Sept 16 to Sept 29, 2013

Sept 16 to Sept 29, 2013

Yikes, second day on the treadmill didn’t go all that well. I just couldn’t get into a walking rhythm. Seems the left knee would not bend at all and the physios had to work very hard to keep me walking…they called me peg leg…arrrr! There was a physio filling in for Shannon and she thought it was her fault that I wasn’t walking well. It was just the fact that my left leg wasn’t bending. They even went and got Shannon to come and see what was wrong. I only walked for 4 sessions of 2 to 3 minutes when I should be going for at least 5 minutes. By the end of the session I was all sweaty and just pooped! Not good day at all.

My tires on the manual chair were soft. I asked the Sarge to pump them up. They are Bicycle tires but a very strange size. They are 25 inches. Well the Sarge read the tire and they can be pumped to 80 to 145 PSI. We decided to put in 100 PSI. We got the air in but then there was a little pop and SSSSSSSSSS and the tire went flat. We took the tire off and found there was no rim tape on the wheel. This means the tube had an aneurism in one of the spoke holes.  Since I didn’t have a 25 inch tube to put in we installed a 26 inch one and folded it up a bit. I wouldn’t ride a bike with a tube that is too big but I’ll take the chance on the wheelchair. Took the chair back to the store, seems the Sarge read the wrong number and it is actually a 24 inch tire. As for the rim tape they said sometimes they come with it and sometimes they don’t. You’d think they’d check it…eh?

What a difference a day makes. The treadmill went a lot better today, Tuesday. Before we started Barry and the 2 students did 15 minutes of ‘aggressive stretching’ that got me loosened up a lot. The left leg wasn’t as stiff and I was able get a rhythm going today. Maximum walk time is 4 minutes. Want to get that up to 10 minutes before the end of session 22…the goal!

After the treadmill it was overland walking with a difference. Instead of me hanging onto a walking pole, the poles were horizontal, one on each side with Shannon holding them in front and Barry in the back. While hanging onto the poles they could move my arms in walking motion…first time that’s happened for quite some time…well about 25 months. Every step Shannon made sure I was pushing my left hip forward and standing on my left leg. She wouldn’t let me take an improper step. It is hard work keeping the hip forward but now I can do it most of the time but I must think every step about pushing the hip forward. It is amazing how much better I feel after a good day of therapy vs a bad day…I  know it shouldn’t but it does…sorta like doing a good Kata at a tournament and you know it was your best and it really doesn’t matter where you place….or surviving a session in Bruceter’s Corner. Karate guys will know what that means.

Wednesday in the pool for a1¼ hours. Lots of good stretching and walking. In the pool it is easier to take longer steps. The hamstrings feel very weak after they are stretched…it is a weird feeling. Got home and went on the trainer and rode 13.4 k’s. Good ride and felt strong. Did a little stretching after and there was no AD and my nose isn’t plugging up completely…won’t get too excited about that yet?

Ye know, I think I have a very strange dog. When I feed her, a few pieces of her food land beside her bowl she always eats the ones outside the bowl first…very tidy. At about 7:30, she gets Darcy to put her in her cage, she gets one cookie and we cover the cage with a black towel and she stays there until 8 in the morning…very strange!!!!

No therapy today, Thursday, I think all the physios were away. Just meant another day in the pool. Walked 15 meters a couple of times and then into the deep end for water walking. Some good news. I sent a letter to the Program Manager, the Director of Parks and Recreation, and the Mayor explaining that there is no place for me to change after the swim and for other handicapped patrons. Last winter it was a touch chilly getting into the car with a wet bathing suit. Sent the letter on Tuesday and the Program Manager had a solution on Wednesday. We can come in the back door, go down in the elevator and go through the health club and then through the men’s change room but I need one of the staff guys to push me though the change room. Methinks I can get through on my own as the floors are very smooth and it is easy to push the chair. To move the chair, I pull with my right foot and push with my right hand. I can keep it straight that way. The staff were very accommodating. Did 12.5 k on the trainer when I got home.

