Author: Jen Rios

I was late to Barwis so I called and Connor came out to get me when I got there on Friday.  He originally was going to push me to the blue table but I had to take my jacket and hat off so he pushed me to the chairs.  Mike came over to get me as I was taking my jacket off.  He started pushing me over to the blue table but I was side tracked by Megan.  She asked me what I wanted to listen to.  I told her 90’s Pop but I don’t think that is what she put on.  Mike and Megan were talking and the conversation ended with Mike challenging Megan to a llip-sync Battle which she accepted jubilantly.

We ended up at the blue table and I talked about the ONLY lip–sync contest I saw on Jimmy Fallon.  It was the night of the Super Bowl and I was bummed that the Seahawks lost but Kevin Hart and Will Ferrell were funny.  Mike told me that the funniest lip-sync contest was Paul Rudd.  He pulled it up for me on his phone.  I watched it and laughed A WHOLE LOT as he stretched me.  Then he told me of another funny battle and pulled that one up too.  It was Joseph Gordon Levitt and Stephen Merchant.  This one too, was also VERY FUNNY!  I had never seen them before, I told him that I am never up late enough to watch them.

Then he had me lay on my stomach and I told him that this wasn’t such a stretch as he bent my foot back toward my butt.  But, just as I said this, he leaned in and I grunted, “Now, this is a stretch!”  i asked him how it felt and he told me that my range of motion has really improved which is exactly how I felt too.  It was good to hear it.  He put me in my car and I was relaxed driving home.  It wasn’t until Saturday morning when I realized how BIG of a stretch I received on Friday because my butt hurt A LOT!  But those videos were absolutely hilarious!!!

 

Deeds pulled me into Barwis.  I was exhausted as I waited for my time.  MS Awareness Week has taken its toll on me both physically and emotionally.  I was relieved that I was at Barwis.  I feel safe when I’m there.  It’s my second home.  I’ve been coming here for nearly 20 months now.  Almost 2 years.  It gives me hope coming here and working SO hard to walk.  ALL of the trainers here reinforce my hope.  They believe in me too.  So, Mike walks over and tells me that he has my shirt here and that he will wear it when it is my time.  I got SUPER excited because I gave him an MS Awareness Week shirt from my school.  I was wearing the semi-matching sweatshirt so we were going to be sort of “matchers.” I told him that we would have to take a selfie which he refused.  Hmmm. I’ll have to work on that.  In the meantime, I showed Megan my socks.  It WAS “Wacky Sock Wednesday” #6.

When it was my time, Mike came over, pushed me to the blue table, and put me on it.  Then he went to change his shirt from his Barwis Methods shirt to his CCA-MS MS Awareness Week 2015 shirt.  I had my phone with me because I had to take a picture of my socks (they were MS Awareness Week influenced).  Mike isn’t too keen on taking pictures (like Phil) so I snapped this one as he came out and walked to the blue table where I was sitting:

I was SUPER excited to see him and let my excitement that we were almost “matchers” be known pretty loudly.  Nick heard me and took this picture and sent it to me (probably, mostly to annoy Mike but I didn’t mind.   My room is pretty cold so I learned last year that I needed a sweatshirt in addition to a t-shirt.

My right hand was weak and numb because I was pretty stressed this week so Mike kneaded my forearm and showed me how to stretch it out to make it feel better.  It felt better so he had me lay back.  He stretched my legs up so I was able to get a picture of my socks for “Wacky Sock Wednesday” #6.  They are orange tie-dye because this week is MS Awareness Week and the national color for MS is orange.

He stretched my legs for a long time like this.  I snapped the picture before he had straightened both of my knees.  After we did this stretch, he sat as we rested a bit. But then, I was able to snap this one:

This picture seems like an advertisement for my school.  I tweeted it asking if we had a new Aztec Eagle.  It was just after this picture that Mike took my phone.  He put it on my wheelchair so there was NO WAY I was getting it back.

He put me in the, “Ooh Doggie!” stretch and had me lay on my stomach and stretched my legs so my heels  were  close to touching my butt. The stretch is not as intense and I have a much better range of motion.  Then my time was up so he put my shoes back on, pushed me over to get my coat, and put me in my car.  I  had gotten my phone back and snapped a picture of him stowing my chair in case the other ones weren’t good.

So, we didn’t take a selfie but when it is a “Wacky Sock Wednesday” as well as a “Walking Wednesday” one is coming.  So, be warned Mike!  My butt hurt on Thursday.

 

 

 

 

Deeds pulled me in to Barwis again.  He runs the high school group and they are usually doing drills using the 20 yard hash marks or  running their sprints usually so he is by the door.  I guess that is kind of our thing.  He will stop and pull me in and I tell him it gives the kids a rest, a chance to catch their breaths.  Maybe secretly they are thanking me.  So I got in and waited for my time.  Mike pushed me to the chairs and I didn’t wear my hat and gloves because it almost seemed like it was going to get warmer.  It since hasn’t but it can’t be cold FOREVER!).

