NEXT STEP

so...

yesterday tirr rehab walked me using a regular walker.  woo-hoo!  they will be doing more of that, but today they worked on my 'sit to stands' and made more adjustments to my leg braces to help me do everything better.

but get this - today they also started prepping me toward my next step. walking without a walker.  double woo-hoo!  i am currently bending foreward far too much to walk without a walker.  that's because my top thigh muscles at my hip are too tight and that forces me to bend foreward at my hips.  therefore, i need the walker not only for lateral support, but also for frontal support. 

they showed lupita an exercise to perform on me to stretch out that muscle which will allow me to walk up straight.  lupita recognized that the intended results of the exercise were the same as the 'superman' exercise she used to do with me just after i started out-patient.  she stoped doing it in favor of strengthening my core muscles when she anticipated they were going to try to get me standing so soon.  strong core muscles are probably why i have progressed to where i am so quickly.

the military makes the service men do lots of  'superman'  exercises.  lupita now theorizes that is why they stand so straight and tall.

i am very excited about all of this.  i am seeing months of work starting to pay off. 

i wish i was advancing as much with my hands.  i have about 30% return with my right hand, but only about 5% with my left.  hands are important - probably more so than walking.  even so - i can eat, brush my teeth, shave, comb my hair, do transfers, wheel my wheel chair [if i have gloves on], type [one fingered], play on the computer, hold a book/magazine and turn pages, and several more things that i am not thinking of at the moment.  i have to remember to be grateful for that and, of course, hopeful for more.

I'm through writing now...