Author: Jen Rios

Wednesday was my last day at ATI.  I was extremely tired and my legs were especially tight.  The tone was REALLY bad but it Was “Wacky Sock Wednesday” #31.  It goes for ATI also, Alanna joined in so I had her snap a pic:

She was in the tye-dye and I was wearing the stripes.  I worked with Greg and it didn’t take long for him to feel the extreme tightness of my legs and to see how tired I was.  He wanted me to lay on my stomach.  I was so tired that he helped me to sit up and called Rachel over to “teepee” the table.  As he helped me to stand up,she was to pull some bar under the table that would make the center of the table angle upward on both sides to make a teepee in the middle of the table.  She did this and Greg helped my to lay on my stomach.

It was surprisingly comfortable.  He said the angles of the table shouldn’t make my adductors work so hard.  I told him how Mike Rhoades used to tell me to lay on my stomach for 10 minutes before I went to sleep while I laid in my bed.  Greg agreed with Michael and we talked about American Ninja Warrior as he stretched my leg out.  It was SO comfortable laying on the “teepee” that I stayed like that for my ice and stim.  My mom and Kristin had to help me get off of the table.  I saw Megan as I was leaving ATI so we took a picture of our socks too:

I had ATI on Monday.  It felt like a long day at work and I  was tired going in My Mom helped me onto the movable table so I was laying on my back.  As I laid back, both of my legs bent at the knees and sort of “boing”ed up.  This fact kind of irritated me and I tried to relax them so they would lay flat like last Friday.  They didn’t.

I gave up trying to “will” them flat and just then, Luba came over and smiled.  She touched my leg and her eyes widened.  She could feel it too.  She’s at on the table beside my knees and tried stretching my left leg out so in would flatten.  It wasn’t.  She pulled my left foot and placed it on her shoulder.  It kept resisting her and “boing”ing up.  After some time, she looked at me sympathetically and told me that I was tired.  She said I was too tired to resist the extreme tone that existed in my legs.  She asked if I just wanted stim.

I was relieved to hear her ask that and nodded and added that I would like ice too.  She brought over a wedge to elevate my legs on.  Kristin put the patches on my leg, turned the stim on, and brought over an ice pack.  The stim feels really good on my hamstring.  It doesn’t hurt anymore.  Wednesday will be my final time at ATI.  I closed my eyes and basked in the good feeling on my leg.

My appointment time for Barwis was moved back to 7 so we could pick up Sean from football practice before my time.  He accompanied us to Barwis so I wouldn’t be late.  Sean has been to Barwis with me before but it had been awhile and I HATE to be late!!!  Mike helped me onto the black table and had to leave to get something.  I laid on the table and took notice that my legs were mostly flat on the table.  They weren’t “boing”ing up.

I was comfortable with my legs completely  flat on the table.  Mike came back and stretched my legs out.  As he methodically did this, I felt what felt like a warm liquid tickle down my right leg beneath my skin.  Obviously, it was blood and it makes me feel so GOOD to feel that!  My legs relaxed A LOT.  Mike was kneeling on the table and explained how I was going to move my legs for the next PNF.  He said, “Because my legs were so stretchy.”  I laughed.  He ALWAYS says funny stuff!

My legs felt good overall and Mike was impressed with my showing for my PNFs.  I like feeling that slow trickle of liquid down my legs.  I don’t feel it ALL of the time or even enough to not notice it.  On friday, I felt encouraged that maybe someday soon – the blood will flow freely throughout my legs so I won’t feel it because it will take place ALL of the time.  But for now, I appreciated the “stretchy-ness” of my legs.

I spent my 30th “Wacky Sock Wednesday” at ATI instead of at Barwis.  I hoped to see Megan before my appointment time at ATI.  I didn’t but I still represented.  See?:

I worked with Luba yesterday and I told her that I have been able to stand easier when my Mom transfers me.  I told her that I wasn’t sure what that would translate to in terms of walking but let her know that I understood the benefits of tone.  I laid on the table and she wanted me on my stomach first.  My Mom helped me roll over.  By “helped,” I mean that my Mom rolled me over.  As she did this, I said that it REALLY stunk not being able to control your body.  I have been fighting for SO long to gain control over my body but in this instant it was MORE than apparent that I haven’t won that fight… Yet.

