I discovered a few days ago that I can now contract my glutes. Of course, both my daughters reeled back in horror when I asked them to come feel Mommy’s butt. I have also noticed that both of my calf muscles are looking and feeling normal. When using my passive leg trainer, the calf muscles actually bulge and are rock hard just as they would normally be. I’m not positive, but I do believe I can feel my calf muscles working when using my bike.
I returned to work this week, just 3 days a week but it feels good to be “out there” again. CBC was here Tuesay afternoon to do filming for the documentary and our local TV station is coming today, Thursday. Between all this and Christmas quickly approaching, I have not had much time to write here. I will endeavour to be more regular.
December 14th, 2006
I had mixed emotions as Dec 3 arrived and it was time to head back to good old cold Canada. I had developed several warm friendships but did make arrangements to be able to keep in touch. Although I would have dearly loved to stay longer, if only for the therapy, I was also anxious to see my friends and family again. With Christmas drawing near, the need to “go home” was becoming apparent.
We had a great flight back and touched down 45 minutes early. As we exited the arrivals door I was surprised to see not only my daughters smiling and waving but the City TV news and camera crew. When we finished the interview, we only had another 20 minutes drive before arriving “home”. Several friends and neighbours dropped by to say hello and I was once again reminded how blessed I am to be part of this circle.
We all got to bed about midnight and the following morning I was able to get up and make breakfast for my youngest daughter before she headed off to school. Getting up to do this is something I was just not capable of doing prior to China. One of my neighours drove Jens to the airport as he was flying on to Florida to join his wife, Heather. It is impossible to put into words how greatful I am to both Jens and Heather for their generous offer that allowed this whole thing to become a reality.
So what now? Prior to heading to China, I had been referred by my family doctor to resume outpatient physiotherapy. Disappointingly, there is still no word regarding this. I do have an appointment with my physiatrist from Lyndhurst Spinal Rehab but that is not until Dec 18. With Christmas quickly approaching, he will not admit me for a 2 week assessment until sometime in the new year. At the moment, I have no option except to create my own daily physio program and that is exactly what I have done. I start my morning with 30 minutes in a standing frame followed by 30 minutes of stretches. Although I had a series of these I was doing on a regular basis, I have now incorporated several routines that I was doing in China. I do have someone who comes in every day for 1 and 1/2 hours in order to assist me with this. I finish with 30 minutes in my Saratoga Spirit. This is an arm/leg bicycle that gives passive training to the legs while allowing the upper body to improve both with muscle strength and tone. This also gives a great cardio workout. I try to work the standing frame and leg cycle later into the day for 2 additional 20-30 minute sessions but will admit that I usually only get one additional session in. Perhaps once all the backlog of details I am trying to attend to after being away for a month get managed, my routine will become more defined.
I continue to work on my bowel and bladder control and have finally been able to notice improvement in both areas as opposed to just one. I feel like a toddler again, “Baby went potty” 
I do find it a bit uncomfortable to discuss this aspect of my abilities but do realize it’s significance. I will do my best to keep this information updated as my comfort zone expands.
December 7th, 2006
I had my final injection today. It was a mixture of my own bone marrow stem cells, which were collected and cultured last week, mixed with the regular stem cells. The proceedure went smoothly as have all my injections. I now have the task of trying to get all my purchases packed to take home. I have decided to leave behind anything I do not absolutely need to take home. I have made friends with many other patients who will be staying on longer than their originally planned time so they will appreciate the “top up” of basic supplies so to speak. Certain items like catheters etc are difficult for them to find here and I would rather have the extra space in my suitcase. Shopping here is like a dream come true regarding prices and it has been very easy to get carried away with “just one more thing” .
I would dearly love to be able to extend my trip but it is not possible to change our tickets. I have decided to re-examine my schedule for the new year and see when I can arrange to return. I had an electrical stimulation test for the muscles done today. This test was conducted during my first week as well. The results show that there have been noticable changes, more so on the right side than the left. This is very exciting and encouraging news. I will take copies of these test results home with me as they would like the Drs there to do this test every 3 months in order to track changes. This will be clinical proof that the stem cells are actually doing something as predicted.
December 1st, 2006
