July 27

I did the Geo for the first time in awhile this week and it went so much better than I remember. We used stim on my quads as I did it and I actually like that even better than the spinal stim (at least while on that machine). 

I also did the Thera-stride for the first time in a couple weeks and Dennis said it was the best it's gone. I've only gotten him to say that a couple times, but he really thought things were smoother this time. Afterwards, we did some walking over ground with the walker. I really don't  quite know how that is going when I'm doing it because I can't see myself and just because I may think I'm doing well doesn't always mean in actually moving my legs in the way that I think I am. But I actually had two people come up to me and tell me how good my walking had looked- one was even a therapist! 

Generation regeneration is a meeting KKI has every month and the topics always change. This month, it was about back to school. How perfect that this topics came up on the exact week that I have a meeting with my school about getting back? Mom and I met a family from Arkansas whose son was in an accident three years ago and is currently in undergrad in Memphis. Needless to say, they've been through the process of getting back to school and figuring out what has to be done to get certain things accomplished. They offered some really great advice and kind of guided us on what to look for and what questions we needed to ask. They even gave us their information and offered me a place to stay during my rotations if I find a place nearby! (Since they know their house would be a perfectly accessible place to live!

I finally got to see Dr. Pardo at Hopkins on Wednesday. Unfortunately, he didn't have all my old records and old mri's, so he couldn't tell us too much yet. He also needs to see the new MRIs I'm getting in the next couple weeks in order to know the extent of the damage and get a better idea of everything that has happened. However, he was very hopeful and positive. And he loved my positive attitude (which he calls "vitamin P"). He said my recovery will take three things: rehab, time, and vitamin P. The reflexes in my lower body (which were non-existent in March and then only "1" in May), we're now a 3- out of 4! And the sensation was even better. Dr. Pardo kept telling his residents that meant the dorsal column of the spinal cord was intact and it was a perfect example of how plastic the spinal cord is. He's under the impression the diagnosis is still ADEM, but is curious is any other autoimmune processes were at play given my personal history and that of other family members. He ran several blood tests and sent several samples to the mayo clinic and said he'll call with the results as soon as he has them. So, we didn't really get too many new answers, but I was encouraged by his positivity and we'll hopefully know more after the bloodwork is read and the MRIs are completed.