March 11 to March 24,2013

March 11 to March 24, 2013

Mon Mar 11^th: Since I rode the bike on Saturday and tightened up and did nothing on Sunday I was hoping to wake up on Monday nice and loose ready for the treadmill. Did my normal hour exercise routine which I thought may loosen me up for the treadmill.  Well it didn’t happen. Legs were quite tight and heavy on the treadmill and just couldn’t get them going. Janelle was away and Shannon was the physio looking after me. It is good getting a second opinion. Chalked the poor performance up to being Monday and get stretching on the mat. Did some sit to stands and transfers from the chair to the mat. When I transfer from the chair on my bum I take little hops using my right hand the lift by butt off the chair and bounce onto the mat. Shannon wants all my transfers to be therapeutic. That means I must use my legs to transfer. Instead of bouncing over, I need to lean forward so my feet are firmly planted on the floor and lean far enough forward that my butt comes off the chair and then move my butt over. My left foot floats on the ground and doesn’t really have contact with the ground. Since it is the weak side I do everything with the right leg. She wants me to concentrate on using the left leg and make sure every transfer is done properly. I am not to do it in a hurry but make sure I am doing correctly…go figure! She also wants be to kick my legs and bring my feet as far back as I can to strengthen the hamstrings…particularly on the left.

Tues Mar 12^th: A bad night. I was doing plantar flexes in bed, but as I pull my toes up my heel rubs on the bed. I did several sets not thinking about my heels because I had socks on. Fell asleep and woke up at 2 with a very sore heel. Since I can’t fix it myself I woke Darcy up to put a pillow under my calf to keep the heel off the bed. My legs and feet were burning and I thought it was because I had heavy socks on to keep my feet warm. My legs from my knees down were burning hot. Darcy felt my feet and they were cool but I took the socks off anyway. That is what has been described as nerve pain or hopefully the nerves coming awake down there.

Did do the exercise routine at 10 AM to see if it would affect the performance on treadmill.  Got to PT early and did some more stretching. Then it was time for the treadmill, the first 3x5 minute sessions didn’t go all that well. I wasn’t standing on my legs and my upper body was very tight. However, the last 3 rounds went better, seems the ol’ brain had it figured out finally. The last 5 minutes got turned into 6. It was then into the chair and back to the mat for some ’aggressive’ stretching. Then it was time to walk, got up into standing position, Janelle on the right, Barry on the left and off we went around the gym…145 feet and got to the mat and it was going so well we went around again. Made it back to within 10 feet of the mat and the legs just wouldn’t go any further. That 280 felt like a marathon... yeehaw. Little did I know that I would pay for that little excursion.   

Wed Mar13th: Ah a rest day. No therapy and no swimming pool as Yonna was at bonspiel. After the ‘long walk’ I needed a rest. I know, I keep harping on the tight body and now the legs were tight to. My right arm has been the workhorse through all this and today I had difficulty brushing my hair. Every time I moved the brush to my head my right shoulder would come up and my upper body would tighten up and the arm would not go up to my head. Thought there was something wrong with the arm. In the morning my brain thinks that I need to lift the shoulder to raise my arm. I must really think to keep my shoulder down…silly brain!

At bedtime I was still very tight all over and did just 6 sit to stands. In bed, I have the remotes to turn on the TV for light to see to use the urinal during the night. Getting in a bad habit of watching TV for half an hour or so at 3 AM…a very bad habit that I must break. Woke up tired of course at 6:45 for shower and breakfast. Off to London at 11:45. It was a bad day on the treadmill. They said my legs felt heavy and it wasn’t until the last 5 minute session that I got going. Back to the mat for stretching and after a few sit to stands they got me up to walk. That lasted about 20 feet and the legs were just too pooped to go any further. End of the session.

At bedtime I was able to do 10 sit to stands. After bowel care I fell asleep ‘til it was time to go to sleep at 10:30. Darcy got me already and I watched some news until 11:30. I can put the CPAP nose piece on but the strap goes over my head. Now the right arm wasn’t working and I couldn’t get it on. Since I have sleep apnea, I kept waking up about every ½ hour or so. Then at 3 for a pee and I watched TV for 45 minute. Dozed on and off until the PSW arrived at 7:30. Needless to say I was pooped in the morning. 

