I got up and went to the pool this morning...it's my favorite kind of therapy that I can do at home. I know it's time consuming for everyone, but it's also rewarding to compare progress from week to week. Standing gets easier each time I go and today I had an even easier time standing in my own with the walker...with no support from someone holding my knees or pushing them straight. I had more movement when I was trying to float on my back and kick my legs. And then I floated on my stomach, arms on the walker, and brought my knees to my chest then straightened them back out. And two weeks ago I had no glute or quad activation? Crazy! Becky told me that it takes 6-8 weeks to tell a difference in muscle tone and anything from nerve regeneration (both objectives from the therapy I'm going through), but everyone is impressed with how much change we've seen in such a short time. I'm excited to see the difference after those 6-8 weeks then!
There's a middle aged Native American man named Steven that we see at the pool every so often. I'd never met him before, but he comes over every time he sees me and asks how my therapy is going and how I'm feeling. He told us he's a psychiatrist and does speaking engagements around the US for his tribe and especially for the adolescents, raising suicide awareness. It's really interesting to talk to him. Anyways, I hadn't seen him in a couple weeks, but he was there Saturday morning. He told us about how his brother is a "medicine man" for their tribe and specializes in herbal remedies. His mother had a stroke that left her in a wheelchair, but his brother made her a special cream from different plants that she put on her legs everyday and she can walk again! I know, it's crazy. And I'm not really sure how I feel about it, but he's bringing me some of this "magic walking cream" next weekend, haha. It's crazy the people you meet, stories you hear, and things people want to do for you when you're in a wheelchair...
Dusty told me not to make plans Saturday- he wanted to take me to lunch. We went out to eat and of course I couldn't decide between two meals, so he ordered the one I didn't order so we could share and I could get some of both. It's the small things, right? After lunch, we drove some back roads to get to the property his brother, Joe, works on. I love how green everything is turning and Dusty wanted to show me the beautiful land and view of the mountains.
We then went to his house so I could see Miley, his two year old niece. She was barely talking when I got sick and I still think about how sweet it was that Dusty continually showed her my picture and talked about me while I was in the hospital so she wouldn't forget me. Miley is the only one of us that likes the wheelchair. We pulled into the driveway and she ran up to my door, with the sweetest voice she innocently looked at me and said "come on Kel, get out." I long for the day that I can jump out of the car and run around the yard with her. But for now, I have to settle for riding around with her on my lap, asking Uncle Dusty to push us faster and faster.
Next on Dusty's agenda was wine tasting...anyone that knows me know that wine is high up on my list of favorites (next to coffee!) We went to two different vineyards and did complete wine tastings. It was a great day...and just what I needed.
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