October 29

Almost every day I feel like my devotional passages were written for me and what I'm going through or feeling at that time. Today wasn't any different. It said:

"Beginning your day alone with Me is essential preparation for success. A great athlete takes time to prepare himself mentally for the feat ahead of him before he moves a muscle. Similarly, your time of being still in My Presence equips you for the day ahead of you. Only I know what will happen to you this day. I have arranged the events you will encounter as you go along your way. If you are not adequately equipped for your journey, you will grow weary and lose heart. Relax with Me while I ready your for action."

This is another reason why I try to start my day with the devotional and a prayer. Each day brings new challenges and I don't think I'd get through it without faith.

I went to the breakfast room by myself this morning. I wasn't able to leave the room alone before this week, because of the trach. Last week, when I went to breakfast, the staff had to help me eat. Today, I pulled up to the table and the girl that had helped me before said "you need assistance, right?" I was proud to say "no, a lot has changed since last week." (I also didn't really have a voice last week either). I proceeded to cut my sausage, make my coffee and eat my food on my own.

One of my favorite things to do in PT is the stim bike. Last week, I mentioned that my legs seemed to respond really well and even registered as doing some work. Today, the power increased a little bit, meaning I was doing slightly more work. The bike has a motor on that moves my legs and when the sim and muscle reaction is strong enough, the motor will turn off and your legs are moved just by sim and muscle contractions. Well, the motor turned off for a few minutes today! My therapist told me it should get better each week and was pleased with today's session.

In rec therapy, we played wii dance. Tracy and I had played about two weeks ago and I think I got like 500 points (typical scores are like seven digits, but she made me feel better by saying that maybe the sensor wasn't close enough, haha). I had a hard time griping the controller then, and I ended up only using my right hand since the left was so weak. Today, I got a high score!! My family and Dusty had taken videos of both times I played and watching them side by side is unbelievable..and that's only a 2 week difference. 

Remember how difficult I said putting on pants was? Well, we practiced dressing again today. I tried about 3 different approaches to hook the pant leg on my foot, but I just can't move my leg to get it closer. I finally gave up on those strategies and just bent over, stretched, and put it around my ankle. I'm thankful for those years of dancing and my flexibility! 

At lunch, I peeled my own orange (I've always had trouble with that!) For dinner, Dusty ordered sushi since he knows how much I love it. I couldn't believe it, but I ate the sushi with chop sticks!

The night ended with a Halloween party for all the patients thrown by a local church. They had candy and tons of food (including gluten free brownies!) I also got to visit with 3 of my friends from school that I haven't seen in awhile (since I don't remember their visit when I was at UVA). It was nice to talk and laugh like we would any other time and in any other setting.