ms physical therapy at Shepherd Center – Multiple Sclerosis & Me

Physical Therapy 2021

I walked…without a (traditional) walking aid!!!

Okay. So before I continue, allyuh wouldn’t believe what I’m about to tell you. Last time, I talked about the new really weird pain that I was experiencing and said that I was going to talk to Gilbert about it later that day. One of the things that I didn’t mention was that I’d also started taking ibuprofen one night because the shit really was painful. So i talked about it here and I told Gilbert about it and what has happened? The last time I felt it was that morning! The last Ibuprofen i took was that morning! Was talking to a friend and she said that it was a “reverse” goatmout…very weird but yes, no more pain. That’s ms for you I suppose. Go figure! Anyways, Gilbert said that it sounded like nerve pain because of how I described it, but he still found it odd because it started in my armpit. He said that he could prescribe a daily pill and asked me if I wanted medication; I said no. He suggested that I (do what I do for all things ms related) monitor it and pay attention and we will deal with it at a later date if we need to. Well as of right now, we don’t need to because nothing’s happening…here’s hoping I’m not putting goatmout on myself writing this!

On to PT. Of course, physical therapy in 2020 was out but by 2021, there were protocols in place, including some home telehealth visits and I completed 10 sessions. I’ve talked about Shepherd and its “toys” before and last year, they had a new one. I wish I had a picture, but I don’t so I’m going to describe this as best as I possibly can. It is a walking aid that is attached at the ceiling to a circuit that covers the circumference of the PT area so patients can walk around the floor. My therapist “encased” me in multiple harnesses (I may have looked like a cyborg) that were attached to and communicated with the machine at the top that was attached to the circuit. She input my weight, height and other stats regarding my disability into the computer and so the entire thing adjusted as I was walking to keep me upright and somewhat stable. The first few steps were practice steps to ensure that the whole thing was calibrated properly- it is supposed to keep me from falling after all – so I was using a walker as I moved. I knew that this was coming but when Taylor my PT, said “okay, leave your walker here; time to walk without it” I freaked out! I was so damn scared…but of course, I put it aside and let it go. I could feel the whole thing adjusting to me as I found my balance and I took a step with my right foot (figured I’d start with that one since it’s the good one) and everything was fine – no drama, no stress. Okay left foot time and the weirdest thing happened…nothing. Nothing happened; it was almost as if I didn’t know how to move the foot without having the walker in my hand – this is the only way that I can describe how I felt. I actually had to say to myself, “okay…pick up the leg and move it forward, you can do this” and make a conscious decision to do it; it simply did not occur naturally. I freaked out a little…just a little…but Taylor talked me off the ledge and I did it; I took the step. The more steps I took, the better it was and the next thing I knew was that I’d completed half the circuit. I was soooooooo excited. I know that it probably sounds like nothing, especially since I was really strapped in and attached to all sorts of things, but you have to understand, I haven’t walked without a cane or a walker since 2010 (or 08…I honestly don’t remember but it was 1 of the 2); at some point, I wasn’t even sure what to do with my hands. LOL! It’s hard for me to really convey just how excited I was but it really, really felt good. Found the image below online that is not exact, but it depicts the general idea for you – maybe when I go back this year, I’ll get an actual picture, or even better, a video. I’m sure that I’ve said this here before, but I sure am glad that I found the MS Institute at the Shepherd Center.

Anyway, it’s finally Wednesday – we’re almost on our way down on the otherside to the weekend. Stay safe out there and I’ll be back soon.

Stax

Back at It II

As allyuh know, I found The Shepherd Center for therapy and I never looked back so for my fourth year straight, I went to shepherd this year for 10 sessions of OT and PT. One of the things I like about going to shepherd every year is that I don’t have to repeat my story every time. Rebecca, my OT and I have been working together for 3 of those 4 years, which is why she was able to say/see from jump this year, that my thumb had become an issue. I have actually had 4 PTs but all but one of them is still around in some capacity. The fact that it was a new PT each time hasn’t bothered me because my story/progress notes are in my file and if needed, all they need to do is talk to my old PTs. I actually finished my round of 10 sessions at the end of August, and as always, it was 20 hours well spent.

