No More Physical Therapy

It turns out that today was my last day of physical therapy for this round. I can try again in three months to see if they'll let me repeat it. What really sucks is that physical therapy for me is quite simply maintenance of my ability to walk. Without it, I get so much not seen my muscles that I can't feel my feet and lose my ability to walk.

Every time I have it, I improve. If I am getting the warm water physical therapy regularly I am actually doing pretty okay in terms of being able to walk and maybe getting to take a little bit less painkillers everyday. But I start showing that I'm improving, they have to drop me from the program. They need to make room for someone else who needs it more than I do.

I've known it was coming, but I still hate it.

In better news, my PT found some information for me on a transportation program. It turns out that if I pay a monthly membership fee, I can get a handicap transportation as part of the public transportation. It basically means I will get driven around by taxi, but at a significantly less expensive rate. I need to talk to DH about it but I'm pretty sure I'll be applying for the program.

If I manage to qualify, I would be able to get transportation to the larger town on my own schedule to go to the public warm water pool there. Because I've already had a couple rounds of pool therapy, I know many of the exercises myself. So I might actually be able to do the maintenance training that I need on my own without too much of an expense.

DH and I have also been talking about contacting the government agency responsible for home improvements for people that are handicapped. We are hoping that we might be able to talk them into assisting us with getting a hot tub. That would give me somewhere warm and watery at home that I could use everyday. I know from experience with a trip to the United States that a hot tub actually is a significant help for me. The biggest problem is where to put it.

On a related topic, I learned a new hand exercise from the television the other day. I'm used to using as an exercise ball and squeezing it with my hands, but this one puts a rubber band around your fingers. Then you spread your fingers using the rubber band as resistance. This trained the opposite muscles of the ball exercise. It's a simple, but I can't believe I never thought of it or that no one had ever taught it to me before. I tried it some and I think it's really going to help with my hand problems.