My Physical Therapist Said - Part 11

"Be in your own world while you're at the gym-work your program, don't be pressured."

"Have fun.  It’s work so expect it.  
When you need to recover - it’s ok. 
Remember, the turtle wins the race.
This is a continuation of a life change.  
You’ve done great work and will continue!"

~ ~ ~

I'm sure gona miss those pep talks.  
I'm very grateful for the help my P.T. has given me this past year.

I'd given up on physical therapy being helpful after all the awful torture other therapists put me through. 
I hope after following my journey in physical therapy this past year, that you are encouraged to give p.t. a try- or try again, try some more, with someone who knows neck and arm issues.

Always listen to your own intuition; if something isn't working- stop.
But don't stop trying.

It's hard to believe when you're battling pain, but it can get better.
Start small, each day builds on the next, do what you need to do for you.
Find support, ask for help, decide to stick up for yourself.
TOS is a bum deal, but you can chose to live as well as possible with it.

Gentle hugs~

TOS Resolutions for the New Year

* An MRI, to see what's going on since rib resection back in 2008, since my daughters rib entirely regrew and I continue to have nerve/muscle issues.

*Flouroscopy guided injection into spine, C4, to see if that helps

*Try acupuncture

*Work on core strength and stability at the gym, continue with physical therapy for upper body at home

*Meet more of my fellow TOSers, hopefully for a 5K walk/run

*Continue to tweak the TOS diet, more green smoothies, fish, etc...

*Essential oils-research, try.

*Try Biofeedback

*Figure out better, ergonomic seating options, especially for time on computer

*Keep diggin' into this TOS thing, learn more, understand

*Kick TOS in the butt

*Share my journey and encourage my fellow TOSers that even though the pain can be horrible, life can still be good.

*Live well!!

My Physical Therapist Says Part 10

I have one more P.T. appointment in a couple weeks, then I'm on my own for a while. I can't lie, I'm a little anxious about that.
Words fail me to adequately express how much I have appreciated the understanding, knowledge and approach of my P.T.
After a few BAD rounds with therapy over the years, I walked into P.T. nine months ago very guarded, but desperate for change.
My main hurdle was, and continues to be, in my mind.
For example, I had a pain flareup last week that reminded me of the godawful pain I had most of the time a year ago, and it was discouraging.
I thought I was stronger, and better, but there it was screaming at me, messing with my head. I forget that I spent years being angry and inactive because of the pain. I get impatient and want things to progress faster, but things have come a long way, and for that I'm very thankful!!
So, I have been thinking about how I can keep my motivation going since I won't be going to P.T. Going backward is not an option, especially after that pain attack last week.



So I decided to face a fear of mine and I joined a gym. *shudder*

It's whole new, foreign, scary world for me.

P.T. guy said this is a good thing for me to transition to, that I should work on lots of cardio, treadmill, bike, eliptical (but be careful with the arm piece), and lots of leg work.
NO ARM MACHINES for a while.
This will challenge the nervous system in new ways than what I've been doing.

I'm supposed to keep doing my regular arm glide stuff, and also work on core stability, on a Bosu Balance Ball at the gym, or sitting/balancing on my exercise ball at home-no touching hands and feet.

P.T. believes after several months of working on this at the gym on my own, I should be in a position where I am strong enough to tolerate revisiting P.T. and he can then work on challenging the nerve and working toward making more progress in desensitizing and reducing the flarup potential.

So, I have a new little TOS mountain to climb on my journey, one step at a time. The view from this part of the journey is much better than back where I was just ten months ago. So, I'm hopeful, and I'm moving forward, even if it is a bit uphill.

Just this week I heard someone say that on our life journey, there will be different people along the way at different times. I'm grateful beyond words for the people who have been with me on my journey this past year. My heart overflows.

Gentle hugs~