Back on the bike

      In September I bought a new bike (Trike) at a UtahTrikes while my family and I was in Utah at our sons' wedding.  Once the trike was delivered, there were a few challenges to overcome.  The pedals of the trike wouldn't work, and it took a long time before we found a workable solution.  My walking brace didn't work to support my ankle in the cycling position, but we were fortunate to have another brace that could be modified to work.  

      I started out with a .4 mile ride, partly because we found the problem with the pedals on that ride.  Other rides with attampt at solving the pedal problem were .6 and .8 miles.  After finding a good pedal  (Platform Pedal with Heel Support - Dual Straps -  at Workmancycles.com) I could ride 1.2 miles, then 2.4 miles, but due to using my walking brace, I hurt after the ride.  It took a while to get an old brace reconfigured, but once it was our first ride went 3.2 miles, than yesterday I went 5.6 miles.  Now my right leg looks almost exactly like my left leg and there isn't a stall in my pedal stroke.

The Challenge Center

Suzy has been continuing her rehab at The Challenge Center in La Mesa, since being released from Sharp's outpatient rehab program. Yesterday Brent videotaped Suzy's therapy session.

In this video, Suzy is lifting her body with her weak leg without a safety net.

Suzy walking without cane or pole. Working her way toward unsupported walking.

Maren explaining how Suzy's normal stride will be with more practice.

Notice how little Maren is helping Suzy.

Suzy Rides Again!!

Suzy and Brent found a company that custom makes 3-wheel bikes. For most Californians, the fact that Utah Trikes is located in Payson Utah could be a problem. Conveniently for Suzy, Spencer was getting married in the Salt Lake Temple a few days before Brandon was going into the MTC in Provo, so she was able to visit the shop for a test drive. They rigged the bike so that the steering mechanism is on left, so Suzy is able to steer and shift gears using her left hand.

(the gasp at the end of the video is because Suzy's right foot started to come loose.)

Suzy was surprised at how easy the bike was to ride and control. They thought a ride to the end of the cul-de-sac would wear Suzy out, but she thinks she could have gone farther. She was also quite proud that when her foot started to slip, she didn't panic.

Next time they are going to find a place where she can ride for about a mile.

She going to be riding in their ward's annual Ride Across California in no time!

Riding Tandum

Suzy's New Exercise Routine

Suzy showing off her new exercise room and workout routine:

January 5, 2011

Just as I got home from a dinner meeting and was taking off my coat, my cell phone beeped like it does when I receive a text. I figured it was a reply to a text I had sent earlier to someone at the meeting. As I got my phone out of my coat pocket, I was pleasantly surprised to see the text was from Brent. 

Brent: new videos going up. Notice the long steps and smoothness of the walk. She's walking without the cane for workouts, but with these big steps she gently touches the bar.

Me: Awesome!

Excitedly, I quickly logged in to YouTube to check out the new videos! I can't quit smiling! Suzy has made such great progress.

Can I just tell you how proud I am of my little sister?! It is exciting to see how far she has come. Physical therapy has not been easy...with the 45 minute drives both there and back, plus the seven hours of therapies every day, it has been a big commitment of time and energy. Hard both mentally and physically. There were times when the therapists gave her new challenges that scared her...I'll never forget the nervous look on her face as Liz handed her a cane on her second day of PT and told her she was going to use it instead of the bar on the wall as she walked...but with every new challenge Suzy gave 100%. This stroke hit Suzy like a hard right hook out of nowhere, but she has fought back with a smile on her face.

As she is getting ready to graduate on Friday, I imagine she is both excited and nervous. Excited to be moving forward and nervous to be moving on to new things. Suzy and Brent have found an outpatient program closer to their home where Suzy can continue with her physical therapy three time a week. I am sure Suzy will be the bright spot there, just like she has been at Sharp.

~Michelle

Merry Christmas!

Brent has been working on Suzy's Christmas present since Thanksgiving, when Michelle and her family were in town. One day while Michelle took Suzy to Physical Therapy, her husband and two boys helped Brent and the boys de-clutter their bonus room. Then after Thanksgiving Brent had a hardwood floor installed, so he could turn the bonus room into an exercise room for Suzy. 

Knowing that Suzy will be graduating from Physical Therapy on January 7th, Brent wanted to get things set up at the house so that Suzy would be able to continue with her therapy at home. He had the idea to customize Suzy's bike, so that she would be able to use it as an exercise bike. After meeting with her physical therapists to find out what would be safe, he met with someone that would be able to do the work for him.

Christmas morning Suzy had a great surprise!

Suzy's right foot has a tendency to turn in towards the chain, so they are having to tape the foot to the pedal & hold it straight while she pedals.

In preparation for Suzy graduating from the physical therapy program in a few weeks, they have been given some exercises to be doing at home.  She has made some great progress with lifting her leg and was able to surprise Brent the other night when she showed him she can raise it about 10-15 inches from a laying position. Hopefully we will have videos of her progress soon.

Suzy is also now able to go up the stairs by herself...no one watching or helping!

November 23, 2010

Occupational Therapy
Suzy working her arm






Physical Therapy
Suzy had some company during her PT workout today.
Sometimes they worked out with her...






And sometimes, they were a little distracting...but. Suzy loves the company when the boys can attend rehab with her.




Suzy's walking is improving daily!




I think Robby forgot who he was supposed to be videoing...


Walking sideways


Walking backwards

Lots of Videos!

There haven't been many videos lately, because I accidentally brought the cord for downloading videos and the battery charger for the camera home to Utah. Now that the cord is safely back where it belongs we have lots of videos from the last three Fridays.

More speech therapy from October 26th.



This one is kind of long, but the last five seconds are the best part of the video!



