Outpatient physical and occupational therapy ended on Friday of this past week, but that doesn’t mean therapy is done. For about one week after being discharged from the hospital on March 6th we had in-home therapy. After that we began outpatient therapy, three days per week. That’s over now. But the work continues at home. We continue to work on strength and dexterity of the left hand as well as on strengthening the left leg, balance and relearning to take proper steps where I don’t hop or drag the left foot.
St. Francis Medical Center operates a fitness enter called Fitness Plus, which we have been members of for some time now, well before the stroke. Outpatient physical and occupational therapy are adjacent to the fitness center, essentially collocated with it, and they share machines and a walking track. So even though the formal outpatient therapy period is done, we will be going in to Fitness Plus to do strengthening exercises for the torso, arm and leg. Yesterday I did 10 minutes on a NuStep recumbent cross trainer for the quads, some crunches on the abdominal machine, pullovers, triceps extensions and curls for biceps – all with the left arm and hand. The weight was significantly reduced from what I used to do four months ago, but I did the motion with an appropriate amount of weight for the condition of my arm. Also did a little stretching on a raised platform. All good.
Also, yesterday we bought one of these guys.
It is called a quad cane, quad because of its four little feet. It serves essentially the same purpose as the hemi walker and is used pretty much the same way. It has advantages and disadvantages compared to the hemi walker. The hemi walker is heavier and more bulky, which makes it more inconvenient to tote around. But it is also more stable, which helps me keep my balance. Getting comfortable with the cane, though, will get me closer to walking naturally again because I tend to rely on the stability of the walker and lean on it too much. So its another small step forward.
I can’t forget about finger and hand dexterity as well. The occupational therapists recommend folding towels and/or washcloths with the left hand as one of the better exercises for that. So I have volunteered to take on the duty of folding laundry. It takes me forever to do it, but at least Laura doesn’t have to, and it’s good for me. Other things for the hand include putting pegs in holes (I use golf tees with a Tic-Tac-Toe game), squeezing and doing finger extensions using putty for resistance, and typing using the left hand, which I am doing now – a very slow and somewhat painful process that requires significant editing and spell-checking. All worth it, if it achieves the desired outcome. This entire rehab process is the definition of the phrase, “no pain, no gain.” Many people quit because of the pain and discomfort. I have no intention of quitting.