Mon Dec 9th:
The Power chair quit working. The controller would just flash when it was
turned on. We called Motion Specialties in London and they couldn’t get here
until Tuesday afternoon. Got back in the manual chair...what a pain. I can’t
push it with both hands, instead of 2 hands I pull with my right foot. I can
move in a straight line but it tightens up my hamstring. Not a good thing. It
is funny as Darcy would expect me to do something and I’d just sit there...lol!
Went to the pool for a swim and concentrated on my left knee
flex when walking. It is easier to do in the pool than on dry land. A problem
occurs when I step forward on my left, I land on my toes as the ankle won’t
bend enough to allow a heel strike. When on my toe I sometimes lose my balance
and do a pirouette caused by the buoyancy.
Tues Dec 10th:
A good therapy session. The student Physio had me walking backwards for about
10 m. I can walk backward but I can only get my left foot back even with the
right. Again it is that inability to lift that damn left foot that causes the
problem. One interesting thing did happen as I was standing in front of the
mat, I actually took about 3 steps without the walking stick. That is the first
time that has happened. I’ll try that at home and see how it goes.
I did about 15 minutes of prone standing that is standing
and bent over a table. They put my arms out to side and it stretched my left
arm. Now, at 6:45 there is a lot of burning pain in my arm at the inside of the
elbow. Ah it will go away once I get into bed it will go away...and it did.
Wed Dec 11th:
My own training day. Did weights at the gym. Grandpa is leaving for Florida tomorrow.
Took Darcy to the gym and I think she is trained well enough to get me around. She
is also there to keep me from overdoing. Hit the pool with Yonna after weights.
Had a good stretch. Going to the pool three times a week is helping a lot.
Being in the pool is almost as good as therapy at Parkwood.
Thurs Dec 12th:
Therapy Day. Again the student physio got me going and stretched me out very
well and got me doing some shoulder exercises by squeezing my shoulder blades
back and down. That is what is supposed to happen when I walk as it will keep
my chest up. I must have pulled my shoulders back at least 25 times and I I did
another few steps with no walking stick and no-one holding on. Actually walked
toward Darcy and put my hand on her shoulder. Gee soon I’ll be walking by
myself. A goal would be to walk the dog for 500 m around the crescent by
spring. It may be a bit lofty, but
nonetheless a goal.
Just thinking of the progress to date. The good thing is
that I haven’t plateaued. Every week or two there is something new
happening. Usually I don’t notice the
little changes but people who haven’t seen for while let me know how I’ve
changed since they last saw me. This week it was being able to step without the
walking pole, haven’t managed that at home yet....but soon.
Attended the Karate Club’s annual Christmas banquet. It was
very well attended, at least 250 and that is with 2 schools having their
Christmas pageant on the same night. Great to see the reaction of the kids
getting their awards. Hey this ol’ dude got the ‘Spirit Award’ from Sensei John
and retired the award. Very humbling as there was a standing ovation. John and
I have done a lot of training together. We’d train a couple of nights a week in
Karate over and above classes and one night in particular stands out. I started
Karate in January 1993 and on April 17th of that year I was training
with John in the arena (concrete floors) when he asked me to attack him for
Self Defense #7. He was a Purple belt and I was a Yellow Belt. I didn’t know
the attack. He said it’s easy just punch high and I did...he block up and then
swept my leg (kicked it out of the way) and hit me across the chest with a
forearm strike that sent me flying through the air and I landed on my butt on
the aforementioned concrete floor about 10 feet from where he hit me...I did
bounce. Those were the days when I wrote down all my workouts. The note was, 'John
knocked me on my ass today. I will get even. We would get up at 4:30 AM to be
on the road for 5 in time to get a long run (20 to 30 k) in the morning. It was
beautiful running while the sun was coming up and Venus was setting. We had to
start running from the Rec Center, even though we lived within 800 m of the Rec
Centre we’d drive our cars over and start the run there....silly eh? John’s
famous line occurred one morning while running up Lisgar Ave as runners always
pick up the pace at the end of a run and John actually said “we started running
sooner, faster, quicker, earlier today, didn’t we?” Guess that is an accountant’s
firm grasp of the English language. Ah, those were the days...Thanks for the
award my old friend!