Fri Mar 15^th: Nodded off a couple of times in the car on the way to London. Got there ½ hour early and got some good stretching done on the mat. I walked from the mat to the treadmill with a few hiccups, but I made it. The treadmill session didn’t go all that well. Had difficulty keeping my gluts turned which is a must to walk and I wasn’t standing on my legs very well. Janelle asked if I was tied so guess it showed.

Back on the mat for some very aggressive stretching and then some sit to stands. They tried something new. Stood on my right leg and moved the left forward as in taking a step. Barry is on the right and Janelle is on the left. What I was to do is shift my weight from the right to my left in a walking motion. Keeping the left leg straight. I just couldn’t get it. Don’t know if it was because I was tired of the brain doesn’t know what to do. But if Janelle hadn’t been there I would have fallen over. This is the point where my brain turns on everything, my both arms are rock hard, my back, tummy and legs are hard. It was time to sit down. Session over…I was too pooped to participate. No more TV at night, when Darcy goes to bed, I go to sleep.

Sat Mar 16^th: Finally, the PSW came at 7:45 when she usually comes at 8:30. Got ready in lots of time for Karate class. Starting to feel a little more confident and taking part more in the class. Sensei Linda ran a great class.

Saturday afternoon was spent writing the blog and did some sit to stands as a break from writing. However, this morning while shaving I did find something out. I was looking in the mirror trying to brush my hair. Again I couldn’t get the brush up there because every time I went to lift my arm up my shoulder came up to try and help it. My brain still thinks my shoulders do everything. Again I had to mentally keep my shoulder down and then I was able to brush my hair. Just typing this blog has tightened up my back and neck that I may needs some pain meds. I’ll give it a rest and just do some reading.

Sun Mar 17^th: Ah St Paddy’s Day. 9:15 it was off to the Brown Belt’s training. I think they were happy that Renshi, my instructor wasn’t there again…but he will be back. A good class, they all worked hard. 

Since I was still tight from Friday, and Grandpa, The Sarge, Bud, my brother-in-law, and John V were coming over for some St. Paddy’s day cheer, a workout was not planned. Grandpa brought 4 Murphy’s Cream Stout over that he had got in Florida. It’s just like Guinness…yum! I had a whole beer with no side effects until I was sitting at the computer after, and I felt a little woozy and started to sweat. Darcy had gone shopping so I went and sat in the doorway to the garage to cool down. It only lasted for about 10 minutes and it was back to normal.

The only exercise I did was the PSW working on my arm and 10 sit to stands before bed. Resting up for Monday which is usually a tough day.

When I got into bed, I tried to relax my body. Consciously tried to relax my back and stomach. It seems to work but as soon as I move it tightens up. Even as I type this, I am holding my shoulders up and when I notice it I can relax them but they will sneak up again.. 

Mon Mar 18^th: OT was on again at 11 with PT at 1. This is my last week with Jody and I’ll know on Friday who my new therapist will be. We did the usual stretching which did loosen my back up a bit. Every bit helps.

Lunch in the cafeteria, a turkey sandwich and a coffee…nope didn’t win anything under the rim. Took my lunch time pills, 100 mg of gavapenton for nerve pain, 30 mg of baclofen for spasms, cranberry pill for prevention of bladder infections, 4 mg of hydromorphon for pain. The dose is 2 mg every 2 hours as needed but I thought I’d try a higher dose and I think it helped. PT at 1 with usual stint on the treadmill. Barry was away so Dennis tightened the sling and it wasn’t quite as tight as Barry makes it and it was a lot more comfortable. The run on the treadmill was very good for a Monday. After some stretching on the mat, we did 2 laps of the gym…yeehaw!

Tues Mar 19^th: Another stint on the treadmill and another 2 laps around the gym. I asked Janelle what I should be doing at home on treadmill days. I am concerned that I will tire my legs out before I get there. Janelle thought it would be ok to sit to stands early in the morning and give enough time to rest before the treadmill.

Wed Mar 20^th: Ah the 1^st day of spring dawned cloudy and snowed every hour or so. Wiarton Willy was wrong. Swim day with Yonna. First time in the pool in 2 weeks. Felt good to float around. 

