Month: February 2015

My Mom drove me to Barwis AGAIN yesterday. I had ANOTHER snow day even though Sean had school.  With the traffic and snow, I was late to Barwis.  I FINALLY get in there and Mike thought I wasn’t coming.  He wiped the table down and put me on it.  He didn’t put me in the “Ooh Doggie!” stretch but they were hard-core stretches just the same.  They were familiar stretches but familiarity did not make them hurt any less!

During this one, I think that an, “Ooh Do-” slipped out involuntarily but I told Mike that it didn’t count because I didn’t say the whole thing.  I STILL won’t give him the satisfaction of saying it again but it was CRAZY!  Instead, I told him to do his worst.

We ended with this one and I think it was proof that this might be his worst… at least that is how it felt!  I like this picture because you can see my socks.  It WAS “Wacky Sock Wednesday #2” and these socks were my FAVORITE shade of purple!

He talked with my Mom about the cold weather causing my muscles to constrict.  And it is COLD now!   I fell in and out of sleep on the drive home because my Mom was driving.  I was SO tired so I went to bed early.  It was 8:55 when I laid on my stomach and I woke up at 10:55 to check my phone to see if we would have ANOTHER snow day.  We didn’t.  When I woke up to get ready for work, the trifecta of pain was in FULL EFFECT!!!  My butt, quads, and hamstrings were killing me!!!

I texted Jesse about how cold it was here and I began to doubt walking.  If the cold makes my muscles constrict, am I going to be like this EVERY winter?!  He calmed me down by saying that it’s better this year than it was last year (which is SO true!).  Then he texted, “Yes U will still walk for sure.”  I responded, “Okay.  Sometimes I waiver.”  To which he replied simply, “Dont”. Those two texts gave me the reassurance I needed.  He’s been constant in his belief of me walking since I came to Barwis.  From literally day one.  Since I couldn’t stand up from my chair and had to be harnessed at the Keiser machine.  I responded, “Thanks!  I won’t!”  I just wish he could say something to make my butt stop hurting so much!!!

With all of the snow yesterday, my Mom drove me to Barwis.  We both are teachers and both had a snow day.  (We have one today too!). She said that she didn’t want me getting stuck somewhere with no way to get myself out.  She helped me get out of the car (it’s ALWAYS weird transferring from the passenger’s side!) and she pushed me in.  I forgot that my Mom hasn’t been back to Barwis with me since that first summer and it was a bit strange explaining what I do in the snow but she has NEVER seen me wipe my wheels off or take an interest in Claudia’s work.  (She did awesome!).  It was a nice reminder that Barwis is my home.

Mike came over to the chairs to come get me.  I told him that my Mom was here and he went over to her, introduced himself, and shook her hand.  He told her she could come over to the blue table where we would be working.  Before getting on the table, I showed Mike that my legs being tight was only a little bit sticking out as I sat in my wheelchair opposed to sticking straight out as they historically have been.  I thought it was nice that after 19 months of working, to see some progress.  He put me on the table and worked my calves first.  He said they weren’t too, too bad and told me to lay back.  He started by putting both of my legs over his left shoulder, grabbing my knees to stabilize them and leaning forward.  Man, that is an INTENSE stretch but I refuse to give him the satisfaction of saying, “Ooh Doggie!” regardless of the stretch.  This time when he put me in the “Ooh Doggie!” stretch to the left, I had to gasp, close my eyes, and remind him to do his worst in a whisper.

This time we did something new. He had me sit on the edge of the table with my feet touching the floor.  He held my hand out and had me bend so my left shoulder went toward my right knee.  He said it was to strengthen my lower back (I feel the burn today!).  We  did this a few times and then he switched hands and told me to bring my right shoulder to my left knee.  I could do this.  Simple enough.  BUT, I wasn’t seated in the center of the table so when I brought my right shoulder down to my left knee, I just about fell off the table.  I squeezed his right hand and put my right hand behind his right knee.  So here I am, looking at the turf, laughing, and expecting Mike to pick me up with only one free hand.  I eventually got back on the table and he scooted me more toward the middle before we continued the stretch.

He asked me if my Mom could get me in my car and then told me that we would end a little early so he could get me in.  My Mom CAN do it but she is shorter than me and putting me in the passenger side is tricky.  When we ended and headed back to the car. My mom brought it up closer to the building where there was no snow and  Mike helped me get into the car and then  push behind my knee to get my legs to bend easily. Once I was in, he said goodbye to my mom and told us both to have, “safe travels.”

I got out of the car by myself, opened the door, and Deeds pulled me into the gym.  I took off my sunglasses and heard familiar music playing.  It’s got to be 90’s Pop again.  Just then, The Backstreet Boys came on and Megan screams and begins dancing.  Just after she gets really into it, Nick has his phone in his hand, says her name, and the radio falls silent.  Megan grabs her phone out of her pocket and the song comes back on just a bit louder.  I enjoyed watching this “song war” as I have witnessed it a few times before.

Mike and I have talked about music a lot.  I dig it because it takes my mind off of the pain of the intense stretching he does.  But I would say for about the last two weeks, my legs are feeling looser in spite of the really cold weather.  I’ve been sleeping better and during my waking hours, they aren’t as stiff.  Mike put me in the “Ooh Doggie!” stretch and it didn’t really hurt.  He asked if I felt the stretch and I told him that I did, a little so he pushed further.  I gasped and asked how I felt.  He kind of frowned and nodded.  Typical guy way of answering.  I even remember my Dad answering in the same manner.  So I guess he can feel the improvement too.  That’s how I’m taking it anyway.

He got me in the car and my legs felt relaxed.  As I drove home and was stopped at a light, Alanis began to play.  I smiled because it reminded me of Mike (we’ve talked about her).  We’re just about the same age even though just like Jesse he reminds me that I am OLDER than he is. When the song ended, I changed the station and Marcy Playground had just begun.  That song was playing the first day I walked with my crutches again at Barwis.  I laughed and decided that I would press my luck and each time the song ended, I would change the station on my way home, I would hear a good tune.  I heard Berlin, Lenny Kravitz, and Sir Mix-A-Lot.  It was a random group of songs that I dug.  It sure sounds like an eclectic group of songs but I dug all of them for different reasons.  I pulled up into my driveway as Sir Mix-A-Lot ended and I turned the radio off so as not to end my string of good music.