Friday, I had a great day on the treadmill. I was able to keep my hip forward and really stand on the left leg. Shannon called Stephanie, my previous physio over to watch me walk. I was between the parallel bars, hanging on for dear life. They pry my left hand open and it clamps on the bar and then they peel it off the bar. Using the bars and a 6” step they had me stepping up with my right foot while standing on the left keeping my bum tucked in…yeehaw! My brain has to pay attention all the time. I sometimes try to move the leg that I am standing on and then wonder why I can’t move it. On the way home Grandpa Bob mentioned that my nose wasn’t plugging up but as soon as I got into the house it was plugged up tight and it stayed plugged for about 2 hours….grrrr!

Saturday there was a good Karate class. Did 2 walks after the class. I was thinking that on Friday it was easy to keep my hip in because I was hanging onto the rail with my hands. Today I was able to walk and keep my bum in so perhaps I have overcome that hurdle. We’ll see by the end of the treadmill program. Thought I was having an AD attack when I got home as I had a little head rush so Darcy checked my blood pressure, it was 129/90. 90 is a little high but will check it again and see what happens.   Did 12.8 k on the trainer and did a light weights workout for 45 minutes…we’ll see how I am tomorrow. Need to get my endurance up so I can walk further at therapy.

Last Monday was a loss on the treadmill. I couldn’t do anything. This Monday was great. There is no explanation.I was able to walk and got up to 4 minutes. Then I got off the treadmill and walked overland attached to a walking machine. I am on wheels with straps around the legs…Easiest way to describe it is a walker that I can sit down in if needed. It works great as I can catch my balance if I go to fall. I was even kicking a ball. This helps my balance as it requires me to stand on one leg while using the other. Gets my legs doing different things which my brain has trouble doing. I now walk keeping my butt in for the most part. Shannon says it is my brain that has created that pathway. I say I now have enough strength in my core to keep the hip forward…hmmmm…Shannon is the physio so who’s correct. It was a hard workout and I was sweating a lot. My legs, back, neck and face were all tight when I finished. I figured my nose would plug up on the way home but it waited until I got home and 9:15 and woke up at 10 feeling very strange with my quads burning, my ears ringing and getting sweaty and anxious…yup dysrefleia. I was very uncomfortable for about ½ hour. Darcy took my Blood pressure and it was 155/106. In half an hour it was down to 129/86. As dysreflexia is caused by pain, I was assuming that it was the pain in my legs causing the problem. The only way to alleviate the pain is to take pain pills…I guess it worked. Just wondering how worried I should be about the high BP? I am sure I got it up a lot higher during sparing in Karate or bike sprints or cranking it up on the cross trainer when my heart rate was up around 170. Perhaps that is a question for the Doc at my next visit.

Shannon asked how I was after my hard workout yesterday. I was very tight and had some dysreflexia.  Her comment was we probably went a little too hard yesterday but we went ahead and basically did the same workout again. The nose plugged up at about 5:30 and we’ll see what happens with the other stuff. Just wondering if I can build up some tolerance to dysreflexia?  Just keep doing it and perhaps I can workout longer without it happening.  We’ll give that a go. Right now I think it’s the harder I push the worse the dysreflexia is. For example I can ride the bike at tension 3 to 5 for 40 minutes and not have nose plug up or the BP go up. If I put the tension up to say 5 to7, I suffer big time. Hmmmm…what should that tell me…eh?

Tuesday night went well. No aches or pains and no problems all night. Stiff as usual in the morning. Had arranged to have breakfast with one of my old cycling buddies, Etienne. He fell off his bike and broke his neck almost a year earlier and about 100 metres from where I crashed.  He has different problems than I have. For example, his upper body is always warm to hot and his legs are cold all the time. My body is different temperatures all the time. Sometimes my legs are cold and the feet are warm or one foot is cold and the other is warm. We had breakfast at the Tillsonburg Airport. Nice having breakfast watching the planes land and takeoff. There was actually one of those small private jets from the states that landed. After breakfast we got Etienne to ride on Darcy’s trike….I think he will be getting one. Good to see a smile on his face after doing 2 laps of the crescent on the trike.

