On August 20, 2011 -- Glen Steen was in an unfortunate cycling accident which required immediate spinal cord surgery and has left him in a quadriplegic state. Glen is a warrior and because of his determined nature and dedication to therapy, he is making gains each day. Follow Glen on his journey here in his Blog, written in his own words.


Wednesday 27 February 2013

Feb 11 to Feb 24, 2013



Feb 11 to Feb 24, 2013

Mon Feb 11th: First day back to OT and PT after missing 3 days. OT stretched me out quite well and then it was PT after lunch. Back on the treadmill, again thinking about standing on my legs with each step is hard to do. I must think each step or I lose it. Janelle stopped it when I could no longer stand on my legs and would sink in the harness.

Skipping forward to bedtime, a good thing happened while doing my 10 sit to stands. I tried taking some very small steps between the bed and the back of the commode that I use for balance. I took some small steps very slowly, shifting my weight left stepping with the right, then shifting weight on the right and stepping left. Not the best steps...but steps…soon it will be the walker!
Another night with no BM, which means sleeping with Depends on…just in case. Nothing happened all night.

Tues Feb 12th: No problem all night as mentioned but at 6 am it was get Darcy up, get me on the commode and off to the john or there was going to be a problem.  Diarrhea is a big problem, I tell you this as it affects the whole day. I put Depends on to go to Parkwood for a Dr. appointment at 10:30. I’m very uncomfortable as I don’t know if I have gas or the other. As it eventually turned out it was gas, much to my relief.

The appointment was for Botox and Dr. Potter put it in the forearm, bicep and in the left pectoral muscle and my left calf. When it kicks in in about a week, I should be able to have better extension of my fingers, more movement of my arm as the peck will be weaker and it tends to come on all the time and prevents arm movement. As mentioned previously my toes on the left foot drop and I stand on my toes. By having Botox in the calf it may make it easier to lift my toes up and get them high enough so I will plant my foot heel first.
 Dr. Potter also answered the tone question. If I do have a prostate infection, it will increase the tone for sure. Two more weeks of anti-b and hopefully it will be gone. He said that my bowels may have slowed down as well due to the anti-b and perhaps a shot of milk of magnesia will help that. It will be trial and error to see what works. I’ll try anything to get it working right again, but since I’m on the anti-b, I can the milk of magnesia 6 hours before or after the ant-b due to the calcium and magnesium content. That pretty much makes lunch the time for it. Any calcium of magnesium will bind with anti-b and make it ineffective.

Now the treadmill. They changed the sling to the ‘blue one’ which has straps that are higher on my chest. It did feel different but seemed to work OK. Just that ‘My George’ really hangs out. Last week, I was standing on my legs and consciously pulling them through when I was stepping. Today that got changed. To stand on my legs, I need a strong trunk and was told to keep my stomach muscles on and my back extensors on and this will keep my torso strong to make me stand on my legs and stop me from sinking in the harness. It is hard work keeping those muscles turned on all the time which I must concentrate on. I could tell if my tummy muscles were on, as ‘George’ was sucked in. Oh yes, there is a full length mirror in front of me so I can watch my posture . 

Then off to the mat for some standing. Barry had Janelle hold my hands behind my back so I couldn’t pull with them. I have this bad habit of pulling myself up with my right arm and that is a huge no-no! Janelle pointed to my right shoulder and said it was my biggest hindrance. I use it for everything, when I stand I hike it up and any movements I tighten my neck and lift shoulders. It is strange as last year we spent months in OT lifting weights to strengthen it…guess it worked.

I did manage to stand quite easily with my hands behind my back. The secret is to put my nose way over my toes and use the legs to stand instead of using the arm to pull me up. It is a little scary to do that on my own, as Barry is in front of me just in case. We will try.

Wed Feb 13th: Rest day, 15 minutes on bike

Thurs Feb 14th: Treadmill again and it went quite smoothly. Got on the plinth and they put me on my tummy again and much to my chagrin my claustrophobia is back, at least for putting my face in the face plate. Just don’t understand it. No claustrophobic about anything else just being confined in that face plate brought it back….grrrrrr!      
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Fri Feb 15th: What a day! Started being very tight and Jody and Erin worked on my ribs and back and arms in OT. I was looser at the end of the session. Had lunch and got ready for the treadmill. Got into the blue sling and started the 1st five minute session. 2 minutes in, my left arm was going numb due to the strap holding me up. The treadmill stopped and they fixed my arm. I was using the new strategy of keeping my gluts, back and core tight. It seemed to be working. Did more slow treadmill at 0.8 miles per hour,  ops that’s 1.3 kph. It is called step adapt and it teaches my brain how to make those neurological connections to my legs.

