April 21

I made sure I got to the wellness center early once again to do an hour on the stim bike. Dennis told me today that I can  use the arm bike after or before the bike to get a good cardio work out. I didn't realize it, but he said an arm workout would raise my blood pressure and result in a good overall cardio workout along with my biking. I was already trying to get the most out of my workouts by lifting weights while biking (the only downside is how sore my arms have been because I'm pushing myself a lot more since my new chair is lighter and I'm able to do so much more!) 

I was able to do the spinal cord stim and the EMG at the same time during therapy. It went even better than the first time I did it because the thresholds didn't have to be set quite as high. So I must have more strength than just a week or two ago! 

I did a few independent transfers today and was feeling pretty proud of myself, haha. It's just the confidence I needed. I'm just reminding myself that things like this will only get easier. When I was at Magee, I volunteered to help with one of the land for PT students and they asked me what advice if give other patients. I talked about trying not to be discouraged when you do something for the first time. The first time is always the worst and it only gets better from there. That's what I wish people had told me. Feeding myself? That was the hardest thing for me to learn! I was so frustrated and I'd concentrate so hard that I'd forget to keep breathing and then I'd hyperventilate, almost causing myself to pass out. How ridiculous, right? But it didn't take long for it to get better. That's the mindset I need to be in. It's not easy, but one day I'll look back on things like this and it'll seem like nothing.