Shannon suggested that I take it easy on Wednesday to see how well I function on Thursday. Just did 45 minutes in the pool, then a massage by Jeanie at 2:30 and that was it. For some reason my back was very sore and I was concerned about the treadmill. Barry did some very aggressive stretching when I got there on Thursday, to get me loosened up…and it worked. I am up to 5 minute walking sessions on the treadmill. The goal is 10 minutes by the end of October. Got into the walking device again and did some laps of the gym, walked backwards and played some soccer. Moving around correcting balance while kicking the ball are all very good for getting the legs moving independently…it pooped me out.

There was no therapy on Friday. I rode the trainer for 12.6 k in 40 minutes. Didn’t do any walking. I try to get out of my chair every hour to stand and just to get out of the sitting position. Don’t always stick to that timetable.

Saturday, went to Karate class as usual and I walked across the gym and back for a walk of about 30 m. For some reason I was a bit unsteady and they had to catch me twice. My right leg, the good one gave out twice and Sensei Willmott had to grab me both times to keep me from falling…yikes! Did a 40 minute bike ride when I got home and pushed it a bit. Did some good spinning and then I paid for it. My back tightened up and my nose plugged up and I pretty much felt like crap…but it was worth it…got 13 k in 40 minutes with the highest RPM’s to date…64 RPM! Had to get up at night for a BM which means waking Darcy up at 2:30.

Off to the pool on Sunday morning for a swim. The pool loosened me up a little butt the back was still sore after the swim. Down to Cultures for a coffee and then home to rest.

The new shorter cranks had arrived on Thursday and Terry came over and installed them on Sunday afternoon. It is a triple chain ring and Terry couldn’t get it to shift properly.At 3 AM when I woke up, the light bulb came on the front derailleur is for a double crank not a triple!

How am I Feeling?

Strange that I get on little plateaus and then I get off them and start upwards and then I plateau again. Couldn’t keep my left bum in when stepping and have been on that plateau and as of Friday I am able to keep it in a lot better…it still pops out sometimes. The work I have been doing in the pool, I think is paying off and the weights and the treadmill and the bike are all helping. In the pool when I step up on the first step and hold my bum in with my hand on the rail. Water walking in the deep end also helps as I can practice bending my left knee. It is very stiff but I think if the leg keeps getting stronger, I’ll be able to lift it easier…go figure!

Mentioned a couple of blogs ago that the hemorrhoids were causing problems and causing Dysreflexia. Haven’t had that happen for a while as we are using more Preparation H and that is helping a lot. I know too much information. Which reminds me…Do you know the Italian word for Preparation H? …Innuendo!!!!!!...hee…hee…hee! Yes I can laugh at my own jokes!

Shannon wants me to stand and do something with my hands. She wants me to stand and brush my teeth. Haven’t tried it yet. As I am starting to walk better and keeping my hips forward when I walk. Shannon says it is my brain making those connections…I say my back, gluts and hip adductors are getting stronger and I am able to hold my hip forward…do I dare tell her what I think…we’ll have a discussion!

Just don’t know how to go about training. To train of course you push yourself a bit then recover and do it all again. I want to do that now and I am wondering if I push it and get all tightened up will it get better as my body adjusts to the inputs or will I always tighten up after exercise, regardless how hard I go. Better wait until after the Locomotor Program is over before I start to mess around and see what ‘over doing it’ really means.

Thanks for listening…

Sept 2 to Sept 16, 2013

Sept 2 to Sept 16, 2013

Labour Day…I did no labour and in fact I did nothing all day. Asked Darcy to take me to the gym and she ignored me. Did a few sit to stands before bed and that was it…a true rest. Watched Milos Ronach, a Canadian lose the 5^th set in the US Open. He’s only 22 so he has many more years to kick butt.

