Update from Physical Therapist & Pain

I went to see Brad this week. He is really pleased about my improvement on strength. Good feelings I wish I could bottle for bad days of treadmill/exercise flowed into my heart. It is nice to get outside perspective from someone who knows really how far I have come. Warms my heart.

I could do all my squats, toe lifts, leg lifts, marching, etc really well. So... he, as always, showed me what I "can't do yet" next.

Lunges.

They are hard! I can step forward, no problem, but once I put weight on either leg, my balance is out the window, and on the right side I have no strength to pull back up from them. So there was my first new exercise. Small lunges, working  into deeper steps. Fun!

Next, he wanted me to walk heel to toe, as if I was taking a sobriety test. Alrighty folks... this must be the reason! I have found it! I am not allowed to drive yet, because if I get pulled over... I will be arrested for drunk driving! (bwahahaha) I cannot (yet) walk heel to toe in a straight line (hmmm... for that matter... with how my memory has been... I am not sure I could recite the alphabet backwards either! I am in trouble!) New exercise number 2.

To follow up that fun activity, he then held onto my britches, and Jes held on to my arm, and we walked my body sideways: left foot in front and across my right, then left foot; then right foot in back and across my right, then left foot. He called it "the grapevine". I call it torture! My silly brain could not compute the crossing and untangling of my limbs. I went across the room one way, and back again, and had to sit down for 5-10 minutes just to rest my brain! It was extreme exhaustion, similar to when I was first recovering! Nothing has been so hard until then. He kept apologizing, saying he knew it was going to tax my mind. He let me rest while he tended to another patient. I put my head between my knees and pondered this new pathway and its difficulty. I realized why it was particularly difficult. I could not close my eyes. (when I did I would loose my balance) I had to process not only the exercise, which is naturally difficult for a stroke victim, but the visual as well. I realized that I mostly close my eyes for my exercises! LOL I had not realized that before!

Brad came back and apologized again, because he was adding one more exercise to my list. (oh boy!) This one would be especially taxing as well.

The clock/lunge.

Jes held onto my britches from behind, and Brad explained the procedure. As he called a number on the clock, and which foot to use to reach it, I was to lightly step-lunge in that direction - as if I was were standing in the middle of a clock. On Brad's command we began. I was a mess! 3 o'clock/right foot! 9 o'clock/left foot! Oh how it befuddled my brain! Brad left Jes to to 10-15 more. I was able to find a spot on the floor to focus on, and my response time improved. Funny thing? Jes asked if I was bored by his help because I was so zoned. I laughed, lost my balance, and told him he can't talk to me while we are working! Bwahahaha!

Therapy kicked my butt yet again. I left shaking and exhausted. Yea me! He told me not to come back for about 2 weeks, that it will likely take that long to master these ones. He also gave me a strict lecture about where I am physically and mentally.

He reminded me that I am a stroke survivor. There will not be big improvements almost daily anymore. My window has closed. Now each and every improvement will come with a price = hard work. He reminded me to not let myself get discouraged - that evenings will be harder for a while (I hadn't mentioned that they were... so it was balm to my heart) and that I will always notice a return of some symptoms when I am tired or fatigued for the rest of my life. He also talked about my memory some and said that it will start to come back (YEA!)

We asked him about a funny thing that happened...

The night before I was opening the console between our seats in the Expedition to get some gum. Right as I did, Jes climbed in and using his elbow he leaned on it to scoot himself in. My pointer finger was smashed under the lid. It hurt so much! Within 20 minutes, as it throbbed and complained, my right pointer finger started throbbing and complaining just exactly the same! He smiled and said that that is completely normal for a stroke victim. My mind isn't sure which side hurts. STRANGE!!! He said I would have phantom pain like that for a while on and off and that it is normal.

We also asked him about my hand. It hurts every night. The joint where my thumb connects to my hand just aches and aches, and so does the spot where my two middle fingers attach to my hand do as well. He did some bending, twisting and strength stuff, to make sure it wasn't a carple tunnel problem. It isn't. He said it is more than likely part of the stroke healing, and it will just take time to go away. He was sad he couldn't offer a better solution. I also mentioned that my foot often feels the same ache and he nodded saying that some stroke patients have pain like that and it is nerve pathway related.

So... I am still on the up and up. I am moving forward and taking my life back, one day at a time. Last week I didn't have to take a nap 3 of the 7 days. Progress to be celebrated!

He warned me ahead of time though... next time I will have to learn hop-scotch type exercise!

Oh my! I am looking forward to it... not. :P