Are there good rehab facilities in North Cali? San Jose?

[mr_coffee]

Hi guys well after the career fair the my top companies I'm interested in are:
Cisco
Lockheed martin
IBM



Cisco I think I like the most, because they give you a choice program which allows you to actually pick your manager and the technologies you work with. They also are fine about working from home if your not having a good day. Also I heard they were the #6 company to work for in the world so it seems like a good choice. http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2008/ts_012308.html

Their main location is in San Jose, CA which is where I'll be at if I get a job with them. But now the question is, how close is a good rehab facillity from them? Project Walk is out because that's like 500 miles away.

If I got a job with Lockheed Martin, thats in San Deagio which is like 30 miles from project walk so that would be fine.

IBM is also in San Jose but they would be my last choice.

I thought I woudl like Microsoft as a project manager but after talking to a project manager (he was cool as hell and around my age or a year older.) He really told me what life was like at microsoft.

After he started telling me everything, I was like whoa, it sounds like you have a lot of things on your plate and I then asked him what an average work week was like? He actually told me he works weekends, all the time. He said his life is work. He then told me he would somtimes work 14 hour days at the start but once he got to a certain level he could take it easy. His manager told him he's going to have to work weekends and he told me, "I told the manager to fuck off, I'm not working weekends anymore. You can fire me if you want."

I like work, but not that much, if I can't ever get away from work that would make me not enjoy it.

Thats another reason I like cisco is they have flex hours, if you don't want to go to work at 9:00am don't, as long as you get your work done thats all they care about. They also ask the developers when they think the project will be ready, not when they want the project to be ready which was a suprise.

[ScottS]

Santa Clara Valley Medical Center is right there. It's really the only thing around NorCal, & i hear they're good. i did my rehab at VA Palo Alto, tho, so i have no personal experience w/ ValleyMed. look em up, it's prbly everything you're looking for. plus you're in the silicon valley, so everything u could ever want in the tech industry is right there... if u decide to switch jobs later on. cost of living is high tho, so keep that in mind.

good luck...

[mr_coffee]

Thanks Scott I'll check them out!

[hlh]

Santa Clara Valley is the only hospital in that area that seems to be more experienced with SCI. It is a county hospital, meaning it serves a large (often underinsured/immigrant) population with resources that are sometimes a little stretched/less efficient. It is now affiliated to Stanford Medical Center as well (which is not far from San Jose), so between the two places, you may find what you need in terms of physicians.

The Bay area is certainly a wonderful place to live. San Jose is just booming and it's pretty fun to be in your field and to live in the heart of Silicon Valley. I must admit, San Jose doesn't have the character/charm of San Francisco, but that area has lots of young people everywhere, fabulous weather. Expensive as hell. But you'll have a good job. You can't have everything....

And what about.....

http://www.sci-fit.org/

for your exercise/SCI rehab needs? I'm not sure how things are going here since they opened last year, but it seems to be what you are looking for. It is about 30 miles northwest of San Jose, so you could work it into your life.

Cisco is supposed to be a really great place to work. Was always one of the hot jobs to get in the Bay Area. If they give you flexibility about working at home, wow....

San Diego is certainly beautiful, but very very pricey, a bit more elitist feel.... if you want to hang out at the beach, that would be a better place to be... but there's more going on for your field in the Bay Area. And it depends on your style, but the Bay Area/San Jose will be a bit more well-rounded in terms of people/ethnicities... which I tend to think is a good thing. Generally means people are a little more open minded.

i.e. If you're Republican, then maybe think about San Diego.

Congratulations on your wonderful opportunities. Honestly, I don't think you can make a mistake.

[arod636]

Santa Clara valley sucks. It is traditional therapy and I didn't like it. I got kicked out of there for not being motivated enough. Whatever that means. I go to sci-fit in Pleasanton, CA. Its about 15min from San Jose. They are exercises based and they do a great job. There are a few other people on here that go there too. They are similar to projectwalk and sci-step. Check em out...

[hlh]

Well - it's always helpful to get input from someone who has been there. Great to hear that SCI-FIT is a good local option.

arod636 - do you still have a doctor/physiatrist/urologist/any doctor that knows anything about SCI at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, or did you make a clean break?

[rebajane]

I was a patient at SCVMC in 1992. The only rehab I had was there, so I have nothing to compare it to. I think they were good compared to some of the stories I have read here on CC. But I think their main objective was to get you funtioning as indepently as possible: not really to get you walking again. I was not aware of the Pleasanton options. I can't imagine that you couldn't find the most up to date therapies in this area; Stanford being so close.

Regardless of medical facilities-- You can't beat San Jose for career possibilties. I would never have left CA if I could have afforded to continue living there. It is expensive, but I'm assuming they will pay you enough to get by. As a young man with a promising career, I would go for it. I have never lived on the east coast, but you need to try Ca. at least once. Remember, nothing is written in stone. You can always go back, but I can't imagine that you would if you can make it work in CA. The weather alone is enough incentive to move there. Good luck on your choices.

[mr_coffee]

Thanks guys!
thats great to here sci-fit is close.

I also don't like traditional hospital therapy, so I will check out sci-fit for sure.


Also thanks for the detailed information about living in cali, it sounds like an exciting place to live/work! Beaches aren't important to me right now, would probably make me feel worse than better hah

[Imight]

For the 10th time, you will regret moving here. I'm about 90% sure of that. I've had many friends (even abs from your home state of NC) come here and move right back after a year or 2.

It looks very appealing on paper, but truth be told, it is much different once you are actually here.....

[mr_coffee]

hah Imight,

Whats so bad about it?

Good weather, good paying job, high cost of living, what else we looking at here?

