Been a long time

Well, I know its been a long time since I wrote anything but finally I am here!

Since I was last in India alot of stuff has happened. In terms of my recovery... WOW! Such a change. I wonder what Geeta will think when I return to her in the near future?!
Its been a long hard journey and I keep on working hard to make small gains for a better returning functioning body. I have had the ups and downs of trying to make a non functioning body of 17 years plus come back to life.... Most of the work I do is strictly me alone.
In my new place of residency (Victoria, BC) it was very difficult to find a rehab place that would take me on or could provide the expertise to provide Neuro knowledge and rehab related therapy.

I did work with a very determined Exercise Therapist for many months and she was very good at assisting myself to keep the process going. It was beneficially working with her even though we fumbled in the dark trying to make improvements I was unsure whether it was being successful. Although, I believe all work that I have done has been beneficial. Unfortunately, I think the key missing links were the equipment and Neuro experience. My hat is off to them for trying. Thanks

But Just when I didnt think it was going to happen I found somewhere more specialised in Victoria!! The facility is called PATH. and the therapists work with people with neurological dysfunction. The programme that I am currently working on under my PT comes from the business of Project Walk that originally was established in San Diego, USA. Good on them!

Funny enough I actually managed to get into Project Walk in the first week of Jan. 2011 (even though I dont fit the criteria) and went down to San Diego to get a programme set up. Their facility was amazing and had all the equipment that i had been looking for for the previous 9 months that didnt exist in Victoria. I tried many things once, such as a stationary bike, walking up and down steps assisted, a squating machine, etc.... Once again I was new to their eyes, someone who had had Embryonic Stem Cell therapy! An unheard of thing and to have such results!!!! They were very interested and after seeing what I could do and heard what I had experienced they are seemingly now interested in combining their process with people who have or will have stem cell treatments in the future.

Then a few months later I found Jenny who had been trained by Project Walk under their programme and she has now taken this Dardinski Method and is treating persons like my self here.

I did also visit another clinic that has newly opened in Victoria, called Neuromotion Physiotherapy. It offered me another amazing experience as they have a machine called Lokomat. This is a machine from Switzerland (and extremely expensive and rare in this country) that operates over a treadmill and what takes place is, the person is put in a sling and then the lower limbs are strapped into an exoskeleton device that makes the proper walking gate for the person. The idea is to promote stimulation of cells in the brain related to movement and excite the neurons into possible reconnections. With this repetitive process it is hoped that reinnervation may take place. The machine can be adjusted for increases in weight bearing, increasing pace (up to 3.5km/hr), increasing the increments of body function with releasing straps in the harness that support the body, and decreasing the function of the machine so that the client must work ones body more and more.
I participated in the 1st 7 week programme and currently taking a break and deciding whether to continue for further sessions. I could definately feel the nerves stimulating when using the machine, with burning and tingling occuring while walking on the treadmill and using the Lokomat. The sensations only occurred when I was in motion and would stop shortly after I stopped trying to move. Even though the machine did the motions, I too would be trying to make the same motions.

So Currently I am now working 1 day a week with Jenny and we seem to work on the core HEAPS! and this is what I need.... doing everything from boxing, boxing standing up in a frame, kneeling balance, kneeling balance using a box, squating using a sliding machine (cant remember the name), and of course on the plynth doing many variations of core exercises. I have also been riding the stationary bike, assisted and unassisted. When using the bike it takes a few minutes to make the pedals go all the way around under my own motion but eventually I am able to ride unassisted. After I have had an interval, the following intervals are easier and easier and I can almost start unassisted and then I can continue unassisted. The majority of my improvements as seen by myself and Jenny are my abdominal function and lower back function.
The strength in my lower limbs continue to function for walking but seemingly have not improved significantly. That is not to say there hasnt been improvements.

The List of Function:

Since I began this process almost 2 yrs 8 months ago I have gone from T5 complete dysfunction below that level to:

1) Core, all abdominals functional 100%, noticeable change in posture, ability to flex muscles into pelvic muscles, can perform crunches, sitting from laying position with arm swing
Lower Limb
2) Adduction, Abduction functional use
3) Gluteus Maximus' working and very strong, left more developed than right, noticeable growth in muscles
4) Bladder Function: ability to sense when needing to urinate (up to 3-5mins notice), ability to initiate urination without catheter and empty bladder 60-80% of volume (improving with time)
5)Quadriceps weak function, approx. 70% functionality, ability to walk, lock and unlock knees when standing and walking forward, backwards, and side ways. Can extend legs 20 degrees approx when seated against bed
6)Hip flexors strong functionally, can crawl forward and backward in combination with other working muscles
7) Hamstrings weak but initiating and mininal movement.
8)Dorsi and plantar movement at ankle minimal, however noticeable
9) Left and Right feet, big toe movement (small), toe flickers of movement in both feet in second and third toes

Overall Function:
Ability to walk independently with AFO's (start 5cm below knee) and walking frame for 8-10metres inside and outside of home
-Return of Bladder function
Sensation change in core to approx. T11 and change in proprioception in lower limbs and knowledge of change of environment in feet without visual knowledge
-improved blood circulation, superficial veins return, reduced oedema (minimal occurance as opposed to previous oversized swollen ankles at the end of each day).
-Bone density change, test completed December 2010, test stated lumbar area near normal, Sacral near to Osteoarthrithic, Head of Femur Osteoarthritic
-increased size in lower limbs and increased definition in muscles (muscle measurements done from previous treatments)