Jan 14 to Jan 27
Mon Jan 14th:
Hmmmm…strange how things work. I was feeling a bit crappy and went to physio
thinking it was going to be a tough day on the treadmill. I had OT first and
Jody loosened me up quite a bit. I mentioned to her that my legs have been
burning/tingle feeling and I was concerned about nerve pain. Sometimes I read
and think too much. I was worrying that I’d be in pain like my buddies Ray and
Jack. Jody explained to me that she has never heard of nerve pain this long
after an injury. So why am I so tight with all this muscle tone? I do have a
sore back which could explain some of the leg stuff but they say that any
little infection will cause muscle tone. I don’t feel like I have a urinary
tract infection so I will take a sample to the Doc this week.
I was all bummed out because of how I was feeling and the
impending treadmill test. Laura worked on my neck and did some stretches and
then it was time to get into the sling that suspends me above the treadmill. It
is so tight it gave my back a lot of support. The other thing was the burning
legs. I had started wearing compression socks again as my left leg was swelling
up. Seems they can cause a burning sensation as well….geez…I gotta stop
worrying. Well back to the treadmill. The last time I was on it I couldn’t
stand on my left leg and my left hip would collapse. Today I was able to stand
on my left leg and keep the hip in. I actually took steps and was actually
walking for stints of 2, 2, 3, 4 and 5 minutes. Felt good to walk, not perfect
by any means and I only had 50% of my weight on my feet but it was nonetheless
walking…yeehaw. This now means I’ll be going into the Locomotor Program in 2 or
3 weeks. I’ll be on the treadmill for an hour, 4 times a week and a half hour
of therapy.
Tues Jan 15th:
Yonna got back on Monday and even after being up for 30 hours for the trip home
from Hawaii she called this morning and asked if I wanted to go to the pool. It
was good getting back to it. Saw my 88 year old girlfriend Rosa who was as
happy and encouraging as usual. Yonna had me standing on my own but I wasn’t
near the edge of the pool and felt a little uneasy…Yonna said if I wanted to
get there had to walk. Eventually she broke down and helped me walk over.
Got home from the pool and did 20 minutes on the bike at a
constant tension of 3. I am still very tight and uncomfortable although it is a
little better. The physios asked if I could get my urine checked for and
infection, get neck X-ray to make sure all the hardware is still attached and
not causing my neck pain. If I don’t have a UTI they want the Doc to check and
see if there is anything else going on. Any infection of any kind or as one
physio put it a hang nail can cause tone in a spinal cord injured patient.
Wed Jan 16th:
Tone is easing a bit but it’s still there. My back is sore so I can’t go
into prone for my massage. Jeanie worked on my arms and did lymph drainage on
my knee to relieve the swelling.
Since it was a nice sunny day we went for a drive to Port
Burwell to see the sub.
Thurs Jan 17th:
Had my first Thursday PT session. There was some concern if the PSW’s would
be here at 7 so I’d be ready at 8:45 to leave. As it turned out one of the
PSW’s that comes in every other weekend was able to rearrange her schedule and
she come in at 10 to 7:00 and I was ready in plenty of time. In PT Laura wanted
me to go into prone lying but I couldn’t stay very long as my neck was hurting.
Instead we did some sit to stand. Again when I put weight on the left leg, the
hip gives out.
Fri Jan 18th:
PT at 10 and OT at 11. My trunk is
very tight and they are convinced that I am fighting something. I have noticed
recently that my sputum has colour to it which indicates that I may have
another respiratory tract infection. I
am not coughing but I do have a tickle in my chest. I’ m eating oranges which
will ward off any cold. I was exposed to a lady with a bad cough at the hair
salon on Tuesday, so the incubation period is about right.
Sat Jan 19th:
Went to Karate class. I just watched but I think I’m ready to start instructing.
Also attended a Black Belt workout that focused on self-defense.
The cold is setting and I’m starting to clog up. The back is
very tight and sore.
Sun Jan 20th:
Did a bike for 30 minutes. The back is quite sore and my neck is in spasm
so I ain’t a happy camper. Gotta stop bitchin’ about the pain but it’s nagging
and there all the time. Just need to take more pain meds…grrrrr. The only
solace is that the pain may be the nerves regenerating and it is just a stage
I’m going through…let’s hope so.
Mon Jan 21st:
Off to London for OT and PT. In PT we did some stretching and got me into prone
lying. Got over on my tummy and the back
goes into spasm and then the shoulders start. To top it off they put pillows
under my shoulders and it blocks the air coming into the face support and it
‘feels’ like I can’t breathe…..and a panic attack starts….immediately I have to
turn over…grrrrr. It’s a real bummer as I need to lay prone to stretch my back
out. They tried another method of having me lay on a ½ ball which means my face
is out and it’s easy to breath. It works but puts a lot of pressure on my
George but I was able to stay in that position a little longer. They tried a
third method. Laying on my back over a 6 inch bolster or roll. This helped a
bit and Laura worked at releasing the muscle knots in my neck. She would find a
spot and ask if it was annoying, and it was. She would massage it until it
relaxed. She did that for several muscles in the neck and throat. It felt good
when it was over.
Now that was the bad stuff. Here’s the good stuff. Remember
last Monday when I tried the treadmill…well I will be starting the Locomotor
Program next Monday….Yeehaw!!!!!!!!!!! It will be 4 days a week, Monday,
Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. An hour on the treadmill and ½ hour of physio
after. There is a lot of research that shows the program helps regenerate the neurological
pathways from the brain to the legs. They won’t guarantee that I’ll walk at the
end but I’ll be a lot closer.
