I've been wanting to move out of here since I graduated high school, but
I never had the money to do it. My father and I have both brought up
the issue of second hand smoke, but my mother's attitude is, "That's too
bad." She didn't say it that way, but that's the attitude.

Now, follow me on this: she tells me that I can't live on my own because
I "can't take care of myself". She tells me that I can't live by myself
because "something might happen." So, I've lived with my parents for
40 years and something is happening: I'm suffocating-literally!
Oh, and all these medical conditions that make it "impossible" for me
to live by myself are hereditary.

The problem with public transportation is that I don't live near a bus
stop-I'd have to be driven to one. I don't see any volunteers in this
house.

When I have a shunt failure, there are certain signs, but they can be
misdiagnosed-when I had the shunt failure last year, they thought it
was a stomach virus (because of the nausea and vomitting), until they
did some tests. Also, back in '94, when my shunt failed, the signs were
totally different. That's when my vision problems started, for example,
and my seizures increased. I'm not sure if Life Alert would work for me
or not. I think I'm going to mention Life Alert to the Hydro board and
see what they think. Thanks!

ABSOLUTELY go for it. You deseve to breathe clear air! (I bet that would help with the headaches as well. (Just a theory.) Keep us posted. We care about you!

I checked out the site for LifeAlert and found this:

Home Emergencies

Help, I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up®

In a home fall emergency, or in case of a seizure, heart attack, stroke or other serious illness, a senior usually cannot reach the telephone. She or he may lie on the floor for hours or days, disconnected from any help. This injury can become life threatening.

How can Life Alert® help?

A simple press of a button will instantly activate Life Alert's small base unit located in the house. This unit will immediately communicate with our Monitoring Center, initiating amplified two-way voice communication between the senior and our emergency operators, who will contact neighbors, Paramedics, the Fire Department, Police and/or relatives as needed.
************************************************** *******
It mentions being helpful for people with epilepsy, but it only mentions
"seniors". There's no mention about people under the age of 65 with
disabilities or other medical conditions. So, this product is only being
recommended for senior citizens?

True, life alerts are mostly used by senior citizens, but I woldn't think you would be discrimiated against just because you are not a senior cetizen yet. Personal freedom that comes along with a device like that doesn't discriminate.

Hope you consider this as an option.

I'm thinking about it, but I want to get as much information as possible
before making a decision, y'know? I'm pretty sure I'll get one, I'm just
not sure when it will be.

Hope it works out for you, I am a driven advocate for the hydrocephallic community, can you tell yet?

Now that you mention it, I did kinda get that impression!

Thanks!

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. I have SSI, and still live with my family, wich I am sure was totally my dad's choice.

I'm sure that it was his choice. After all, "you're disabled, you can't take
care of yourself!" And, SSDI doesn't help by giving us an
amount that we can barely live off of, without helping us find a place of our
own. Shouldn't they (SSDI) be showing us which programs we are
eligible for, in order to pay for Medicare and housing? Instead, they basically
tell us, "here's the money you'll get for the rest of your life, now you're on
your own."

Couldn't agree more! Too bad I just don't have enough guts to "tell him off"... I want to get a place that is dog friendly so I can have Cocoa with me pretty often. Get this, my sister put her two cents in (wich means nothing) and basically said to my face (and I quote) "You can't possibly live on your own!", well, yeah, the money part (for awhile) is true, but from what I understand, people like us, get a little financial help (and when I said "like us", I totally mean being stuck on the system.)

My sister is a whole other story that I don't EVEN want to get into. I bet you are the only one who does the houswork, too, aren't you. My sisters (yes, I said sisters, the one who is opioniated and a mess worse than I am supposedly in) and one who just HAD to move back home because she was transferred. (I can't wait until JANUARY! I wish I was moving, but I am not.)