How about a little bike riding.... NO not the Harley D, I mean the push the pedal kind of bicycle. Prior to the wreck, I was riding bike 12 miles a day, whether my real mountain bike, or, if traveling, the hotel stationary bikes.

My wife and I now have bikes and we are riding to rebuild strength and stamina. It is a kick!! Hiking, I used to do, but cannot truly do the wilderness stuff I did because the legs are not what they were with the numbness and all, so I treadmill it, allowing me to hold on as I stride- balance and propreoception is not an issue then. Pool exercise in the local therapy pool is a good one for us.

I may not be doing all I did before, but there is no reason not to give it a go at what we CAN do. GO KIM GO!!!

Yeah, OOah,
Mark56

I tried to cycle yesterday but I can't press down with my left leg for one .. shame as we have some beautiful, if hilly, countryside here in Derbyshire. Maybe one day .. I wont give up !

I really need a kick up the bum to get to the local swimming pool. It's not as if I have to rush back for anything, so I can take all the time in the world to get dressed.

Before the horrible back pain in my teens at the weekends a group of us kids would take our bicycles out and cycle to the Curragh which is a beautiful place during the summer. We would cycle for hours and hours, we used to go orientering there too, shooing the sheep as we went.
I too loved my bicycle, i loved the fresh air, i loved the down hill journeys where you could just go wow.... lovely

I guess this world we share is lovely in parts. I've loved the many places i've been to in the US, especially Colorado's mountains, gorges, cannons etc.
Yoesmite Nat Park is just pure Wow, I want to go back there and next on our list is Yellowstone Nat Park, I've no idea when I'm going to get there. I could imagine cycling around all these lovely places but not a chance. I think if i were to get on a bicycle now i'd have forgotten how!.

Go Butt Buzzers go!!!! LOL!!

It is frusterating thinking of all the things you use to be able to do. I went through those negative emotions many times and still have them occasionally. I wish I could still play competitive volleyball, have a work out that leaves me drenched in sweat and still want more, or be able to golf 45 rounds in a day but it isn't going to happen. I, too, have put on a lot of weight since the pain started but I am slowly starting to lose it as I concentrate on the things that I can do such as getting myself physically and mentally ready to join karate in September. For me, setting goals like this really helps. It gives me the focus and motivation to accomplish anything I set my mind to. However, if I don't quite meet the goal in the specified time, I don't get down on myself. I just continue with the same goal but with an extended date of completion. I remember my first goal was to be able to walk around the block without stopping. To anyone else, it seemed so easy but to people who have pain like we do, it's like climbing Mt. Everest. With a lot of luck and patience, I was able to achieved that goal. Then, I was able to set a higher goal and then another goal until I was able to comfortably walk two miles. Now, I'm adding a little running here and there but I've found that it is very hard on my knees so I don't like to do it that much. Before the pain, I was in the military running 3 -4 miles with no problems at all. Truthfully, I'm not heartbroken that I'm not running anymore as I really never like it!!! LOL!!

I wish you all the best of luck in finding what works for you. I still have a long way to go but as I was once told.....it is not the destination but the journey. It may not be an easy journey for some of us but hopefully we have learned something along the way. I know I have. Learning to slow down and appreciate the kindness of others, especially all of you here, is something that I am truly grateful for.

I don't know how you all do it. I can't walk to the bathroom without severe pain.

It will relax over time and you will have come into your own with what the stim was planned to do by way of help. Gve it time. Getting up to go to the bathroom and the walking was painful for a few weeks, then that faded to background noise and we became serious about physical therapy along with caging the monster of pain.

Prayin,
Mark56