8/30/26 – Smoothing Out The Signals
So, it’s been VERY interesting these past couple days. I’ve been feeling my feet, pushing into my feet, and my whole legs have changed. It’s insane. The tingling and baseline resting static is slowing down. It’s smoothing out. It’s almost like signals are really trying to make their way all the way down here, and it’s been CRAZY!
There’s a lot going on in the feet I don’t really know about yet, so I’m going to have to do some research. How many nerve endings? What muscles? How many joints? Therese always tells me “the feet are the entrance to the body” and she’s right!
I wonder what people would look like, trying to do almost any activity, without their feet properly grounded/ supported? You draw out the Free Body Diagram of the forces and reaction forces for almost any activity, let’s take the ‘Single Buck’ competition, in the Stihl Timbersports Series. You have someone holding a massive Crosscut Saw, with as wide of a base to support as possible. You might think this is an only Upper Body activity, but without your torso and legs providing constant support and reaction forces into the ground, the whole activity falls apart.
What I’m saying is, I think this newfound interest into foot grounding is more important than we all think? Especially for a Spinal Cord Recovery. It’s not simply the ground under our feet, but it’s the place our feet are transferring the load! How can I locomote, without getting one foot and leg to transfer all my weight back to the ground, while the other swings through? It’s the whole process summed up in a nutshell.
I think there’s something to this, as well as the path of innervation I want to dive into a bit more!
Why, when I’m sleeping, and getting up in the morning, do my hip flexors find the need to be so over reactive? No one immediately has to pop up and go right to the bathroom, why do my hip flexors have to try to pop me up? Or is it something else entirely?
Maybe I should learn how to sail? Seems like a place I want to try to get to?
My entire anterior chain is effing tight. My posterior chain is weak and needs to move.
My vision started to bounce and flicker just a bit ago. My body does not do well with such little movement. It’s terrible. It’s saddening to me.
Standing frame work — safety in my head? Therese was able to help me get up standing straighter than usual with the ankle weight on my left foot!!
Also, my low back has been popping and creaking up a storm! I’m shocked with how much movement and signs of loosening down there! Shoot even with the right breathe I just had, I had the largest toot, to date???? Just wild!
There is so much work my posterior side needs to do, Therese is right and on to something about getting up in the standing frame right for the first time in months! I do think, I need to help keep him safe!!
8/31/26 – Crazy Dreams
Whatever I did last night in the standing frame has made some monumental changes overnight to my legs??!!
What a crazy dream? So stressful, we were in What looked like Vietnam, but it wasn’t. We were just getting off a plane or train, and heading thru the airport and train station. We hopped on these scooters on tracks, and then they started to haul! There was also snow happening in the valley we were traveling thru, and when we got off, every jumped off the platform? So odd, there was so much happening?
My legs right now feel all this stress. My legs and feet this past night were really up to a lot, especially my low back?! Slowly but surely gotta get these legs more and more in extension on their own, and I gotta help make these guys feel safe.. that was such an interesting observation from last night by Therese? Let’s see how this week goes!
Wow, feels like my toes are caught in a net?
So wild, how my legs and feet are feeling “cold” almost today? This is so interesting!?
PT went great today! Electrolytes pre-workout has been amazing! Had a great session with Joni doing some modified reformer work, getting back in the chair, sit ups, and feeling my body work so well!
I was able to get my leg braces straightened out on my own, and I’m really needing to just get up in these braces more and more! I don’t want to make excuses, so I gotta give it a go tomorrow!
9/1/26 – The Body Remembers
Had a wild dream where 28 mile Rd was totally different, and Jake talked about this interesting turning point way back in the day where it was about our mom. He said that there was this version of mom he called “St Joes mom” and the mom of today. He said it could have gone very differently, we are lucky. Crazy how our dreams go?
My legs were ACTIVE last night! Goodness! The spinal stim sure does some wild stuff to my legs! I forgot to take some CBD last night, that stuff really works to help keep em calm!!
The resting activation in my muscles is huge today! Big step up from yesterday! These muscles are doing more and more as I move throughout the day, and are ready and stretched out more quickly as well!
I’m feeling as I keep my head up, focus on my task and head up, my legs are spontaneously kicking in more and more!
It’s almost like certain nerves or areas of my body “remember” what it’s like to do whatever functional movement it is they are supposed to do? I can usually always feel myself doing whatever it is, I wonder how I build off this and try to “unlock” more types of movement?
Now, I wonder if I could create a set of braces, with a spring for a knee? Just a piece of flat stock? Heat treated spring steel with decent mechanical properties to allow some amount of give? But still bend “a bit”? Hmm, I wonder if these exist?
The tension in my head gave way after a nice short walk / stand for the first time in the house EVER!! My head feels lighter, body feels more active and engaged, and I feel more human. It’s wild!
Up in standing frame. Thinking about all the things. Trying to make sure I’m keeping my body useful.
Laying down now, getting these legs straight. I gotta get em going every day. I need to! They’re moving Better and better, my hips, glutes, low back are really going! I can’t stop. The squeeze, the hold, the bite and lock these muscles are working on has been so incredible to track! One day at a time!
