Just Me And My Walker

We went in this afternoon to try the Walk Aid. Unfortunately, due to how low down my injury is, the Walk Aid is not going to work. Apparently it stimulates the muscle by causing a reflex in the nervous system. In order to make the reflex work there needs to be a "nerve circuit" going from the leg up into the spinal cord and back down into the leg. That is how the electricity stimulates the entire muscle. If you just shock the muscle only the fibers next to the electrodes are stimulated. For patients with an injury higher on the spinal cord there is usually a loop that can be made, but because my injury is so low, the Walk Aid will probably not work until I can move the muscle on my own.

We also found out today that we are not going to get Medicaid to cover a wheel chair. This news was not as bad as the Walk Aid. When I am going long distances a wheel chair is still convenient to have. However, with the progress I am making it isn't looking like I will need one for much longer. In fact, Dario, my inpatient therapist, said that if I order a wheel chair I probably won't need it by the time they manufacture it. I was in the same situation when they were going to make my leg brace. We are hoping we can continue to use the demo chair for long enough that it won't be an issue.

Between ordering a wheel chair, the Walk Aid, and the KAFO (leg brace) we were going to order earlier we have tried and struck out on just about every mobility assistance device we have tried except my trusty walker. So I guess the two of us will just keep shuffling along until I can walk on my own. My therapist did mention moving to a cane sometime soon which I can buy at WalMart, so maybe that will actually work out. I am not anxious to buy things, I am just anxious to get anything that is going to help me get around easier or that will be therapeutic. When I get my cane I think I will look for a black one with flames on the bottom :).

The good news is that while Wendy was watching them shock my leg silly and laughing as my foot twitched every direction but the one they wanted it to she heard them mention that my quad isn't working either and she asked about that. I think my therapist Shane and my orthotist Russ summed up my stellar performance best when they said "Every time [Jeremy] walks he is doing a phenomenal balancing act" and "he is basically cheating gravity." To which I responded, "Yeah, and that is why gravity sometimes wins." The bad news is that they told Wendy that if she just bumped the back of my knee I would go right down. I guess I had better not say anything mean to Wendy while I am walking now that she knows where my Achiles heel is. Or I guess in my case, maybe I should say that she knows my Kryptonite.