What do I do while standing?

Week 5: I'm not sure if I'm at a stand-still or if I'm not going to progress any further. I'm a positive person. I vote for the former...stand-still. I was a little slow this week, and my legs are aching a lot.

One thought I do have frequently is, "When I can walk/stand for long periods of time, what the hell do you do?" I've sat for so long, I forget what to do when I stand. For six years, I've sat at my computer; that's all I remember what to do. I do a lot of thinking stuff; designing stuff; teaching online stuff. Now, how do I do that standing?

Week Four

Today is the end of week four after my surgery to improve my blood flow in my jugular veins. Before my surgery, the doctor told me that the increased blood flow will alleviate my cold hands and feet. Also, my MS is affected by heat and cold. I completely melt (I'm unable to lift my body parts) in extreme heat, and shiver uncontrollably in the cold. The doctor said that my body is unable to sweat, which is the human's form of air conditioning. He said this will change after the surgery.

Boy was he right. I sweat like crazy, which is a good thing, because Oregon's dry desert heat used to incapacitate me to the point that I haven't been outside much during the summer months in years. My skin is so white, it glares on the eyes brightly. The glare makes it hard to see :-)

Muscle building still is not progressing as fast as I want. I'll hang in there though.

Today is week three...

Looking at my week from the outside in as a therapist, I can say things are fine; however, most of you know me as an athlete, and I still have that athlete mentality. Gaining strength should be easy and improvement should be quick. But, it's not going quite that quickly.

Walking is tiring! :-/ I not only have been in a wheelchair for the majority of six years, I've also had an ankle brace on my leg that supported my foot from dragging on the ground, which would make me trip and fall. I took the brace off on Saturday and haven't put it back on, even though, I really really wanted to, I didn't. I figured the only way to strengthen my ankle and calf muscle is to give them no support.

I started doing laps in my house. :-) I can do three full laps in 15 minutes with the walker. Bob did ten full laps in five. I'll get there.

New focus for What Now Jan blog

For the past two years, I've written about the progression of Bob, who had a ruptured brain aneurysm and brain surgery. He has beat all odds and has survived with little damage. I believe the damage will correct itself over time. The damage is only his short term memory loss. Many times, Bob doesn't remember what we did during the day. He, also, still thinks he's in Iowa. The past five years that he has been in Oregon have been misfiled in his brain. As soon as the file is found, five years will be regained.

This blog will take a new focus. I recently had a procedure done called CCSVI, Chronis Cerebro Spinal Venous Insufficiency. In layman's' terms, my jugular veins weren't working properly. They weren't allowing an adequate amount of oxygen to flow to my lower body; hence, my muscles weren't working properly. The procedure is not a cure for multiple sclerosis, but it is supposed to alleviate many of the symptoms.

I had the procedure two weeks ago. My progress so far is an increase in humph. I'm not as content to sit in my wheelchair. I feel every ache in my butt and legs when I sit too long. I guess that's a good thing; however, since I've sat in a wheelchair for the majority of six years, my legs have atrophy. I have little endurance, so I can't stand long. It's a double-edge sword for now.

Each week, I will post a "week-end" update to journal my progression. Keep your fingers crossed.

tbear12w's photostream

tbear12w's photostream on Flickr.

tbear12w's photostream

tbear12w's photostream on Flickr.

ONE YEAR

It has been one year since Bob has been home from his 10 1/2 month hospital stay. My how time flies. The past year flew by faster than the year before. Bob had a one year checkup on Friday. His CT Scan shows no blood on the brain and no pressure. All of his blood work is normal. His blood pressure good. The doctor advised him to lose weight. Which Dr. hasn't? Anyway, if he loses weight, his blood pressure problem may go away. He is on a very small dose of blood pressure medicine, so exercise may correct that. I told Bob that he has no more excuses for not exercising or eating right or being forgetful. I still look back at what all of the medical professional said. Their doubts of Bob's recovery were "for the birds". I never doubted Bob's recovery for one minute. Call it denial or what you want, but Bob is here; that's what I know!