Thurs Mar 21^st: Ah the penny finally dropped, actually started standing on my legs. There is a full length mirror in front of me. When I stand straight up I  can just see my moustache. I don’t need to look at my feet or legs as long as the tache is just visible. I am standing on my legs. Finally the ol’ brain may be making that connection. Then after some ‘aggressive’ stretching it was time to walk. Barry on the right, Janelle on the left. Once I got going, I was able to stand on my legs and even the left hip didn’t go out too much. A bad habit is I reach for the floor with my toes particularly with my left foot…they tell me they are going to get me high heel shoes.

Fri Mar 22^nd: Back to OT for some loosening up and work on the left arm. I was still toned up from yesterday’s treadmill and walk. I was a little apprehensive about the treadmill because of all the tone. Barry, Dennis and Janelle were away so the treadmill was manned by 3 Health Science students, Shannon a physio and Lynnsie a physio. The students did very well and I did some walking with no assistance on the right leg and only one hand on the left. 

After the treadmill Shannon wanted to get me doing sit to stands. When I stand straight up with my butt tucked in and shoulders back etc. it is out of my comfort zone. When I need to balance myself, I stick me bum out instead of tucking it under. When I start to lean forward I get very nervous and resist pulling the butt in. To walk you actually fall forward and bring your back leg forward to stop the fall. I walked about ¾ of the way around the gym with Shannon on the left and Rich, a physio student on the right.

Finally all the queuing that they have been doing has sunk in. Walking is a lot easier when my bum isn’t stuck out. Must remember to keep my head over my shoulders and not stuck out like a goose. Shannon hadn’t seen me walk for a while and she said it had improve, a long way to go but it’s heading in the right direction…yeehaw!

Sat Mar 23^rd: Karate class went well and there was Frank sparring with the best of them. 

Made it through the bed workout routine and did 8 k on the bike. Just a very easy spin, low tension and medium cadence. The back was a little sore but nothing real bad. Managed to keep the arms loose for the entire ride. Felt ok.

Sun Mar 24^th: Woke up at 5 AM very stiff and with a very sore back. Difficult to get out of bed. Went to Karate and I was very cold. The dojo was cold and I kept my coat on. About an hour in, I was feeling a little nauseous. After class we went to Cultures for a coffee. Didn’t drink the coffee and felt very crappy. Went home got into bed with a heating pad and slept until 4 o’clock. I was still very tight and my back was sore. Don’t know if it was the tonal overflow from riding the bike or if it was from being very cold.

How am I Feeling?

I am very pleased with how the walking is coming along. Finally after all the whining about not standing on my legs the penny finally dropped last Thursday. The aggressive stretching is helping a lot. Overland walking is getting better as well. The left hip needs a little work…strengthening but it is a lot better than it was.

The ‘tonal’ overflow from the bike, if that is what it is, is a little concerning as I’ll be picking up the trike next month. Hoping the episode on Sunday was because of a sore back and not from the bike.

Thanks for listening…

Feb 25 to Mar 10, 2013

Feb 25 to March 10, 2013

Mon Feb 25^th: Hmmmmm…all the good things that happened on Friday were missing today. I walked from the mat to the treadmill again. I still try to go too fast and didn’t get the legs going properly. The treadmill didn’t go all that well as the left knee didn’t bend and it was like walking with a peg leg. This makes it very hard for the people moving my legs. They chalked it up to being Monday. I was very tight go figure. I can be loose at home but once in the car and hit some bumps in the road I really tighten up again.

Could be a couple of other things happening. I may not have been walking all that well before but now I am recognizing what I am doing incorrectly whereas in the past simply moving my feet was great. 

Tues Feb 26^th: Better on the treadmill but not quite as smooth as last week. I suppose I need to think about the present and what is happening now and what I need to focus on now and not what I did yesterday or what will happen tomorrow. Shannon, a physio that hasn’t worked with me for a while noticed some positive differences in the treadmill work.

When I got on the mat Shannon worked on my left arm a lot. She felt that my body was working in a much more segmented fashion and not just one big block. Then Janelle and Shannon got me standing with a difference. The most comfortable way for me to stand is with my bum out and my head a little forward and my chest in flexion. They got me to stand with my head over, my shoulders, my bum tucked under, back muscles turned on and belly button pulled toward my spine, with weight through my heels not on my toes. Didn’t know you do all that to stand, eh? Once they got me in this position which by the way is way out of my comfort zone, they took their hands off me and left me standing unsupported. I wavered a bit but was able to correct. The real scary part is actually lifting a foot and moving it in this position. Opps, there I go thinking down the road. Shannon asked what my home plan was she was ok with what I am doing but suggested that I stand, then stand then stand some more.

