Archive | February 2020

Little improvements

Feb29

Standing doing my hair without any assistive devices! My balance has improved thanks to doing yoga with an instructor 2x per week (5 weeks so far) and using my LifeGlider.

I did have a recent fall🤪. I was bending down to pick something up off the floor, I had undone the safety belt on my walker as it was restricting me,there was water on the floor and my legs slipped causing me to loose my footing and down I went. Not smart on my part. Just because my balance and proprioception have improved some does not mean I don’t have to continue to pay attention to what I am doing. I still have to remind myself of walking hill to toe, to pick up my feet, and not to lean forward. Old habits are hard to break!

I am still excited about all the progress I am making. I know I am not doing this alone. Thank you everyone for your continued prayers and your words of encouragement. I know God is with me and because of this anything is possible. His promise to be my side every step of the way helps to keep me moving forward even when there are set backs.

Trying something new

Feb13

My workouts at the gym seemed to be hitting a plateau. My walking and balance were not progressing much. So I decided forgo the gym and try yoga. After a 3 year search I finally found an amazing yoga instructor that comes to me twice a week for an hour. In just 3 short weeks there has been lots of improvement. The first few times I tried this I fell over. Because I lost balance and proprioception (the ability to know where my limbs are in space), when I cannot physically see my legs they tend to do their own thing. I still practice crawling as I believe that it has aided and continues to aid my ability to do more and more.

The plan is to continue doing yoga and gradually add the gym back in. My body tires very easily and it has required me to make adjustments to my daily life including the way and for how long I exercise. Because I have difficulty regulating body temperature I have to make sure I am hydrated and I don’t over exert myself. One major change is I really do not sweat from my torso down. This means my body cannot naturally cool it self by sweating. So becoming overheated is a real hazard.

So thankful for all that God has brought me through and continues to bring me through. Some days are filled with pain and tears while others are filled with blessings, joy and laughter. No matter what it is God is with me every moment refining me every step of the way for His glory.

Thinking of getting a new set of wheels

Feb3

There notable changes in my gait. This walker causes me to engage my gluteus muscles. I can see it in the video, but more importantly I can feel it. I can feel my weight shift! Because of my spinal cord injury I have lost feeling in many areas from about mid-back down.

I am also going to try a new walker on the market called the LifeGlider(https://www.mylifeglider.com). It is also an upright walker, but this revolutionary walker could be a real game changer. It allows you to walk upright while being securely strapped in allowing the user to walk and move securely even when they let go with their hands. This feature alone would give me back so much.

In the past, I was not a big fan of the upright walkers. When I tried similar ones, I felt wobbly and very unstable. This time was different. The walker felt strong and stable which helped me feel more secure plus it was super easy to maneuver.

I am not sure which upright walker I will end up with, but I know I am switching. No more bending over and stressing out my back more. Traditional walkers cause the shoulders to rotate forward causing poor posture, which stresses the shoulders and upper back. Unfortunately, I am not able to walk without assistive devices, yet.

Still I feel blessed beyond belief. God’s timing is always right. My family and I have done a lot of research on walkers and other assistive devices to no avail until now. I have always believed that if it is God’s will it happen. His timing is perfect.