Update for the past few months...(Part 1)

Sorry for the delay in the update. There have been lots of good things happening over the past few months. Although there have been lots of good things, I am still so far from my ultimate goal. The recovery from a spinal cord injury is not an easy one nor is it a quick one. My best hope is for an overnight miracle. As quickly and unexpectedly this injury took me over, I hope and pray that as quickly and unexpectedly it can go away.

Late November, Early December
Pedicure
Before going to Mexico for Ivette’s cousin’s wedding, I stopped by a shop and got a pedicure. I figured it would be good for the health and wellness of my feet. However, I didn’t expect it to be one of the most stressful experiences of my life! It started off ok. I had to do a really awkward transfer from my wheelchair to their humongous special foot Jacuzzi chair. Then when she started working on my feet, my legs were spasmed out so it was extremely difficult to move/bend them. Once we finagled my legs to cooperate and she started working on them, I really got stressed because my leg was bent, right in front of her face. If I got a random spasm, then she probably would have flown across the room. Although I tried to communicate with her to be careful, etc, she did not speak English very well and the message was lost in translation, so I just sat there, hoping and praying that my legs did not misbehave. Anyways, everything turned out fine and my feet were beautiful.

Guadalajara, Mexico Trip
I knew that traveling to another country in a wheelchair would be interesting. Traveling is one of my favorite things to do. I have been all over the world and don’t intend to stop just because I am in the chair. When Ivette and I arrived in Mexico, they had escalators for everyone to get to baggage claim and a single elevator for those with large luggage, wheelchairs, etc. This oasis of an elevator had the incredible capacity of…1 wheelchair. Even for someone to go down with the wheelchair they had to suck in their gut and avoid getting slammed by the closing elevator door. Needless to say, it took about 30 minutes from deplaning to finally use the elevator. Navigating Mexico in a chair was not that bad, only because I had Ivette with me. The streets were super uneven and there was rarely a curb with a ramp. Places that did have ramps though made a good effort but fell far short from being useful. The ramps were always extremely steep and nobody in a wheelchair could grace the incline by themselves. The wedding was beautiful yet crazy at some points, with people in costumes running around on stilts! The dinner started at 11pm and we partied all night long. On our way out of Mexico, we entered the plane via the stairs as the plane was not taxied at a jetway. So, how do I get in a plane with stairs? They carried me! I thought this would be ok because I had been carried before, but before I knew it, two guys were lifting me and my chair up the narrow stairs. They almost slipped a couple times and in hoisting me up each step, I could clear the sides of the stairs. It was a little nerve-wracking, but I survived and now have a cool story to tell.

Hanging out in Tlaquepaque, Mexico...

Cruisin' down the cobblestone was fun but took a little more concentration so that I didn't hit a rivet and fly out of my chair...

Acuscope/Myopulse
Another alternative treatment I have been receiving in addition to the Acupuncture and Neuromuscular Massage/Chiropractics is called Acuscope/Myopulse. Here is a brief explanation:

“The Electro Acuscope / Myopulse is a sophisticated electro-therapy unit that introduces a low voltage micro-current through injured tissue and accelerates the healing process. The Electro Acuscope / Myopulse is different from conventional forms of electrical stimulation (i.e. T.E.N.s, Interferential therapy, and Galvinic stim.) in that it facilitates tissue repair and promotes cell regeneration at an accelerated rate.” (thanks http://www.wellsport.com/myopulse.html)

That's all for now. I'm really tired and am going to bed. There's lots more to post, but here's just a little dose. I'll try to finish up on the update tomorrow with pictures and videos as well.