Fri Dec 13th:
Get the bike, get the trailer it’s time to hit Dover for a beer. My Friday the
13th was for an MRI of my neck...yikes. On Tuesday I wasn’t able to
go into the one I had to do in London to get my shoulder looked at. I really
need this one on my neck. My good right arm has slowly been losing function. Was
able to comb my hair, brush my teeth and eat with relative ease. Over the last
3 or 4 months the functionality has been decreasing. Instead of lifting my arm
up to get stuff to my mouth, I just bend my arm at the elbow and bring my head
down to meet my fork or toothbrush. Can’t brush my hair and have trouble
reaching up to grab the car door to get into the car. I thought it was getting
weaker because I wasn’t lifting proper weights. The weights at the gym are just
a bit heavy to do all my arm work outs. I mentioned it to Stephanie to see if I
could come in early and do a weight program using the pulleys in the gym. She
explained to me that there may be some neurological reasons why my arm is
getting weaker. She would prefer to get the results from the MRI before setting
up a weight program. What happens is a pocket of spinal fluid builds up in the
spinal cord and it puts pressure on the nerves. They need a MRI to see those
pockets of fluid. A shunt is installed to drain the fluid away. These usually
don’t happen until 20 years or so post incident. The down side is that the shunts can plug up
with scar tissue and they have to go in and do it all over again. Hopefully it
is just lost strength due to 0not lifting properly. I haven’t lost the range of
movement as it goes everywhere they want to put it. I just don’t have the
strength to do it. I’ll just have to wait for the report from the powers that
be. Dr. Steen should keep quiet and not scare the shit out of me. What happens
when I can’t lift my arm is because my shoulder goes up...as soon as the
shoulder hikes up the arm won’t go up.
Sat Dec 14th:
Up at 6:30 and off to Karate at 9:30. Small class as some of them are doing
the Christmas thing. Getting into the car was interesting. The road was
slippery and I couldn’t hold my left foot under me to stand. Darcy and Frank,
yup 79 year old Frank helped me to stand. Didn’t go to Tim’s as the parking lot
was covered in snow and I wouldn’t be able to get in the car.
Did a little painting today.
Practicing doing clouds and I need lots of practice although I did try
some sunset colours, yellow and orange, which are fun to do but very difficult
to get right. I am still trying to learn mixing colours as well. Acrylics dry
quickly, for the most part it is painting on dry paint making it difficult to
blend the colours. Practice...practice...practice...
Did the normal routine before bed...the bowel care and I
can’t believe with all the stuff I take I’m still a bit constipated....grrr!
Walked from the washroom back to bed. Did some sit to stands and got into bed.
Sun Dec 15th:
A quiet day. For some reason I was very tight today. Went for coffee with
the guys at McD’s. My nose plugged up when I got home and I didn’t eat much
lunch, not really hungry. Don’t know
why! The nose stayed plugged until about 6. When it’s plugged, must drink water
to stop the mouth from drying out.
Didn’t go to the pool. Watched some videos about mixing
colours and practiced painting more clouds.
Oh yes someone shoveled the driveway while we were out at
coffee.
Grandpa Bob left for Florida on Thursday, I think it was
soon enough to miss all the snow storms.
I felt quite crappy all day. My legs felt tingly especially
just above my knees. Didn’t ride the bike. Since I did no exercise, I didn’t
fall asleep until 11:30 and slept through to 5:30 when I woke up for a pee. The
legs are toned and feel like they won’t work but they do when I go to
stand. My right arm isn’t working that
well either this morning.
Mon Dec 16th:
Happy Birthday to me! Yikes...67 years old! Right arm ain’t working. Did some
light weights on it at home. Can’t lift much...curl 2 pounds ...oopps 1
kg...did 3 sets of 5 and the arm is pooched...very disconcerting. Did some just
lifting my arm straight up and couldn’t lift it much past my shoulder...worry,
worry, worry!
Went to the pool with Darcy for a swim. Did the usual
stretches, walks and work in the deep end. I am now very susceptible to the
cold. The pool cools me down and even though I dry off and get dressed in the referee’s
room I get cold and outside now makes me colder. By the time I get home the car
doesn’t have time to warm up. Once home I put a blanket on my legs and a
heating pad in my lap. After lunch I started painting and took off my sweater
because don’t want paint on it. Again I cooled down, hands, feet legs and back were
very cold and I was very tight...hopefully from the cold and not neurological
but I really am afraid that it is...stop thinking...be positive...wait for the
docs to tell me what’s going on...damn it.