Tuesday went to therapy. Different format today. I usually try to walk an entire lap and then rest. Usually my posture falls apart after about half to ¾ of a lap. By falling apart, I mean my bum sticks out and I lean to the right to take the left step. Today, I was able to walk about 20 meters and the bum didn’t stick out and I could actually take steps with both feet. We’d stop and I’d sit in the chair and go back to the start and do it all over again. Did that 3 times and was able to take ‘real’ steps. When I keep my butt in it is easier to take the step…I’d say ‘a step in the right direction.’ The goal is to be able to keep the butt in when I get on the treadmill. Wonder what the tone will do it may not be a problem as I’m tied in the jolly jumper and that may support me enough. 

Sept 4^th Grandpa Bob is away and I am missing the gym. He gets back on the weekend. Did the pool with Darcy and finally on the trike for a spin. An aside…dropped a piece of Dentyne gum on the floor, sugar free stuff and the dog wouldn’t touch it and she’ll eat anything…that should tell me something. Did 15 k outside and perhaps overdid it a bit. Did 6 laps of the subdivision. Got ½ way around on the 6^th lap and knew I’d done too much. The legs just quit. Very tight after the ride. Now, I know I overdid it. My back is rock hard and my nose is really plugged and the legs are burning.  All the nerves were jangled after riding for 1.5 hours. All night the body was tight and didn’t want to move much. My legs felt like rubber and transferring from bed to chair and chair to car was interesting. Got to therapy on Thursday and tried to stand up to transfer to the mat…both Stephanie and Barry had to hold me up. Got into the standing table for 15 minutes then stretching and some sit to stands. Stephanie introduced some new exercises. Stand up and then put the right foot on a 3” high box and then a 6” box. The left leg has to take all the weight…really good exercise to strengthen the left leg and getting my left hip pushed forward. A call to my bother-in-law is in order to make me some boxes. Got the word from Stephanie that I had to take the rest of the day off, no riding and tomorrow only a 30 minute easy spin. The bad part is that Darcy was there and she heard it too…guess that’s the way it will be.

Went back to the 4^th floor to see my friend Neil who is waiting for a nursing home bed. When I got to the nursing station there were some of the my nurses…and one of them, Cindy had been talking to a patient about my blog and she took me in and introduced me to him.  I know what he is going through a month post event, he fell about 25 feet and damaged his spinal cord at c5-c6 and is now in Parkwood for rehab. 

Boy do the muscles in my legs act differently after that long bike ride. My legs are still jangle from it and this is Friday. Didn’t do any cycling, just went into the pool with Darcy. The deep end of the pool is the one of the best therapies. It lets my legs move in all directions. Not too long ago it felt like there was a block of wood between my legs. I think it was my hip flexors that lacked sensation.  The left flexor is very tight and pinches when I bend the leg at the hip. I think it just needs to be stretched. The deep end is really the only place where the hip flexors get stretched.

Geez, it’s a bummer when a workout recovery takes 5 days. It’s Monday Sept 9 and I still feeling last  Wednesday’s bike ride. Only did 38 k last week on the bike and on Sunday I did nothing other than go out for 2 coffee breaks...sounds like I'm back at work!

This week I’m getting more dysreflexia events (AD). At least, I know what they are and I can handle them better now. They are like anxiety attacks, I just have move around. I was out on the driveway at midnight doing laps in the wheelchair. Went to the gym with Grandpa on Monday, Sept 9, the first time in a couple of weeks. I was going to take it easy and I thought that I did. Everything was going ok until I got on the crunch machine and I over did it…that extra set was just a bit too much. Muscles used to get sore after a hard workout but now it is completely different. My entire body tightens up and all toned up for several hours and I can’t move and lasts sometimes for days. Since  I am going back on the treadmill, there will be no weight lifting for the 5 weeks.. We’ll see how the tone goes after an hour in the jolly jumper.

