Faceless Blog

Whew, almost forgot where this blog was, it’s been so long since I’ve updated.  Honestly, I can say there are three main reasons for that.  1)  We got a PS3.  2)  We got PS3 games.  3)  For a long time, I was stuck in a holding pattern.  Only now, roughly four months after getting out of in-patient therapy at Passavant hospital, is the blister that I developed at the end of my time there healed up well enough to permit me to start my out-patient physical therapy.  

That’s right, folks, on Wednesday, July 6th, I will begin my out-patient physical therapy…one of the last phases of my rehab until I am completely back on my feet!!  I could not be more excited about this, especially since my physical therapist will be Casey, who was my PT guy back when I was just dealing with the wheelchair.  (Do I have a surprise for him!)  

I’m also going to have something very cool to report within a week or two.  There is a gift waiting for me at home from someone very special, and I can’t wait to share its story with you all.  For now, though, just hang in there.

I will be posting regularly with details of how PT is going, now that things are starting back up again, so thank you to all the folks that hung in there, or are coming back after a while (like me).  Later!

Well, it’s official.  PT has actually started!  Today was my first full day of actual therapy, both PT and OT.  (Physical therapy and occupational therapy)  It’s now about 10:00 in the evening.  Becca’s gone for the evening and I’m getting ready to hit the sack for tomorrow.  Before I do, let me give you a quick run-down of how things went today.

The morning started with OT-ADL.  (that’s Activities and Daily Living)  This basically boils down to helping get you set to be on your own for all your daily personal activities.  (grooming, dressing, etc)  Fortunately, I’ve had a long time to adapt, so I don’t really need any help or training in this area, and this part went very smoothly.  In the coming weeks, I’ve been told, focus will shift to handling the same daily activities…but while wearing my legs.  THAT, I will need to practice.

After that was out of the way, it was on to the morning physical therapy.  Today’s morning PT consisted mainly of exercises to strengthen my leg and core muscles.  I was on my back lifting my legs, bending my knees and clenching muscles that haven’t been clenched in quite a while until I was starting to really feel it, then the parallel bars finally opened up.  (PT is conducted in a large, gym room where many patients are being treated, so sometimes, there’s a wait for equipment.)  By the time I got over there and got my legs on, I only had time to stand and balance a little before my PT time was over.

My afternoon OT was very simple, but effective.  I was put on the hand-bike, which looks like the business end of a stationary bike that you operate with your hands.  My therapist had me back my chair up from the unit a little, so that I had to lean forward in order to peddle with my hands.  This way, the core muscles, as well as the arms, are worked.  I would peddle for five minutes on moderate resistance, then take a five minute break…then repeat two more times.  I also met Dr. Sing for the first time.  He’s the head honcho here, and the doctor that Hanger had nothing but good things to say about.  He is apparently renown for his work with amputee rehabilitation.  He agreed, as many have, that it’s perfectly reasonable to believe that I will walk out of here, and eventually with no assistance.

After a short break, it was time to head back to the gym for my afternoon PT.  This time, it was all parallel bars, all the time.  My legs were still waiting for me at the bars, so I put them on as soon as I got over to the bars, and began my exercises.  Among these were making a movement similar to the one you’d make if you were spinning a hula hoop…though drastically reduced in speed.  I also had a pretty grueling time with one in particular where I had to simultaneously shift my balance from one foot to the other while moving backward and forward…which I’m not explaining well enough to illustrate why it was so hard, I’m sure.  

Basically, today has clearly illustrated several points that we all already knew.

1. I’ve been in a wheelchair for a long time.
2. As such, there are certain muscles that need a lot of work.
3. The coming weeks are going to be hard…very hard.
4. The result is absolutely…without a doubt…going to be worth it.

Talk to you tomorrow, everybody.  Your emails mean a lot to me, and I’m sure they’ll mean even more as this goes on.  Thank you for your support!  I feel like we’re all going through this together!

So, the other day, while my mother was visiting us for the afternoon, I suddenly and unexpectedly had a “Eureka moment.”  No, not the tv show.  I mean one of those moments where you suddenly come to a realization that, upon having it, seems like it should have been plain as day since the beginning.

I will be going in soon for in-patient physical therapy to strengthen my upper leg muscles and learn how to use and walk on my prosthetic legs.  Up until now, the only experience I have with in-patient physical therapy was the awful experience when I initially got discharged from the hospital where I received the wounds on my legs, was stuck in bed, and was generally weak and sick for the duration.  So, sub-consciously, I had been thinking of my upcoming physical therapy in the same light…and part of me wasn’t looking forward to it for that reason.  Well, the other day, several things finally occurred to me, all at once.  Here they are, in order:

1. Once they give me my prosthetic legs…they’re MINE!  No one’s going to take them from me when I’m not in the gym, or anything like that.  Even though my time spent standing/walking is going to be limited at first…I’ll still have my legs.  This is huge.
2. Even if I’ve already used my allocated “leg-time” for the day, there will be nothing stopping me from getting in my wheelchair and moving around that way.
3. I am so much stronger and healthier now than I was then, there’s barely even a comparison.  I won’t be stuck in bed 24/7 because I won’t have to be!

Now, don’t get me wrong.  I know I’m going to be tired and sore.  From what I understand, I’m going to be in the gym three or four hours a day, seven days a week.  I may want to spend a lot of time in bed, but it will be because I’m exhausted, not because I’m sick or have no other choice.

While I certainly wasn’t feeling bad about physical therapy before, I feel much better about it now.  I’m looking forward to it more than ever, and I can’t wait to share my experiences with everyone!

I met with the plastic surgeon that did the skin graft on my left foot yesterday, and he said that, with the inclusion of a brace for that leg, I’m now cleared to get fitted for my prosthetic foot and begin physical therapy!  

The process will start with me going in to Hanger (the prosthetic company that I’m working with), where they will make a plaster cast of Leeroy.  They also have a handheld laser scanner that they’ll be using to make a 3D computer model of him.  This information will be used to create a clear plastic “test socket.”  (The socket is the plastic shell that goes over the end of my leg.)  This clear socket will let the prosthetics guys determine whether or not it’s a good fit.  If everything is fitting correctly, they’ll make the final mold and give me my real socket within a week or two.  During this time, I’ll also be going through some intense in-patient physical therapy to get me back up on my feet and teach me how to use my new foot.

From what I was initially told, this in-patient PT usually only lasts around three weeks.  However, since it’s been such a long time since I’ve been on my feet, I wouldn’t be surprised if it took a week or two longer.  Even so, the next step in this long process is now underway.  I cannot wait to pick out my new foot.  I plan on keeping a video journal during my PT, which will go up here.  I also hope to record the measuring process and/or anything else related to this.  I find it interesting and I’m sure there are at least a couple people out there who might think the same.  

Later people!