talk about inspiration

Friday, December 2, 2011

Talk about Inspiration……

Sensei Helene’s son, Alain, was in an accident in January and has been in a wheelchair and stood up for the first time yesterday…….Wow what an inspiration for me!  Keep up the good work Alain.  If you’re standing, you’ll soon be walking.  I know it’s really tough to do but just keep working at it and you will get there.

The good news for me is that I was standing up in the sling yesterday and today.  Yesterday they got me up three times for about 2 minutes each time with my right leg doing some weight bearing and they bent my left leg so it wasn’t weight bearing an awful lot so it didn’t hurt my knee.  But I did have my right leg on the floor and I didn’t realize two things…..I didn’t realize how tall I was because I hadn’t been up there for a while, and thank god I only weigh 164 pounds because it would be a lot more difficult if I was 175.  It is an amazing sensation having weight go through your body again.  Hopefully, when they fix my left knee and I am pretty sure the surgery is a go for the new year, it will be very interesting having weight on both legs.  Today, I was up for a total of at least 15 minutes and the therapist told me just to concentrate on the Exit sign, which I did, and I had no problem feeling dizzy.  The second time I was up, I was up for more than 8 minutes and I was determined not to ask to be put down, but I let them tell me when I had had enough.  I also transferred from the bed to the wheelchair on a board noting that there were two people assisting me but I think I gave them some help with my right leg and right arm.  It’s a funny sensation as I bend forward I think I am going too far and I am going to land on my face but it is probably not that way at all and there is a therapist there holding me up.  But leaning forward it supposed to take the weight off my butt and put it on my legs but since I only have one good leg, I don’t get a lot of weight off and I doubt if I could do the transfer by myself at this point in time.

It was interesting today in physio when I transferred from my chair to the table (the table height is adjustable, and it’s padded of course) so I was sitting on the edge and the one therapist in front of me left to move my wheelchair and I assumed the other one was behind me but she came up beside me adjusting things so I was actually sitting up by myself with my feet on the floor for about three minutes…..yeehaw….  Then I was on the bike for a half hour and my left leg is still doing about 30 to 40% of the work. 

In OT today, they really worked my right arm with the weights, and I am actually lifting 3 times as much weight as I was at the beginning of November.  Initially I had a very sore left shoulder and my scapula (shoulder blade) was sticking out because the muscles weren’t strong enough to hold it in.  When I slept it was like sleeping on a plate sliding around on your back.  Since I have been doing all the lifting on my right arm and shoulder, the therapist makes me keep my shoulders back which has strengthened the muscles around my scapula so it no longer floats around.  So today, my OT therapy now is one hour on my right arm lifting weights, and about 45 minutes working on my left arm and hand which seems to be coming around.  I can move some of my fingers and I am starting to straighten my wrist.  My bicep and tricep in my left arm are getting stronger, and my whole left arm is starting to move more. 

I don’t know if it is me or the nurses, but I seem to be getting into a routine that works for both of us.  They are being very careful with my knee now and they haven’t hurt my knee for the last couple of weeks. 

It’s amazing to be here and see the progress of other patients who leave the hospital and come back for therapy.  My old roommate left and is living in an apartment on his own in London.  He does get some nursing care but basically he is doing everything himself.  He is now walking in the swimming pool by himself just being held up by a noodle……..sounds good to me.  Hopefully, he will be able to go home before Christmas.

That’s all for now, thanks for listening.