In the last several weeks at physical therapy I have moved from basic skills (walking, balance, stairs) to kinetic strength building (more sets and more reps), finally getting my heart pumping again with perspiration streaming down my face. I can transition back and forth from standing upright to lying on the floor, so have increased the range of exercises I can accomplish. Feels good!
And not a moment too soon, . . . I've regained all the weight I'd lost during the first several weeks of surgery & convalescence, and there's no way that it is all muscle (although hardware remaining inside definitely contributes) so it must be chub and that just won't do. No more desserts for Bill.
Doctors & PT folks encourage me to walk to tolerance, so I leave the power wheelchair at work and walk as much as possible while away from work. The power chair allows me to keep my feet elevated for the majority of the day while at my desk, and I use it when traversing further distances around The Mountaineers Program Center. My feet and ankles swell after PT and extended walking episodes so I've taken to icing them afterward, and because feeling is still limited throughout the damaged areas the cold doesn't really distract me.
That lack of feeling in my left ankle / foot is the biggest distraction at this point. It feels very similar to the pins & needles sensations you get when a joint has gone to sleep after being restricted for too long and when you begin to move it again. Rather than lasting a minute or so this feeling has been with me over these last several months and will be with me for many months more while nerves slowly mend (one millimeter per day or an inch per month).
Pain remains a minor distraction. Feet & ankles are "tender" when walking, but in no way eye-watering. The back has never been anything other than stiff and maybe just a little sore. Hands/wrists/forearms respond typically to PT range extension exercises (ouch) but during day-to-day activities they report just an occasional dull ache. The doctors assure me that arthritis will be a constant friend going forward and the ache is likely a precursor.
Good news! I've been able to remove tight compression socks by myself and with the help of a "sock donning device" I'm now able to put them on by myself as well (just five months after the accident). Had worried that insufficient flexibility would forever limit my ability to dress myself! This minor victory is especially satisfying, as it is the last vestige of being unable to fend for myself and it allows me to shower at my whim rather than scheduling assistance to remove and replace socks before and after showering. (Thanks Marijane!!!)
Yesterday morning I dropped off all the other convalescence aids (slide boards, etc.) at Anderson House (the skilled nursing center I stayed at after departing Harborview) to assist others on their way to recovery. Still holding onto a couple of walkers and a portable wheelchair just in case, but those will eventually find a new home as well.
From here on it's just a matter of remaining resolved to push hard and keep going, walking further and faster, increasing strength building reps, . . . typical Mountaineering stuff and Ashby protocol.
Onward.
No comments:
Post a Comment