Graduated from SCI "Boot Camp"

[karenb]

Hi All,

Late last year, my pain management physician sent me to a Physiatrist (Rehabilitation Physician) for help with the intense pain I was experiencing in my lower back.

He sent me to the local rehabilitation hospital for what, at the outset, appeared to be a form of SCI (Spinal Cord Injury) "Boot Camp".

I was assigned a lot of exercises focused on core strength & stability (which I was sorely lacking). They also taught me how to safely & correctly use each of my assistive devices (walker, manual wheelchair, etc.). By the end, I was able to walk about 700 feet with a walker & supervision. This is a major breakthrough, since the physical therapists I worked with for 16 months following my last surgery had discharged me with the instructions that I would need to use a wheelchair for the rest of my life.

I've spent the last 20 months reorienting my life around this grim statement - sold my car & bought a wheelchair van, moved to a more accessible home, etc. Talk about being blown away!

I'm now able to walk (at least in a controlled environment)! I've also been instructed to use my manual wheelchair as much as possible to prevent further muscle atrophy and keep myself more healthy. I have been taught how to climb stairs & curbs with a walker, & how to safely transition from my manual wheelchair to my walker, bed, etc. My only disappointment is that they weren't allowed to teach me how to do wheelies or dance the salsa!!!

Karen

P.S. Obviously, I still have a lot to learn, but at least this is a start.

[gunflint]

Karen,
I'm very happy for you. You'll be doing wheelies in no time. It was a physiatrist who ordered the C-Spine MRI that led to the finding of my syrinx. This was after a NS, Neurologist, Orthopedic specialist, and my GP were stumped. And after having MRIs of the brain (the NS missed the Chiari 0 ) the Thorasic spine and the Lumbar spine. I have faith in Physiatrists. Well I'm off to NIH in the morning for my 3 month follow up. Start practicing your wheelies!

[nanapbetts]

Hi Karen,

If only those in the medical profession would learn to stop giving these negative, or as you so aptly put it "grim" reports. They should never never limit the possibility of recovery or pronounce a death sentence on a patient. They are playing God and they cannot compete with Him. With GOD all things are possible.
I have been recently diagnosed and have been told that I am not a candidate for surgery. Neither have I been given any direction as to what steps I could take such as exercise, massage etc.
Would you share with me the types of exercise you were able to do?
Thanks,
Pat