Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Bronzed Tennis Shoes

The PT schedule is a little different today. All the hard work of stretching and standing and working took place this morning. This afternoon I have OT, which I realize is necessary, but dang it, so boring for me. The morning ended with ice packs to the front and back of the knees. You see I had worked very hard this morning and it is dawning on me that in the year of 2016 and at the age of 62, I am in the process of relearning how to walk and how to climb stairs. While rehabbing the good ol hip, I learned that my brain needed to reconnect communication wise with my feet. So the year has been filled with many moments of brain talk. The result is a steadier gate and no falls. Today, after Jasmine and I walked outside for a bit to navigate less than smooth terrain, we worked on stairs. At first she was going to have me climb the regular stairs to the second floor but I reminded her I have not done any stair work, at all. So glad she rethought the practice because today relearning out to use my knees for climbing stairs was some of the most difficult and challenging work I have done. The steps we worked with are less than deep regular steps and I struggled. The obvious became so apparent that I have spent years and years and years adapting to how I could climb stairs. The strangeness of having straight knees was almost too much to comprehend. The right knee as has been the constant is the knee that will require the most work and the most to overcome. The feeling of accomplishment washed over me as we were able to increase the reps but never once in the whole exercise could my mind wander because it was just like being a baby whose steps are tennuious. Only thing, it will hurt a lot more if I fall down and go boom than it does a baby.

It might be a good thing to discover the 3:00 am pain pill late in the game. The most agonizing time are those hours before the 8:00 am pain pill for workout purposes. Oh my, today's 3:00 am pill made a huge difference. And now since my side effect of pain pills has made headway, I don't feel tool bad about taking the pills.

Seeing the images of Gaitlenburg burning are unbelievable. I have never been there and really never have had an interest in going there but I am saddened for all those who have lost homes and businesses. I'm still trying to grasp the enormity. I saw earlier that the Stump Dump on Monticello was on fire but it had been contained. Now that my friends is just a little too close to regular routes and our house.

I'm wondering if I should get these huge tennis shoes I wear bronzed to commentate my first new steps with new knees?

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