In this one Suzy explains a very interesting fact...



Suzy pedaling



Each week as part of the routine, Suzy makes goals of what she wants to accomplish both during rehab and also at home. Then on Friday they have an Accomplishments meeting where the patients discuss the progress they made during the week. This is a video of Suzy's turn reviewing her goals and the progress made toward accomplishing them.


The part where she is talking about "leaving the chair" is referring to the fact that Suzy hadn't been bringing the wheelchair upstairs for two days.

November 11, 2010

Spencer flew home to visit for a long weekend and got to go to rehab with Brandon and video Suzy.





The physical therapist took advantage of Suzy having two strong boys with her, and had her walk on the treadmill.





Suzy's speech is really improving!





Occupational Therapy



November 12, 2010

Friday Brent was able to stay and video Suzy during her rehab.

The muscles in Suzy's right arm and shoulder have a lot of tone (they are really tight) so in Occupational Therapy she does quite a bit of stretching to help loosen them up.



They also use electronic stimulus to help stimulate the nerves and muscles.



The fingers on Suzy's right hand have a tendency to curl up, so during occupational therapy they will sometimes tape them open. Next week she has an appointment to get Botox injections to help relax the muscles in her hand. Getting the injections will help the therapists to see how much use she will be able to regain.





Suzy practiced walking without the cane!











She was even able to walk the whole length of the bars without stopping or grabbing on! Way to go Suz!



Step ups & Side steps:




At the end of the last video as Suzy looked up she comments "I'm the only one working!" Everyone else had stopped to watch Suzy.



Suzy has been working so hard! It's great to be able to see her progress & watch as she gives her therapists everything she's got...and do it with a joke and a smile!

Speech Therapy

A couple of videos of Suzy in speech therapy.
October 26, 2010

Occupational Therapy 10/14/2010

Even though Suzy still has no sensation in her right arm, in Occupational Therapy the goal is to continue working and exercising the arm. Even though Suzy's brain can't feel the arm, she can still send messages to it to move the arm. By continuing to engage the arm this way, when she gets the feeling back her movements will be more controlled.

Occupational Therapy: therapy based on engagement in meaningful activities of daily life which restore a physically disabled person's ability to perform activities such as walking, eating, drinking, dressing, toileting and bathing.

Suzy's haircut...

In order to make life easier, Suzy got a haircut today. It's taken a while to get the long beautiful hair she had, but not being able to care for it the way she'd like to has been hard.



Not only is the new style adorable & easy to care for, but some sweet little girl with cancer will have a curly wig thanks to Suzy's donation to Locks of Love.

Suzy heading to bed...

Glad to be home...

Suzy has been home since Saturday, October 2nd. She had hopes of being able to sleep in her own bed, but first they needed a banister to be hung on the wall. A friend, Steve Huyett, built a customized banister to match the existing one for Suzy. This is a special banister to Suzy because some of the wood Steve used was left over pieces from a coffin he had built for a dear friend. It was a nice surprise to arrive home to today.

Being home though actually means more work then before. Suzy is now going to rehab from 9 to 3 weekdays. In addition to the physical, occupational and speech therapy she also participates in groups to help with memory, writing, stress management, journaling, quantitative concepts and deductive reasoning. Needles to say, by 4 o'clock when she get home she is worn out and ready to relax.

10-01-2010

They made a custom brace for Suzy's right leg. It will help keep her toes lifted when she steps, as well as support her ankle and prevent it from rolling.

The brace really improved her walking.


For physical therapy Suzy practiced on the stairs in the parking garage to make sure she would be okay on the stairs at home.




During speech therapy, Suzy would have to place a series of pictures in the orer they happened, then tell what is happening in each picture.

Yep, That's Suzy...

As I have been here at the rehab center with Suzy for the past two days, one thing is very clear...everyone LOVES Suzy!

As the nurses come on shift, even if they are not assigned to Suzy for the day, they all come by to say "Hi" and check on Suzy. As she attends her occupational, speech, and physical therapy sessions, all the therapists tell her what a joy she is to work with. During her sessions, Suzy not only gives them everything she's got, but does it with a smile and a joke or two. In the words of her speech therapist, she is "the bright spot in everyone's day."

I am sure that as most of you read this you are thinking, "Yep, that's Suzy!" She has always been one of those people, that other people want to get to know and be around. She still that same Suzy!

Suzy's day here at the rehab center starts at 7 a.m. and her day is full of hard work, both physically and mentally, so by the end of the day she is tired. One evening after a long day of working, Suzy had a visitor that stayed a little long. After the visit Brent apologized to Suzy that the visit had gone so long, but Suzy said, "It's okay, I don't mind ,because he talks to me like you talk to me." She appreciated that he talked to her just as he had prior to the stroke, he did not "dumb down" his speech when talking with Suzy.

Communicating what she wants to say is sometimes hard for Suzy, because the words get stuck in her head; but she understands what is being said to her perfectly, and notices when people talk down to her and treat her like a child. She is no less then she was before the stoke, she is still the same lovable, funny & fun to be with Suzy that she always was!
~Michelle

9-29-2010

Occupational therapy


Speech therapy









Physical therapy

9-28-2010

Video of the cast guy observing Suzy walking so he can make a custom brace for her leg.


Stepping up


Stretching with Liz


Stretching with Brent


Walking up the stairs

Family Home Evening

On Monday for Family Home Evening, Brent and the boys brought in Chinese food. Then they payed pool & visited in the Rec room.

A Visit Home!

Suzy got to take a trip home Sunday. At the rehab center as patients are getting close to a release date, they let them have a day pass so they can go home for a "test run" to see how things will go.

Checking the mail

Sadie was VERY excited to see Suzy!

Just hanging out.

  It was a good day!