Maybe I should first explain how my life is currently:
1. Wake up
2. Go to class
3. Do homework
4. Eat/Drink
5. Sleep
Repeat.

My life when I worked at IBM in NC.
1. Wake up
2. Go to work
3. Sleep
Repeat.

now my life at cali i'm hoping will be:

1. Wake up
2. Go to work
3. Go to therapy
4. Sleep
Repeat

Honestly the only way I can hate it, is if my compute char isn't that comfortable.

I've lost my drive to love other things in life, now my life is this, so I'm hopping I can get some more recovery so I can start enjoying more things in life. Once I get to that level, I'll probably move back to the east coast to start a family.

Because currently I have no want nor need to go out and try to find women in Cali. People here already stare at you if your in a chair, so I'm assuming they are going to be the same way in Cali.

[arod636]

Stares are everywhere man...

[arod636]

Well - it's always helpful to get input from someone who has been there. Great to hear that SCI-FIT is a good local option.

arod636 - do you still have a doctor/physiatrist/urologist/any doctor that knows anything about SCI at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, or did you make a clean break?

Fuck that place man...

[mr_coffee]

Stares are everywhere man...


Yah it doesn't bother me anymore, when I'm in the chair I can roll away fast, but when I'm on my crutches the staring is hard to get away from hah

[Imight]

hah Imight,

Whats so bad about it?

Good weather, good paying job, high cost of living, what else we looking at here?

Maybe I should first explain how my life is currently:
1. Wake up
2. Go to class
3. Do homework
4. Eat/Drink
5. Sleep
Repeat.

My life when I worked at IBM in NC.
1. Wake up
2. Go to work
3. Sleep
Repeat.

now my life at cali i'm hoping will be:

1. Wake up
2. Go to work
3. Go to therapy
4. Sleep
Repeat

Honestly the only way I can hate it, is if my compute char isn't that comfortable.

I've lost my drive to love other things in life, now my life is this, so I'm hopping I can get some more recovery so I can start enjoying more things in life. Once I get to that level, I'll probably move back to the east coast to start a family.

Because currently I have no want nor need to go out and try to find women in Cali. People here already stare at you if your in a chair, so I'm assuming they are going to be the same way in Cali.
IMO the social structure is weak here. Its nothing like the south or east. Living here is expensive, tho with a good job its possible, but if you compare it to any where else in the country you feel robbed. Accessibility might be an issue as well and the hilly north might be a pain in the ass. However San Jose ISNT S.F. If you want to have a good time SF would be the place to be. I have no idea how one goes about rolling thru such steep hills so I wouldnt know.

I go out and do the night life thing, and it just sucks here. I felt more comfortable in Ohio and Texas for some strange reason. Its hard to decipher why the atmospheres are so different, maybe its an personal internal thing, but I know that ABs have an issue with the SoCal life too. Think the term "You're hollywood". I'm not familiar with the North other than its boring and smells of cow if its not SF. lol.

[Imight]

Yah it doesn't bother me anymore, when I'm in the chair I can roll away fast, but when I'm on my crutches the staring is hard to get away from hah
aint that the truth.

I fell not too long ago at Fridays luckily only 2 people saw. What a pain in the ass. felt like a little baby.

[mr_coffee]

hah yah that will happen Imight,

I did that when I was entering a mall, and a ton of people saw me and no one helped hah, i had to crawl to a corner and then find a cart and used the cart and the wall to stand back up, right when I got up my girlfriend came and said what happend!

i hope she wasn't watching 2

Well I"m pretty sure i'm going to go either way, just to see what its like to live some where new. I know it won't be a forever thing, just an experiance, good or bad.

[arod636]

For the record Imight northern cali doesn't smell like cows. The central valley smells like cow shit but that is far from the bay area an that pretty much extends to southern cali too. San jose is fine as far as the social scene. There is a lot of shit to do and its a lot warmer than san fran. Frisco is cold because of the ocean. So when I was ab I would normally go to san jose it was closer to my house too... I feel that its always easier to go out in another area. I was in miami a few months ago an I did an went to a lot more places than I do in my area. No one knows me out there so I don't have to worry about rolling into anyone I know and having to explain what happened an feeling shitty about myself again...

[Imight]

hah yah that will happen Imight,

I did that when I was entering a mall, and a ton of people saw me and no one helped hah, i had to crawl to a corner and then find a cart and used the cart and the wall to stand back up, right when I got up my girlfriend came and said what happend!

i hope she wasn't watching 2

Well I"m pretty sure i'm going to go either way, just to see what its like to live some where new. I know it won't be a forever thing, just an experiance, good or bad.
If that's the case I say go for it! Tho I would recommend you visit first!

lol@arod--You might be right, but cutting thru central cali to get to northern cali.....you smell nothing but cows for 2-3 hours, by the time you get to the bay the cow smell is embedded in your sinus. shit is foul...literally. LOL.

[mr_coffee]

haha I grew up working on a farm, you get use to it.
When it use to rain, the gutters would be overflowing with cow shit and piss so we had to use buckets to empty them.

And after my SCI it got me even closer to shit. So my close connection with my anus and shit now, poop doesn't phase me, I could wear a poop hat probably and dance perhaps.

Yah I will visit because I need to go out to san jose to do my interview.


Whats worse than the smell of cow shit is the smell of IN-SAL-IG (I can't spell it) so thats how it sounds. Anywho its rotting grass type stuff, that is compressed under a large black tarp so it manifests in there, just rotting away and smells horriable, but the cows love that shit.

[Bspill1]

The Bay area in general, has lots to do, sports, shows etc. The people are pretty diverse as opposed to the rest of the state. Southern California is a whole different monster. You really can't beat the weather.

let me know if there's anything I can do for you. I'm in 94070