I am finding that I can’t lift my left leg off the floor very well. I use my hip to lift the foot off the floor. Of course when I try to lift the foot, the left arm tightens up.

Wed Feb 27^th: In the pool with Yonna. We forgot the neck cushion that keeps my head out of the water. We tried a noodle and a life jacket but nothing worked. Therefore, no relaxing floating around, it was right to standing and some aggressive stretching of the quads and hamstrings. At the suggestion of the physios we tried some stair stepping. Not really stepping but putting one foot on the step and push with the other foot by getting on my toes and pushing my hips forward. I did use my arm to pull up a bit…that is a no…no of course. With the buoyancy in the water I can lift the left leg a little better. Going to have to get some exercises to strengthen the leg.

Thurs Feb 28^th: It appears that I need a couple of days on the treadmill to get going again. Mentioned to Janelle about not being able to lift my leg very well. She explained that walking doesn’t require lifting of the leg and it is actually a hip exercise. Again I walked from the mat to the treadmill and back. Same old same old, stand on the right until the left goes through. You would think the ol’ brain would have that figured out by now…or maybe not.

A strange thing happened on the way home in the car. But first I should explain the aggressive stretching that happened after the walk. There were 4 people pulling and stretching each limb. Since my legs are stuck together, they had me spread eagled on the mat. Barry then picked up my legs and curled me up into a ball. It felt really good to get that stretch. Back to on the way home. When I left Parkwood I felt fine, very loose and I had a coffee, a decaf with my friend Jack. About 10 minutes into the car ride my body started to tighten up particularly around my chest and stomach. I started to sweat profusely and got very pale and just felt very strange. This feeling lasted for about 2 hours. I got into bed when I got home and started to feel better by about 6:30. Had some supper and it appears to be all gone…very strange. The only thing different was the stretching…makes you go….hmmmmm!  

Fri Mar 1^st: Yikes it’s March already! I asked Jody in OT and Janelle in PT about my sweating episode yesterday, they both said it could be autonomic dysreflexia. I won’t go into it here but if you are interested see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomic_dysreflexia for an explanation. My symptoms were heavy sweating, feeling a little like fainting and lots of tightening muscles in my tummy, back and throat. Dysreflexia is a common occurrence in spinal cord injured people. The defining symptom is a spike in blood pressure. I didn’t check my BP so I can’t be sure if it was.

We did the same stretching today but I didn’t get the same reaction. Janelle said it could have been my body’s reaction to having all those muscle fibers stretched to places they haven’t been for 18 months. Although I did have the usual ‘after workout’ symptoms of stuffy nose, tight muscles in tummy and back and tingly legs. I have been off the bike all week and no real difference on the treadmill, in fact this week was not as good as last week. I think it’s back on the bike full tilt, oops Darcy says 15 minutes but we’ll see what happens. Of course I will start off slowly and build back up.

Did some walking again today. I just can’t seem to get the hang of standing on my leg before I bring the other leg through. I always want to bring the leg through too fast before I’m supporting myself on my other leg. Guess that is a little confusing. When you walk, you step with your right leg and push off with your left. Your right leg is straight as your left leg goes by to take the next step. If the right leg isn’t straight there is no room for the left leg to get through to take the next step and you would trip.

I think the ol’ body is starting to loosen up as there are parts starting to creek and crack that haven’t been cracking for a long time. Both hips have had some good ones and there have been several in my back which makes you go….ahhhh. My shoulder cracks a lot and of course the knees crack a lot. The knee cracks may not be all that good.

Sat Mar 2^nd: Went to Karate class and got to work with Frank again and we have a good time doing it. A restful day. Didn’t do much of anything. Having some bowel problems. Since taking the antibiotics there’s been a lot of constipation and aggravation of the hemorrhoids. I tell you this because any pain that I have increases the muscle tone in all parts of my body. I was so tight I couldn’t do anything, no stretching, no biking no exercise routines of any kind. To try to remedy the problem we upped the laxative and started eating more ‘laxative’ foods such as probiotic yogurt, strawberrys, Kiwi, and milk of magnesia. Hopefully it works.