Thursday, Sept 12 was the first day of the treadmill program. Didn’t think it was going to be  a good day as there was some AD on the way to London. It was the first session and was 1.5 hours of assessment. There were lots of tests, doing a sit up, rolling over, sitting straight, checking strength in arms and legs, doing sit to stands, standing for 2 minutes, standing with eyes closed for 10 seconds, turn in a circle, walking for minutes. I was able to stand for 2 minutes and for 10 seconds with eyes shut. Made ¾ of a turn, walked for 6 minutes and did 88 feet. Should clarify on the 6 minute walk there were 2 sit-down rests and 3 catches by Barry (PTA). A couple of the catches were interesting as I started to fall backwards and Barry allowed me to move my feet backwards to try and catch myself…which I wasn’t quite able to do. The feet moved, just not quick enough. These are things I can practice at home. Although I wouldn’t want Darcy to let me go as far as Barry let me fall. Darcy would correct my balance before I would fall.  My last 6 minute test in April, I only lasted 3 minutes and I was using a walker and assisted by 2 physios, so there is some improvement there…yeehaw! Another interesting thing they had me doing was to pick a ball up off the floor from a standing position. The ball is about 9 cm in diameter. To my surprise, I was able to get down and almost touch the ball, and I didn’t fall over.

Shannon is the physio that will be looking after me on the treadmill program. She wants me to do more standing and walking at home. She suggested that I stand to brush my teeth and stand whenever I can. I need to stand at every opportunity to get out of the chair. Seems I am spending too much time sitting on my butt in the chair and it has become my comfy place. My short term goal for walking is to be able to walk from the bed to the washroom and eliminate any assistance from the PSW’s for toilet activities. That’s for starters and long term goal is to walk the dog around the crescent…about 500 meters.  

Friday the 13^th will be the first day on the treadmill…good thing I am not superstitious. It’s 6 o’clock on Friday 13^th and I finished my first session on the treadmill at 4 PM. The legs are all tingly and the nose is a bit stuffy but not completely blocked. Back and stomach are tight but not unbearably tight. Did some more testing. They want me to stand with my feet together for 10 seconds with my eyes shut. I lasted 6 seconds. Then surprise, they took me to the stairs. There are 4 steps with a railing on either side. Put my right foot on the first step and then bring the left up then step up with the right again. I can step with the right quite easily but I have difficulty bending the left knee and getting it on the step. Got to the top and then another surprise, they wanted me to turn around and go down frontwards. It is a good thing I need a suppository to poop or I would have pooped my pants from looking way down from the top step. It was easier than I thought. Left foot down and the very hard part is standing on my left leg keeping my bum tucked in while the right foot comes down. Shannon won’t let me move if my bum goes out.

 I did 3x5 minute sessions on the treadmill. I was going faster than I did on the last go-round.  I was able to go 2 miles an hour opps that’s 3.2 kph. Last session the best speed for me was 1.6 mph. The differences on the treadmill, that I noticed were: I am able to stand on my left leg a lot better and my strides are longer and I can go faster. I still can’t walk on the treadmill without someone holding my butt steady. We tried it at very low speed but just can’t keep from wobbling big time.

After the treadmill, I stood while they got me out of the harness then I turned around and walked off the treadmill and got to sit in the chair for a rest. It was time to walk back to the mat only with one difference. Remember, Shannon said I can’t move unless by bum is tucked under on the left. Seems that  my body has adapted the pattern of walking where my left side collapse and my left butt goes out. I need to stand on the leg and walk with my bum tucked in. She showed Darcy how I should be walking. I take smaller steps but they are willing to put up with it, as long as I keep my bum in and stand on the left leg. She said it will be hard work to retrain and it will be. Need to walk shorter distances but do it right. Practice makes perfect so be careful what you practice.

