Standing up Again

The other day I went in my Easystand Stander for the first time in a couple months. I hadn't been doing it because of the pain in my shoulder. It's been feeling a little bit better so I thought I'd try it. I was able to get up to 60° for 10 min., which was more than I expected. I did go up to 70° but after about a minute my blood pressure dropped dramatically and I had to sit back down.

My goal is to start standing twice a week for an hour again. I know it's going to be challenging building up tolerance, but I'm up for it. The benefits that I get are worth the hard work and effort it will take me.

Jenni

Standing up

Lately I have only been getting in my Easystand stander about once or twice a week. It's been proving to be more difficult than before because my blood pressure has been dropping quicker. Because of this, I haven't been able to get up as high as I used to or for as long. Since I've been unable to get up to 90° it isn't always an enjoyable experience to me. I used to have fun and play games while standing, but now I just struggle to stay focused. I'm at a loss of what to do to make it better. I still do it when I can because I know it's good for me, but it's hard to enjoy it when I'm fighting my body to stay in there. I hope it gets better soon. I know the more I do it the easier it will get and over time my body should adjust again; I just have to be patience. I'm hanging in there though, and praying that everything works out.

Jenni

Standing on My Own…

… two feet. I love getting in the stander, but sometimes it can be really tiring especially when my blood pressure drops. Also, my legs and back hurt if I'm not at 90° because I'm using more energy and muscle to only stand halfway. It's hard for me to even consider that standing, but I guess it is weight-bearing.

On Wednesday I actually got up to 90° for 10 min., which hasn't happened in at least a couple months. (I should note that it took me about 30 to 40 min. to get there, which is normal.) It felt so good to be standing up right, and my blood pressure actually got higher the longer I stood. It started compensating for my standing. However, on Thursday I only got up to 60° in 30 min. time before my blood pressure dropped and I had to go back down to sitting (30°). I guess it depends on the day and my body's ability to adjust. Either way I'm glad I got up to the max at least once.

Jenni

(I will get pictures of my new wheelchair and post them soon! I was also thinking about doing a video of me driving it.)

Standing with the Cats

I've still been using my stander 2 to 3 times a week. Every time is different with how many degrees I'm able to get up to. My goal every time is 90°. In the past couple months though, I haven't been able to get up past 60 or 70°. And it usually takes me about half an hour to get there. My body just isn't as tolerant as it used to be with standing. If I go too high, my blood pressure drops and I start to see black spots. Then I have to go back down immediately.

My normal blood pressure is usually around 90/60. When I'm standing, it can get down to about 60/40. Sometimes it gets low enough to where it won't read and says Error even though I'm still feeling fine. My doctor says as long as I don't pass out, I'm good because it's normal for people with spinal cord injuries to have low blood pressure. It gets really frustrating not to be able to get up all the way. I know that it's good to try, and even getting to where I am now is considered weight-bearing, but it would still be nice to stand at 90°.

One thing that helps distract me are my cats. Both of them fight for the position to lay on the table while I'm standing. They love the attention from my staff and the chance to be with me of course. The gray one, Toby, is very curious and always tries to be cute. He can be very naughty and mischievous at times too. Ty is the black one. He wants everything his way only when he wants it. He can be loving and also serious. I believe the pictures say it all. They could be an advertisement for Easystand stander.



Jenni

Update

On Monday I went to the doctors to get more Botox injections in my neck and shoulders. It's so nice to have my muscles loose again. The downside is that in three months I will have to go back because it will wear off. I also got my H1N1 flu shot.

Yesterday I had my interpersonal communication class and we had a quiz on chapter 8 which was all about listening. I got 15/15! I guess that proves something, I know how to listen. I have a six page fiction paper rough draft due on the 14th for my online creative writing class. I'm looking forward to writing it. I got great reviews from my teacher on my creative nonfiction paper that I turned in about a week and a half ago.

This afternoon I got in the standing frame with my physical therapist, Nicole. Usually the nurses and PCA's just get me in but lately I haven't been able to get up to 90° before my blood pressure drops. Nicole wanted to try to figure out why I could only get up to about 60°. I had a feeling this would happen, but I ended up getting up to 90° in about 20 minutes. Half the time it takes me to get to 60° when I do it without her. We figured out that it was probably due to the fact that I do the standing frame in the morning because that's the time I have a PCA. Today I did it in the afternoon. I had been sitting up in my wheelchair all day versus just getting up from lying in bed all night long. That's partly why my blood pressure had been dropping.

Jenni

Standing Frame

I thought I would give an update on my standing since it's been a while. The last couple of months I've been going in my stander 2 to 3 times a week. I no longer do it with physical therapy; my nurses and PCA's are now trained in and are able to help me with it. This leaves more time for stretching and strengthening in physical therapy. I also was able to cut down on physical therapy from four times a week to three.

