Monday July 30th
PT this AM worked left arm while in the standing table, stayed up for 20
minutes. Worked on opening my left
hand…they say the movement is there to initiate the finger straightening and
moving the wrist back so it seems there is some nerve impulse getting thru.
Meghan makes fun of me when I write the ‘problem is’, but the problem is as mentioned
previously my knee bone is attached to my left arm bone. When I stand on my
left leg my left arm, hand and fingers are so tight it is very difficult to
open my fingers…they do work hard to get the fingers open, the wrist straight
and the arm extended.
They are trying to arrange another time slot so I get 3
sessions per week. It would be 2 with the physio and 1 with a physio student,
Monday, Wednesday Friday….yeehaw and a woooowhoooo
At home did some launches off the bed and the usual exercise
routine and Dr Ho on the finger flexors, triceps and quads.
Tuesday July 31: Yonna and Grandpa came over and they
warmed up my leg and left arm did stretching on hamstrings and then I stood up
several times. Can get from sitting to standing by myself the hard part is
getting in the proper standing position…you know the drill bum in, chest out
shoulders back and head up chin in.
Grandpa mentioned that there was some separation of left arm from left
leg.
Have Dr. Ho on my forearm while typing this and the fingers are
opening a third of the way and I close them and they open again don’t know why
it is working today.
Taking a urine specimen to the Doc today and hopefully get
some anti-b’s. Used norfloxicen the last two times, want something different
this time. Would also like a sensitivity test done to see what anti-b will kill
the little suckers.
On the bike for ½ hour and it tightened up my arms.
Wednesday Aug 1st: In PT did prone lying to prone
standing…stretched legs wide apart, haven’t been that far apart for a long time
a good stretch of the hip abductors or is it adductors well anyway a good groin
stretch. Stood straight up for a minute from prone standing which is very hard
on my tight hamstring and there is a little relief if they/I tuck my tail bone
in and my butt under. They say I am getting better at standing and my arm is
starting not to tighten up as much. I guess that is like Sir Winston
Churchill’s statement about the war….’it is not even the beginning of the end.
But it is, perhaps the end of the beginning’. Hmmmm….perhaps I shouldn’t be
using Sir Winnie’s quotes in this blog.
Anti-b hasn’t kicked in yet, as my bladder is still burning
and cloudy and burning pee.
Thursday Aug 2nd: As mentioned the lift is still broken
and they won’t have the part for another 2 weeks. The outdoor splash pool is
like the beach, the water depth goes from zero to 4 feet. They have a small
wheelchair and they wondered if I could transfer to it from my electric chair.
I’d stand, by holding Yonna’s hands and they pull my chair out and push the
little chair in…it worked. In case you don’t know The Sarge and I are always
zinging each other. The Sarge took great delight in rolling me into the water
very slowly as it rose to chest depth…yikes! Note the outdoor pool is several
degrees cooler than the indoor pool. Once into the 3 foot depth they tie the
float on and I float for about ½ hour with Yonna moving my legs to stretch the
hamstrings, quads and hip muscles. It is then time to stand up in 3 foot water
which isn’t very buoyant and off comes the float. I have found that standing in
the pool is hard on my feet as I have no calluses left on them and my toe next
to the big one rolls under. Yonna and The Sarge both say the pool bottom is
smooth…well it isn’t to my prissy feet. I think I’ll look into some aqua shoes.
Oh yes, we share the pool with about 25
ladies doing aqua fit and they are very supportive and some come over at the
end of class to give me some encouragement.