Went out to a friends for lobster dinner... Yummy! However, when I got there they were sitting on the deck and there are 6 steps up to the deck with a railing. Instead of having them carry me up I said I’d walk up and sit in a ‘normal’ chair. Not only was the lobster good but so was the blueberry pie and the apple pie…diet starts tomorrow…again!

Confirmation on the weight loss. In April when they weighed me on the treadmill, I was 106 kg and now I am 95!!

How am I Feeling?

This tone and AD are becoming a bother. The goal of riding the 24 Hour Challenge next year looks like it may need to be altered a bit. Just don’t know what to do about it.  The more I do the more tone there is. Any pain that I get causes AD…going to be interesting trying to manage that. I am finding that even the pain from the massage starts AD.

Shannon made a very good point. Right now I am focusing on therapy and everything I do is to succeed at Parkwood. What I need to do is focus on life skills and get out of my chair as much as I can. I never thought about getting into a normal chair as I can’t slide the chair in once I am in it. Need to get something to put under the chair legs to slide the chair easily. It was suggested that we get tennis balls and cut an x in them and put them on the chair legs and it will slide in easier. They know that I am comfortable in the chair…they want that to stop. Where I can walk or stand or get out of the chair, that’s what I am supposed to do. For example, standing to brush my teeth.  Yikes… that is going to be a lot of work.  

Thanks for listening….

Aug 12 to Sept 1, 2013

Aug 12 to Sept 1, 2013

Sunday, the 11^th I did nothing in order to rest up for physio on Monday to see if the rest would make a difference. I was very tight but managed to walk 3 times around the gym…then I was really tight on Monday night and on Tuesday. Stephanie (physio) just stretched me out for the hour and then 10 minutes in the standing frame. After therapy it was home for lunch, pack and head off to Collingwood for Meghan’s Birthday BBQ. Kelly and Simon were already there and are staying ‘til Thursday. They had a ton of BBQ’d shishkabobs, Yum…Stayed at the Days Inn as they have a couple handicapped rooms which is basically a roll-in shower. Darcy loads the commode into the car and we have it for moving me in and out of the bathroom. The biggest problem is the carpet in the room is soft and the wheels of the wheelchair and the commode sink in and it is hard to roll them but we managed, with lots of grunts from Darcy!

On the way home we stopped at Sussman’s, a discount clothing store in Arthur. Darcy left me in the car parked on the street. She left me a urinal just in case the urge came over me, and it did. I had my long pants on due to the cold temperatures in Collingwood.  I dropped the urinal on the floor. Just so happens an oriental lady (that may not be the politically correct term, but you understand)  walks past and I asked her if she would get my urinal. She took one quick look in the car and continued walking. That’s when I looked down and saw that my tear-away pants were open and my bare leg was exposed from my thigh to my knee…yikes the perv strikes in Arthur…lmao!

Thinking about the muscles in my legs. I rested on a Sunday and did 10 sit to stands before bed. Monday was the big walk day and Tuesday was no walking and sitting in the car for 3 hours going to Collingwood and sitting in the wheelchair for another 3 hours. Sleeping in a ‘real’ bed is a bit different. I am accustomed to changing my bed angle several times during the night since I can’t move around. In a regular bed the position I get in is the position I stay in. Laid on 3 pillows propping my back and head up. At about 1:30 I woke up with a burny/achy  pain in my left hip and butt. Had to wake Darcy up to reposition me. Took 2 pillows away and I laid out flat on my back. That seemed to work and the ‘pain in the butt’ went away.

