An update on Ryan's outpatient rehab...

So, it has been a while, but here is an update for those of you who are interested. I have been doing Physical Therapy through a place called PT Pros since I left Cardinal Hill. There are some really great people there, and while they don't specialize in Spinal Cord Injuries, they are really good about coming up with things for me to do and letting me do the things I want to do as well.

I am still using my leg braces, at least once a week at therapy and once or twice a week at home. My mom, dad, aunt, uncle, and one set of grandparents got to see it over Christmas, and were pretty enthused. I have walked up to about 120 feet in a straight line, but I am able to stand and walk across a room, do something, come back and sit down with my braces and a walker. Like I keep telling everyone, it ain't half bad for someone they said would never move again from the chest down.

My car had a flat tire, and I got it fixed. My wheelchair is not so lucky, it has been slowly falling apart for a while now, but I have hooked up with some really cool folks at a place called Extreme Mobility (http://www.extrememobilityinc.com) who are going to do some work for me. I am taking my chair up there this week, and then once the parts come in, they are going to come to Williamsburg to fix it for me! Sweet! They are my new favorite thing. They come highly recommended by my friends at Cardinal Hill.

Speaking of which, I am going this week also for a consult with my PM&R doc, Dr. Salles. She is pretty much a cripple-oligist. We are going to finalize plans for me to get my baclofen pump trial and surgery planned out. The baclofen pump has the potential to change my entire life; I have talked about it before, but you can learn all about it at their website here: http://professional.medtronic.com/interventions/ intrathecal-baclofen-therapy/overview/index.htm. It has a lot of promise and may get rid of a whole pile of bad side effects, plus it'll make walking and sleeping and all sorts of other things better.

Okay, then, I guess that is enough of an update. Still working at the college for now, going to finish up my M.A.T., then it's off to try the M.R.C. (Master's in Rehabilitative Counseling). I think I am going to go for it; mioght as well, right? Might as well be in college forever... With UC bringing in so many new medically and rehab oriented programs, I bet down the line I could end up teaching that stuff at the college level. It's all academic for now, though, at least until I get out of my M.A.T. and get a more... suitable... job.