I was unable to help AT ALL as my Mom rolled my body over.  I HATE feeling physically powerless and I COMPLETELY was in this instant.  My legs relaxed as I completely laid on my stomach and Luba was able to bent them back kind of easily.  We talked as she stretched me at remembered Adam (Phil) introducing us.  He introduced me as “Daisy.”  I told her that that name is pretty much non-existent now.  It’s an OG (Original Gangster) name.  Dan, Dusty, and Jesse gave it to me and Mike Rhodes, Nick, and Mike Morfitt don’t even know me by that name.  Deeds and Megan know that I used to be called that but rarely call me that now.  Luba told me that she feels that she should call me that because that was how Phil introduced us.

She had me roll back over onto my back (rather, had my Mom roll me over).  My legs tightened but Luba stretched them out so they eventually relaxed.  I thought about how much of a fight it is to gain control of my body.  I have not won that fight by far, but I feel that I currently AM WINNING that fight.  I am winning ONLY because I HAVEN’T given up.  It is NOT an easy fight by any means nor did I know it would be such a LONG fight but, it’s a fight that I feel is WORTH fighting.  Kristen (sp?) hooked the stim up to my leg (she works out at Barwis too) as Luba finished.  As I laid there on the table, Alanna put the big exercise balls away.  One got away from her and hit me which made me laugh… A LOT.  ATI also feels like home and that feels good.

I thought my appointment time was at 6.  It was at 5 on Friday.  When I got there, I had to go to the bathroom so I had an even BIGGER speed stretch!  I stayed in my chair and Mike stretched me as I sat there.  I was a bit preoccupied anyway so the little bit of stretch that I was able to get REALLY relaxed me.

As my Mom started the car, I told her my legs were warm.  She agreed that it was extremely warm in the gym but I explained what I meant by that statement.  My legs felt warm as in there was blood flowing through them.  I’ve felt that often at Barwis because NOW, blood flows all the way through my legs to the tips of my toes.

I told my Mom that the INSIDES (under my skin) of my legs felt warm.  That warm feeling ALWAYS makes me feel good!  It makes me feel as if walking is close.  It’s close because my legs often feel warm at Barwis and my bathroom floor is consistently cold.  Both of those things prove that I am FEELING sensations in my legs.  Brock told me that feeling heat and cold were catalysts to walking so even with my even BIGGER speed stretch (shorter time) on Friday, I am still progressing toward walking and that feels REALLY good!!!

I rolled in to ATI and I saw Luba (I think that is how it is spelled) stretching someone out on the first table by the door.  Phil introduced me to her awhile ago when I was training.  He introduced me as “Daisy” and introduced her to me as “Luba the Russian spy.”  Luba is Russian-born and I told her that’s NOT my name.  Luba smiled at me and told me that I was working with her.  I smiled and told her that I was excited.

My Mom put me on the table and I asked her to take a pic of my socks because I forgot my phone at home.  It WAS “Wacky Sock Wednesday” #29!:

Megan came in and hugged me and we compared socks.  My legs were pretty tight.  Maybe it had something to do with the extreme heat but Lyuba stretched me out as we had conversation getting to know each other.  I recounted my MS diagnosis story and subsequent pregnancy. She came to the U.S. in 1990 when she was 7.  My legs kept resisting  and Lyuba asked if my legs were always this tonic.  “Tonic.”  I really liked how that sounded.  I have never heard that form of tone and I dug it!  I told her that I haven’t felt this tight until around the time I tore my hamstring.  She told me about some of the benefits of tone.

My Mom helped me to turn over on to my stomach and Luba stretched my quads.  After some time of me laying on my stomach, my legs began to relax.  Luba asked if my legs always relaxed in prone.  My Mom asked what that was and she told us that laying on my stomach was “prone.”  Learn something new EVERYDAY.  She put the patches for stim on my leg and got the cold pack.  I LOVE this part (ice & stim)!  My Mom asked what her name meant in Russian and she told us, “Love.”  That’s beautiful!

I was extremely late to my appointment at Barwis on Monday.  My Mom was stuck in court in Dearborn (she didn’t do anything wrong – she was prosecuting someone else for their wrongdoing to her).  She is my driver so I just waited.  I knew that any stretch I would get from Mike would be worth it.  He helped me onto the black table and I told him that the “after-effects” had worn off.

He agreed but was able to stretch my legs well enough for me to feel it.  My legs were tighter than they have been lately but not as tight as they have been in the more distant past.  He had me lay on my stomach and I was able to feel a good stretch in my quads.  It was a stretch that I haven’t felt for a long time.  I asked Mike how I felt and he said, “NOT horrible.”  I laughed and told him that he’s good for some great sound bites and told him that I was going to name my blog post “NOT Horrible.”  He laughed and laid next to me on the black table on his stomach.  I asked him about it feeling so strange most of the time when I lay on my stomach.  He sat in my chair as I rolled onto my back.  He told me that my hipflexers were REALLY tight and told me not to sit down so much.  We both laughed!