One of the things that ms takes from us is muscle strength. I’ve told u that my left hand is weak, so weak sometimes that just opening the hand takes everything in me to pull off and even then, it doesn’t open all they way. Now luckily, at least for me, only some muscle groups (that I’m aware of) are affected; the left hand, my hamstrings and my core- ugh! I tell people sometimes, that my core is nonexistent (I know that’s extreme cuz I wouldn’t be able to sit up (not do a sit up eh) stand etc). It’s most annoying and I hate it so, but I have to deal/live with it. Taylor, my PT this year, asked me if I had anything specific that I wanted to work on during our time together and I told her that I’d like to work on my core. She liked nothing better because she is a certified Pilates instructor as well, so we incorporated core work in just about every session.

One of the other reasons that I enjoy going to Shepherd is that I get to “play with/in all the “toys””. This year, I didn’t do that as much but one of the pieces of equipment that Taylor wanted me to use is the “AllCore”. She explained that I would sit in the machine as it rotated/moved and my goal was to remain as upright as I could as it went thru its motions. Unfortunately, the machine was at the main campus of Shepherd rather than the outpatient facility where the MS Institute is housed, so we had to schedule my use in advance and coordinate to meet at the main campus, so I only had the opportunity to use it once. It was unfortunate because with prolonged use, I could definitely envision the long term benefits.

Now doh get me wrong, I know that I can incorporate sit-ups, crunches and whatever other core exercises into my routines when I go gym (and sometimes we do) but those things are no fun. I prefer exercises that don’t feel like exercises – years ago when I was dancing, it was a workout and a half but it never felt like I was working out/exercising because I enjoyed doing it so much; that’s what I’m talking about. Anyhoo, as difficult as it was, I liked my time in the AllCore, doh mind I had to concentrate on so many different things to do it properly(ish) – shoulders down, back straight, lean forward…all the while “engaging my core” to keep form. I think it was the hardest thing I’d done that week! Enjoy a short clip…

Therapy at the Shepherd Center

I’ve done a few sessions of both Occupational and Physical Therapies thus far and both are going well. Time spent at the Shepherd Center is always time well spent.

Rebecca, my occupational therapist, works with me to improve and/or maintain the skills I need to function regularly everyday and as such, the care of the left arm and hand fall into the OT range. I don’t know that I really ever explained what has happened to my left arm…just like my left leg, it is spastic. The muscles used to open my left hand are tight and tense, hence the reason it always curls up and constantly looks like I’m forming a fist (the good news here is that it doesn’t lock up like that; it’s very pliant and I can manipulate it if I want). The same stands true for the muscles along the outer arm so the arm is hardly ever really straight and if I’m not focusing on it at all (or not holding the walker), it is almost always completely bent. Besides the normal exercises of moving something from one place to the next, which is so extremely frustrating when u have a “pok hand”, I have used the Functional Electrical Stimulation Bicycle. The bike works similarly to my bionic foot by stimulating the nerves in my hand and arm to encourage them to function normally. Rebecca placed electrodes on my wrists, forearms, biceps, triceps and the back of my shoulder blades, strapped my hand in place and as the bike started moving so did I to power it thru (pedalling with the left arm). I’m sure that I would not have lasted as long as I did without the stimulation and my movements would not have been as fluid. Shepherd Center offers membership in an MS Wellness program where one can go use the facility and all the equipment on a regular basis and I sure wish I can join to take advantage of everything they have to offer consistently but alas, it’s only available and staffed M-F 8-5, so while I may be able to make it work, it’ll take a Herculean effort of coordination etc to do so.

here’s a short clip of it in action:

IMG_4262

the other piece of equipment that I used (and already told u about) is the Bertec Balance Plate. I stand in front of an open dome if u will on a platform that has sensors to pick up how I’m standing to measure how balanced I am. Additionally, the inside of the dome is a screen on which moving lines, moving circles etc can be displayed. Is my weight distributed evenly between both legs? When the platform moves, how do I react to get back in balance? When the display changes, do I lose my balance and how quickly do I regain it? You get the picture…some of the exercises were easy enough to do and then there was this one below…lol. In the grand scheme of things, I didn’t do so terribly badly but multitasking is when I tend to lose “form” and my reaction to things getting out of whack needs some work (it cemented one thing that I tell people all the time – I shouldn’t laugh and walk at the same time).

