Phyllis gave us a great insight yesterday with her comment that it takes 34 reps to learn something if we are healthy, unknown how many if we are not healthy. Lets count a days reps as once. That means a healthy person could do whatever in a bit over a month. An unhealthy person like many of us will take longer so lets say thrice as long. That works out to a little over three months. I think some providers want to make it a lifetime. There may indeed be cases where that is necessary, but I don't plan to be one of them.

I think Phyllis' numbers are about correct based on my own experience recently. In two months of work on my Bowflex, my good (right) arm strength has doubled. The Left arm has gone from zero to about where the right arm started. I am only holding it back out of fear of hurting my shoulder again. I am on track to make my goal of being able to go fishing on opening day (May 11). I have found this same number of days works well in calculating other expected improvements. I have only been doing standing toe raises for about two weeks. When I started I could not support myself at all on the left foot only. Today I did ten reps supporting my body weight on the left foot raised only.

Just about when I think I am at a standstill, my body gives me a wonderful surprise, and rewards the work. I have been stuck at about 45 degrees of left arm lift out to the side while standing. Since the Myofacia release and Graston, It has crept up to 90 deg or parallel to the ground. Today It shot up to nearly vertical, probably 160 deg or so, almost as good as the right arm! Still too much pain, and not smooth as it should be, but improving. I do the exercises my OT gave me every day. Still use the Saeboflex as well, have graduated to some new exercises with it she gave me. I report these things to you to let you know what is working for me and what is not. I realize these treatments may not work or even be possible for some of you, but possibly some of you have wondered about some of this stuff, and my reports will help you make your own decision. I hope so.

I deeply realize my experiences may not be typical, and may well not work for all, but appears to be working for me. My friend "Mike" I occasionally speak of is not doing a full exercise routine anymore, and from what he tells me his progress has nearly stopped. When we both came out of rehab nearly at the same time, he was well ahead of me as far as what he could do. We are much closer now.

All I know is that when I try something new it seems to usually trigger more rapid progress than I was having. Part of it is I can now target very specific things to improve, not everything.

I am also deeply aware of what Donna said about finances and insurance. My Military retired Tricare has made much of this possible. Thank you Tricare. I am now entering the areas where insurance will not pay. Thus, I am being very selective and letting the providers know I expect results. Most of the websites for these therapies promise quick results. I am simply holding them to their promises. No results, and I won't be back. I also have picked up on the fact that some long term survivors are well adjusted to their situation and have had hopes built up in the past, only to be dashed by reality. Some of those are not willing to risk another disappointment, or some of these therapies may simply be too late for them.

A neighbor of ours has a husband in the local nursing home from a stroke five years ago. It breaks my heart to see him with a claw hand and in a wheel chair. I told Lesley were he 10 years younger, I would go there, kick his butt, get him a Saeboflex even if we had to pay for it, and get him home again. The only reason he went to a nursing home is that she is 78 and became unable to care for him at home. With what is now available, he could be at home with proper treatments. Unfortunately, he is 86 and his time for all of this has past, and his motivation to even try new things isn't there. I did give him a hand atrengthener I had, and his loving wife goes to the nursing home and works with him using it everyday. The system we live under talks a good game, but has failed this man and many others like him. I don't know the answer to all of this, but having him spend his last days in a nursing home when he could be in his home with available treatments isn't it.

I have not walked in their shoes and will certainly not judge anyone. We each must do what we feel is best for us and play the cards we have been dealt as best we can. I may well lose my motivation in years to come and plateau. If I do, I want that plateau to be as high as possible. Thus, I'm doing all I can while I can do it.

I do hope that nothing I have said here has offended or given false hope to anyone. It certainly has not ever been intended to do so. What works for me may not work for another. I don't completely understand complacency and comfort zones, but that doesn't mean they are not real to those that have them. I didn't understand depression until I was in the hospital, now I take happy pills and have a much better understanding of it. There are many things I don't understand, but that doesn't make them any less real. Please reread this last paragraph. It is important. I am just reporting my results for all to see and hopefully help some others along the way.

Well, Lesley has just come home and reports seeing a large Grey wolf at the end of our road. Last night a body was brought into the ER where she works in pieces and partially decomposed, apparantly eaten by wolves. Whether they killed the man or just ate the remains will have to wait for the med examiner to determine. Lesley is now running the dog and as always using a leash. Anyway, a beautiful sunrise today, and breakfast awaits