After the treadmill it was onto the mat for some big stretches. Some side lying with a roll under my ribs then the roll under my back which opens my hips up the same as prone lying…told you the physios are creative. Well it was actually Barry the assistant who suggested it. Then Barry got me into standing in one motion from lying on my back to sitting right up into standing. Barry got on my left side with my arm around his waist, his other arm was around me hanging on my right cheek...ops... glut...Janelle was on the right with my right arm around her waist and her left hand on my left glut. Then Lynnsie, the physio I had as an inpatient sat in front of me on a rolling stool helping my left leg take a step. Then they told me to walk and I walked for about 50 feet with no walker. Mind you the physios did a lot of work. Again the big problem was bringing my hip through rather than sticking my bum out. They would not let me take a step unless I brought my hip through and had my weight on my leg before I brought the other leg through. They said they wouldn’t guarantee that I’d be walking…but after 12 sessions I’m ‘walking’ overland with a lot of help. The big problem I have is going too fast…if I would only slow down I could do it a lot better. The goal, in visualizing walking is to stand on the left leg while the right is taking a step and standing on the right while the left is taking the step. All the time keeping my back tight, my core turned on and my gluts on with my but tucked under. You guys do all that without thinking. Gotta get those neurological pathways built!

Sat Feb 16th: Did a Karate class at 9:30 and ½ hour on the bike at tension 3 to 5 tension for 15 minutes and 15 minutes at tension 3. The bike ride tightened me up a lot. Didn’t relax until the morning.

Sun Feb 17th: Karate class with the Brown belts. Coffee after class and another one in the afternoon with the Sarge and Grandpa. Hey you’d almost think I was working as a cop.

½ hour on the bike at tension 3. Did 2x15 minutes easy spinning. Finding that if I bend my knee more during pedaling my tone is increased in my trunk. Seems any pain increases the tone and pedaling does cause some pain in my knee. Can’t figure why the treadmill doesn’t tighten me up as much as the bike. Perhaps it is the sustained  ‘pain’ while riding. Haven’t done it yet but perhaps some pain meds before the bike would help.

Mon Feb 18th:  No therapy today….grrrr. Off for coffee with the guys. Some routines in bed, oopps that’s exercise routines in bed and sit to stand exercises. No bike today. Need to be as loose as possible for the treadmill tomorrow. Must rethink the biking, perhaps cut it down to 15 minutes of easy spinning and see what that does.

Tues Feb 19th: Back to PT and the treadmill. Took a bit of time to get going again. We did some step adapt at about 1.3 kph vs top speed 3.2 kph. As mentioned many times my arms and neck tighten up when I use my legs, on the bike and on the treadmill. Today they remedied that by putting my hands behind my back. It settles my shoulders and neck right down. They say it is much easier to move my legs and hold my hips steady.  This takes my biggest hindrance, my arms and shoulders out of the equation. Perhaps next time on the bike, I’ll put my hands behind my back and see what happens. The other thing that happens when I work out is my nose plugs up and I breathe thru my mouth for 3 or 4 hours after the workout. The only good thing about that is my mouth dries out and I drink more. 

Wed Feb 20th: Back in the pool with Yonna. My girlfriend Rosa was there and 3 other ladies doing laps with flippers and floats. It amazes me that more women workout than men. Yonna stretched me out. My hip adductors and abductors are very tight and Yonna had trouble spreading my legs apart. I did get up and did some walking. Did 4 laps…to about halfway and back. I tried to slow down and stand on each leg and keep my butt in and tuck my tail under. I think I can visualize walking a little better now.

Thurs Feb 21st: Wow what a day in PT. Again on the treadmill with my hands behind my back. Seems that will be the way it will happen for awhile. I am now keeping my gluts tight, my back tight and my tummy tight. Remember I have to consciously tell those muscles to tighten. Previously I was picking up my legs to get them through to take the next step. Now they want me to push off with my toes on the back foot, all the while keeping all that other stuff tight. A lot for the ol’ brain to do.  I think I got a couple of steps in by pushing off my back foot.  Did a total of 26 minutes of walking on the treadmill.

