One Year of Hydrotherapy

Thought I'd use another shot from the Wren sunbathing series. It really did look so warm and content. Bliss.

Been a week of ups and downs. I reached the significant milestone of completing one year of weekly hydrotherapy sessions. They have been the backbone of my recovery. Everything else has stemmed from the results of that. It's the pool work which got my muscles/nerves moving again without inducing crippling pain or injury. It's the pool work which has reconditioned those muscles/nerves to withstand multiple repetitions of use and increasing forces. It's the pool work which I look forward to each week as it gives both my mind and body a chance to relax and be soothed from the rigors of other conditioning work. I can't stress enough the benefits of water-based exercise!

I've not altered the routine since leaving the hospital pool at the end of May 2009 but what has changed is what I can manage during the rest of the week.

The downside of this week is that I have overdone it a little. I wore myself out completely on Wednesday and although I went to bed for an hour in the afternoon, I was wiped out on Thursday. That meant my resilience was extremely low and my therapy session on Thursday was a disaster really. I got badly triggered and I'm still trying to regain a sense of safety in the present. I've felt 'mentally ill' over the past few days and struggled to control flashbacks and destructive thinking patterns. I know it's mostly due to wearing myself out physically but at times like this it's hard not to feel scared of a relapse.

Anyways....keeping things steady and hopefully my mind will settle down again soon. Tired out!

Aches and Pains

This little Wren took the opportunity to enjoy the sunshine this week by resting quietly, preening and generally looking as cute as possible, sitting on the rail of the fence near my patio doors. Wrens are normally too fast and too small for me to capture with my camera but one that is stationary and less the 2 metres away gives me a chance. It was wonderful watching such a tiny little bird, up close, basking in the sunshine. And, I feel a bit like that right now - tired out, lol.

I've tried to get back to normal this week and shake off the last remnants of a bad cold. It's been both hard going and easy! Hard going because all the old aches and pains that I've worked so hard to try to condition out of the muscles/nerves have been back in earnest. My left hip and LHS mid/lower back have been constantly painful/problematic/tight/achy and my right hip has also been achy/painful on and off. This has been very disappointing and kinda worrying. The back and hip pain are as bad as they ever were when all this started 18 months ago!

The easy aspect is that my body seems to have fought off the cold in a very 'healthy', 'normal' way, which is encouraging. I always worry about my resilience and ability to cope with any kind of stress and it's heartening to discover my immune system is firing as it should be. I'm still feeling pretty tired from it all and the back and hip pain aren't helping but I'm doing ok!

Made it to table tennis and the pool this week, and pottery was also physically demanding yesterday. This morning I got out for my 50 min walk but felt rather weary from half way round onwards. My left hip stabiliser etc ached/hurt all the way around and my LHS mid/lower back pain is pretty bad, even after applying heat. I honestly don't know what I can do to eliminate this pain. I would have thought my core strength was sufficient now to stabilise my spine etc....?

Anyways....been a tired, bored afternoon - not got enough energy to do anything but am fed up sitting in front of the telly and then worry about the consequences of not moving enough, lol.

Stinking Cold

Had to take it very easy this week due to having a heavy cold. No table tennis, no hydrotherapy, no pottery. My sinuses and ears are still blocked, and the tickly cough is finally beginning to loosen up. Generally, I feel rough and can't wait for this stupid cold to go.

One day this week, I was in the kitchen and a flock of about 10 Blue Tits came into my small back garden. They flitted and cheeped around the bushes and fence near the kitchen window, and I managed to get the above shot. When they arrive in numbers like that, and come so close to view, it's pretty magical. Made my morning.

Sunshine

Finally some Spring sunshine and a beautiful female Blackbird celebrating with bathing 'fireworks'!

It's been another 2 weeks sticking to the rehab schedule. My head hasn't always been keeping up with my muscles and I've definitely had highs and lows (tears). Woke up today with a sore throat which I think I caught at pottery on Friday. Generally, even when I don't feel particularly well, I'm trying to stick to rehab because I reckon that more often than not, the feelings are psychologically based rather than muscular limitations. Last week, I didn't feel at all well on Monday/Tuesday but went along to table tennis on Tuesday evening and felt a lot better for it.

This week, I'm noticing subtle improvements. The pool work felt easier - I felt stronger. The bike work today felt easier (in spite of the sore throat and 'thick head') - I didn't have any hip/back pain whilst cycling and the usual shoulder/arm pain/aches were a lot less. I did have the LHS mid/lower back tightness/pain afterwards but it's not too bad. My muscles are adapting!

I'm hoping to keep up the momentum until Easter and then have a break, whilst I'm away. Since the start of the year, I've kept up a consistent effort to meet targets and it seems to be paying off. The break will be a welcome relief and a chance for muscles to grow.