Sun Mar 3^rd: A Sunday morning workout with the Brown Belts. I felt crappy the whole morning as the hemorrhoids were creating a big problem. There is a joke about the whole body shutting down when the ol’ butt hole doesn’t work…its very true. Got home from class and was in a lot of pain, laid down in bed ‘til 4 and got up and got on the computer but was still in pain. Preparation H and pain pills didn’t seem to work. Couldn’t eat supper and went back to bed at 5:30. Then it felt like I needed a BM. Darcy got the commode and off to the can. First time a BM without a suppository, which is a good thing. I was dreading it because of the pain the last few nights and how sore I was to start. Well my worries were all for naught, the laxatives worked and all the pain went away and everything came out pain free. I know I probably shouldn’t be talking about this stuff but hey this blog is about a day in the life of and this stuff has a huge effect on not only how I feel but how my body functions. Thanks to Darcy for all the unpleasant work she does at that end of the bod. 

Mon Mar 4^th: Off to London for OT at 11 and PT at 1. OT is going thru some changes in staffing. Jody is going back on inpatient and she, Gary and Mani will be sharing outpatients. I won’t know who I will have for another week.

I was a little leery on how I’d preform in PT given the weekend episodes. Everything turned out ok. I was able to walk and put weight on my legs at the right time. 

My right arm hasn’t been feeling quite right. It feels very heavy and it’s hard to lift up high. Perhaps it is because I am not lifting weights any more…should start back on the weights to see if that will help. Janelle worked on it and she thought it was working ok.

Tues Mar 5^th: Got PT and I was all toned up. The treadmill must be causing tonal overflow. Everything was hard to do. I walked from the matt to the treadmill with Barry and Janelle holding me up. I do not take very big steps and I don’t stand on my legs.  I try to take the next step before my leg is straight as mentioned several times before. Today my right leg was giving out. I felt weak and I couldn’t get my leg to stay straight. Once on the treadmill it wasn’t much better, it was a lot of hard work compared to Monday. Just don’t know what is going on with the ol’ body. I feel that sometimes I’m regressing but it could be just the tonal overflow. Although they say that exercise decreases muscle tone. That certainly ain’t the case with this body.

Wed Mar 6^th: Oh good a rest day and an hour in the pool with Yonna.  Coffee at 9:30 with Grandpa, John and Yonna.  Again a lot of tone. Got in the pool and did some relaxing but the tone didn’t go away. Did do a couple of laps of walking, a lap is probably about 25 feet. The buoyancy really does help. Concentrated on standing on each leg and taking my time with each step. I have bad habit of putting my left foot to close to my right so my stance becomes too narrow. Did some more steps on the stairs. One foot on the first step and then go up on my toes on the other keeping my butt in and being straight over my leg. 

Thurs Mar 7^th: Before we left for Parkwood I did a stretching and leg exercises to try and loosen up the tone in my trunk. It was very tight when I got up and a little looser after the exercises. This is session 22, half way through the locomotor program so it was an assessment day. Janelle tested the strength in my legs measured the flex in my knees and ankles. Then it was off to the treadmill. Even with a tight torso I was able to walk a lot better than on Tuesday. Today my legs felt a lot lighter than Tuesday and I have no idea why. After the treadmill they got me walking in the walker and then ¾ of the way around I walked with Barry and Janelle. I think I was standing on my legs a little better. I can now feel my left hip giving out and I can compensate sometimes to keep it in. Back on the mat, Barry got me stretched out I really know where my hamstrings are. After stretching he got me sitting on the edge of the mat with my hands out front. I have that bad habit of pulling with my arms rather than pushing with them when I stand. He ensured that I was pushing and I did at least 20 sit to stands with very little assistance and some with no assistance. The secret is to get my nose way over the toes almost to the point of falling over and then standing is relatively easy. I did another 10 before bed…

Fri Mar 8^th: I was very toned up this morning and had several leg spasms in bed and a couple of full body ones. Had a shower and that seemed to settle things down a bit. The quads and trunk were really tight. In OT, Jody stretched me out a lot and by the end of the hour I was a looser. Didn’t think I’d have a good walking day due to the tone. Barry really tightened up the jolly jumper today. Usually I slide down a little when they hoist me up, today there was no sliding.

