Once in a While, it's Kinda Fun to Blow Your Own Mind!
6 weeks post-SDR, today!
While I won't be marking every week of this recovery with updates, this milestone is a significant one to note in the journey. From today onward, the restrictions I was asked to follow from the team in St. Louis, are no longer! This means a greater freedom to move, stretch and strengthen...and it's the beginning of a new starting point, too. Now, we can truly begin to discover and uncover what else is possible with these spasticity-free legs. :D
While I happily anticipate this new phase, I'm also making sure to soak in all of the seemingly simple joys that continue to be anything but!
This week?
- I caught my reflection in the mirror and did a double-take. To my surprise, there I was, standing up tall (ish, for 5 ft 0 😂 ), and my right leg was straight....like a typical leg!...all on it's own....and it was MINE! Whoa. (The left one will need more love from St. Louis before this is possible ...but, more on that another time!) 💪
Just like that, I realized...gone are the days where I had to consciously think, strain and painfully PUSH this knee to straighten out (for just a few seconds before it would slingshot back into a bent position). Instead...there it was - straight and strong enough to hold me up, without me even noticing! Cue the goosebumps and happy tears...because this new (and once impossible) normal already feels stable and safe and comfortable when standing! Yay! 🎉
-I woke myself up with a fright on Wednesday, certain that something creepy had crawled across the back of my leg in my sleep! Soon though? Fear was replaced with a big grin, as I realized that I now simply felt this same right leg resting comfortably and FLAT against the sheets on my bed... for the first time, ever. It wasn't bent at rest anymore, it's not been swollen more often than not, and it hasn't woken me up once with a painful muscle cramp since I got home from St. Louis, either. JOY! 😀
-My endurance continues to improve after surgery, as I went for an hour-long walk around the neighbourhood this week with my walker (because, for now,..safety first...and the outdoor cane walking isn't a thing yet). The last time I could be on my feet that long? Easily 20 years ago...so....whoa!!! MEGA GOOSEBUMPS when that realization struck! 🤸♀️
-Let's talk shoes for a minute, too. For the last 5 years prior to SDR, I would completely destroy one pair every 3 weeks from the way I was forced to drag my toes. (That's a whole lot of shoes...87 pairs that died in fact, which is just ridiculous!) Last night though? I took a peek at the pair I've worn since we left for St. Louis...and 6 weeks on, it's still going strong with only one teeny-tiny wear spot in sight! Crazy! 👟👟
In all, the happy moments continue, and it's so fun to document and share them with you!
SDR is the gift that keeps on giving, these discoveries will never get old, and life is good! 💚💪🥳
