chest. It’s almost hard to look at him, because of
how severely impaired he looks—if that’s how I look, it’s no surprise Cathy and
I have been having trouble making friends.
His mother, who I recall became his caregiver after he was discharged
from rehab, is accompanying him and she looks as exhausted as Cathy probably
looks.
One thing that’s new on Tony that
surprises me is the trach jutting out of his throat, tied around his neck with
a blue cushion. Both of us had trachs in
rehab, but we both managed to get them out.
Somehow Tony’s has reappeared, although I can see the red cap on top of
it, indicating he’s not actively using it.
“Hey, Jamie,” Tony calls to me as I
pull up my wheelchair beside his. There
isn’t a lot of room and I knock into him slightly, jolting both of our
bodies.
“Hey, Tony,” I say. “Long time no see. What’s going on?”
“Notice my new addition?” Tony wags
his eyebrows at me.
“Oh my gosh!” Cathy exclaims. “What happened?”
“He got pneumonia last year,” Tony’s
mother explains to us as she touches her son’s shoulder gently. “It was touch and go for a while. He recovered, but they weren’t able to entirely
wean him off the trach.”
“She puts me on the vent only at
night,” Tony tells me. “During the day,
I’m fine.”
“Usually,” his mother adds.
I shiver slightly. I hated having that stupid trach and it’s
unsettling to think that I’m one pneumonia bout away from getting it back.
“What are you here for?” Tony asks
me.
“Just a check-up,” I lie.
Tony and I never confided in each
other about that sort of stuff, although maybe we should have. I’m sure he has a suprapubic catheter like I
have, or something like that. I’m sure
his mother is trained to help him evacuate his bowels, the way Cathy is. He knows what it’s like to have someone
helping you with something so personal.
He’d get it.
I cast a quick glance at his groin
area, wondering if I detect a bulge of a diaper. Tony wouldn’t have told me if he had to wear
one, and I never told him. But there was one time when I very obviously shit
myself during a group therapy session, to the point where someone had to
immediately take me away to be changed.
Later, Tony caught up with me and said, “Don’t feel bad—it happens to all
of us.”
Maybe I should have done a better
job keeping in touch with Tony and the other guys from rehab. But it just brought back too many bad
memories.
I wonder if Tony is thinking the
same thing, because he says to me, “You and Cathy should come by for dinner
sometime.”
“We wouldn’t want to impose,” Cathy
says to his mother.
“Not at all,” she says quickly. “We would love to have you over.”
Tony rolls his eyes. “If I can
squeeze you into my social calendar.
It’s pretty much nonstop dates these days.”
He laughs at himself, and for the
millionth time, I feel incredibly grateful to have Cathy. If I’d been single at the time of my injury,
like Tony was, I’d probably be living with my parents the same way he is, and I
can’t begin to imagine how I’d meet women. Well, I wouldn’t.
A nurse calls our name and we follow
her to the examining room. Once we’re
safe inside the room with the door closed, she says, “This is about a
bowel-related issue?”
I nod, not really wanting to provide
details more times than I have to.
“We’d like you to transfer to the
examining table then,” she tells me.
I look at the examining table then
back at the nurse. “That’s not going to
happen.”
“Dr. Clark will want to perform a
rectal exam,” she tells me. She
frowns. “We can find a staff member to
help with the transfer.”
“That sounds fine,” Cathy says
before I can protest again.
A male nurse comes in to assist
Cathy in transferring me to the examining table. When I see the muscles in his arms, I at
least feel comfortable that he’s going to be able to transfer me without any
difficulty. Cathy undoes all my straps, and immediately my body tilts to the
right due to my complete lack of trunk control.
The nurse leans me against his chest, grabs me by my pants and shifts me
over to the table in one swift movement.
Then Cathy gets behind me to help ease my body down onto the table.
“Wow, you’re good at that,” Cathy
tells the nurse.
“It gets me a good workout,” he
laughs as he flexes his biceps. I try my best not to be pissed off that this
guy is flirting with my wife while showing off his muscles.
“Should I get him undressed?” Cathy
asks him.
He looks me over. “From the waist-down.”
So while we’re waiting for Dr.
Clark, Cathy takes off my sweatpants and shoes.
I’m left in my T-shirt and diaper, and I can’t help but wish they’d
given us a sheet to cover me with.
Wouldn’t that have been a reasonable thing to do for my privacy? But fuck it.
Nobody seems to give a shit about my privacy anymore.
Cathy shifts the head of the
examining table up just in time for Dr. Clark to enter the room. So I’m able to look at the doctor instead of
staring up at the ceiling.
To my horror though, he isn’t alone.
“Hi, Jamie, Cathy,” Dr. Clark says
to me. “This is a medical student who’s been shadowing me. Her name is Maddie.”