Having some strange things happening to me. I am definitely having autonomic disreflexia (AD) episodes which is: “a reaction of the autonomic (involuntary) nervous system to overstimulation. It is characterised by severe paroxysmal hypertension (episodic high blood pressure) associated with throbbing headaches, profuse sweating, nasal stuffiness, flushing of the skin above the level of the lesion, bradycardia, apprehension and anxiety, which is sometimes accompanied by cognitive impairment.^[2] The sympathetic discharge that occurs is usually in association with spinal cord injury (SCI) or disease (e.g. multiple sclerosis.” What does this mean? I just figured this out on Sunday. I had done a bike ride on the trainer and went to bed at my normal time. I was having trouble getting to sleep as I was tight everywhere. My neck was particularly sore and I couldn’t get it in the right position to alleviate it. I started sweating and got pins and needles everywhere. Didn’t get a headache but it really felt like a panic/anxiety attack. I called and woke Darcy up and asked her to take my blood pressure. It was high at 154/91 which is very high for me. It is usually 115-120/60-65. To alleviate AD the source of the pain needs to be removed. I had a big pee and I could feel the symptoms reducing while I was peeing. My stuffy nose cleared up, the pins and needles stopped and the pain in my neck went away. Seems I get some symptoms such as the stuffy nose and not the headaches. Also, nice to know that symptoms are similar to ‘anxiety attacks’ which means I wasn’t actually having a panic attack or at least that is my logic! My stuffy nose happens about a ½ hour after I bike and usually lasts for an hour but sometimes 2 or 3 hours. Found that if I lay in bed it goes away faster. Amazing how fast the ol’ mouth dries out when you breathe through it. Don’t envy those people with allergies who breathe through their months all the time. I have also found that the onset of the stuffy nose can be delayed and sometimes prevented if I move my legs. Don’t ask me why it works…it just does…most of the time!

Seems I have been having AD episodes all along and didn’t recognize them. I had one while sitting in the Drs. Office on the 19^th. The nurse took my blood pressure and it was 145/91, again high for me. Since AD is over stimulation of the involuntary nervous system, anything can cause it. The  Dr. is concerned about my hemorrhoids. Now here’s the story on them. Muscle tone also affects the muscles in my intestines and the lower part of my intestinal tract tightens up which means I must strain to poop. Straining causes swollen blood vessels in your butt i.e. hemorrhoids. The problem is not that I am constipated which would also cause the problem but the tight lower bowel is the problem. They cannot prevent the lower bowel getting tight as it would take too much medication and may cause the total loss of control and that is no good either. I take 120 mg per day of baclofen and only about 1.5 mg actually gets to my spinal cord. The next alternative is to have baclofen pump installed and pump it right into my spinal cord. They don’t usually do that until years down the road but if I need it Dr. Potter said he would get it installed. I am seriously thinking about it.

Tuesday and Wednesday the 20^th and 21^st were interesting days. Here we go more poop stories. Didn’t have a BM on Tuesday night and all day Wednesday I was a hurting puppy. As any pain can cause AD and I had several episodes on Wednesday. Darcy took my bloodpressure and it was elevated several times during the day. Elevated from  ~116/65 to 145/89. Not high enough to blow a gasket, not a real health risk but high enough to give me some symptoms: tingling, a bit of a head rush, sweating and the most aggravating thing, the stuffy nose. Don’t know if that is from elevated BP or my nerves just doing it. The vagus nerve is the one responsible for running my nose and a lot of other stuff in the face. It is a weird feeling when muscles in my neck face head and ears go numb. Feels like there is an elastic band around my face.

It gets a little frustrating when activity sets off the AD. Friday night (Aug 23) was a real bummer. I did a bike ride and then all the tightening started. My hemorrhoids were hurting so I was tingly and very tight all night long. Got Darcy up at 1 AM and did a trip out on the driveway…it was cool and helped a bit to relieve the anxiety. When my lower bowel is tight, I can’t fart and the gas builds up and causes pain and it becomes a vicious circle. If I strain to get the fart out that aggravates the hemorrhoids causing pain and making everything else tighter….grrrrr! Really don’t know what the solution is but need to find one very soon.  