Off to the mat only this time it was lying over a peanut shaped ball. Barry stood me up and then it was bending forward over the ball. It was a little scary as it felt like I was going to keep going to roll over the ball and land on my head. Janelle stayed in front and kept the ball from rolling away while Barry stretched my legs out the back and I did the Superman poses. Darcy took a picture and mentioned that she cut off Janelle’s and Barry’s head. They said that was ok because they didn’t want to be shown smiling while torturing me. Note their name for the rack is ‘facilitated limb stretcher.’

Fri Feb 22nd: Another great day in PT. They get me strapped into the sling and usually I get in my chair and they roll me to the treadmill. Today they got me up and I walked to the treadmill with Barry on one side and Janelle on the other. I have been doing 5 minutes sessions at 3.2 kph. Today we started at 1.6 and went up by 0.3 kph until we reached 3.2. They say I’m better figuring out how to walk if the speed is increased slowly. We did a 10 minute session, a record to date. I seem to be getting the hang of it by keeping my gluts turned on and my back muscles and trunk muscles. As you know on the treadmill, they move my legs but today for a couple of minutes I was able to move my right leg on my own. Janelle said I’m starting to get the hang of walking again and I am further ahead than she thought I would be at this point in time. I am 16 sessions into the 44 session program.

Oh yes, before I went walking they had me over the peanut ball again. That really does give me a good stretch. I got up into standing and with Barry and Janelle assisting I walked around the gym…145 feet, another record. When I remember to move my hip through everything is easy, if I don’t move my hip through everything becomes hard and I try to lift my legs with my shoulders.
In OT they were trying out this mechanical arm. My hand was strapped to a joy stick and there were several programs that the machine moved my arm through. It felt very good to have my arm move through all the programs .The tone in my arm really showed up as in some cases I had to initiate the movement and couldn’t move against the tone. It’s as if someone holding their arm at 90 degrees and you try to straighten it. In my case I am fighting against my own muscles. It is funny, if I can’t initiate the movement I try to use my right shoulder and turn on lots of other muscles in my neck and back.

All in all a pretty good day.  Hmmmm….Darcy now calls my sling, my jolly jumper…remember those?
Sleeping was a little difficult as I had my gluts turned on a lot during the day and the left glut in particular was a bit sore and kept me awake for a while.

Sat Feb 23rd: The butt was still sore when I woke up at 5 AM. Got moving a bit and it went away.  The worker came early and I was able to get to Karate Class on time. Worked with Frank, the 79 year old Green belt. He does struggle a bit with his kata. We took our time and he was able to work them.  He sure is an inspiration.
Tried a ½ hour on the bike at low cadence. Couldn’t get my arms behind my back but kept them down and to the side and back as far as they would go. Didn’t work…trunk tightened up and it lasted all night….grrrr. I really think there is something going on with the prostate. The tone seems to be getting worse.

Sun Feb 24th: Off to Karate class to make them sweat. Pretty much a rest day. I was a little sore and tight. Could have been two things, first the hangover from the bike workout or second, that I missed my Saturday night meds which were sitting on the bed table but we missed them. 

How am I feeling?

Just don’t know about this prostate thing that is going on, got some low abdominal pain happening. Just about done the anti-b but I don’t know if it has improved the prostate much. Get a PSA done in 3 weeks and back to the urologist in 3 weeks after that. If the PSA is down, then all is good, if not then for the prostate biopsy…yikes.  Hmmm…something to worry about but you know what they say about worrying: ‘Worrying is like rocking in a rocking chair, it’s something to do but doesn’t get you anywhere!’
I am very pleased with the way the Locomotor Program is going. To hear Janelle say that I am ahead of where I should be, does my ol’ heart some good. The program seems to be working, building those pathways from my brain to my legs.

Thanks for listening….

Monday 11 February 2013

Jan 28 to Feb 10, 2013



Jan 28 to Feb 10
Mon Jan 28th: First day of the Locomotor Program. First ½ hour was an assessment of the ol’ body of what was workin’ and what’s not. Had more strength in my left leg than Janelle (the examing physio) thought I would have. Right leg was good. Then they got me in a walker and I actually walk for 55 feet before the left hip got tired….yeehaw! Then it was on to the treadmill for more assessment. They were figuring out how much weight to take off and how fast to run the treadmill. It ended up that they take 40% off. They claim I weigh 102 kg …now that is very scary. That is the most I have ever weighed…yikes! I have the same appetite but don’t burn any of it off.

