As explained previously, I qualified (by the skin on my teeth) for the Intensive Mobility Training (IMT) at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC. The first 2 days involves baseline measurements - balancing ability, walking, standing - the basics. Apparently I have a ceiling effect going on (high functioning) which I already knew going in to the trial. However, I gave them a challenge and plenty to work with - supination problems with my foot, week thigh adductor, weakness in my leg in general & walking problems that they were more than happy to dissect with glee.

Today was the first IMT day - 3 straight hours. Hour 1 = strapping in to a harness that is guaranteed to give you an atomic wedgie that lifts 10% body weight over a treadmill. The full hour of walking on a treadmill that is 2 feet in the air included a person that is dedicated to my foot - making sure it turns in and accomplishes the heel strike instead of flopping uselessly as it has been trained to do for the past 3 1/2 years. Hour 2 = freeing the wedgie (yay!) and removing the harness, walking the halls on my heels only (the left foot was not able to completely do this) - I made all 6 people (Bob included) also walk on their heels. This has a few purposes, two of which are 1) they are included and feel what the patient (me) feels and 2) it makes me feel better about what I have to do. The third one may have some type of revenge quality to it, but I will not admit it freely! Hour 3 = everyone traipsing outside (it was beautiful) and doing balancing and strength training in the grass and on the stairs. One of the exercises involved 2 people throwing balls sequentially from different directions while I balanced on my foot. You better believe that they were on 1 foot too.

I had 5 physical therapists critiquing my every move for the entire 3 hours with Bob as a lookie-loo. It was weird. Everyone feels free to touch me wherever (not there, you perv!) to help correct me. At one point, I may have had 3 different people 'helping' me. After the 3 hours, I was tired, I ached, and I was feeling every single exercise I completed or tried during the torture session.

My hopes are too high. Logically, I know this but I can't help the hope in my heart. I will blog about as many days as possible as long as something interesting is happening. I will definitely report about my final day to give an overall impression and thoughts on how it helped.

Stay tuned!!