« May 29 Email: Slow Progress | Main | June 27: Working, Driving, and Chugging Along »
June 10, 2013
June 10: Continued Progress
Now that I have a relatively good understanding of my condition and prognosis, I am going to make these updates public. Instead of sending email to a small distribution list, I will now post updates in this blog. I also wrote entries describing the onset of my issues and early diagnostic efforts, which I hadn't put in writing before. I converted all of the update emails into blog entries, so the whole story is here now. Future updates will be as well.
The last two weeks have been busy for me. My PT has been very strenuous. In addition to my core, leg, and balance exercises, I have added back and neck exercises. I'm continuously modifying and making my routine more difficult. I'm also cutting back on some things as I integrate the treadmill. I started by walking one-hour 5K's. After three of these, I was confident enough to try to jog. I've done two 30-minute two-mile jogs so far. It's not a very fast pace, but I am focusing on my form. That is, I am actually lifting my feet and knees and not just walking. If you use mapmyrun, you can see my workouts there. I've also added more stretching to my post-workout routine. If I don't stretch, I am very sore the next day. I'm also 100% walker free. It's still in the trunk in case of emergency, but I haven't used it in about two weeks.
I also rode my bike again. I did a 5 mile circuit of the neighborhood, on both streets and trails, without much problem. I have a few scrapes on my leg from some spinning pedals, but in general everything went well. I hope to be able to pull Sylvie in the bike trailer this summer. That is one of my most serious goals.
I am making very slow progress with my manual dexterity and sensitivity. My right hand still feels numb, swollen, and generally difficult to coordinate. My OT thinks I'm making some progress though. At my last session, I showed improvement in the grip strength, peg insertion, and block flipping tests. The tests related to sensitivity, like identifying objects or localizing sensations, have not significantly improved. We knew going in that this would take the longest of all of my faculties to regain, and that is still holding true. I've also figured out that sitting on shitty chairs contributes to the numbness in my feet. I have been using a cheap folding chair, but I am going to stop. I ordered a nice new office chair which should be here soon. In the meantime, I will sit on cushioned chairs.
As of today, I only need to wear my neck brace for eight hours a day. That means that I will just sleep in it, and not use it during the daytime. I'm used to sleeping in it, so that's not a problem. The real trick would be to actually get eight hours of sleep :). Next week though, I will be neckbrace free. I will continue to regain strength in my neck muscles with my PT routines.
I'm also backing off most of my medications as per my doctor's schedule. I still feel good in general, but we may have been too aggressive with some of them. I've had a few recurrences of my original paresthesia, so we may need to continue to adjustment my pharmaceutical schedule.
I'm going to try to drive around the neighborhood tomorrow. I'm an excellent driver, slow on the driveway. My vision has been clearing up as i backoff the medications, so I'm confident that it will go well.
In general, I feel pretty good. I am mobile, coordinated, and healthy. I still have a lot of work to do, but I'm ready to do it. Julia thinks that I have been overdoing things the last few weeks, and she's probably right. Without my neckbrace, I feel like I am my normal self, and that has caused me to push harder In my PT, OT, and chore list. I need to rest more during my routines, get more sleep, and better prioritize my tasks.
Once again, thank you all for reading this and offering support and encouragement. I really appreciate it, and it helps my rehab and recovery. Now that this information is publicly available, feel free to discuss it with others. I'd prefer not to make a big deal out of it though. It's a difficult situation, but not as bad as those many others face. As long as I continue to work smart, I will continue to get better.
Posted by jon at June 10, 2013 10:44 PM