March Update from Brian

Attaching the new stim unit

I have been using the stim for just over three weeks and it is going well. The first couple of months you have to follow pretty conservative protocols with low intensity to not risk damaging your skin or possibly even your muscles. It does not take much intensity to make my muscles twitch, which we hope is a good sign for things down the road. With a needed conservative approach we will not really see too many obvious results. I guess it takes time to wake up muscles that have been asleep or pretty much dead for about three years. It was just good to see them twitch the first few times I did it.

 It is quite a time consuming process, taking about three hours per day, which can make time management a little challenging with work and my other therapy. I am pretty much up and on the go from 6:30 am to around midnight to get it done. I still try to do the standing frame for an hour a day and I am working 33 hours a week but that does not account for my work commutes of 30-60 mins to go 15 miles!!!

The setup to stim each muscle group also can be a little tricky. The electrodes on this device are carbon based and you have to put ultrasound gel on them and use Velcro straps to hold them in place. Doing my quads, hams, calves and tibs was not easy at first but I have it down pretty good now. The gluts are still pretty tough to do. Imagine not being able to stand and trying to secure very large slippery pieces of rubber to your gluts by yourself. I get it done but it does weigh on your patience and for me that takes a lot. In a lot of ways I have come to see that my life is defined by perseverance. Things like the stim unit being difficult to use and something that takes months to even show much benefit but I know sticking with it has to pay off at some point. Since I am the only person ever to use this as a combination with my other therapy and one of the few people to use it in the world, I do not have anything to really reference as far as a progression time line. So I just will stick with it and tell you what happens.

I will likely post in early May but I am looking forward to the Hope to Walk stuff then.  I am hoping to say there for several days.  I miss my friends, my dog, & I need to finally meet my new niece, Iris!