Learning to Live Life Again

Most of you know that I have remained pretty positive through this whole ordeal. While I still feel positive, my time in rehab is definitely made me more excited about finding independence again. Everyday there something new we are trying, or building, and conquering.

Having 4 to 5 hours of therapy, not including the therapy I do with nursing or on my own, leaves my energy levels low by the end of the night, so blogging has been neglected. There are so many exciting things going on, I'll try not to make this post too long but I want to update the things I have learned.

A few days after I got here my therapist, Dr., and I wanted to look into my diagnosis more. We are having a hard time getting a solid diagnosis. While my original diagnosis was Guillain-Barré, the symptoms I have now correlate more wish an issue directly relating my spinal cord not my peripheral nervous system.  They are unsure if my original diagnosis was completely wrong or is it actually has the balls into something else somewhere along the way.  Right now we are also looking into the possibility of transverse myelitis.

A couple weeks after I was here I got invited to start doing recreational therapy in addition to minority schedule 3 hours.  Rec therapy is a lot of fun. I been able to pool therapy a couple times as well as crafts, visits to downtown, and an outdoor arm bike.  It's been fun being able to dabble in things I wasn't willing to spend the money to figure out if I can do well or not. It's given me fun activities to do on my own as well. The rec therapists are fun and lighthearted which make spending time with them enjoyable.

Occupational therapy has helped me with a lot of adaptive tools. I have a few things to help me take care of my own personal needs. I have adaptive cooking utensils, a new cutting board, a tray that fits on my wheelchair, and my new splint (which I lovingly refer to as my terminator arm). We have also talked about possibly getting a van that I can either be a passenger or a driver in. I was a little hesitant about the thought of driving again, but I've seen a van this other patient drives, he's a high spinal cord injury, with very little movement in his arms and he's driving. The more and more I think about it I think in a couple of years my children can put themselves in car seats and we would be able to go do things outside the home more often.  One thought to ponder, I am sure a van like that will probably cost a pretty penny. Plus if it's set up for me to drive, obviously I will have to do all the driving. It's definitely something I've been thinking about a lot more.

Physical therapy is definitely the toughest part of my day. We've primarily been focusing on transferring myself using a slide board, which I can almost do independently which makes me excited. Also doing a lot of strengthening, and I can almost get from my back to a sitting position with minimal help. Today for physical therapy I tested power wheelchairs. While there's this small voice inside of me that excited for independence (possibly driving again), more opportunities, and being able to get around easier, there's also the small devil standing on my shoulder saying I've given in. I want to make sure just as I'm doing something that makes it easier, but I'm not still trying to progress to the most liability.

Although days are busy and tiring I'm truly thankful for all the people who work here. My CNA's and nursing staff, therapists, and doctors have definitely helped my state be as enjoyable as it could be that have really helped me seeing progress.

I'm thankful for the time I've been able to spend here, but the countdown is on.

Less than two weeks and I'll be headed home again.