A Story About A Girl
December 18, 2019

Photo Editing & Early Christmas Present

I really wanted to use one of my own photos for my header image, especially one with a lighthouse so I decided to edit one of my own in photoshop. Something I used to do all the time but that I haven’t done a whole lot of lately. I decided to start out with the above photo. I really love it but it was kind of underexposed and I just really wanted to make the red in the lighthouse pop. I am pretty happy with it. I can’t wait for my new computer to come and to be able to use it as a tablet with a pen in photoshop. It will be so much easier I think.

I really liked the idea of the photo being black and white but having the red on the lighthouse. So I played around a bit with adjustment layers and I think I did pretty good. I am really happy with the results. I really want to start using photoshop more. I used to love blending images and making fantasy type scenes. Something I would like to give a go at again.  Oh and if you haven’t guessed… I bought a new computer

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December 17, 2019

Counselling & Other Things

Image Credit: Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

I finally got a call today from Mental Health Services and the Digby Hospital today. It seems that there is a free wellness clinic on Thursdays at the hospital from 9 – 3. She said all I have to do is show up and register at the registration desk and then I can see a counselor who will do an intake and determine where to go from there. I am unsure how it works but I am glad that at least there is somewhere to start. She said they can determine if some counselling sessions are needed and how often or if I need to be referred to someone else from there. It’s a bit of a relief. I was getting really frustrated and upset about it and feeling like I really needed to talk to someone.

With that and going to physiotherapy tomorrow to be assessed and get some help for the pain that is still there after the accident at least I am now starting to feel like I am getting somewhere. I was told by her today that to see a psychiatrist through mental health is a 3-5 month or longer wait. I go back to work after Christmas and still have not driven at all. I don’t even miss it. Usually, after a day or two of not driving, I am itching to get behind the wheel and go somewhere. At this point, I wouldn’t even get in a car if I didn’t have to and if I even think about driving I start to shake.

I made a bit of a mistake earlier though, my Libre sensor finished yesterday while Eddie was at work and he brought me home two sensors and I should have put one on last night but I didn’t feel like it. This morning I wanted to get a shower and had to wait a bit to ensure my skin was not wet before putting it on or it will just start peeling off. He had left for work already and before leaving we were talking a bit about everything and I still had not got the call I just mentioned yet from mental health and after he left I started feeling shaky and felt like a panic attack was coming on. By this time it was about 3 PM and I had not eaten since breakfast but I failed to notice that at first. [...]  READ MORE

December 16, 2019

Maybe moving wasn’t such a great idea…

Seems I have found another issue with our health system in rural Nova Scotia. I am not sure why I am surprised or if I am even really surprised, but had we stayed in Halifax at least I would likely have had access to counseling and/or to a psychologist. Here, however, there is no one. There appears to be no one taking on patients in Yarmouth, only one psychologist in Digby who is not returning calls and anyone in the Annapolis Valley, Middleton, Kentville or New Minas I called was either retired, semi-retired and/or not taking on patients. The community mental health and addictions program basically told me that they deal more with addictions and other things and don’t deal with PTSD or adjustment disorder type things and that if it was related to a car accident I would need to go through my car insurance or private health insurance and see a private doctor or counselor.

I called them back today as there is no one and the girl was new and didn’t understand why I was told that and said she would have someone contact me about it. I am not very hopeful though. At this point, I just find it frustrating and more than a little bit frightening. Why does it feel like something drastic has to happen before you can get any help? And what if I can’t find anyone or worse yet, what if I can but can’t afford them because my private insurance wants me to pay upfront and be reimbursed or something. I already assume I have to do that with physio, though I am really not sure about that. I really feel like I have no one guiding me or helping me get the help I need. My family and my husband are concerned about me and about it. I’m supposed to go back to work after Christmas and I have not even heard from short-term yet. [...]  READ MORE

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