I should clarify walking. I was using a high-boy walker that has arms at about my chest level with a physio on either side and one in front.. My arms were resting on the walker that helped take some weight off my legs. I must think about every step. Tell my legs to lift up to bring the back leg up. The left foot wants to move to the right and step on my right foot. Must tell the left foot to stay out to the left. The ol’ brain just doesn’t remember how to tell my legs how to walk so I have to tell it what to do. The Locomotor Program is to build those neurological pathways again. I have been told that I have all the trunk muscles to stand, just must learn how to turn  them on at the right time.

Legs didn’t feel too bad after the workout. It must be that I am in the sling and that supports my torso and there doesn’t seem to be as much tone as there is from riding the bike. The legs are a bit tingly, but that was the most work they have done for a while.

Tues Jan 29th: Had not a bad night’s sleep but woke up 3 times for a pee. I usually don’t drink a lot. I am finding that after I work out my nose plugs up for 2 or 3 hours and I have to breathe through my mouth which dries it out...thus I drink more…go figure. It’s good to keep me hydrated.

Today was the first real session on the treadmill. My legs are a bit tired from yesterday but seemed ok for the first 5 minutes. I have drop foot on my left leg. I can’t lift my toes up very well so they sometimes get caught when I bring my foot through. I thought I was doing it correctly by telling my legs to lift up to move my leg through but I can’t lift my toe high enough to land on my heel. They had me doing 5 minutes then some posture correcting and then another 5 minutes and then a rest do it all over again. I was only able to do 3 minutes in the next set. My left leg got too tired to lift up. Janelle then explained that I shouldn’t be lifting my leg but concentrate on standing on my legs and they would move my legs through. I did it on the next set and it was so much easier, in fact I lasted for 6 minutes. After the treadmill it was on the mat for some stretching and posture correction. Since my left side is weak I now have scoliosis, a curvature of the spine. It is ‘C’ shaped. We did some stretching and they hope that I will be able to straighten it out with proper posture.
My left side is weak; I sit on my left cheek instead of sitting on both sits bones. It is interesting how Janelle checks it. I sit on the table and she puts her hands under my butt. Since I sit on my left cheek my back twists to compensate…thus the ‘C’ shape back bone. I sit on a Roho air cushion that does not give my butt any support and I can’t sit properly in it. I need to get a foam seat cushion so I can sit straight. It is amazing how the body works, it will adapt to what it’s given. Hopefully  I‘ll be able to make it adapt  the other…hmmmmm…18 months to get it this way…how long to get it back
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Wed Jan 30th: A rest day. Had coffee with The Sarge and Vern at McD’s. Best coffee around. Then in the pool with Yonna  for an hour of stretching.  The pool was busy and it appears that I have a lot more  girlfriends now. I met an old friend in the pool. In 2004 I was a member of the Long Point Biosphere Executive. To raise awareness of the Biosphere we decided to have a race from Erie PA to Long Point. Paula was going to swim the 26 miles from Erie to Long Point and I was going to ride around the lake from Erie to Long Point.. Since we couldn’t really race we decided to predict our times and the one closest would get a Creemore beer. I predicted I’d ride the 713 kilometers in 30 hours, I made it 33 and won the beer. Paula’s swim was stopped due to high waves as the lead boat couldn’t handle the waves at such a slow speed. It was a great ride with Sensei John and The Sarge pacing me on the bike and other members of the Karate club in the vans. The cycling club met me in St. Thomas and rode me into Long Point. If I can find it, I’ll post Sensei Mike’s humorous account of the ride. 

Had a massage at 2 and did 15 minutes on the bike to keep the legs going around. The bike also helps to keep my knee flexing.

Thurs Jan 31st: Another hour on the treadmill. Seems I forgot everything I learned yesterday. Had difficulty getting standing tall on my legs with each step…thought I had that down pat…but the ol’ brain forgets very quickly, it seems. By the end of the hour I was getting it back. The last ½ hour was on the mat and they worked hard on the curvature in my lower back and getting up into standing position. At home when I stand, I hang onto the back of the commode or the side rail on the bed and pull to get started to stand. That is a big no,no…I am supposed to keep my arms out and use only my legs to get up.  The legs are getting stronger and I can get up without pulling if I put the bed up higher. The goal is to be able to get off seat that is 14.5 inches high as that is the height of the seat on the trike. 

