I worked with Sue and Claire (an intern) on Monday. It was my MS diagnosis anniversary so I didn’t feel great emotionally. As Sue stretched me out, I recounted the events of my diagnosis 15 years ago. Neither Sue nor Claire have heard this story and I’ve recounted it a number of times – as if I could forget that day! I told them what that diagnosing doctor said (“You have MS. You’re going to go blind and then you’re going to die.) Then I told them what I said (mostly to myself, I didn’t know that I even said it out loud) (“I’m gonna have a baby.). They both reacted as everyone who hears that story. They were in disbelief. Granted, that doctor had a horrible bedside manner to tell a scared eighteen year old and her mother that she had a chronic neurological disease, a debilitating one, the way she did but it really stinks that she HAD to tell me I had it. It STINKS to have it.
Sue continued to stretch me out and became “The Human Shuttle” again while we did our PNFs. Then she had me sit up while Claire kept time on her watch. I think it’s strange how it is SO DIFFICULT just to sit up straight but it is SLOWLY getting easier because of the nightly crunches as advised by Jesse and Phil to strengthen my core and I got myself a 6 lb. medicine ball for Christmas to work on all the A.R. exercises that I’ve done with Mike Morfitt at Barwis. Sue didn’t have to have her hands on me to adjust my shoulders but instead could just tell me verbally as she stood a few steps away.
I sat straight up by myself for 12 minutes! My core muscles were sore but I stood up 5 times. Sue had my right arm and Claire had my left arm. We tried a few times but I couldn’t get my hips (a.k.a my BIG BUTT) under me fully so Sue had Chet come over with the stretchy green band to put around my hips so he could help by puling me forward as I stood up so my hips could get under me. We did this 5 times and I was spent! My legs felt warm and loose and that felt good as my Mom drove me to my house. But as we drove, my right groin began to feel a bit wonky….