bright moments in early december 2005

skipping - possibility of jogging, finally able to bear weight on left arm, it's safe for me to be alone for more than 5 hours without adult supervision
Thought you would all appreciate a quick update on recent progress I’m making down here in Austin you've all been so considerate during my down times that i want to be sure that I share the brighter moments as they present themselves.
Received all positive feedback at conference with therapists: They expect to have me "jogging for five minutes within a month! Yesterday, I was even able to skip: a more complex motion than you might imagine if you're just getting back to walking! i was thrilled with my progress with this task as a couldn't coordinate the skipping movement a week ago even on a single foot a good sign that I can manage the shifting of weight and the quick foot movement involved in the skipping motion which has a step, hop, pause step, hop, sequence. most of the exercises they give me are designed to retrain the brain to communicate with the muscles, so the therapy is not simply a matter of building muscle strength instead it is a coercive technique that requires the brain to create or rediscover neural pathways to manage a forced movement along the lines of: "necessity is the mother of invention." The approach requires some risk taking and acceptance of minor failures in the form of incomplete movement on tasks and patience to keep trying until the body corrects itself and re-learns the right way to execute the required task. [look for link to description of the clever mind/body games therapist have designed to "force" use of affected muscles and other tissues]
Oh, by the way, this "forced use"approach can work miracles:http://brain-under-repair.blogspot.com/2006/08/miracle-on-32nd-street-late-november.html

I also received clearance to be on my own for 4-5 hours at a time at home, so long as i don't engage in risky activities such as exercises where my balance is extremely challenged and requires someone to "spot me." I still need minimal adult supervision outside the home, so i can't just wander out to the coffee shop on my own as I have frequent want to do.. driving is out of the question for a while but they have driver's training and testing program to get me back to driving safely and we'll work on that next month. other good news is that i am successfully bearing all my weight on my left arm.. a prerequisite to regain use of my left hand a deficit that is very frustrating - please excuse misspelling and typos as i am stuck with typing with my right hand only for now. But, I am starting to see some movement in my thumb and fingers. I can grab but(oddly) can't extend the fingers up and out. So i can pick-up and hold, but can't easily release an object. Any progress with the left arm is a promising sign of muscle strength and reacquisition on the neural pathway between the brain and the handand fingers. So, getting to a point where i can support my weight with my left arm is a significant milepost. We operate an amazing machine! This body is much more complex than i realized. And like most of us, I never bothered read the owner's manual;-)