Fri Feb 1st: Interesting morning. Darcy let the dog out and there was a bird lying on its back with its feet up in the air. Darcy thought it was dead but then its eyes blinked. She pick it up nd brought it into the house. She put a towel in the dryer to warm it up then put the towel and the bird in a box. I was having breakfast and the PSW, asked if I wanted to see the bird. She brought the box over thinking the bird was still comatose, she opened the box and the bird flew out into the window and onto the floor. Darcy went to get a towel but when she got back the bird had disappeared. The next 10 minutes was spent hunting for the bird. It was finally found in a bowl on the counter. Captured at last and put back into the box. While Darcy was having a shower the bird was pecking and scratching the inside of the box. It was time for the great escape. Darcy took the box outside and took the lid off…it immediately flew off into the trees and was gone. Never even said thank-you.   Don’t know what kind of bird it was. Was grey with a black head and a white breast with a long thin beak. How it got on  the patio don’t know. It could have flown into the patio door and knocked itself out…we’ll never know.

Off to London for another hour on the treadmill. I didn’t do any riding yesterday to see if I would have a better time on the treadmill. It was better than yesterday. The physios didn’t have to work as hard moving my feet. I did several 5 minute sets, several at 2 mph and 1 at .8 0mph. The slow walk gets me doing a lot of the work.

It’s kinda neat as everyday there are 2 students helping out. They have all been trained on the treadmill. When I get tired I don’t lift my left leg and my toe catches on the tread as I have drop foot and can’t lift the toes up very well. It hurts a bit when the toes go bouncing across the treadmill. It is a learning curve. Gotta pay attention all the time particularly when I am tired. Must think every step through…keeping head up, gluts on, toes up, land on my heal, arms and shoulders relaxed…
            
Sat Feb 2nd: Sally came early today. I was able to make class on time. It was a good class Sensei John had them working hard. Frank was there, the only 79 year old who can do 80 push-ups. If inspire you to train I  don’t know what will. 

Janelle suggested that I take it easy on the weekend and just do some sit to stands. No biking as that tightens me up. It is strange that walking on the treadmill doesn’t seem to do it as much. The only real difference is I  am in a sling that is tied on very tight. Perhaps if I wore something tight around my trunk on the bike,it may help…we’ll see.         

Sun Feb 3rd: It is take it easy Sunday. Went to Karate class at 10. Then out for a coffee with the guys. We had an accident with the chair lift in the garage. Left the car door open and tried to lift the car up. It bent some of the bars on the ramp. The tracking wheel that keeps the lift running straight doesn’t track properly. We had Action Medical in Woostock come twice and it still wasn’t. A former employee at Action came on Sunday and fixed it. 

Went for a coffee with Grandpa Bob and the Sarge. Heard all about Grandpa’s 6 weeks in Florida, where his wife Shirley kicked his butt in tennis.

Mon Feb 4th:  I was extremely tight when I woke up. I usually can get up and sit on the side of the bed…today I couldn’t. Had OT at 11 and they spent most of the time stretching out my back. Then it was off to PT. Janelle notice that I was very tight and did some stretches.  Got into the sling which is always  interesting  as Barry cinches it up very tight, particularly the straps that go through the groin as they need to be very tight to hold me up.

The treadmill went ok but the last 5 minutes was cut short as I got tired and wasn’t walking properly.  After the treadmill it was onto the mat for more stretching. Then some sit to stands. I was standing and pivoting to get into the wheel chair and the Sarge asked if I could do that getting in and out of the car. The reply was ‘absolutely’ and the more you use your legs the better.   

Tues Feb 5th: On the treadmill again. I went to Hamilton first to see the urologist. He’s checkin’ the ol’ prostate. My PSA has gone up from the baseline before the accident. It is not a problem if it goes up by .5 mcg a year but mine has gone up by .7 mcg. He thinks I may have an infection so I am on anti-b’s for 3 weeks. If it does not come down, it is biopsy time…yikes! Let’s hope it comes down.

I wasn’t any good in the treadmill. I couldn’t stand on my left leg. It might have been the 21/2 hours in the car. They stopped me early as I was hanging in the harness. When I don’t stand on the left leg there is no room for my right to come through. I have to work on relaxing my arms. As  the legs start moving, the arms tighten up. That is the wrong pathway to be building. At this point in time I am not able to shut the arms off or relax my trunk.

Wed Feb 6th: A rest day. Went for coffee with Grandpa Bob and had the Wednesday massage from Jenene. She worked on my quads and arms. Did some exercises in bed and had an hour nap and tried to relax the arms and trunk. All my getting in and out of the chair at home and getting in and out of the car are all stands and pivots no more slider board. Just keep using the legs to build strength.