I wish I had some other pictures of the entire machine but say what.

The goal of that exercise was to keep that yellow star in the middle of the grocery aisle as I moved thru. Started off easy enough and then boxes started appeared in the aisle that I had to avoid hitting and wouldn’t u know it some of the boxes were moving side to side. When Joy, the PT asked me what dairy products I saw on the shelves, I said “wait? Wha???” Multitasking! Now I had to maintain my balance, lookout for and avoid hitting the boxes AND keep an eye out for dairy products? I told her that I think I’d seen a fish fly by! At some point the platform may have started moving too. I worked my ass off yesterday morning, no doubt. In fact, it was funny because by the time I reached back home and throughout the day yesterday, I noticed that I really wasn’t keeping my balance very well but that was no surprise really, cuz those muscles put in some good work that morning.

Alright. Well I gone so. thanks for passing thru…as u were!

Back At It

It’s no secret that I absolutely hate cold weather and hibernate during winter. I go nowhere unless it’s completely necessary…if u think walking thru cold air is bad, try scooting thru it; it makes me angry. Not joke mad. Really friggin mad! As a result, I did not deem physical therapy a necessity at the beginning of the year and I waited until about Marchish to start the ball rolling to get on the waiting list to go back to the Shepherd Center. It was a long ass wait this year and when I finally got the call, I couldn’t get scheduled for my evaluation until sept 4. Once again, I’ll be going to both Occupational and Physical Therapies and the OTherapist is the same as last year. I like that cuz I feel like we can build on what we started last year and I don’t really have to explain stuff all over again. My PT is different but the old one is still there and actually got a promotion so he’s already filled in the new chick on what and how we worked together. I’ve already officially started PT and my first session of OT is later today. After the evaluation, I felt good about a few things w.r.t. PT.

– I was seen for 9 weeks last year; this year it’s only 6 (I take wins – big or small).
– Joy (the therapist) could definitely see/determine/conclude/all thosekindawords that my left side is the affected side and then she said that there was a little spasticity – further solidifying that using the CBD Oil was a bess decision.
* I know it’s made a difference, anyone who has had to deal with this left leg on a regular basis knows but to hear a professional say that there’s “a little” spasticity? WIN

Her primary focus over the next 6 weeks is going to be my balance. Last year I talked about all the “toys” at Shepherd and this year, because balance is going to be our focus, I’m going to be “playing” in the one that I never got to use last year because it was brand new and the staff hadn’t been trained on its use yet. It’s a balance somethingthingahmajig….can’t remember right now what it’s called but it measures how balanced I am when sans walker I’m standing still (eyes open and closed), how I use my body to get back in balance if somehow I’m thrown off kilter, whether I stay in balance while lines are moving in circles on a screen in front of me and the platform on which I’m standing is moving back and forth and a slew of other shit. During our first session, Joy got a number of baseline measurements and over the next 6 weeks, I’ll use the machine to train (the body and brain to work together to keep me in balance) and the goal is that my results will have improved at the end.

I’m also giving some thought to transitioning to Shepherd as a full time patient for reasons that I cannot share but I’ve put out some feelers and hopefully that will materialise soon. The MSCA has been good to and for me over the years and I’ll miss seeing some of the faces but a gal has to do what a gal has to do and at the end of the day I have to make the right decision for Stacey.

In other news, I hadn’t been rock climbing because of planned travel and well, life. I finally went consistently again over the past two weeks and geez, talk about kick my ass struggle. The volunteers who were with me Wednesday night were very encouraging and cheered me on as I went up the wall but I was disappointed in how I climbed. I made it to the top of the wall (on my own and with some boosts from the pulley system into which I’m strapped) but I took so long that I wasn’t completely happy. I knew that I was being too hard on myself but one of the reasons is that the nagging question “is it because my disability is getting worse?” is always floating around in my head – I always think of the worst case scenario. If I climbed this same wall two, three times before and now I’m really struggling, that must be it right? Common sense doesn’t always come into play at times like that – “maybe it’s cuz u haven’t climbed in a month and a half Stacey so u’re just a little rusty” nope. That thought never enters my head.

Anyhoo…that’s it for today. Allyuh hol’ it dong, I gone.

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