Went into the pool with Darcy on Wednesday (Aug 28) and stayed in for over an hour. Prior going to the deep end we did some stretches and did some stepping up on the stairs in the pool. With the right foot on the step and a lot of help from my right arm I can almost straighten the right leg and almost get the body out of the water. Spent more than ½ hour in the deep end doing water walking and in general moving the legs in all direction.  This is the only place I can really get to stretch my legs apart.When walking in the pool I try to take bigger strides, which still aren’t very long but longer than I take on dry land. The water buoyancy keeps me on my toes…literally it keeps me on my toes which is very different from dry land walking. 

August 20 was the 2^nd anniversary of the crash. It seems so long ago but also seems like yesterday. I’ve come a long way from not being able to move very much to almost walking on my own. Again I need to qualify walking. I do take steps but very short ones only about 15 cm or so and I need a cane and someone hanging onto my belt in case I lose my balance. I can walk about 145 feet and my lower back tightens up and my left leg gets tired and I start to trip on my foot. Don’t get me wrong I am pleased with the walking I am doing, just need to do something about that damn sore back that is the show stopper on every walk….grrrrrr!

How am I Feeling?

 I may have figured out something. Another Catch 22. I missed 3 days of working out, no bike rides, no gym and no pool. My legs felt weak when I was in Collingwood. When able body people stop working out your legs still get a workout just walking, sitting standing etc. If I miss working out my legs do nothing and perhaps doing nothing for so long really does make them weak. My legs feel the strongest when I work them every day. I can see that in the training log…best distances are usually the 3^rd or 4^th day of riding. When working out in the gym I have the best walks after doing leg press. I think that I must think about lifting my toe all the time and when I haven’t used my legs for a while I forget to lift it up. That’s my diagnosis…

 

The frustrating part is no one can tell me want to do or what will happen or what will work. It’s all trial and error. As mentioned when I ride the trainer for 40 minutes my legs go tingly/burny, my nose plugs up and my ears start to ring.  As mentioned above I can sometimes alleviate the stuffy nose by moving my legs around and stretching. Also, getting into bed and relaxing seems to help as well. I know that by trial. They can’t tell me how much to do. I think, if things stay like this there will be no long trike rides. I don’t know if the length of time and severity of my tingly/burny legs and plugged nose is proportional to the time spent pedaling. Enquiring minds need to know...an experiment in progress.

I weighed myself again and the weight is…wait for it…is 205.6 pounds or 93.5 kg…yeehaw down from 230lbs/104.5 kg...yeehaw x 2…only another 15 lbs/6.8 kg to go. My George is getting smaller. Losing weight is very hard to do. I now empathize with those people who have a weight problem and are trying to lose some kg’s. It was so much easier when I could eat what I wanted and as much as I wanted and just burn it all off with no problem.

I was a little concerned that the number of laps I was able to walk during therapy has decreased from 4 down to 1 lap and sometimes only ½ or ¾ of a lap before my back tightens up and I need a rest. Stephanie pointed out that she and a student were doing lots of work when I was doing 4 laps and now it is just with Stephanie and I am doing most of the work. When I start the walks I take 7 or 8 fairly good steps before the hamstring gets tired. Stephanie has to make 2 or 3 saves in a lap as I tend to lean and lose balance going around corners. I lean to the right on each step to accommodate the hip-hike to take a step with the left.

Don’t know how it happened, but the 4 weeks Kelly and the 3 weeks Simon was here went by at light speed. It was good having Kelly around again…noisy but good…lol! Good to get to know Simon a little bit as well. Yup…he’s a good guy! Enjoyed hearing about deep sea spear fishing and seeing the videos of spearing 200 kg Dog Toothed Tuna. Looks like a lot of fun. Missing them already.

 

It appears that I am complaining a lot in the blog but according to Darcy I don’t complain about anything at home but writing about all the trials and tribulations is therapeutic, it gets it off my chest.

Really looking forward to going back into the Locomotor program for 22 sessions/5 weeks starting Sept 12^th . Had a great lunch with one of my old opps, former bosses, Dr. Doug who is here from BC visiting his Grand Kids. 

Thanks for listening….