Up and Down, Back and Forth

Last year at Christmas there was a snowstorm in Cleveland, so we had to skip our trip to my cousins' house. This year, we had no plane, but we decided it was time to take the Tesla on a roadtrip.

The drive was actually pretty pleasant. It was a route neither Jerry nor I had traveled, so the novelty added to the enjoyment. We made two stops to charge up the car and got to Cleveland in time for dinner.

The last time we visited, we stayed in a nearby hotel because the room we normally camp out in is in the downstairs of the house. This year, it was time for me to tackle the stairs.

The first job was getting into the house. The stairs in the front of the house has no rail, but with the aid of my cane and Jerry, we made it in just fine.

In addition to Steve and Rose, their son Alec was home college, so he was there. Steve's sister Joann came in from Pittsburgh, and their mother had flown in from Baltimore.

We brought cookies I had baked, and we always bring wine.

The main level of their house was easy to navigate with my walker. The challenge would be to get to our room downstairs.

As much as I like to rush my progress, I took my time getting to our room. Jerry got in front of me, I locked the knee on my prosthesis, and with cane in hand, I headed down.

Once we were downstairs I unlocked my knee and switched back to the walker.

The rest of our visit was comfortable and relaxed. We ate, drank, and streamed movies. As always, we made a stop at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum, and for that I did use my wheelchair.

The trip home was nothing like our trip to Cleveland. It was pouring. Visibility was terrible, and most of the time the autopilot was not engaging because the cameras couldn't see. It was exhausting and it took us at least two extra hours to get home.

A friend from out of town was visiting relatives and she brought dinner, which was truly wonderful. We were tired and hungry. We had an abbreviated visit with Jan and shortly after she left we went to bed.

I had PT the next morning so I was thankful for a good night's sleep. I admitted to my therapist that I had not done my exercises but that I had done a good deal of walking and stair climbing.

We ran through my exercises and then it was time for me to walk. With my cane.

I started out quite slowly, taking baby steps, but as I got more comfortable the walking became more fluid. Not perfect, but certainly steps that were starting to resemble walking.

There are different levels of ability assigned to amputees, starting with K1 and going to K4. K1 is basically someone who is ambulatory on flat surfaces, and K4, the highest level, is someone who can traverse difficult outdoor surfaces and is active and athletic.

I am currently a K3, but my therapist thinks I might very well reach K4. While I am not ready to becime a paralympian, I may very well be able to walk dogs again at the shelter, which really lifted my spirits.

Today, I walked for a bit with the cane around the living room and kitchen, and again, as I got more comfortable, my walking got better.

While there is no question I need to get stronger, I also need to increase my confidence. As my fear of falling subsides, my walking improves, my shoulders relax, and I start to have the belief that I can do this.

I guess part of me knew, but so much of my ability to walk is coming from my brain, sending messages to the rest if my body. I will keep workig on my strength and confidence, and while I might not hit all of my self-imposed deadlines, I will get there.