Thurs Feb 7th:  Had PT on the treadmill again. Got the ultimatum from Janelle today. If I  don’t start walking with my tail tucked in they will let me walk with my bum out like you see a lot of seniors doing with their walkers. I don’t want that. I will start to sit up straight while typing this blog. Janelle suggested I change the seat cushion in my chair to a foam one. I’ll be taking it to Parkwood tomorrow to make sure I am sitting correctly. 

I am sitting on the cushion now and trying to sit straight with my pelvis in the right position. Keeping the left side of my body straight.  It is hard to do.

Had a great thing happen today.  A ladies gym in town, Cardio Plus had a program where the participants had to do so many workouts and if they missed they had to put 2 bucks in the jar. They raised… wait for… $1035…and gave Darcy a pedicure…thank you. That money will go towards the Locomotor program. Thank-you Mandy and all those ladies at Cardio Plus who missed their workouts. Oh yes, I did instruct Mandy when she took Karate at Martial Arts Canada. She remembered me as that sweaty guy….lol! Now I remember Mandy in Pt. Burwell classes…doh!  More about donations in How I am Feeling.

Fri  Feb 8th: Due to the snow storm, all therapy was cancelled today. Had an interesting night last night. I have bowel care every night at 8:00 and I have always had a BM everyday…I know too much info. The PSW said you can go 3 days without a BM…I can’t. Nothing happened and I went to bed, uncomfortable as I was. As mentioned I am taking antibiotics for a potential prostate infection. Well, anti-b’s cause diarrhea. At 1:30 it started and I got Darcy up, onto the commode but not quite quick enough. Its great having a shower in a commode with a shower wand...ye know I do think a bidet would really work…lol!

Then again at 6:30, before the PSW arrived. False alarm as it was all gas. Anit-b’s are a problem as they bind with calcium etc. so you can’t take them with milk and must wait 6 hours after anything containing milk. Note: I have cereal in the morning with a tablespoon of hemp hearts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, Bran Buds, and ground Flax seed. This morning I had poached eggs and toast which I’ll be having for the next 3 weeks so I can take the anti-b in the morning instead of lunch…ooopps forgot to take the vitamin pill out. 
Did ½ hour on the bike. Legs felt tingly so I only did an easy spin. Don’t know what’s the matter with the legs, they just were different.


Sat Feb 9th: Another interesting night. No BM at 8 but I felt a lot different than last night, not as uncomfortable. Then at 4 o’clock I called Darcy and off to the can. The good news is I didn’t need a suppository, the bad news is it was at 4 am. Couldn’t get back to sleep so I did the exercise routine.
Karate class was very good. Got to sit in front of the class and give some instruction…felt good.
  
Sun Feb 10th: Karate class in the morning. Sunday became a rest day getting as loose as possible for the treadmill tomorrow.

How I am Feeling?                  
Just need to go back every once in a while to thank the people and the organizations that made this all possible. There have been many private donation helped me pay for the Locomotor Program. Donations from organizations, Martial Arts Canada, Harlequins Rugby Club, Silver Spokes Cycling Club, Tour de Norfolk, ASPHIO, Public Health Inspectors were used to defer some the costs for renovations, equipment such as the manual wheelchair and 25% of the power chair, the lift in the garage that I use to get in and out of the house every day…thank you all.  Darcy and I would not have been able to do it without going into a great deal of debt….again thank you all.        

I am trying out a new cushion. It is harder foam which gives my pelvis more support. Janelle wants me to have a stable pelvis and everything else will follow. The Roho cushion is air and it helps prevent butt sores but lacks support to keep my hips stable. I used the foam pillow all day Friday and th0e back and trunk got very tight. Perhaps I should have gotten off it a couple of times to give the butt a rest. On Saturday I switched it a couple of times and that seemed to work better.

I seem to be whining a lot about being tight. Only doing that because it affects my performance on the treadmill. It seems that I was better on the first day. I am very pleased with the direction I am heading but as usual I want it to go faster. When I try to walk overland, I go too fast. I don’t stand on each leg, the hip can’t hold me up and the bum comes out. There is an article in MacLean’s Magazine about a soldier in Afghanistan that was hit in the head with an axe. He has to think everything through as well. They found when he visualized things happening, his brain made those connections. I don’t know why but for some reason I have a bit of trouble visualizing walking. I’ll keep working on it.         

Thanks for listening….