When I first started using the standing frame last year, it took me many times before I was able to get up to 90°. My body had to get used to standing again. My blood pressure would drop as well making it harder to stand for long. After a while, I began to get used to it and was able to get up to 90° and also stand for a longer period of time.

For some reason in the past few months I hadn't been able to get up to 90°. In fact I was only able to get up to about 60°-70° before my blood pressure would drop and I had to go down. Plus, it took me about 30 to 40 minutes before I could even get up to that. Yesterday, I was in the stander for about an hour. I was so excited because for the last 15 minutes I was able to be up at 90°. I probably could have stayed longer because my blood pressure was still fine except that I got too tired and that's why I chose to sit back down.

I don't know why or how I was able to get up to 90°. I went in the stander this morning and was only able to get up to about 65°. I'm hoping I'll have many more days like yesterday. I thought that the more times I stood the more my body would get used to it and my blood pressure would adjust, but I guess I have to be patient. It's great that I'm even able to stand in the first place. The other thing is that 60° is still weight-bearing, so even if I don't get up all the way every time it's okay.

Jenni

Update on Standing

I have had my Easystand Evolv stander for a little over five months now. I stand on average three days a week and I am able to stand up to 40 minutes. I have now started to use my standing frame outside of physical therapy, which was one of my goals when I first got it. On Sunday, one of my nurses and PCA helped me into the stander. I stood for close to 40 minutes until my blood pressure dropped. It is exciting to be able to do it with my caregivers and have the extra time in physical therapy to do other things.

It has been a tremendous help in decreasing my back pain. I am getting stronger and my blood pressure is adapting as I get to a standing position. My body is getting used to the routine and I am tolerating standing longer than in the beginning. I am achieving all of the goals that I set upon receiving the stander and I am hoping that things will only get better.

Jenni

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts."
-Sir Winston Churchill

Been Busy

Hi everyone.

I have been busy lately. The class finished up the rest of our chapter presentations on Thursday. I went to school an extra day on Friday to work on an upcoming speech that I have to give with a partner for class this coming Thursday. This last weekend I was working on the PowerPoint for the presentation. We have to present a news article and then give our opinion on it. We chose to do it on an article that CNN put out called "Cops: Bearing news of a loved one's death is worst part of job". I know it's kind of depressing but it's a human interest story. I didn't want to do anything on politics or the economy or anything like that. I think it will be good and will keep people's attention. After this speech, we each have to do an informative speech about a country.

This morning I had a massage at 9 AM for an hour and then had physical therapy at 11:30 AM. For PT I went in the standing frame. I didn't beat my record of 33 minutes at 90° but I was up for quite a while. It took me longer to get up to 90° because I was worried that my blood pressure was going to drop. It stayed pretty stable throughout the whole time. I am now exhausted. That's a lot of therapy in one day and so close together. I slept great last night but I think I'm going to take a nap later. Anyways, I hope I am able to slow down and rest a little this weekend. Maybe I'll go to a movie or something.

Jenni

Another New Record

Today I went into the standing frame again. It took me about 10 minutes to get to 90°. My blood pressure didn't even drop on the way up. I was very careful to go up slowly so that it wouldn't. Once I got up to 90°, I stood for 33 minutes, beating my old record of 28 minutes. I know it's only a difference of five minutes, but when I'm fighting fatigue, sore muscles, and my blood pressure, every minute counts.

I am so excited to have the opportunity to stand. Many people are unable to get medical equipment because of expenses. I know what it's like to go through the process of trying to get something paid for and then getting a denial saying that they won't. I just keep on trying. My ultimate goal is to start a nonprofit organization for people with disabilities who need medical equipment and are unable to get it paid for. For example a wheelchair, stander, bed, shower or bath chair, or any other type of supplies they may need. My non-profit organization will also include funding for house remodeling, physical or occupational therapy, voice activation devices, or any other type of equipment or service that may make someone with a disability more independent or their life easier. It may be a long way out, but I know it will happen and I am determined to help others in need.

Jenni

"To the world you might be one person, but to one person you might be the world."
-Anonymous

Easystand Blog/Shopping Experience

Hi everyone.

In past posts I have talked about standing in my new Easystand Evolv standing frame. I found out recently that Easystand has a blog. It is very informative and interesting. They also have personal stories of others using their Easystand stander. I was interested in sharing my story with others so I e-mailed someone who could help me get a post on the Easystand blog. Through e-mail, I was able to send my post over to her and I just found out that she put it on their blog earlier today. If you would like to see my personal story titled, "The Air is Better up Here-Jenni's Standing Story" click here.

