Woke this morning and even just getting dressed was enogh to set my shoulder off, so I got up and took the Ibruprofen and paracetamol along with my normal tablets in the hope that it may at least let me get through the physio session at 09.15. When I got in to the spinal gym Katie immediately asked how it was, I told her it wasn’t great but that we should crack on but she was not eager. She suggested that we do stretching or standing to give the shoulder three days of rest to then go at it again on Monday. This is obviously not what I wanted to hear and so I asked if we could do away with the floor to bench and instead use the step again and try to go from the step to the bench. She agreed to try but said that if the shoulder was not happy we WOULD be stopping which was a fair compromise. Yesterday I simply could not get to the bench, it wasn’t happening but first thing this morning, with Katie holding on to my tracksuit bottom waist band, I did it. Not a massive thing for some people but for me it was something that I have been trying to achieve for a long time.
I lowered myself back down and did it again, next I lowered myself and said to Katie that I would like to try without any assistance at all. To that end she let go completely and… I did it, more than once, amazing. Next I wanted to remove the step but Katie said that we could take the bottom off of it and lower it by a few inches. Not quite the floor but lower than the handcycle. First time, done it. A few more times, done it. So now lets try to go from the floor. “Are you sure that’s a good idea George?” Katie was not convinced. I had lifted a reasonable height a good amount of times and so the shoulder may be getting weak. “Of course it is…” I said in the most convincing way I possibly could, “…the shoulder feels good so let’s go for it. If it isn’t great then I’ll stop.” So Katie put her trust in me and removed the step. I got ready, as did she by taking hold of the waistband again. “1,2 3…lift…” and then it happened, the shoulder went again. “No, sorry, not gonna happen Katie, I need to go back down to the floor.” I lowered myself, feeling a bit stupid, and sat on the floor while Katie straightened my legs for me. We replaced the step which I lifted on to and then up on to the bench again and finally in to my chair. “I’ll get the ice pack and see you in a minute and then we’ll put you in the standing frame for a half an hour.” I had pushed the shoulder too far again, but not to waste the session I could at least go in to the standing frame again where the ice pack can just sit on my shoulder.
I was almost in the frame when Katie returned with the ice pack, a physio assistant moved the frame out for me and I was all but stood it in when Katie re entered the gym. We tried to get my leg strap to hold the ice pack in place so as no one would need to hold it in place but my man boobs wouldn’t allow it meaning that Katie and the assistant had to take it in turns so as not to get their hands too cold for no good reason. Finally, half an hour later at 10.00 I sat back in my wheelchair and asked if I could join two of the guys I have met here and got quite pally with, as they practiced split level transfers with my physio from my last stay, Jo. She said this was fine which also gave the trainee some more experience as she worked with me, moving the step and ensuring that I could not tip backwards. The half hour break had done my shoulder the world of good although I could still feel discomfort in it and so after a half hour of split level transfers replicating what I had done before my shoulder gave in again, I called it a day. An excellent day as far as physio goes, not great on the shoulder but I now have two days to rest.
Enjoy your weekend everyone, I am going to be watching the regional championships of the minors wheelchair basketball. I watched for a while today and my God are these kids talented. I’m really looking forward to watching them play tomorrow, especially a young lad I met here who has also been at the sports and fitness sessions while he is doing some rehab. He really is a great lad, and his parents are really pleasant too, they have joined in on the sports sessions in the sports wheelchairs aswell which has been really good fun. I wish him and his team all the luck although all of the teams play like like the teams I saw today, it could be a really close thing, so good luck James.
Goodnight all.