I think the anti-b is starting to
work
Did ½ hour on the bike in the afternoon once finished I
stretched the left arm by getting Darcy to open my hand and slide it on the
handle bar and then I sit back and it straightens the arm out as it is very
tight even though I did the chicken dance. Did 4 sets of 10 launches…had to
pull with my arm very hard to get a foot off the saddle, oh yes, I am still on
the bike then again I realized I was doing it wrong. To stand I must put my
nose over my toes, keeping head and shoulders up…surprising what a difference
it makes…almost stood up straight about 2/3 of the way up quite easily. I must
remember that while sitting here typing, to bend from the waist and keep my
head up and not be all hunched over the keyboard
Friday, Aug 3rd:Coffee
with the guys at 10 this morning, then another massage by Jeanie at 1. Then
lying on my right side for 45 minutes, which stretches me a different way than
lying on my back. Should actually sleep on my side for 4 hours and then go on
my back, not going to happen as Darcy would have to get up and help me get on
my back. Friday we were told that we would have 3 new people coming in on
Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Being a long weekend and vacations, it is
understandable they would be short staffed. However, no one showed up on Friday
night so Darcy had to do my bowel care…oh joy oh bliss. We managed ok but Darcy
hurt her back lifting my legs into the bed. The workers not only do bowel care
they have been trained to do 8 exercises on my arm back and ribs so I missed
the exercises, which I need.
Did 2 sessions on the bike, first one for 15 minutes, then
25 minutes. As Darcy says, I always overdo and 40 minutes was just a tad too
long and really tightened up my arms and trunk.
Anti-b’s are working, pee is clear, not the kind of clear
like when you drink too much beer…eh Marnie!
I mean not cloudy, no burning bladder, no burning pee and fewer muscle
spasms.
Saturday, Aug 4: Woke up very tight with lots of muscle tone
everywhere, arms legs and back muscle spasms are back...not as bad but there.
Hope it is the hard workout that caused it all and not the bladder infection
acting up…still on anti-b’s ‘til Monday. Did a very light workout on the bike
and still tightened up. No worker showed up at 8:15 as stated and no phone call
to say they weren’t coming. Darcy had bowel care once again, sore back and all.
Sunday Aug 5th: Again too tight to do much. Didn’t ride
the bike as it tightens me up more. Did some leg extensions and pelvic tilts,
and lying on my side…pretty much a rest day.
A worker actually came in at 8:15 and did the bowel care and
she had only been on the job for a week. She asked for direction and people
tell me I am pretty good at giving direction, Darcy calls it being ‘bossy’. She
did a fine job. The regular workers have been trained to do 8 exercises on my
arm, back and ribs. The operative word is trained so no training, no exercises,
even though I could walk them through it quite easily.
Monday Aug 6th:
Woke up looser or should that be less tight. Rode the bike for 40 minutes,
2 sessions, one for 25 minutes with a 3 minute cool down and an easy spin for15
minutes. I am really missing therapy and the exercises from the workers. A
regular worker came in at 8. Note she usually does mornings and even though she
had been trained several months ago I had to direct her through all the
exercises…hmmm…why can’t I do that with new workers. I understand there are
rules but there is the letter of the law and the spirit of the law. The
supervisor of the agency says she is going to get more workers trained but she
doesn’t know the exercises and I will have to train them all…what a waste of
time and money when I could do training on their first visit…grrrrrr
Tuesday Aug 7th: In the splash pool with Grandpa Bob and
Yonna. Did stretches for ½ hour with grandpa working on my arm and shoulder.
Then off comes the float and I do squats by sitting down on Grandpa’s and
Yonna’s knee and then stand up and hold it. Again, my feet are tender my feet
hurt when I get up. I tend to twist as my right side is so much stronger than
the left. Must work on standing straight.
Learned a new trick. As mentioned, Darcy hurt her back
putting my feet into bed. She has to lift my legs from the floor and push them
into the bed. I haven’t been able to lift my legs and swing them into the bed
as my butt sinks into the bed. I had a brain wave that I could sit on my slider
board that I use to slide in and out of the wheel chair. I sit on the board and
can easily lift my legs and swivel my butt on the board and put my legs into
the bed. It even gets me in the right position so I don’t have to slide up in
the bed so my feet don’t touch the bedboard. The PSW’s appreciate it as well.
