Thursday, April 26, 2012

A Great Update

hello, friends. Its been about a week since I have posted. I have a lot of things to share. Last week, I had my Occupational Therapy evaluation. It went well, and it was very educational. I learned that the disorder of Carpal's Tunnel Sydrome doesn't start in the wrist. It starts elsewhere. Thw median nerve actually starts in the upper arm ,and that is where things start.

Today, I had my third evaluation for Physical Therapy. According to Emily, I have improved by leaps and bounds from when I started back in March. This has been the best news all week. Now I can attest to the fact that Physical Therapy can and does make a big difference.

I am looking forward to giving everyone updates when I officially start OT next week.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Healthier Living: Exercising and Physical Activity

It's important to keep up an active lifestyle when you can. I'm learning a lot about that through Physical Therapy. This is the first line of defense against stiffening muscles and joints. Exercising is a big part of staying active. However there is also a such thing as exercising too much.

The quickest way to injure yourself before you've even begun is to over stretch. Stretching too much can damage or straight your muscles. Here is one guideline that Emily has taught me: Stretch until you feel the stretch. If it starts hurting, you've gone too far.

Hurting yourself while stretching is not only damaging, it can cause a setback in setting in a routine. Without routine, sticking to your exercise program can become far too tedious, and you can lose your focus. That's why it's important to be careful.

Physical activity can mean a lot of things for different people. It depends on your personal range of movement. Depending on your capability, physical activity can be helpful. When physical activity is more common, your stiffness or spasticity will dissipate, and will tend to cause you less pain. This, too, I have learned from physical therapy.

Just like with stretching, it is important to listen to your body. When it's starts telling you its tired by way of making you feel weak or cause pain, then it is time to rest. If you've gone a few weeks without doing much, it is important to realize you need to take it slowly. (Of course, I'm the pot calling the kettle black here, because I don't always take these things into consideration! LOL)

Recognize when you have had enough physically. This will make your recovery a bit more comfortable, and quicker.

Tomorrow, we're talking about Living Healther while dealing medication side effects. Come back and check in!

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Medication Complication

The last few days have been hell for me, and my syatem. Over the weekend, I missed 3 doses of my Zoloft. It was the fault of the pharmacy, mostly, but it waas all well and good. Mom and I had decided that the mdication itself hadn't been working for a while anyway.

So Tuesday, the doctor put me on Cymbalta. And Tuesday was when the withdrawl symptoms started. Not cool, considering it had me bed ridden for more days than I'd like. Very annoying, but also, very restful.

Anyway today is the first time I've been able to sit up so long. Now, I'm feeling like crap, but at least I can work on this blog in between things. I am looking forward to writing more regularly.

I hope you guys are having good time, and still working towards recovery. And rehabilitiation.

So talk to me guys. What is the worst withdrawl/adjustment you've gone throug with medication? And how did you get through it?

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Another Small Acheivement!

Today, I did something I thought would be impossible for me without one of those Renew bands that are selling all over the place. I balanced on a wobbling board. That's right. I actually kept my balance for 42 seconds on a surface that tilted.

Still can't do one foot, or walk backwards without feeling awkward. But let's not focus on that! Today has inspired me to inspire you. When you're going through physical therapy, it's unrealistic to believe you will magically wake up and be able to do everything you used to do the same way you used to do it. It sometimes takes time, or adaptations before you can get your independence back.

Each of us dealing with our difabilities have to remember that they come with different challenges. Learning how to get past your individual challenges is what's important. Never ever consider the fact that someone else is progressing through therapy faster than you. Sometimes, that's how it is. We all have to adopt different behaviors to fix what's not right for us.

I don't want to say "normal". Normal is also a word that is thrown around far to often. We're normal. We're a different normal. What's normal for us may seem strange to others, and vice versa.

Okay, now that I've digressed far enough let me get back to my point. My point is that every small acheivement is only a building block of your whole overall goal. That doesn't mean you shouldn't celebrate it, though! When you reach a goal such as being able to balance or figure out how best to manuver with a cane on your own, find a small way to reward that. Although, for me? Being able to balance was good enough of a reward,

Monday, April 2, 2012

Feeling Annoyed

When medications don't work the way they're supposed to anymore, it can cause a huge problem. It's even worse when one medication works, but is causing other medications that you rely on to not work.

I was put on Zoloft for my anxiety disorder, and scratching tic. While Murphy does help with it, it's getting increasingly hard to avoid the urge to scratch. There is no logic behind it, but they consider it self-harm, and I hate it. So I've made an appointment to see my docotr, and see what we can do about it.

I'm not afraid to admit these problems. It's just getting harder to want to go out because of the scars I'm dealing with. Espeecially when the sores are open, and that there is a big problem during the warmer weather with wearing t-shirts. I wanted to try and start wearing tanks again, but not if I'm going to have all these open sores, and stuff, so I definitely want to get that cleared up.

It's important also to understand that it's not just about the scratching. When I've been going out, and dealing with crowds, I've been feeling overwhelmed, and lost. And I hate that feeling, beecause then I get confusion, and loss of memory. I know that I have dementia, and what not, but that's terrible. So I need to see if I can get the meds straightened out.

It's important, when you are talking about any kind of anxiety disorder, or depression to make sure that you check in with your doctor about the types of medications you're being put on. It is even more important when you are dealing with an entire group of doctors, so that the doctors, especially your primary, are all on the same page.