Angela's Blog

Hi.

Back again. With new successes in hopefully fewer words.

To start it all off - had quite the successful PT therapy session on Tuesday. I actually started working on my walk in a way where it all comes together. Flo, here I come. Just to fill most everybody in, I have a weird naming fetish that started with my left leg in inpatient therapy while I was still living at Harborview. It all stared with naming my left knee with my PT at the time so we could tell "her" to get going. Anyways, my left knee is Mildred. My left hip is Byron. And my left thumb is Bentley. But what my outpatient PT and I have been working towards is Flo, the name of when my walk all comes together and starts to flow. And we are just about there! I'm now working on Flo. And I did it in front of a mirror and it actually looks normal too! I just focus on bringing my left hip forward when I step that leg forward and that triggers the knee to bend more so my foot doesn't drag. Then I just think about walking in the same plane as doing heel to toe stepping. And when I'm not thinking too hard my arms actually move too! Pretty neato! And the most neato part - I got authorization to pretty much be done with my cane! I'm just supposed to take it with me if I'm going walking somewhere that I know is uneven or if I'm going to be in a big group of people. Pretty darn good if you ask me. Although I have noticed a marked increase in the number of dirty looks getting out of the car in a handicapped space when I don't have my cane. But I'm willing to find a way to live with that. However, I still feel authorized to use the handicapped bathroom stall. I think I get to use that as long as I have the parking pass.

Another big success was Wednesday morning though it may only seem like a big deal to me. I made taco pie completely on my own. That includes browning ground beef and draining the fat! Up until yesterday morning I hadn't been comfortable doing that. Mom had always helped me or just done it, or Josh would. But my OT came up with the idea to use a slotted spoon and move all the meat to a separate container after it was all cooked and then just pour the fat out of the frying pan. And it worked like a charm! That OT is simply brilliant! Thanks, Beth!

And the other success - and boy is it a big one - I GOT MY BACK-TO-WORK PAPERWORK SIGNED BY MY DOCTOR AND TURNED IN!!! And even got an email back from my contact at the disability company without any requests for changes! So I might actually make it back to work by Monday. I'm hoping to hear something tomorrow. I'll let you know. That was tougher than I ever imagined!

That's about all I've got. Talk at y'all soon.

Ang