Mike pushed me over to the table and sat me on it.  Monday was an emotionally draining day for me.  It was the beginning of MS Awareness Week and I am doing some fundraising for the Michigan chapter of the MS Society at my school (CCA-MS) and we had a speaker come in to talk to the kids during their e3 classes and before lunch.  It has taken over 10 years for me to finally talk about MS but I wanted my kids to know about it because I knew nothing about MS before they told me that I had it.  I was tired but looked forward to my stretch.  Mike kneaded my calves and knuckled my thighs because my legs were pretty tight because I was emotionally spent.

He had me lay back slowly but I was able to do so without it hurting too, too badly.  He stretched my legs up and put me in the, “Ooh Doggie!” stretch with my feet pointed toward my right side.  Then he crossed my legs, took a step back, and pulled his phone out.  He was doing something on his phone and told me to uncross my legs.  I closed my eyes (because that is what I do when I REALLY have to concentrate) and tried to think of which muscles to activate in my legs to get them uncrossed.  My mind was moving very quickly but my legs weren’t.  Mike told me something like whenever I want to uncross them because they hadn’t moved.

But then it was like that moment when you feel a knot you are trying to untie loosen a bit so you KNOW you will untie it.  It was like it was a Rocky movie (4 is my FAVORITE) and the music has started playing during the fight.  The Russian has already been cut and the tide has changed.  I felt my legs move and I KNEW I was going to uncross my legs.  I did and threw my arms up as I laid on the table and yelled, “Ta-Da!” pretty loudly!  Deeds said, “Geez Jen!” from across the room and Mike just kind of shook his head with a straight face.

He stretched the other side and I uncrossed my legs for a second time.  You know I had to yell another, “Ta-Da!”  I uncrossed my legs TWICE!  It is SO cool to tell my legs to do something and for them to actually do it!!!

Dan pulled me into Barwis yesterday.  After I pull up to one of the disabled parking spaces, I know that I just have to open the door and I’m home free.  The tricky part is getting out of my car and into my chair in this extreme cold!  The cold causes my legs to “seize up” or straighten up tightly so it’s near impossible to bend them to get out of my car.  Yesterday, because it still is SUPER cold out was more of the same.  I opened my car door and when I realized that my legs weren’t going to bend I leaned back and SLOWLY inched my feet out of the car.  I said, “Little by little … Jen, little by little.”  I didn’t have to mutter to myself because there is NOBODY outside in the back of Barwis Methods.  I haven’t said this proverb to myself in a while so it was nice to hear and remind myself of it’s truth.

Mike pushed me over to the blue table and there were two other people in wheelchairs already there.  One person, (Chris?) was getting off of the table and his caregiver was helping him.  I said to Mike that I felt like I was in a traffic jam with all these wheelchairs.  So, now there were two of us in chairs and one table.  Megan had slipped in with Garret and they were on the white table.  Mike walked over to Nick to decide who was getting the table. I suggested that they have an arm wrestling contest to decide who gets the table.  Mike just kind of rolled his eyes at me.  Then I suggested “Paper, Rock, Scissors.”  As Nick was headed over to the red mat, Mike told me that my suggestions were “SO juvenile!”  I reminded him that I teach middle school.  As it was being decided who got the table, I showed Megan my socks for “Wacky Sock Wednesday” #5.  She had socks with penguins on them.

Mine had elephants on them.  Elephants are my FAVORITE animal!  One of the elephants was holding a daisy in his trunk. Not only are the socks purple (my FAVORITE color), but they also have a daisy on them!  Jesse and Phil used to call me “Daisy.”  My son says that these socks were made with me in mind.  I agreed.

The stretch was SO intense that I shoved my sweatshirt sleeve in my mouth to bite down on to stifle a scream.  After a stretch, Mike crossed my legs and stepped back.  He told me to uncross them by myself.  I said to myself over and over, “Little by little, Jen.”  It took a long time and I told Mike not to give up on me.  Then my legs uncrossed.  I yelled, “I did it!” just like Dora the Explorer (my friend, Travis, told me that I look like her when I cut my hair) and Megan repeated that I did it from the other side of the gym just as loudly.  She was busy the second time so a different trainer named Mike  told my Mike that I did it kind of making fun of me.  I told him that I uncrossed my legs twice!  I was proud!  Mike took that picture of my socks, put my shoes back on, and put me (kind of easily) in the car.  I drove home with my legs relaxed and feeling good.

Donny pulled me in to Barwis on Wednesday and a few of the camera crew guys from “American Muscle” were there.  They were shooting a video for The First Step Foundation.  As I rolled to put my jacket on the chairs, one of them saw me and said, “Hey Stranger!” as he walked by.  It was nice to see him again.  He came over and talked with me and asked how things were going and I told him that things were well and that I am not walking yet.  He told me that I will soon and we took a selfie before I started working.

Mike pushed me to the blue table and sat me on it.  I told him that I felt a little tight and he worked my calves before having me lay back.

