Guest guest Posted March 11, 2003 Report Share Posted March 11, 2003 That is a great link, and I am going to use it also! Thanks so much! Martha ] > > > > > > Hi Martha > > > > > > > > > > > > You sound a lot like me with the need for long term > > muscle > > > build > > > > up > > > > > etc. I > > > > > > was so delighted today..... I managed to walk up the > > steps out > > > of > > > > > the pool > > > > > > normally on both legs without desparately clinging onto > > the > > > > rails. > > > > > That has > > > > > > taken 2 months of swimming daily......smile........ but gee > > did > > > > it > > > > > feel > > > > > > nice...... > > > > > > > > > > > > Edith > > > > > > > > > > > > > Dr. Gross wrote me out a sheet with exercises when I > > left the > > > > > > > hospital. I did them every day. However, with all my > > muscle > > > > > > > atrophy, etc. I just couldn't get stronger (going up the > > > steps > > > > > was a > > > > > > > nightmare, etc.). On my 6-week return visit, I asked him > > if > > > > some > > > > > PT > > > > > > > might be in order. He wrote an order, I took it home to > > my > > > > > regular > > > > > > > doctor, and she wrote an order for me. I started in PT in > > > > > Septmeber, > > > > > > > 2002 and worked very, very hard for 3 months, until just > > > before > > > > > > > Christmas. I got good enough with stairs and weights > > to find > > > > out > > > > > > > that my KNEES were now suffering from years of > > imbalanced > > > walk > > > > and > > > > > > > atrophy of the muscle around the knee.- > > > > > > > > > > > > > > So, in January, at my 6- month checkup, Dr. Gross > > again wrote > > > a > > > > PT > > > > > > > order (I didn't have to ask this time, he could hear my > > knees > > > > > > > cracking!), and my regular doctor re-wrote it once I got > > > home. > > > > > Once > > > > > > > again, I ended up in PT, for my knees. We started with > > > weights > > > > in > > > > > > > the pool. Then on to the gym. Lots of weight machines, > > etc. > > > > and > > > > > > > this time they added some (still painful) great stretches > > for > > > my > > > > > > > back, legs and knee muscles. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > I just " graduated " from PT last week, and now am in > > " post- > > > rehab " > > > > > > > where I go to the gym at the rehab center on my own > > and they > > > > sort > > > > > of > > > > > > > monitor me (but don't stand with me the whole time). It > > > costs > > > > > $15 a > > > > > > > month, well worth it, I think. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > With this more aggressive PT I have really zoomed > > along, > > > almost > > > > > all > > > > > > > the swelling from my knees is gone, and I have a lot > > more > > > > > strength in > > > > > > > them. As a matter of fact, I have gotten better enough to > > > > pursue > > > > > one > > > > > > > of my old pasttimes - I used to model for a regional > > store > > > that > > > > > put > > > > > > > on fashion shows all over the tri-cities. Two weeks > > ago, I > > > got > > > > to > > > > > > > put on my heels (hooray!) and model for the fundraiser > > for the > > > > > > > American Heart Association! > > > > > > > > > > > > > > PT is hard, Dr. Gross told me I had a lot of work to do, > > and > > > > that > > > > > it > > > > > > > would take me a year to recover to what I was " before " - > > I > > > > > thought he > > > > > > > was crazy, I could just bounce back. But, in older folks > > > (like > > > > > me), > > > > > > > it takes longer to rebuild muscles, build bone, and > > repair > > > all > > > > the > > > > > > > damage that years of inactivity have heaped upon my > > body. I > > > am > > > > > > > getting there, though!! > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Martha > > > > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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