Thinking time

So this blog thing is a lot harder than I ever thought that it would be. I am having a hard time coming up with topics to talk about. This isn't a blog about what I do every day so there is no real reason to talk about that. I have to think a bunch in order to come up with topics that I should write about. I want to write about things that people in my position may go through so I hope that this is helping even though I don't post much. Im trying!

This time I am going to talk my thoughts "out loud" on my occupation therapy. I have been doing a lot of gym time. That is pretty much all I do for my therapy now. I have passed the rehabilitation phase and now I am into the recovery phase. With that being said, I don't really know how much my occupational therapy is doing for me. For those that don't really know, OT is pretty much just working on my shoulder. I have been doing it twice a week since I became an outpatient at the VA. The only thing that I do at OT is electric stimulation on my shoulder and then use a machine that works on my grip, pinch, and hand strength. It has, however, gotten to the point that I don't think the electric stimulation, or E-stim, is doing anything for me anymore. I feel that I am getting just as much result from lifting weights as I am for the E-stim.
I used to use E-stim on my whole shoulder. Front, side, rear, and rotation of it. Now the only thing that I need to work on with the E-stim is external rotation. That is, keeping my elbow at my side and rotating my arm so my wrist is as far away from my body as it can be. That is the only part of my shoulder that is still lacking enough that I feel I need to work on.
Holding the heavy weights and other things while in the gym is what is working my grip strength. I don't feel that my pinch is too much weaker. I know that it is from the last tests that I did but I don't feel that the machine is helping me out anymore. I don't know. I think that I might just make OT once a week and use the time to get to the gym longer. We will see how it goes at the next few sessions.
Thursday I am actually going to the pre separation counseling so I will let everyone know how that goes. I was supposed to go the other week but they told me once I got there I was supposed to be in uniform. I haven't worn a uniform in over a year!! I had no idea. I have my uniform all set already so it should be an easy day. I just hope it leaves me time for the gym. We shall see!


Opportunities don't happen, you create them. ~Chris Grosser

Disability explanation

Its been a while since I have posted but Like I said on my last post, I will explain what my disability will be.

I finally got my findings back from Washington and they were a bit less than I expected. I ended up getting 70% from the DOD and 90% from the VA. The VA is what I was hoping to get 100% on. What that means is that I will be getting about $1700.00 a month for disability. That, plus social security should help me get to what I am at right now. I can be collecting social security until I am able to get a job. Because I don't, and probably can't get a job doing anything that I would want to do I am going to go to school instead. Because I have been in the Navy for longer than 3 years I will get 100% of my 9/11 G.I. Bill. It will help because I won't have the extra money to pay for school.

The reason that I say I was hoping to get a higher percentage is because It will get me more benefits. Even though at 90% I am still going to be covered in all my medical. Even when i do get a family they will be covered with health insurance for much less than anywhere else. 

Once I am retired I am going to be able to put in an appeal in order to get a higher percentage. I feel that there is some things that are getting overlooked. The VA gave me 50% disability for my SCI and 40% for my shoulder. Because of how my shoulder is recovering I feel that I should be getting more of a percentage. I still don't have full range of motion in my shoulder and there is still numbness in my arm that I don't think will ever go away. That is why I feel that I deserve more.

Another reason that I am trying to get a higher percentage is because I am trying to look at the future. The only thing that the DOD and VA looked at is what is going on in the present. I know that down the road, no matter how good of shape I stay in and no matter how good I take care of myself I know that this is going to affect how I live in the future. I know that as things happen to me I can get the VA to increase my percentage but I am trying to deal with the head ache now instead of in the future when it will be a real problem.

There are a few things that I also think could help with my percentage. The biggest thing is that I do think I have tinnitus. It doesn't really cross my mind much because I always have music or the television on. However, when it is quite I think it does affect me. I cannot sleep in silence. I either have to have the TV on or a fan making noise. I have tried it and the silence makes it so I have a very faint ringing in my ears. It is of course from my job and how noisy everything I do is. Other things are the trouble I have with bowel/bladder. It is gross and I don't really want to go into that but that is also something big that can get me a higher percentage. 

I have a meeting with the Navy career counselors tomorrow that should explain more of the benefits that I will be getting so I can explain that at the end of the day. 

Good things come to people who wait, but better things come to those who go out and get them. ~Anonymous

Hopefully relaxing

Getting my tattoo finished today, hopefully it will be relaxing but I doubt it. I had to deal with the navy junk today, that was stupid. I went in at 7:30 this morning only to find out I really didn't need to be there until later. The good part about it was I got done early and was able to get my gym session in. That made my day luckily. 

Always strive for what you want, even if no one is cheering you on. 

Retirement is looming

First off, I have to apologize for not writing enough. I to me it feels like I shouldn't just write random things about my day. I don't want to bore people, it has to be something of substance. Maybe about any struggles I am having though out the day? We will see.
Onto the real reason for this post, my navy stuff. I am getting up early tomorrow to take care of a bunch of pre separation things that need to be done. I am hoping that I will be able to knock a lot of things out at once, but we will see. Today I officially signed the paperwork saying that I have accepted the findings that the VA and government have decided on my disability. I will tell you all about those findings in another post. I thought I had written about them but I have not yet.
Tomorrow I am going to give everyone that needs it a copy of my findings. It will be good to get things moving. Now I just need to start thinking about schooling and all that. That is also another post. Tomorrow I am also going to be doing some pre separation counseling with the navy people. I think that a lot of the things that I have to do are going to bore the hell out of me because I have been thinking about all of this for a long time and I also have a lot of people at the VA that I have already talked to about it all. If all this stuff was not mandatory I wouldn't do it. In order to get paid after I retire it has to be completed so I will do it without a doubt.
My official retirement date will be the 28th of August. I chose the latest date I could in order to make sure that all of my stuff will be completed by then. After that date, I am a free man! Ill get the summer, or what is left of it, to relax before school starts and other things begin. Normal schooling, maybe some culinary arts classes, getting my pilots license, and continuing with therapy and of course the gym every day. Its going to be busy but also a lot of fun. New experiences can't be beat. If I save up enough maybe I'll do some traveling to other countries!
Again, I will start writing more. Sorry for the delay!

Failure defeats losers but inspires winners.