They finished my assessment today on the treadmill. Seems I have improved in a lot of areas in posture control and the ability to stand unsupported. The scale goes from 2abc to 4 abc. I some areas I’ve progressed from 2 a to 4 b’ and c’s…yeehaw. But not only does an evaluation show what I need to improve which is sit to stands and of  course walking. After the treadmill it was onto the mat for some ‘advanced’ stretching. Sure feels good when it is over. They got me on my feet and it was time for another walk. Barry on one side Janelle on the other. I got going but then I’d get stuck, one foot out front and one behind and just can’t get enough momentum to take a step, that is I don’t push off with the back foot. Did a lap of the gym and the best steps were on the back stretch where I was able to get some momentum up and put a whole bunch of steps together. Don’t know when the ol’ brain will slow down the steps so there is one leg straight before I take the next step. Guess practice makes perfect. Then back on the mat for posture correction and sit to stands. Did 5 with Barry holding my hand, then five with no assistance. Now able to get from sitting to a ‘tall’ stand with bum tucked in,  shoulders back, head up and chest out all on my own…a little progress. Now just gotta get taking that first step on my own. Janelle did mention when I was walking that I have some bad habits that need to be broken. 

Sat Mar 9^th: 1^st anniversary of being home.  Can’t believe it’s been a year since my escape…ah that should be discharge from Parkwood.  Did 2x15 minute sessions on the bike and it really tightened me up. I was still toned from yesterday’s treadmill and the bike added a bit to it. Took some pain meds for my ribs and back.

Good Karate Class. Frank did very well again. He keeps doing kata and I’ll keep walkin’ on the treadmill.

Sun Mar 10^th: Made it through the spring forward daylight savings with no problem. Off to Brown Belt training and my Instructor came out to take the class…it brought back a lot of good training memories. Had planned on doing the bike but my ribs and back were extremely tight, the better part of valour was to give it a rest. Byron will have to pick up the slack, I’ll pick up the K’s when I get outside.. We’ve ridden 696.7 K which puts us just past Corner Brook, NL. We should be off the Rock in a couple of weeks. Don’t know how to measure the K’s on the ferry to the mainland but hell we’re on trainers anyway.

Coffee with The Sarge, Grandpa, Steve and Yonna. Sarge is reading a book about the Air India bombing in the 80’s and how the perpetrators got away with killing 278 people. It appears the Canadian judiciary could not handle the conviction of terrorists and basically let them go scot free.

How am I Feeling?

I am feeling real good about the progress on the treadmill and the ability to walk albeit with lots of assistance. I do get a little frustrated about not being able to stand on my legs to take the next step, but it will come…22 more sessions to go. A bummer is the fact that exercise produces so much tone when exercise is actually supposed to reduce tone…grrrr. As soon as I do anything with the left leg the left arm tightens up. I have tried to consciously tell the left arm to relax but I haven’t figured out the route. The problem is I must concentrate on moving the left leg I can’t multitask and keep the left arm and hand relaxed. Something to work on. 

Just have to accept the fact that there will be good days and bad days. I find when having a bad day they will last a long time. Must get rid of that thought process and look forward to the next day.

Let’s see a little downer is that I’m in the process of selling my Merlin Titanium bike. It was my bike for life but now it has to go to help pay for the new trike. I had to get new wheels for it as the ones on it wore out with about 100,000 K on them, I guess they don’t owe me anything. Trying not to get to nostalgic about it, it just has to go.

Oh yes, as mentioned, March 9^th was my 1^st anniversary of being at home. Can’t believe a year has gone by so fast. A lot has happened and I’ve made an incredible amount of progress with the help of a lot of people. Darcy and I have learned, well are in the process of learning how to handle each other 24/7. Seems I don’t ask for her input or discuss things with her very much, I just do them. Example, purchasing $500 wheels for the bike. No discussion just ordered them. 

Another interesting thing about being home for a year is the fact that I have only been back to see the nurses on the 4^th floor once a couple of weeks ago. I thought I had bonded with them and they were my best buddies. They still do mean a lot to me just can’t figure out my ambivalence…out of sight, out of mind it seems.

Thanks for listening….