So I'm back home in one piece. Seeing my roommates(two of them picked me up from a bus stop from the airport) was good, and their initial reaction to me on a walker was priceless. They fluctuated from thinking it was a joke, to sudden concern I was paralyzed or seriously impaired, to laughing their asses off with me when they realized I was in good spirits. The houses new game seems to be trying to guess what happened to me. Even with my horrible posture and without shoes I immediately noticed I'm distinctly taller than my friend who was just slightly shorter than me and taller than my friend who was previously notably taller, so maybe they'll get it, but I doubt it.
Really really good to actually be home, even though my rooms now a mess. Gonna try and stock up on supplies tonight and hermit it up for the next few weeks. Trying to not let it out that I'm back until consolidation at least.
I'll go over the flying process, because I am sure many people here don't really know what to expect from traveling handicapped.
As helpful as the airline people are, flying was an utterly miserable experience for me. I didn't get sleep, since packing and getting set for departure was a pretty big process and I was also anxious to get out of there on time. I left early so the drive was smooth, and the curb side assistance got me in the wheelchair and was extremely friendly while checking me and my bags/walker/crutches in. Boarded without much of a problem, although they had a bit of a difficulty understanding my exact limitations of being able to walk, but needing aid- Ultimately they got me on an aisle wheelchair and wheeled me next to my seat and I just climbed over into it. The flight was pretty standard, with the main exception of my legs getting tight, and even more so, my weak atrophied butt/bones getting really sore At least a dozen times it was so unbearable I had to lift my butt by doing a dip in my seat for relief. I was very very fortunate that the flight was ahead of schedule and only 2 1/2 hours as opposed to many others like my friend from hong kong who must have nearly been flying all day.
Even so, it was pretty unpleasant, and I had to wait for the plane to empty to be helped off, then sit around while they buzzed about trying to find my misplaced crutches. This time the person helping with my wheelchair was dead silent and not sociable which would have been more awkward if I wasn't exhausted, uncomfortable, and holding in a massive piss. The bus that took me to where my roomies were had a wheelchair lift that literally took the guy 10 minutes to get working and 20 minutes to put away, all while a horrible siren went off from it. Being very independent the whole airport experience(and especially this) annoyed me since even though it was the guys incompetence, it was me and my legs causing the delay in general. They helped me off easy enough and put my bags by the bench I indicated and bam- 97 days, 110k, and an incredible amount of pain and gain later, and I'm home sweet home.
What a journey this has all been.