Friday's therapy consisted of more tall kneel, ab workouts, balance control, and being on my stomach. It was exhausting! But I was glad to have Molly there during one of the sessions to keep me laughing. The added bonus was that she brought me coffee, oatmeal, and did my nails afterwards :)
I'm usually pretty tired by the end of the day and don't feel like wheeling myself anywhere- I'd rather heat up food that my family has put in my fridge and watch gameshow network or talk on the phone, haha. That's exactly what I was doing on Friday when the man next door asked if I'd eaten yet. I really wasn't very hungry and definitely didn't feel like going downstairs to the dining hall, but something made me go down with him. A lot of patients were downstairs eating when we got there and I was surprised at how many staff and patients knew my name and seemed happy to see me. I usually have friends or family with me, so I don't go downstairs at these times.
I feel like I'm constantly encountering people- both patients and staff- that know who I am and I feel bad that I may not know them. It seems like everyday someone is complimenting me on how great I look and how far I've come. I have a good memory and know almost everyone's name that I've worked with, so I'm always surprised when people I don't recall ever seeing say hi to me. Dusty even told me the other night about how many people have stopped him and told him how I've made their day at some point. And another patient told my mom about how I sit in the lounge window and soak up sunshine so I can spread it to others. I don't even realize doing these things or the impact I'm apparently making others. When I think about that, I'm thankful that God has given me this opportunity to spread His love and hopefully make others smile.
My parents were here again over the weekend and they brought some of the most amazing food! My aunt had made a beef and mushroom soup that we kept in a crockpot in my room on Saturday. It made the whole room smell amazing...like home. She also made me some amazing chocolate chip banana bread (gluten free, of course, haha). And my roommates sent over food as well, and another banana bread loaf (both may or may not already be gone...)
I'm so thankful that we decided to come to Magee when we were looking at which rehab facilities to go to. New Jersey and Atlanta would've been way too far away! I definitely feel that an important part of recovery is having a strong support system and I honestly can't imagine anyone having a better support system that I do. I still can't get over how many people have been reaching out to me, sending mail, making visits, etc. It's actually a little overwhelming...It's just so amazing to see or hear about how many people are pulling for me. Not a single day is easy and I'm just so thankful that I don't have to go through any of this alone.
I did the glider machine again over the weekend. Steph wanted me to work on trying to stand up for longer periods of time and this is a perfect way to do that because you can pump the seat up from a sitting to standing position and if you feel lightheaded at all, you can just start pumping the arms (like an elliptical) and get the blood flowing again. The longest I've been able to stand was about 7 minutes and that was during the standing group last week. Well, while on the glider, I was standing still for over 15 minutes and I never once got dizzy! Since I was able to stand for this long without any drop in my blood pressure, I get to try that robotic treadmill on Wednesday! I originally wasn't going to be able to because the set up takes about 10 minutes and they thought I'd pass out from standing and not moving for that long, haha. I'm a little nervous, but hoping for the best- the robotic treadmill is supposed to be even better than the one I've been doing because instead of having people move your legs, it's electronic and can be much more precise in its movements.
On Sunday, there were several activities around the building. We went to open art studio, where I finished a project I'd been working on for the last couple weeks (Dusty's Christmas present). I'm really impressed with it and can't wait to post a picture after Christmas! I also went to open greenhouse and planted a holly bush for my grandma. There was even a jewelry making session later in the afternoon! I had gone to one of them a few weeks ago and made my mom a necklace. When my grandma heard how much I enjoyed it, she bought me all kinds of beads and tools to make my own. I've made several bracelets and plan to give them out as Christmas presents since I obviously haven't done much shopping. The lady in charge of the jewelry workshop was really impressed with all the bracelets mom and I had made over the past couple weeks. These sessions not only give us something to do on the weekends, but mom and I enjoy getting to talk to patients from different floors and hearing their stories. I don't know if I mentioned it, but the 3rd floor is all general rehab and amputees, 4th floor is stroke and brain injuries, and the 5th floor is spinal cord (where I am).
Every time Mom is here, she helps me stretch out my legs to keep good flexibility and reduce some of my ankle swelling. I always attempt to move my toes, feet or legs during this time and although the movement may not be that obvious, she can at least feel the difference in strength from one week to the next. The reflexes in my feet have gotten more apparent over the last couple weeks as well. My doctor from home said this is a great sign and that everything is intact, so I'm still playing the waiting game...praying everyday for patience.
No comments:
Post a Comment