A spinal cord injury is a gift that keeps on giving, and on Saturday night I received yet another one of it's gifts. Throughout the day, I usually find that my legs have a lot of swelling. This is because I am sitting down for most of the day, and am unable to move and contract my muscles. However, when I go to sleep and wake up the next morning, the swelling has usually disappeared. For a few days I realized that my left foot was still swollen in the morning, but I didn't think much of it until Saturday. I noticed that the swelling had worsened and that it had continued up into my calf. I had been told in the hospital that people with a SCI (spinal cord injury) are at much higher risk for blood clots, so we suspected such was the case. We went into the emergency room that night where it was confirmed that I have a DVT (blood clot) in my left calf. I know, great. DVTs can be extremely dangerous if they are not found early on. If left unchecked, the clot can be dislodged and move to the lungs where it can be fatal.
(in the hospital with my celebrating-my-DVT face)
So what does this mean? It means that I will have to be on Coumadin, a blood thinner, for the next six months. I will also be on Lovenox shots twice a day until my INR is stabilized. To be honest, I'm still not exactly sure what that all means, but that's what they tell me. I will also need to go into the doctor frequently for blood draws. I found out today as well that I won't be able to continue physical therapy in the same rigorous way until I am off Lovenox! So, I will be finding other little ways to improve while I wait for everything to stabilize.
To be honest, this was all very discouraging to me. I keep thinking, if I could only deal with paralysis alone, this would be so much easier. If I only had to worry about the fact that I couldn't walk anymore, I would do so much better. It's all of the secondary problems of an SCI that keep me down. The blood pressure, the nerve pain, the catheterizations and bowel care, and now the DVT (though, I am sure this is not the end). I look forward to the day when some of this hopefully regulates itself. It's no guarantee that any of it will get better, but we can always hope, right? This is still just the beginning.
Now for the better news...
One thing that did go well was that I started swimming a little bit again during therapy! Since my injury, I had been very curious as to how I would do in the water, and how much swimming would be affected because of my injury. I obviously knew that I had no core and knew that that alone would greatly affect my ability to swim, but I got in the water and tried it out. I was slightly apprehensive that swimming would end up being unfulfilling since I had enjoyed competitive swimming for a very long time before my accident.
Jan (my physical therapist) warned me that swimming is usually extremely frustrating for quadriplegics because of the reasons previously mentioned. No core. In fact, she said she has had no one use stroke swimming as therapy. I first started with backstroke (because it requires less core strength) and realized that this would be tricky. I initially realized that because my hands are still so weak, I don't have the strength to cup them to pull the water in a way that allows me good form as I swim. Afterward, I tried swimming butterfly and came to the same conclusion. So, we found a pair of gloves for swimming and it made a huge difference.
To make a long story short, I realized that swimming still felt like swimming to me, which was the greatest relief. I actually felt like I had retained something from my injury. It's obviously not the same, I mean, I still currently have to wear a device that floats me slightly, but it was a happy discovery. I swim in a pool that creates a current that I can swim into so I can stay stationary.
Now I have to make a few disclaimers to make. It has been three months since I have done any kind of cardiovascular activity, not to mention that for the first few weeks of my injury, I couldn't even lift my arms up. I am still working on building strength and all the muscle I lost in the hospital. You will see that my form quickly deteriorates throughout the exercise! Don't judge. :)
This is just a quick clip of me working on some butterfly when I finally got my hand gloves on.
This is a clip of a 2 minute exercise that Jan had me do. I am alternating between backstroke for 20 seconds and butterfly for 10 seconds (video says breaststroke on accident). This was a super hard workout for me and I kinda wanted to puke after. No kidding.
I heard that some of you are unable to view the videos on the blog, so if you can't, go ahead and click on the link the below that will take you to youtube. The quality is better anyway!
The two-minute swim
Butterfly
SO inspiring!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI cannot imagine the struggles you're going through Carson but don't give up:) I swam competitively my senior year of high school. You're doing absolutely amazing as a swimmer and it's even more impressive because your recovery is still early. I fully believe you will be able to retain/regain your swimming life as you continue to work hard. It may be different but that doesn't you can't be a fast swimmer and enjoy the water once again.
ReplyDelete*.....doesn't "mean" you can't be a fast swimmer....
ReplyDeleteHaha if i could learn how to write:)
You're awesome, Carson!! Keep up the good work! Coumadin and Lovenox are good drugs for what's going on especially with them monitoring you. Good luck with the clots and way to go with the swimming! You are seriously amazing! :)
ReplyDeleteHeroic effort and strength, Carson....that last part where you are working SO hard to keep going is where that future endurance and strength will come from. When I think of where you were with your strength just a few weeks ago, this is almost miraculous! Fantastic workout!! I'm so glad you feel "back home" in the water! Love you!!
ReplyDeleteThis is fantastic! I can't imagine the frustration of having to re-learn everything all over again, but what you're doing is incredibly inspiring and motivating! There are people who couldn't even do what you are doing who haven't had any kind of injuries before, let alone what you've gone through. don't give up! you're so fantastic!
ReplyDeleteHere's to Swimming Carson! You look great in the water and Im so happy it still feels like swimming! I can't believe you have to deal with this blood clot too but I am so glad it was caught before it could do more serious damage! Im genuinely amazed at what life can throw at one person all at once! As always I appreciate you taking the time to update everyone on your journey so I know how you're doing. Thinking of you and keeping you in my prayers continually. Luv, Laura
ReplyDeleteWoohoo! :) You are doing great, we are all inspired and strengthened by your determination to succeed. Glad they caught the blood clot early, keep being your awesome self, one day at a time. :) Love ya! -Camille
ReplyDeleteCARSON! You're the man! Keep it up. Love you.
ReplyDeleteWish you the best, Carson, and I'll praying for you with this new development. Very cool to see you swimming! Keep it up! :)
ReplyDeleteYay!!! Something to keep in spite of all that has happened. :) With your kind of determination, I would not be surprised in the least if you managed to start competing again. As for the other stuff, I am confident that your doctors are well-trained and highly skilled in their profession, and that your recovery will be a speedy one. Keep up with the progress, Carson! I love you buddy.
ReplyDeleteI hope you can swim often! It had to feel so good even if you felt like puking. I can tell you can totally do this. What about a regular lap lane? Would you be able to stay in longer and enjoy the freedom from your chair in the water? I showed your video clip to my eight year old, he was so impressed. He is trying out for the swim team next week. He just learned the butterfly and can relate to the difficulty without the extra challenges you face. Keep it up!
ReplyDelete