I told him about Mike Rhoades telling me to lay on my stomach for at least 10 minutes before I went to sleep.  I haven’t laid on my stomach to sleep since before I was pregnant so it was weird but it progressively got better.  I don’t do that anymore but maybe I should start again.  I sat up on the black table and Mike told me that, “We’ll get to that,” talking about me not sitting so much.  It REALLY does feel good to hear ANYONE at Barwis voicing their confidence in me walking again because they ALL have that confidence.  He put me in my chair and walked with me to the roll-down door way.  I told him that I felt good and he nodded that it was good speed stretching.

I got to Barwis just a few minutes late and I wheeled over to the black table.  It was shorter than before and Mike told me that it was a different table.  He sat on the table and I told him that my legs have been MORE relaxed.  I was pretty excited about this fact because my legs have been painfully tight for A WHILE and were really jerk-y (they would resist anytime someone touched them (be it my Mom, someone at Barwis, or someone at ATI)) to get them to move.  It had been this way all summer and it was making me nervous.

I was nervous because it made it easier for people to argue the necessity for me to take medication and harder for me to explain myself and my “natural” beliefs.  Something inside of me just didn’t feel right about it so I didn’t want to do it.  Mike asked if it started Tuesday and I told him that I noticed it on Wednesday.

He half-smiled and told me, matter-of-factly but joking around that (my loose legs) were after-effects of working with him on Monday.  I laughed but kind of nodded.  He helped me onto the table and had me lay on my back.  He stretched my left leg straight up and had me push it downward.  We warmed up with some “baby pushes” and then I pushed my leg ALL THE WAY down!  I pushed slowly to not get “lost in space” and I asked Mike why it was taking SO long!  He told me that he was holding it up as resistance.q  No wonder!  It still took a long time and I was tired after only three pushes on each leg.

I told Mike that it kind of stinks that I am SO TIRED and all I was doing was pushing my leg down a few times.  He told me that EVERYONE has DIFFERENT limitations.  I liked how that sounded.  As much as I hated that my limitation was pushing my leg down just three times; but I felt encouraged that that will change.  Hopefully, one day soon.

 

I had to change around my scheduled time both at ATI and Barwis because I’ve started back to work.  So this week and next week, I will be at ATI on Wednesday.  Even though I am technically NOT at Barwis, I still am.  So… It was “Wacky Sock Wednesday” #28:

It was a little strange wearing my wacky socks with shorts AND my compression socks but I did it.  You HAVE to be consistent, right?!

My aunt took me to Barwis so I called ATI and Greg came out to help me out of my car.  He also helped me transfer from my chair to one of the adjustable tables.  As I laid on the table, my legs felt looser.  They have been tight since late in the school year last year when I saw my neurologist.  He was the first of many to suggest that I start taking a medication to loosen my legs up but in the process, it would damage my liver.  I was unsettled with hearing this suggestion (I would hear it MANY more times!) because I have been doing everything naturally since 2007.  I had noticed the increased tightness in my legs, but it did not sit well with me that would have to be put on liver-damaging medication.

My next appointment with Dr.Clark – I told him all about it.  I told him about my increased tone, the suggestion of medication, and the damage to my liver that would be a side-effect to the medication, and my unease with taking it.  He listened and understood where I was coming from but told me that he would NOT give me medical advice about whether to start taking the medication or not – that was COMPLETELY my decision.  He put me on a supplement that he thought would help and I waited to see if it would also.  He has since adjusted the dosage and I waited to see what would happen.  I still did NOT feel comfortable with the medication and just waited it out.

As I laid on my back on the table at ATI, Greg pushed my right knee down, flat on the table and my leg did NOT resist.  He was able to do this with both of my legs with little resistance and he was able to stretch my legs out (hamstrings included) where they both felt looser.  It felt REALLY good!  Now, I can’t speak for EVERYONE who is afflicted with MS but what I am doing, is working for me.  This fact started to become apparent on this past “Wacky Sock Wednesday.”  I was cautious because my legs ALWAYS feel good when I leave Barwis (or ATI) and I attribute this to the work they do with me.

Greg put me back into my chair and wheeled me out.  I saw Mike Morfitt on the way outside and I covered my bare knees and he laughed.  He asked about the socks and I told him that it was “Wacky Sock Wednesday.”  Greg put me back into my car (with a little difficulty because he’s A LOT taller than my Mom).  I drove home excited that my lags were loosening up and having great convo with my aunt.