Wednesday Aug 8th: Wow got back to phyisio with a bang. Laura
and Marion were working on my arm and posture and I mean head up shoulders back
chest out, sit and stand tall, all the time…then we got into standing with 4
physios, one in front keeping my arm extended, one on my right making sure my
leg was straight, one on the left stopping my left side from collapsing and
keeping my leg straight as possible and my heel on the floor and one behind
making sure my tail bone was tucked under and my gluts were on. When I stand,
my right leg does all the work and the left goes along for the ride. If I put
weight on my left leg the whole left side collapses, knee, and hip. They said I
must do 8000 reps a day of putting weight through my left leg and tighten my
left glut (bum). The work Yonna and I have been doing on stretching the
hamstring is helping as I can get the knee straighter without pulling the
hamstring i.e. no pain. They like my ‘stamina’ as I was able to go from sit to
stand many times without a rest.
Darcy and I have a standing bet of 25 cents depending on
whom is right. As physio wants me to stand and practice putting weight on my
left leg I needed something to stand up to from the bed. I need to be on the
bed as I can raise it up higher than a chair. Darcy suggested I use the handle
bar on the commode. I said the commode was too light and wouldn’t work…she won
the quarter. With a PSW standing beside the commode and Darcy sitting in it, I
grab the handlebar, keeping my chest and head up, put my noes over my toes I
stood up, 5 times. I was a little wobbly but managed to stay standing for a
couple of minutes each time. Darcy doesn’t feel comfortable doing it alone as I
wobble to the left and she is afraid I’ll fall….note I’m not afraid as if
anything gives out I’ll just sit on the bed.
Thursday Aug 9th: No swimming pool as it was quite cool and
raining. Yonna did lots of stretching of hamstrings and the hip flexors. Did
some stands from the bed trying to tighten my butt and tuck tail bone under and
putting weight through my left foot. Hard to keep gluts tight. Must get a leg
press machine to work the legs and get the butt working. I was not so wobbly
this time and my left side did not collapse when I put weight through it. Darcy
now feels comfortable doing itby herself.
Friday Aug 10th:
PT today as a replacement for the
civic holiday…yeehaw. They had me standing for45 minutes at the standing table.
They put some weights under my toes to lift them up that really stretched my
hamstrings. I could only tolerate it for ½ hour. Again trying to keep my legs straight and
pressure on my knee, again my left arm bone is attached to my left knee bone
and the ol’ left arm tightened up. They tried to get my fingers open and they
did extend my arm with a lot of difficulty. Then they got me into side lying
and stretched my quads i.e. bent my knee and pulled it back to stretch the quad
and the hip flexors, feels good when they stop.
Came home and had another great massage from Jeanie and she
commented on how much more flexible my ankle was.
I would be remiss if I didn’t thank the Tillsonburg Rec
Department for all they did in getting me into the pool.
How am I feeling?
The long weekend was not good. It was too hot to go outside
and there was no therapy for a week. Rode the bike but even with the air
conditioner on, I was sweating a lot. Started to doubt what I am doing but the
therapy on Wednesday got me over that hump. Being able to get my legs into bed
is great and standing at the commode is fantastic.
I have stopped setting goals for when I am going to walk.
I’ll keep doing what physio says and I’ll walk when they tell me I am ready.
There is so much that has to happen before I get there. There is the whole
balance thing and just picking a foot up with the weight entirely on the other
foot must be learned all over. Then there is stepping. I know I was walking in
the pool, don’t get me wrong, that was a great feeling but, two people plus the
water were holding me up as I have no balance and I need to stand straight and
shift my weight from one foot to the other all the time keeping my leg and butt
muscles turned on. It’s tough to have the brain send the signals to the right
spot at the right time, that’s the unknown learning variable which may take
time…will take time.
Oh yes I watched a lot of the Olympics…yeehaw Canada …well
done. Some great performances, Damian Warner in the decathlon and our only gold
and the soccer team and last in women’s triathlon… and…and…and…and damn about
the relay, rules must be followed…oops did I say that.
Thanks for listening….
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