Phyx,

Has you heard of horse therapy? It can be very helpful. As you ride the horse, your brain starts to think you are plodding along. It recognizes this motion and awakens the walking systems in your brain. William Schattner of Star Trek has a foundation that promotes this therapy. There is an association with a web site at: http://www.narha.org/ The link to find a local Therapeutic Riding Center is: http://www.narha.org/Centers/FindCenter2.asp

The nerves you need to stimulate are called proprioceptive nerves. They tell your brain what position that part of the body is in. I have a problem with this nerve system occasionally. It used to be chronic. If I wanted to move my arm a little bit, as I started to move it, it would go ballistic and fly across my body. This was usually when I was in bed. I would start to roll over toward my wife and my arm and/or knee would end up flying at her.

In my case, it was likely due to some inflammation in my neck/brain stem/occipital lobes. Once I learned the body/neck positions that aggravated this inflammation, it became a rare event. One of the other symptoms was when I would lose sense of my body. It was like I was a head on a body that did not exist. There was no sensation of where my body should be.

This same nerve inflammation causes Central Sleep Apnea. My body stops pulling breaths, until it hits the critical mass of CO2 to cause me to jerk back into breathing. My father had Central Sleep Apnea for over 30 years. It slowly robbed him of his mental capacities.

How is your sleep? Do you wake up refreshed or tired? Do you feel sleepy during the day?

As vini said, you have plenty of time. Slow down and try to enjoy the process of recovery. The improvements may come slow but they will come. You will be a better person for learning to wait on your body.