Physical Therapy Day #1

Tonight I started a new journey in my life that I want to share with those in my little corner of the world! While I'm sharing it with you, I'm also documenting it for me. It is kind of like my job, I document things all day long. Now, I want to document what's happening with me because I believe what I started today was the beginning of something that will be life-changing for me. Even if it's not, because there are SO MANY variables we don't know about, there is HOPE in my life in an area where there was none prior to 5:30 tonight.

I have accepted my limp/walk as it is. While it's not pretty, it's functional, and I feel blessed to be able to stand on two feet and walk. (Not to knock those who are wheelchair-bound, just saying my thoughts.) Ultimately, at this stage in my life, everyone loves me even with the walk. By the time people are my age (and I'm still YOUNG, I might add!) they care more about the heart than the legs. I've been blessed in that way, I imagine. However, in the past few months, things have been harder for me in the area of walking...

About a month ago I had my yearly check-up with my neurologist for my headaches. Through her question-and-answer session, I shared how I had been falling more lately. She had me climb up on the doctor's table and did a few tests, which were fine. She referred me to Woody, a local Physical Therapist, who could give me some exercises to decrease the falling. I took the number and didn't expect much out of it. I did Physical Therapy as a kid but was dismissed from services. I figured they had done all they could do. *grin*

I went last week for my initial evaluation with Woody. Of course, Woody is a nickname, and that works out well for the purpose of the blog. *grin* In my initial evaluation, he gave me exercises to work on this past week. I did them, and learned how weak parts of my leg muscles are and what I can and cannot do with my legs at this point. He taught me a lot about what I need to do in order to keep my legs strong so that I can continue to walk. He even said that if I kept doing nothing, my concerns about stiffness and such could lead to me not being able to walk at all. So, I started exercising this past week with the ones he told me to practice.

Tonight was my first therapy session since the evaluation. I expected to learn more exercises. Woody had other ideas. *grin* He used a thera-band on both my legs and had me walk. I WAS WALKING STRAIGHT!!! The bands were holding my feet out, so I was able to walk straight. I did need a walker to keep my balance, and I had TONS of questions, but Woody wanted me to know what it feels like to walk straight.

You know what? It felt weird at first. REALLY weird.

PLUS he had to TRAIN ME on how to walk. To do it right, I needed something to help keep me balanced. At first I walked with the bars outside of where I walked. Then he gave me a walker to barely keep hold of while I walked. I liked the walker better because I was trying to balance more without help.

I asked Woody what it would take for me to get the balance, and he seemed to think that that would come in time, as well as the muscle strength, and the training of the actual walk. He explained to me that what was ahead of me was a lot of hard work, but this was possible.

At that moment, "For nothing is impossible with God" came to mind.

And I grinned.

Do I hate my walk? No!

But to have a world without stares and tense muscles, and to know it's within reach, I'm hopeful in a way I have never been.

He video taped me walking on my iphone because the walk with the thera-bands is beautiful. I have a video of what my goal is at this point. Now there's A LOT of work ahead of me, and I'm FINE with that.

Today was the first day of many toward my new goal of my new walk.

"Nothing is impossible with God"

Guess who will be with me every step of the way?

*grin*
LIFE.
IS.
AMAZING!!!