IN SOME WAYS, YES, I HAVE REGRESSED. IN OTHER WAYS, NO. I PROGRESS WHERE I PUT FORTH EFFORT (FIGURE I USE THOSE MUSCLES MORE)…SO, I REACH HIGHER ON MY RIGHT & SPEAK BETTER, BUT MY LEFT ARM MOVES LESS, & I FEEL LIKE MY LEGS HAVE LOST SOME MOBILITY.

I KNOW THAT NOT PRACTICING WEAKENS ME, BECAUZ I USUALLY LIFT MY LEGS IN MY SHOWER CHAIR, BUT I WAS UNABLE 2 DO IT DURING ALL MY TRAVELS. & IN JULY, I WAS UNABLE 2 DO MY KNEE BENDS ALL MONTH. THEN , WHEN I TRIED TO DO THEM AT THE START OF AUGUST, I COULD BARELY DO THEM! & WHEN I TRIED 2 LIFT MY LEGS IN MUSIC THERAPY, MY LEGS WERE INCREDIBLY HEAVY, & ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE 2 MOVE!

IT WAS BUGGING ME THAT I HAVE REGRESSED AT ALL, SO I RECENTLY INCREASED MY HOME THERAPY (I OWN A TILT TABLE, W/C BIKE, & SWIM SPA): I DO TILT TABLE DAILY, E-STIM & BIKE 2-5 TIIMES A WEEK, SPORADIC SPEECH & SWIM THERAPY ON MY OWN, WEEKLY MUSIC THERAPY, OCCASIONAL ROM EXERCISES…BUT IT’S NOT ENOUGH!

THERAPY EQUIPMENT I OWN AT HOME:

1. TILT TABLE
2. MAT (I AM MOVED 2 IT, & PRACTICE SUPPORTING MY OWN WEIGHT BY SITTING W/CROSSED LEGS & STRAIGHT ARMS
3. AB ROLLER
4. STATIONARY BIKE THAT I CAN USE W/MY W/C
5. I AM JUST REGAINING MY SPEECH & HAVE 5 SPEECH PROGRAMS BY BUNGALOW ON MY COMPUTER. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND SENTENCE SHAPER , & SIGHTS AND SOUNDS 1 OR 2 (1 DOES SINGLE WORDS, 2 DOES PHRASES–I LIKE 1, BUT CAN DO BOTH).
6. AT 1 POINT, I HAD ORGANIZED A SCHEDULE FOR ABOUT 5 OF MY FRIENDS 2 COME OVER 1X/WEEK 2 CHAT WHILE THEY HELPED ME DO MY ROM (RANGE OF MOTION) EXERCISES
7. ESTIMULATION MACHINE AND I OWN A FLEX BELT 4 MY ABS. I THINK THE FLEX BELT IS A JOKE 4 MOST PEOPLE, BUT FOR ME, IT IS AWESOME! (IT HAS STRENGTHENED MY CORE, HELPS MY SPEECH, & AIDS IN MY DIGESTION.) IT IS ESSENTIALLY AN E-STIM BELT.

I ALSO USE A LOT OF “NORMAL” THINGS 4 THERAPY.

• IN “CANDLE THERAPY“, I USE CANDLES 2 BLOW ON/OFF, SO I CAN BUILD MY BREATH SUPPORT.
• I ALSO TRY 2 BLOW BUBBLES OR BLOW IN A RECORDER (A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT), & I CARRY A WHISTLE IN MY W/C POCKET
• I SOMETIMES CARRY A STRESS BALL IN MY WHEELCHAIR POCKET (RT. NOW IT’S LOST)
• I CARRY A BOOGIEBOARD FROM BROOKSTONE 2 PRACTICE MY GRIP & WRITING
• I SORT THINGS LIKE PAPER CLIPS, & ORGANIZE DRAWERS 4 MY OWN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
• I HAVE “CANDY” THERAPY & SUCK LOLLIPOPS SO I CAN PUCKER MY MOUTH, OR SUCK OTHER CANDIES 2 BUILD TONGUE MOVT.
• I TRY READING–I USE MY iPAD, MY KID’S HOMEWORK, THE BIBLE, ETC.–2 STRENGTHEN MY EYE MUSCLES

I ALSO DO HOME-BASED MUSIC THERAPY, & I TOOK 1 SWIM THERAPY SESSION, JUST SO MY HUSBAND WAS RECCOMMENDED EXERCISES & EQUIPMENT, SO HE COULD DO SWIM THERAPY–WE MOVED 2 AN ACCESSIBLE HOME WITH A SWIM SPA & A LIFT THAT HAS A WAY 2 ADAPT IT SO I CAN TRY 2 WALK…NOT THAT I DO IT MUCH!

I ALWAYS LIKE 2 TRY DOING THINGS MYSELF. RECENTLY, I COULD PUT A THUMBDRIVE IN & TAKE IT OUT OF MY COMPUTER, WHICH SHOWED AN INCREASE IN FINE MOTOR SKILLS, THE ABILITY OF MY EYES FOCUSING IS BETTER, & I HAVE INCREASED MY OVERALL STRENGTH!

IT TAKES TIMME 2 BUILD SKILLS & PROGRESS, THOUGH, SO U MAY NOT NOTICE IT WHEN U DO PROGRESS! & IT IS POSSIBLE 4 THE SKILLS U DEVELOP IN 1 AREA 2 “TRANSFER OVER.”

THIS SUMMER, I WAS ABLE 2 RETRIEVE MY SUNGLASSES FROM MY W/C POCKET, OPEN THEM 1-HANDED, RAISE MY ARM 2 MY FACE, & CLOSE & PUT THEM AWAY WHEN I WAS DONE! I DID IT ALL ALONE, BUT I BARELY REMEMBER BUILDING UP TO IT! I THINK THAT IT HAS HELPED THAT I HAVE BEEN STRENGTHENING MY ARM, & IMPROVING MY FINE MOTOR SKILLS W/EATING.