Quote:
Originally Posted by Rick DeSantis
Part Two
Well even though I did grab the glass I could not pick it up and I couldn't tell I even had it in my grasp. My severe numbness I guess had something to do with that but I didn't mind one bit that glass was in my hand. A few days passed and I was able to lift the glass. I did drop it many times but I was inspired by my progress. I used the same thought process to grab a much smaller object, a fork. So you see where I am going here. I knew I had to reteach my brain to do everything I once did and I really didn't care how long this was going to take but I would make it happen. After all I did make a promise didn't I.
My next visit to the neurologist was quite interesting. I explained to him just what I was doing about my illness and my little but huge to me accomplishments but all he could do was just give me a blank stare. I think he thought I was a little crazy. Finally he said, well if this works for you than keep up the good work. My visits at this time were monthly.
Things that took two hands such as buttoning a shirt or tying a pair of shoes took longer as I was finding out my left side was very unresponsive much worse than my right. Linda now had returned to work as I somewhat in a very primitive way could get along on my own. Little did she know what I planned next.
At this time I could really only justdrag myself along in my walker so out the front door I went. My real goal of course was to teach myself how to walk. My right leg, I had just enough quad to lift my leg just a few inches, my left leg nothing at all. Just something attached to my body that I just dragged along.
This is how I started
I would move the walker forward lift my right leg as much as I could and the best way to put it, just flop it forward. It took all I had to try and drag my left leg forward to meet the right. I only got to the end of the drive way that first day and had to rest quite a bit before I began my journey back inside the house.
I kept my journey outside to myself as I knew my wife was certainly not going to approve of me wandering outside on my own. My approach to trying to walk again was just the same as grabbing that glass, just shear determination. Every day I would do this four or five times with a lot of rest in-between as this was very exhausting now not only mentally but physically as well.
Linda worked three 12 hour shifts and off four days which really worked out well. On her first day home I asked her to help me to go outside. Once outside she left me standing there with the walker and went on out to the mail box. This was my chance. I began my little routine of throwing and dragging myself along. I didn't get far at all when she was already on her way back. I asked her to wait that I was coming. It truly seemed like I was never going to get there but finally I made it. I told her I had to rest before I could try to get back and that she could go wait for me at the door. Not on your life I'm going to stay here right by you was her reply with a huge smile and gave me a sweet little kiss.
I have only just begun much more to come
|
Well another month gone by and it's time once again to see my Dr. Of course I can't drive, matter of fact even with Linda helping it's really quite a chore just getting into the passenger seat let alone trying to get out. When my name was called and Linda was helping me down the hallway to his office I stopped and told my wife I wanted to enter on my own. As I entered the doorway with my walker my Dr. was reading my charts. When he saw me entering he immediately stood and had a big smile on his face. Quite a different reaction than my first visit. As Linda helped me get from the walker to the chair he said, Rick now tell me again just what are you doing to make these changes.
Back at home two things were bothering me. First the medications I was on to control the pain and numbness three times a day were wearing me down and by 5 0'clock or so I just felt lousy and not able to accomplish anything. I decided on my own to stop cold turkey. That was a mistake even with my self conviction I could not handle the pain. Next step was to slowly ween myself off the drugs. First two time a day for a week then one time a day and so on. It took about three weeks but I was drug free except for my Copaxone injections and feeling better.
My second thing was walking again. I realized I had to be able to stand on my own before I could even think of walking and that meant somehow getting information to my left leg which at that time was just a limp limb.
So in-between my trips down the drive way I would just stand in the walker and try to let go. At first this was impossible but as the days went by even though I still could not stand alone the amount of pressure I had to apply to the walker while standing was decreasing. Yes you are right another month gone by and I am standing on my own. Now it's really time to get to work.