The stretch was INTENSE as usual and I sat up and rested a bit after a while.  He told me that he was going to stretch me “ike I’m sitting like I’m a man” (it was nice to hear him describe it how I do).  He had me move my legs into position as much as I could (which WASN’T a whole lot!).  He leaned it and it clapped my hands over my face to stifle a scream.  I kept saying over and over again, “My butt!!!”  I asked him why my right side was always MORE sore than my left side.  He explained and it made sense to me.  My right side has ALWAYS been my “poop side”!  He had me roll over on my stomach and Dan sat next to me on the table.  I panted and grunted as he stretched my legs back and asked if it will ever get easier( it didn’t seem very easy right now!!!).  He told me that the only thing that feels tight is my calves.  Really?!  I guess I AM progressing.

I drove home feeling tired and my legs felt loose.  I guess my right side isn’t totally my “poop side” regarding the “man sit” stretch.  BOTH sides of my butt hurt equally!  Which it A LOT!!!  But okay.  I will take it.  I’ll just wait until it doesn’t hurt any longer and that day was NOT Monday!

 

Connor came out to get me again, when we got inside, Megan gave me a good hug and we talked about the extreme cold we’ve been experiencing.  Mike pushed me over to the blue table.  He put me on it and began working my calves and ankles.  As he knuckled my thighs, I asked how I felt.  He thought a moment and furrowed his brow a bit.  He said, “Not as loose as Wednesday and not as tight as Monday.”  I repeated that a few times to myself thinking about it.  “So, it’s like it’s Tuesday?!”  I asked with an enthusiastic smile.  He kind of half-laughed/snorted with a crooked smile and rolled his eyes and said, “Yeah” and told me to lay back.  I get that type of response A LOT to questions I ask like that so I was cool with it.

I laid back and braced myself for the intense stretch that I knew was coming.  As he stretched me, (it was INTENSE) I asked about my weather-related progress.  It’s been SO cold as of late and it has been REALLY difficult for me.  Mike said that the best time for me is going to be Spring and Summer.  I told him that it had to be early Summer because extreme heat isn’t good for me either.  He said that he would be more aggressive when the weather breaks.  I’d argue that he’s pretty aggressive now!  He commented that my left leg was looser than my right leg and worked my right leg more than my left side to even up the score I supposed.

My legs were relaxed as I drove home.  I fell asleep easily and awoke this morning with my legs  in a whole lot of pain.  It almost felt like they were burning.  I remembered just after my diagnosis describing the sensation I felt in my legs was as if they were burning.  That was YEARS ago, back when I was on crutches and even before that when I was still walking by myself without any aids.  When I was still walking.  When I was still walking.  I haven’t clearly felt this much of a burn in my legs in a long while.  I almost forgot.  I remembered my legs burned that time that first summer I came to Barwis when Jesse stretched me like CRAZY!

Since then, the sensations I’ve felt haven’t really felt like this.  For the past 19 months, I’ve had all varied levels of sore muscle sensations but not like this.  I just put it together that the last time I felt sensation like this I was walking.  It can’t be that far off now… I feel it.  I’m excited!!!

 

 

i was a bit late to Barwis yesterday.  Traffic on I-96.  Connor came out to get me.  When we got inside, Megan came over to give me a hug.  I pulled my pant leg up and showed her my socks for “Wacky Sock Wednesday.”  I thought it was #3 and I tweeted the pic that Mike ended up taking of my socks but it REALLY was #4.  Mike pushed me to the blue table and put me on it.  He started working my calves and ankles and was pleasantly surprised.  He kind of grunted in surprise.  I said kind of morbidly, “Yeah,  if MS doesn’t get you in one way; it will get you in another.”  I looked away and Mike asked me if I cared to explain.  I looked at him briefly and shook my head saying, No.”  Today, my legs may NOT have been very tight but I told a colleague at work that I felt like the score was MS = 1 and Jen = 0.  It was THAT kind of day.

Mike stretched me REALLY well.  He put me in the, “Ooh Doggie!” stretch and he did a new kind of stretch where he pushed my ankles backward as I was sitting on the edge of the table.  I felt the stretch intensely in my quads.  After that, he had me lay on my stomach.  A few times ago, I asked him if eventually I won’t need such an intense stretch.  He answered that it was possible and that I may need less of a stretch and we would do more work walking.  I remembered that I liked hearing that and now that my legs were a bit looser I had an easier time almost believing it.

I was having a difficult time taking a picture of my “wacky” socks so Mike took pity on me and took this picture just before we finished:

So, my ankles had become a bit swollen (I don’t ALWAYS have cankles!!!).  But, in addition to my TOTALLY RAD socks, I drove home with my legs relaxed and I fell asleep easily.  I awoke this morning with my quads burning and painfully aching.  I texted Jesse this morning telling him among other things that my quads were KILLING me and that, “One muscle group at a time, (remember, that my butt was KILLING me earlier) slowly my legs are waking up.”  He thought that was great about my legs and it made me happy too!  It was NOT comfortable to awaken in such pain but I was happy that I ACTUALLY felt something!!!  It’s been a LONG TIME since I have really felt sensation below T7 in my spine (where one of my original lesions was located upon diagnosis).  So, retrospectively, thinking about that score,  I think it may actually be Jen = 1 and MS = 0 in the long run.