Week two of rehab has been completed! The video attached is a video of physical therapy. At some point in the future I will post some things from occupational therapy as well. I have to admit, this week was far more difficult than I thought it would be. I thought that things would get easier for me medically speaking and that my body would acclimate faster to some of the major changes it's going through.
I continue to have severe low blood pressure as well as lots of nausea. Unfortunately those two have become BFFs and one nearly always begets the other. For those of you who are familiar with blood pressure numbers, I achieved a new record low this week! I came in at 57/35... And I was still conscious! That's right. For those of you who don't know, typical blood pressure should be around 120/80. I suggested to my physical therapists that we have record holders names and blood pressure numbers recorded somewhere on the wall within the physical therapy gym. We'll see if I can get it to happen…
All joking aside though, this has all been extremely frustrating. So much of what I do is determined by how high or low my blood pressure is that day. No matter how hard I'm willing to work, I simply can't perform in therapy if I can't stay conscious. I have also been experiencing some intense nerve pain that also impedes my progress. Most of these things are out of my control, and I just have to wait until they pass. I can't say I haven't shed some angry tears of frustration.
This week I continued to work on the same skills as last week, with some variation. I am making good progress, but sometimes (always) struggle to see my small victories (my dad has occasionally said to me, "Carson, you are an impatient man…" It's true). I would say my greatest gains have been made in my hand strength and dexterity, which has been encouraging. I have also increased in mobility during my PT sessions. Let's hope that next week yields some better results.
This is a clip of me continuing to practice my balance, but in a slightly more difficult way.
No comments:
Post a Comment