NEW CHAIR!!! and other things that happened this past week

Oh man, so much has been going on, but every time I get home and get ready to blog, I'm too tired and just fall asleep. I'll start with therapy and work my way through the last week. Therapy has been especially amazing lately. When I first started at Kansas Rehab, I wasn't really impressed or comfortable, but I got to know the therapists there quickly and now I love it. I've been working super hard on walking, doing all sorts of therapies and using all sorts of machines to relearn what I forgot and get my muscles to listen. A couple of days ago, I walked by myself in the pool while holding onto the rail(my knees still like to do funky things, like lock, go backwards, and collapse out in front of me). I was so happy with myself. My therapist, Gus, walked next to me, but he didn't have to hold on to my gate belt and the few times my knees collapsed, I was able to pull them back up under me. I'm sooo close to walking it almost hurts! I still have altered sensation from the bottom lip down, but I feel heat and cold and pain where I could not before. My lower legs are regaining muscle strength and they have stopped hurting all the time. I think the lowered sensitivity and pain is due partly to PT and OT.

I Did It!!!!!

So this past week has been all about making amazing strides in my mobility and ability(and being sick). First off, I'm doing about 75% of my transfers without my slide board. I'm able to hop from my chair to the car and back as well as to and from the bed and commode. It rocks!!! Also, I figured out how to get back out of the recliner in the living room without any help. But I have to say tonight's triumph was the biggest. I was able to use the bathtub in my parents bathroom:) Before I got sick, I would spend hours in the tub. I read in there and just hang out. So when I lost the use of my legs, this loss of the tub was very upsetting. I was determined to find ways to do things like use the tub and stairs while still having extremely limited use of my legs. So I did what any internet savvy person does and went on both google and youtube. After a while of searching, I finally found a video of a lady demonstrating how to get in and out of the tub without leg mobility. I tried it and it was AMAZING!!!! I got in and out just to make sure I could do it, and then I got back in and had what has to have been the most amazing bath EVER!! It was most excellent and I'm so glad I'll now be able to use the bath because the hot water makes my tight leg muscles feel so much better and it helps with my angry tummy too! About the stairs though, I think going up and down stairs in my chair is not something I'm going to try, the videos look WAY too scary and intense. I think I'll stick to going up and down on my butt, which I still haven't tried, but I plan to too, since my wii is upstairs. There is a long staircase, but since it's carpeted, I think I'll be able to do it safely. I'm still waiting for my wheelchair, but it should be here any day now. Life is good:)