update, improvements, disappointments including Bioness, Inc
Entry posted by rj711
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hi all...i got myself into a zen state of mind over the summer now that i live 500 feet from the ocean and all the construction on my house is completed...all i wanted to do was gardening and lounge in the sun (what little there was) on my deck with my cat hOOver...several weeks ago i moved into a proactive mode and lucked out finding a trainer/pt guy on craig'slist...he's the jackpot!...i didn't think i'd ever find just the right person to work with in my new location but the gods have been kind indeed...in a few weeks we are seeing improvements that are nothing less than amazing!...in particular i was never able to effectively flex my knee while prone...my hamstrings were sooooo weak...now i can fairly easily get to just past 90 degrees!...supine i can now raise my affected arm albeit with a whole lot of initial shaking over my head and then lower it back to the table with control!...my finger extension is nonfunctional but who knows where this is all going...i'm 3 1/2 years out but seeing marked improvements...does anyone out there have any insight/experience like this to share??...i'd love to hear it!...my big day monday was to go to the beach: i carried my sand chair from my car myself, opened it, sat down and got up by myself (after a few practice moves)...mike was next to me but didn't assist...no enabler he!...i felt like a million bucks knowing that i could do this on my own...we walked down to the water just to get my feet wet...ahhhhhhh salt water never felt so good...i've bumped up my sessions to 3x's/week...my god at 55 i'm getting toned abs again!...sheesh!...my affected knee has a tendency to drift medially during squats but i work hard to maintain more laterality which takes a lot of effort and concentration...i actually enjoy doing the cobra moves while prone as this strengthens my low back and helps maintain proper posture...i'm praying that all the actions i've taken are having a cumulative tho somewhat delayed result...??...can't say but i'm grateful to be using my body in these ways for today!
next i've got ranting to do about Bioness, Inc the makers of the L300 stim orthosis which can be effective in helping drop foot by stimulating the tibialis anterior muscle when the affected leg is advanced...for this piece of equipment i tossed them $6,000 in full no insurance reimbursement of any kind then proceeded to purchase the H200 system which basically does the same thing for the affected hand: it stims the fingers and thumb into extension as well as various other modes of exercise...$6,200 for this diddy on a payment plan this time...with the combination of the economic crisis and my move i needed to ask them to refi the last $500...yes that a whopping $500...i asked to pay $100/month for 5 months to complete my payments in full...they rudely refused to grant this arrangement despite my perfect payment history with their company in addition to having a fico credit score of 800+...the real kick in the pants for me was that they cancelled an $8 order for a minor part i needed to use my L300 with a new pair of sandals until i agreed to their payment terms of two successive monthly payments of $250 each...just when i thought it couldn't get worse, phone calls to their tech department have gone unanswered since june in relation to a malfunction which they were already aware of with my L300...so i agreed to their payment terms tho it caused me unwarranted hardship...they got it their way now i'll get it my way in continuing my crusade to get companies and service providers to treat stroke survivors with consideration and respect...the same consideration and respect any company would treat a client that just spent $12,200 for their products
...i have come to believe that as a stroke survivor providers of care as well as suppliers just do not extend the same degree of consideration that they would normally extend to others...even merely as a good business practice never mind the ethical implications...i for one am not taking this poor treatment silently...i caution anyone entering into a costly financial arrangement with Bioness, Inc to factor in my ongoing experience with them...not a dollar is insurance reimburseable under any plan including medicare...i will continue to blog about this until my phone calls are returned and the problem with my unit is corrected...Bioness deserves at least that much!
best to all, stem cell acupuncture richxxx
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