I went shopping today. I just felt like I needed to get out of the house. Why I chose to go to the mall I don't know. I always get exhausted from being at the mall with all those people who can never make up their minds on what to buy and just stand there looking lost. I'm claustrophobic; it comes with the territory. When I'm in situations where I can't just get up and walk around those people or all of the clothing racks packed tightly together, it makes me feel claustrophobic and a little frustrated. However, today wasn't as bad as when I went four days before Christmas.
On my shopping spree, I bought two pairs of pants, some more of that underwear from Victoria's Secret that I got for Christmas and love so much, and a journal. I know what you're thinking, "why would she buy a journal if she isn't able to write?" I thought the same thing when I was buying it. My idea was to type up all of my quotes and poems and paste them in the journal. That way I will have a keepsake of them all in one place, voice typed by me. Or I guess I could just have someone else write them in there but that's not the same.

Jenni

Standing Again

Today I stood for the first time since the week before my recent surgery on December 2. Everything has finally healed and I was able to stand for 28 minutes (14 at 70° and 14 at 90°). Normally, when a person stands after not standing for a while, their blood pressure will usually drop and they will not be able to stand for very long. That's exactly what I thought would've happened to me. I went in the stander expecting the worst and got out feeling great.

My normal blood pressure is usually around 100/60. The lowest my blood pressure got today was 68/43. That is extremely good for me considering my lowest so far in the stander was unreadable (yes, I did almost pass out). The lowest readable blood pressure was 44/31. That's when my eyes start to go black. Probably not a good thing. I am very excited to be standing again. I hope my blood pressure stays where it's supposed to.

Jenni

"The present is the ever moving shadow that divides yesterday from tomorrow. In that lies hope."
-Frank Lloyd Wright

Getting Stronger

I stood for 28 minutes yesterday. I'm excited that my blood pressure is finally compensating when I'm standing. It will drop at first and then rise after a couple of minutes when my body gets used to being straight up at 90°. Yeah for me!

Jenni

New Record!

Yesterday I set a new record for me in standing! Usually I go up once and then my blood pressure drops so I have to go back down. The second time is when I stand for the longest. Yesterday, I went up once and stayed up for a full 25 minutes. This is great news. That means my body is adjusting to standing and soon I will be able to do it with ease.

I had psychology today. We took a quiz and I got 4/4. I also found out that I got 15/20 on my test that I took last Friday. Not my best score, but good enough for me.

Jenni

Standing at 90°

Hello everyone.

I want to update you on my standing. I have stood about five times and I am now on a set schedule of standing twice a week in physical therapy. My longest time at once was 15 minutes. I didn't think I would be up that long so soon. I have to keep the blood pressure cuff on just in case. I usually have to take it about every two minutes, because sometimes my blood pressure can go down without me knowing. It is easier and I find that I can stand longer in the morning than in the afternoon because I'm not as fatigued from daily activities. My blood pressure goes down more in the afternoon because I do get so tired.

I'm excited to be able to do it for longer like 30 minutes but it takes a while to build up to that. Although, I do think I am already starting to feel the benefits. My back hasn't been hurting like it usually does and I feel like I have more energy during the day. Standing helps prevent osteoporosis and also strengthens bones and muscles. It will also help strengthen my back. The picture is of me standing in my bedroom. I'm 5'8", but the stander is up off the ground so I stand taller than everyone who is helping me. It is nice to be able to see the top of people's heads instead of up their noses.

Jenni

"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow"."
-(This is a quote from a plaque hanging in my room. I don't know who the author is.)

Update on Me

Hi everyone.

School is going good. I got 4/4 on my quiz last Wednesday. I was excited to have the day off yesterday for MEA. I went for a role down this path close to my house. A photographer named Kate came with me. She took a lot of pictures of the beautiful changing weather, including me in some of them. It was a little chilly, but I bundled up. I will post some of the pictures when I get them.

Also yesterday, a company called Reliable came out to deliver me my new standing chair. I've been waiting for a long time. One of the things that is recommended for spinal cord injuries is to stand at least a few times a week. Getting started is the hard part. Since I haven't stood in about eight months (when I trialed the stander), my body isn't used to it. I have hypotensive episodes, where my blood pressure drops, when I change positions from laying to sitting. It's even worse when I go from sitting to standing. I have to go really slow and gradual into a standing position. The first time I went up yesterday, I got to 90° for about one minute before my blood pressure dropped and I had to go back down. The second time, I was at 90° for about six minutes. When I took my blood pressure, the machine said error. Whoops, I guess it got a little too low. But six minutes is good for not standing for a while. My goal right now is to get used to standing twice a week. In the long run, I hope to stand at least four or five times a week, up to 30 or 40 minutes.

Jenni

"The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly."
-Buddha