9/2/26 – Keep Doing Stuff – Anything
Yeah, taking the CBD gummy before bed is HUGE! That definitely helps me stay asleep and help keeps my legs calm! I got up in the braces and standing frame after work and dinner, and my legs are really feeling the constant activation! In the Gastroc’s, tib anterior, quads, glutes, hips, and feeling my abdomen evening out! My feet are getting a constant state of sensation, and I can really feel how these electrolytes daily are really helping me!
Yesterday I just did stuff, instead of focusing on having to go to the bathroom. It helped. Focusing on different areas of my body seems to really make a difference, especially when it comes to keeping these muscles awake and online. Every day. Little changed every day. Small steps every day. Let’s keep up the consistency!
I also want to see what other fun and interesting things people are doing to the knee joints for KAFO’s? I wonder what I could modify or build myself here in this area?
Low back is loosening up, hips and obliques are evening out!
PT, good walk today! What’s interesting, as the student Emma said, “if you give yourself time to hesitate, you WILL hesitate!” And that just got me thinking so much about all the movement I’m trying to do! It’s really true, and it’s tough to reconcile with sometimes. She also brought up an interesting point about baby’s in the NICU, and how they sometimes aren’t able to breathe properly while eating?! I had no idea, and I had mentioned that was also similar to how I’m unable to talk while I am upright and walking?!? So wild!
Pilates went great as well! Great session today! Feeling thru my feet and activating thru my feet was helping me so much!
Got up in the standing frame after dinner, my body sure is feeling all the activation. I really need to get him to tone it down and relax for the night. It’s resting time now.
It’s hard to always know what to say, at the end of the day. It’s been good and busy, running the clock from sun up to sun down. I don’t get a break, most days. Just go go go, until I’m finally laying down, taking some notes again. That’s sometimes tough, but I don’t have much other options, being in my body, is all. Here I am. Here’s me doing.
So odd. This life. Sure is hard a lot of the days. Sometimes it has its moments. Let’s get some rest.
9/3/26 – PT Bills
Wow! Had a night of good sleep! Taking just the CBD gummy before bed really helps my legs calm down, and stay calm throughout the night? That’s interesting that it’s so drastic, because when I don’t, my legs will kick and stay active just about all night??
These legs are filling right up! From my navel to my toes, I am feeling all the creaks, contractions, tightness, looseness, and that tight left side keeps filling in and becoming more normal! Which is great!
Last night in the standing frame is so interesting, I don’t know if it’s a case of co-contraction or what, but my body was so active, yet not able to get fully straight? And when I got back down, they were still so online and active?
Spent a bunch of time with Callie last night trying to sort thru 77 pages of PT bills, EOBs from Anthem, and credit card payments. Oof! That was enough to make your head spin, they manipulate money in some of the weirdest ways, I still don’t understand it.
But seriously though, back to my feet! That’s where the focus has been, and it’s been so helpful with almost every type of exercise and movement, it’s so odd how the ideas we tell ourselves really do shape ourselves. Which, is why I’m always on the hunt for more and more ways to get upright! Let’s make sure you do that today!!
Just slow and steady. Like a turtle. I’m like an infant, but older, bigger, slower heavier, and less time to dedicate to my recovery, which is tough!
What’s interesting, is how when I take my feet on the floor, brakes unlocked, when I press my feet into the floor the tingling and radio static in my legs and feet goes away? Harder and longer I press into my feet, the less radio noise?
Fell twice
Hard days, hard body…
9/4/26 – Family is in Town!
Lots of feelings this morning after the fall! Holy smokes!!
Busy day! Family made it in town!
Took the brothers over to work! Made it to our local watering hole Sluggo’s, and then made it home and got so much work done around the house! This was amazing! Cleaned the HECK out of the garage!
Folks made it in as well! We all kept busy on this bustling Friday before the party!
Made it over to Hubbard Park! I loved riding and biking over here, I had to tell the family all about it! Its such a great place nestled along the side of the Milwaukee River in the city. It was quite the escape from the hustle and bustle, Max and I spent many a-evenings here running and biking! Rain or shine, snow or what have you! We were always out here!
9/5/26 – Day Out Fishing! / Longest Day
Made it on the water! Caught 10 big ones! 9 King and 1 Coho! my body reacts so interestingly to the soft rolls of the waves?! It’s extremely fascinating to feel while we ride along the waters! And I also reeled in the 2 biggest of the day!! I was able to keep reeling’! What a day with the boys!
Is that a thing? Having to sensory overload the crap out of your body? Or to tell it what you want it to do? Today, I never napped, got up at 3:30am, and am still somehow awake at 1:03am the next day? My legs feel more signals to active muscles than they almost ever do? Why is this?
It seems like all these forced to operate systems within the body all need to turn on synchronously throughout these very long days. Because I’m up and awake this whole time, I’m forcing my body to stay turned on? It feels like I’m almost trying to jumpstart my body by keeping it awake for such a long period of time? It’s weird because there may be some truth to this concept? Maybe there is something to this? Either way, long day and awesome day!
Leave a Reply