It seems my "Tune-In-Tuesdays" are not happening so much on Tuesdays anymore. ;) Fun fact: I started writing these posts on Tuesdays because that's the day of the week I had my deep brain stimulation surgery on five years ago, so it was (and is) an easy way to keep up with weeks. :)
This past Tuesday, I was busy helping take care of my mom after her shoulder replacement surgery.
I've had a good week getting around/walking. I didn't mess with the settings or the electricity in my device as I said I might in my last post. I just gave myself time. While walking is not perfect (will it ever be? I'm not sure.), it was a lot better then last week. Maybe it was focusing on someone else (my mom) that was just enough distraction to get my mind off my own problems.
One thing I've written about before but have decided to talk about again in this post is walking with a cane - more specifically, how I walk with a cane. When I use my cane, I use it "wrong". I'm supposed to have the cane in the hand opposite of the leg it's supposed to help. In my case, my left leg is the one that gives me problems, so the right way to hold and use my cane is to hold it in my right hand. However, since the first time I ever used a cane and continuing to this day, I hold my cane in my left hand. It turns out, I was helping myself before I even knew I was helping myself. In my reading and speaking with doctors, dystonic movements are oftentimes remedied or lessened by touching the affected area. In my case, by holding the cane in my left hand, I was calming my left hand as well as my left leg. My left leg was (is) calmed because sometimes I'll rub the cane against it while walking. Isn't it absolutely amazing how our bodies work?! Even before I ever knew what I was doing, my body instinctively had me caring for it. That just awes me.
Yesterday on Facebook, I shared an article (that a friend of mine shared first). By the title of it, I was not expecting it to hit so close to home. The last thing I expected it to mention was dystonia. I've linked it here if you'd like to read it: "Why Matthew's Disability in 'The Chosen' Matters It turns out that the author of the article has cervical dystonia. While not the same dystonia as mine (left-sided hemi-paresis), he has dystonia - like me! It's refreshing to read about others that have the same condition that I do. (And if you're wondering, Matthew's disability portrayed in 'The Chosen' is not dystonia, it's autism.) Reading about other's experiences with dystonia, validates my own struggle with it. Does that make sense? It can get rather "lonely" being the only person I know that has this. I know there are lots of people who have it, I just don't know anyone personally. So, reading other's writings about their experiences helps me to not feel so alone in this journey. Before I get comments on joining support groups or the like, I know I can. ;) I have resources, but sometimes it is just a lonely journey. And I'm OK with that (most of the time!). It's why I blog. :)
Anyway, I think that's enough for this week as I've once again written a book. Thank you for reading and...
Always remember, God's Got This!
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