Got on the trainer as I thought that may warm me up. Was
going to ride for ½ hour, lasted about 60 seconds. My legs tightened up, back
and my upper arms became very tight. And I had to get off. Darcy checked and I
was cold all over particularly icy feet arms and hands. As I write this I have
a sweater on, a blanket and the heating pad. Now my knees and quads are burning
and tight, very uncomfortable. Enough whining.
Ok its 9:30 PM and I just had a panic attack and had to get
out of bed. Don’t know why that helps...but here I am writing this. Took an
anti-anxiety pill and I’ll wait ‘til that kicks in...Not a good night.
Tues Dec 17th:
Hmmmm....now I’m in my 68th year. Seems I didn’t sleep well, as
I got up at 7 and sat at the computer and kept falling asleep. Therapy was good
did some new stepping that I can do at home. Some sitting drills that help my
back relax. Stephanie did a good job stretching out the back and arms. Did some
interesting walking drills. Walked forward for 15 m, backwards for 15 and
sideways first leading with the right then with the left. Leading with the
right is the most difficult as I must stand on my weak left leg. Can now lift
the left foot off the floor for the first few steps...that’s progress. The leg
tires out quickly and I’m not able to bend the knee and lift the leg for very
long.
Went to Cora’s for lunch and had Peggy’s Poached...again!
Got home at about 2 and the body was starting to tighten up big time. I rode
the bike 9.1 K in ½ hour. That tightened up everything even more. Since I
stopped riding the bike during the treadmill program, it causes more muscle
tone than ever before. Perhaps, the body needs to get accustom to the bike
again if I start doing back to back rides and see what happens.
Wed Dec 18th:
No therapy, off to the gym at 9:15 with Darcy. Got the workout done in an Hour.
Going to the pool with Yonna and told her we’d be there by 11:30. Arrived in
the parking lot at 11:25 and proceed to get out of the car only to find we had
forgotten the cushions for the wheelchair. Back home to get them, arrived back
at the pool at 11:45, not all was lost, Yonna was doing laps. Good workout. Getting
confident and can walk around easily, can catch my balance easily. It would
nice if that would translate to dry land walking. The buoyancy in the water
helps a lot. Did have a bit of a scare today. I was in the deep end doing my
thing hanging on the edge with my right hand. Henry a handicapped guy who is
blind moves along the edge of the pool. I let go of the edge to let him go by,
not thinking that I have never been in open water with the floats up. My legs
started floating up behind me tipping me forward...good thing Yonna was there
to rescue me.
I think I have something going on somewhere, bladder,
prostate or intestines. I’m all toned up all the time. Even the massage
therapist mentioned that my quads were tight and even a massage didn’t loosen them
up.
Did a little painting...omg it’s frustrating. Not very good
at mixing colours. Practice...practice...practice!
Thurs Dec 19th:
Off to therapy for 11. Arrived 10 minutes early and got some stretching in.
Breanne the student got me all stretched out and then got me sitting on an air
disc to help me strengthen my core. It seems to work great as I feel the
muscles working in my core. Breanne got me up doing sit to stands and then it
was walk time. They put the belt on and Stephanie, the physio hung onto the
back and I walked about 15 m. Had a bit of a rest, walked backwards for 10
metres, a little rest then did 10 m sidestepping leading with the left, 10 m leading
with the right. I sidestepped over to the stairs. A set of 4 steps with a
railing on each side. Walking up is easy, step up with the right bring the left
foot up. Once at the top, how to get down? Put the left foot down and stand on
the left leg and bring the right down. They give me a little more assistance on
the way down. A rest...then up again and down, only backwards, that didn’t work
all that well. A rest and up again and down again frontwards and that is the
way to go. The hour was up and I was pooped. Legs have a lot of muscle tone and
are burny/tingly but it felt good climbing the stairs. I wanted to see if I can
do stairs and will climb out of the pool one day on the stairs.