Maddie is twenty-something with a
pert little nose and blond hair tied back in a ponytail. She’s really cute, and absolutely the last
person I want to discuss this around. On
her part, she seems incredibly uncomfortable to have walked in on me
half-naked.
“Jamie has a C3 complete spinal cord
injury,” Dr. Clark tells Maddie. “He has
no movement or sensation below his shoulders. One thing we do for him here is
work on issues with his bowel and bladder program.” He smiles at me. “Jamie, would you mind if I showed Maddie
your suprapubic catheter?”
Yeah, I do mind. But what the hell. It’s not like I’ll ever see this girl
again. “Sure.”
The tube is already jutting out of
my diaper, but Dr. Clark tugs down the diaper to show where it enters my
abdomen. There are several drops of piss
hovering in the tubing, and they shift and make their way down to my leg bag as
he moves the tube.
“A suprapubic catheter is a better
option than a Foley catheter that goes through the penis,” Dr. Clark explains
to Maddie, “because it decreases the risk of infection.”
Maddie nods solemnly.
“Now, Jamie,” Dr. Clark says, “Cathy
says that you’ve been unsatisfied with your bowel program. That you’d like to try to eliminate the
accidents. Now, how often do you have
accidents.”
I glance at Maddie. “Once a week.”
Cathy snorts. “No, more like three times a week.”
That’s… okay, it might be true.
“You’re using magic bullet daily
now?” he asks me.
I nod.
“Magic bullet is a suppository that
stimulates a bowel movement,” Dr. Clark tells Maddie. “Cathy inserts it and then they wait for him
to get emptied out. I looked through the
documentation, and it looks like we’ve tried quite a few things before arriving
at this particular bowel program.”
“But it doesn’t work,” I say. “Obviously.”
“One issue that we’re facing is that
you don’t have a lot of rectal tone,” he says.
“Or at least, you didn’t last time.
We’d like to test you again.”
I know what that means.
Cathy rolls me onto my side in
anticipation of a rectal exam. She does
it by rolling my right leg over my left, then putting my right arm across my
body, then slides me over onto my side. I hear Dr. Clark undoing the Velcro on my
diaper and pulling it down to do a rectal exam.
I hold my breath.
“No change from last time,” he
announces.
Damn it.
“Jamie,” he says, “would you be okay
with Maddie taking a feel? I’m trying to
teach her about rectal tone.”
Jesus Christ, absolutely not.
“Sure,” I mumble.
Maddie uncertain shadow hovers over
me as I hear her gloves snapping into place.
I can’t feel what she’s doing, but I hear her gasp followed by a
familiar smell and I know exactly what just happened.
“Oh my God, he…” she manages.
“It’s okay, I’ll get him cleaned
up,” Cathy says quickly.
I’m afraid to know how badly I shit
the examining table. It takes about ten
minutes before everything gets cleaned up, and Dr. Clark excuses himself in the
meantime. When he returns, I’m in a
fresh diaper and Maddie is conspicuously absent.
“After reviewing your records and
feeling your rectal tone,” Dr. Clark says, “I’d say that the chance of
maintaining bowel continence is extremely small.”
Great. So I really am stuck with the diaper forever.
“However,” he continues, “there are
surgical options available to you.”
Cathy frowns. “Surgical options?”
Dr. Clark nods. “Some of my patient
who have had difficulty with wound management in the sacral area have had
diverting colostomies. That way they
don’t have to worry about incontinence.”
“A colostomy?” I blurt out. “You mean I’d have a bag on my belly?”
He nods again. “As I said, it’s not a terrible option. It would involve a significant abdominal
surgery, but it would be a simpler way to manage your bowel. Your stool would collect in a bag and you’d
just have to have the bag emptied periodically, which would be easier than
cleaning up an episode of incontinence.”
I don’t know what to say to
that. As much as I hate wearing a
diaper, I don’t know if having a bag of shit on my belly at all times would be
preferable to that. I imagine Cathy and
I having sex and her having to look down at that bag while we’re doing it. That can’t be sexy.
Plus the idea of going through a
surgery is scary. I’ve been hospitalized
a couple of times for urinary tract infections since my injury, and I hated
it. I spent most of the time stuck in
bed, relying on the slowest nurses on the planet for all my needs. And what if after I was intubated for the
surgery, they couldn’t get me off the ventilator and I ended up like Tony?
“I need to think about it,” I say.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,”
Cathy says.
Dr. Clark shrugs. “Jamie, your wife is the one who does your
bowel program. Is this is her
preference, I’d say you don’t have a problem.”
I bite my tongue, not wanting to
tell the doctor about my son’s horrible proclamation the night the Rosenthals
came for dinner. About how my baby was
getting out of diapers and I wanted to do the same. I know he’d tell me I’m being ridiculous, and
he’d be right.
But I can’t help but think that
maybe the colostomy isn’t the worst idea.
To be continued....
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