It's words like this that I need to remind myself of daily.
Tuesday went much better than Monday. The highlight of the day was getting to do something called "the Vector." (I couldn't remember the name, so I just referred to it as "Voldemort" all day long...) If you get a chance, google "Magee Rehabilitation Center Vector Machine" and click on the news story. Theres a track in the hall of the 3rd floor that has a harness attach to the ceiling so patients can walk and not have to be held by therapists on each side. You can program the patient's weight and how much you want the harness to hold (like on the treadmill) to make it harder or easier on the patient. This machine is mostly used by the general rehab patients on the 3rd floor or stroke patients from the 4th floor, but rarely by spinal cord injury patients, so I was really happy that my therapists thought I'd benefit from it. I can't voluntarily move my legs or feet yet, so I wasn't walking on the track. Instead, we used the harness to help with my standing posture and balance. I've only been able to stand for 3 minutes before, but the first stand with the vector, I was up for 4. The next time, I stood for 5 minutes. The next, I stood up for a little bit and then did two sets of 10 squats for a total of 11 minutes! AND, the therapists felt both the left and right quad contract! It wasn't during every squat because it's been inconsistent, but I was glad they felt at least something. And they haven't felt the right before, so this was great news.
My mail brightened my day even more. I got several cards from people all over: my grandma, friends, people from church, a friend from college (your handwriting is beautiful, Alexis!!), and even a nurse from UVA (who didn't think I'd remember her, but of course I do)!
I ended the day with a close friend from school, who brought me a salad from Cosi because I'd been craving it. As always, it'd nice to be able to sit down and catch up or hear about all that is going on outside these walls.
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