Tues Jan 22nd:
Woke up with a tight trunk and legs. Moving and stretching helps to loosen them
up a bit. Yonna called and it was off to the pool. Since it was -11` when we
left I did put on a touk and gloves. We spent a lot of time stretching and
Yonna work on the legs and back. Then did some standing and walking with Yonna
holding my right hand and standing in front of me. It was the best I have ever
done…Yonna’s words. For the first
several steps, small as they were I was able to actually stand on my left leg
and step with the right. Got a lot of work to do as the left leg got tired and
I couldn’t hold the hip in very well and my bum stuck out…so we stopped.
Practice makes perfect so be careful what you practice. I get out of the pool
on a lift and transfer from the lift chair to the wheelchair. I n the past it
was a slid from one to the other. Today I held Yonna’s hands or I should say
she held mine, I stood up and shuffled over to the front of the wheelchair and
sat down….yeehaw!
Finished off the day with ½ hour on the bike and some
reading.
Wed Jan 23rd:
Well I now know what happens if you miss meds. I take baclofen to help control
muscle spasms. I forgot to take my nighttime pills. The spasms started at about
3 in the morning. By spasms I mean first the left side contracts with my left
leg contracting and bending the knee and the muscles on the left side contract
and twist my body to the left and then the left are contracts. Before the left
side relaxes the right side starts. The right leg contracts and then the right
trunk contacts and since the right side is stronger than the left it twists my
body to the right and the right arm also contracts. Then it relaxes. This
happens usually only when I am in bed. I do have minor spasms in the pool and
at physio depending on what they are doing with my left leg. Today was the
worst it has been. The tension eased off a bit once I took my morning baclofen.
Got a good massage from Jeanene and that helped a bit. There
is no way I could go into prone. I stayed in bed from about 3 to 5:30 and
caught up on a bit of sleep. Having 2 days off in a row is a bummer, and gets a
little boring particularly when it is -11 outside, too cold to go anywhere.
Darcy and I are now Doc’s as we upped my baclofen by 20 mg/day. Took an extra
10 tonight and an extra 10 in the morning…well see what that does to the ol’
spasms in the morning.
Thurs Jan 24th:
The baclofen did work ‘only one big spasm when I first started moving. Even
in the pool with Laura, there were no spasms. Looks like I need baclofen
Sort of a sad day as it was my last session with Laura. She
has brought me a long way. Back in May when I first started with Laura, it took
4 people to get me into standing position. Now depending on how high the seat
is I can get up by myself. She is a great motivator and very enthusiastic and
she has done a lot for me. I think most SCI patients tend to bond with the
therapist, hell some of them like Rick Hansen even marry them. I’ll miss her,
but after the Locomotor Program I will be going back into PT and I asked her to
keep a spot open starting April 15th.
Oh yes another interesting peeing event. On the way home
from Parkwood we stopped at a grocery store in Ingersol to get some bottled
water with the sports cap as they are easier for me to use. Darcy went in and
left me in the car. I told her to no be too long as ‘I may need to pee!’ Well
it happened. I had to pee. There was no urinal available. The only thing handy
was the garbage bag hanging from the glove box door. It wasn’t too hard to get
off. It was full of Kleenex and other paper products. Just hoping there were no
holes in the bottom. As it turned out there were no holes…whew and the Kleenex
socked up a lot of the liquid and I was left holding the bag until Darcy got
back.
Fri Jan 25th: I was all toned up this morning when I
got up. It did not let up at all by the time I left for London. Had
PT with Emily and did the usual stretching and 20 minutes in the standing
table. Standing in the standing table added more tone to my already toned ribs.
In OT, Jody and Erin worked on my arms and hands and did a lot of trunk
twisting that loosened up my ribs a little.
Got home and the better part of valor won out and I didn’t ride
the bike to see if the tone will ease up a little with no activity.
Sat Jan 26th:
This is the week for the PSW to be here at 7 so there is no time issue to
get to Karate class. Class was good, Sensei Linda runs a very organized and
energy filled class. Get lots of energy just watching a class. It’s good to
feel energized. Had a coffee at Tim’s and Darcy thought it would be good to
have some lunch. Instead of chili, my
usual lunch fare, I had a bowl of oatmeal porridge. It was quite good, with
fruit but a little too much sugar, which should be easy to fix next time.
Did ½ hour on the bike at low tension of 3 and did not push
the cadence to see if that would help the muscle tone…it didn’t. Muscles in the back tightened up and had to
take some pain meds…beginning to think this tone is the way it’s going to be.
Jodi mentioned that it may ‘not’ go away. Guess I’ll just need to find a coping
mechanism… which won’t be more pain meds.
Sun Jan 27th:
Karate class with the Brown belts at 10 am. Yikes I was late…a big no, no…can’t
let that happen again. Went for a coffee
with the gang after and had some lunch. Got home did a Karate assignment,
outlining the ‘Qualities of a Black Belt’ and how I’d rank myself, 1 to 5….interesting
project. You tend to learn a bit about yourself when you start evaluating
yourself…a good process.
Still tight from the bike ride yesterday…so no bike today.
Looking forward to tomorrow when I get evaluated for the Locomotor Program. I'll start the actual program on Tuesday for 44 sessions. There is an evaluation at the end and if they think it will be beneficial, they may offer me 22 more sessions. Remember no guarantee of walking but sure headed in the right direction.
Getting ready to hit the hay and do some exercises before
the PSW gets here for bowel care.
Thanks for listening….
will help to
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