Once again to Cora’s with Brian and Dorothea for lunch...yup
had Peggy’s Poached again. The waitress and the cashier wondered where Darcy
was.
Had a Dr.’s appointment when I got home to see if he can
figure out what’s causing my muscle tone. The Dr admits he’s at a loss to know
what to do with me. Something has changed that is causing all this tone. Got a PSA and they will check my urine as
soon as I take it in...unable to donate at the office.
The bad thing is there is no therapy for 2 weeks. I will
need to do a lot on my own. I have exercise to do for my core on the cushion.
The pool will be closed over Christmas for 3 days, but the gym will be open and
I have the trainer to work on.
The hard workout made me very tight and even tightened up my
butt which is a bad thing for bowel care. Needless to say I didn’t have a BM
which means problems in the morning.
Fri Dec 20th:
You guessed it on the ‘can’ in the morning and a pair of Depends, just in
case. Cancelled my gym workout which was too bad as John V was going to take
me. Had no accidents all day and I knew I was ok cause I farted at about 2
o’clock. What a relief...ha! It’s the little things that count.
This was a rest day. Painted a bit...practice...practice!
Did some stretching and sit to stands and my normal walk and work before bed.
Still have a lot of muscle tone in my arms, legs, back and my abdomen. Take
pain meds that helps a bit.
Happy Birthday to Kelly my dear daughter...in Australia...miss you!
Sat Dec 21st:
The 21st was the first day of winter when I was a kid. But it
seems the spin of the earth doesn’t exactly match the calendar. Here’s some
trivia, the moon is moving away from the earth 1.48 inches a year or 3.78
cm...I thought it was looking smaller the other night...lol!
Coffee in the morning with George and John V and Gavin.
Heard a nice story, John V’s stepson, Matt is a special needs boy and he cuts
our grass in the summer and shovels the driveway. We gave him a tip for his
good work. There was Christmas function
for special needs people in Tillsonburg and 2 of Matt’s friends couldn’t
afford to go so, Matt paid for them....now that’s true Christmas spirit.
Coffee (a decafe) in the afternoon with George and Vern. I
spent about 3 hours in McDonalds today. I gotta get a life. Finally found
someone who fits my winter cycling jacket. It was always a bit tight on me but
fits Vern perfectly.
The muscle tone in my back and legs is getting worse. They
are burny/tingly all the time now. Today turned into a rest day as there was no
time between coffee breaks to get anything done...feels like I’m back at work!
Grrrr...no BM again, don’t know what is going on. That means
a problem in the morning.
Sun Dec 22nd:
Yup the usual morning after the night before. On with Depends, just in case and
I needed them this time. Stomach didn’t feel good all day. Legs are toned so
much I don’t even want to go on the trainer. Now, that’s bad when I don’t want
to pedal. Missed the swim and missed another coffee at Mc.D’s. Another
unscheduled rest day. Did some more painting...still practicing doing clouds. I
sit over the table and I get quite stiff while painting. Perhaps raising the
table up may help. Didn’t feel too good when I went to bed, tight everywhere.
How am I Feeling?
I am feeling a little apprehensive, well more than that,
very concerned about the deterioration of function of my right arm, a long way
from where it was 6 months ago. I really don’t want to go back to having
someone feeding me again. Just writing this gets me all worked up about it. The
MRI should show if there is any pockets of spinal fluid pressing on any nerves.
I should wait for the report from Dr. Fehlings, the surgeon in Toronto or from
Dr. Potter, the Physiatrist in London. Dr. Steen will consult with both of them
but probably not until the New Year.
I wrote the above paragraph at the beginning of the report.
On Thurs the 19th, I had an appointment with my Dr and he read the
report of my MRI. Everything was the same as the last one, no problems. I guess
it is true if you doctor yourself you have a fool for a patient. It’s not my
neck causing problems. What the hell is it then?
Now here is my second theory. I am taking Lactulose and Senikot
which are two compounds that irritate the large intestine to make it contract
as my intestines are neurogenic and are not good at pushing the contents out. If
it is irritating and contracting too much that could be causing some feedback
to my autonomic system causing all this tone...ha...how’s that for doctorIng.
I’ll start playing with the Lactulose and Senikot doses and see what happens.
Thanks for listening...
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