Things Are Looking Up

 Too much terrible news out of our nation's capitol. Too many days of dull sameness trying to rehab. Too many uncomfortable digestive system issues. Too many nights of poor sleep. I was feeling down, down, down.

Today I had a 1:00 therapy session with one of my two PT therapists. I was not looking forward to dragging myself there again.

Cathy was the first PT therapist I saw almost 15 years ago when I started dealing with physical problems, then with my back. She looked at my knee and said I needed to get that fixed. But it wasn't hurting me and there were other parts that needed attention first. 

We didn't get along well, I think becasue she was frustrated that I wasn't easy to fix, and I switched to Erica later. Both of them have seem me through two spinal fusions and two hip replacements. Cathy came to realize my complexities. I'm no easy fix.

Today I saw Cathy. She studied my charts and reports. She praised me for my progress and acknowledged my hard work and determination.  She introduced me to two new exercises that she decided I was ready for, guided me through them and praised me when I got them right. She shared that most of her patients my age would have given up by now. I told her my mother didn't raise any quitters. We talked about graduating from the walker to treking poles, and agreed that I should practice in the house before trying them outside in a week or two. My stability is still not great, but I have a goal. 

Then on the way home we stopped at the neighborhood park where there are paved walkways. The sun was shining, and the deep chill was gone. It was my first walk outside and it made me feel so much better. I only did a quarter of a mile but it felt great. 

For now at least, I am restored.